<p>cathymee, <em>I</em> certainly can’t top that one. Thank doG. (I really love the NY/semi-rural Minnesota angle also. 
)</p>
<p>Happy anniversary Binx!</p>
<p>MOWC, it sounds at least like MOG is at least trying to do the right thing.</p>
<p>I should have added to MomofWildChild…best of luck and best wishes for your D’s wedding.
May the antics of the Grandma be the worst that occurs.
If you are a Seinfeld fan remember the phrase “serenity now” !!</p>
<p>Thanks, all. These are some hilarious stories. I hope I CAN’T top them!<br>
We get to have dinner tonight with FOG and MOG, which should be interesting. We are in TX for med school graduation and spent all day with MOG. She is a lot of fun, but wears me out! It’s been a long day already and it’s HOT here! H gleefully stayed home to stain the deck and seal the driveway.</p>
<p>It speaks volumes that staining the deck and sealing the driveway are preferable to socializing with FamilyofGroom, MOWC! </p>
<p>I am looking forward to full reports on the week to come.</p>
<p>And I can’t wait until WildChild marries!</p>
<p>^^ Don’t hold your breath! WildChild has a lovely gf, but he doesn’t seem to want to keep them around TOO long!</p>
<p>Dinner with the Bickersons went extremely well. We went to a fun Asian restaurant and both parents were well-behaved. My D said I was really good at diffusing the tension (which is a polite way of saying I never shut up…) FatherofGroom and I have some business-related things we can talk about, and we all tried to keep the focus on the med school graduation and the wedding. It was quite pleasant, even with only 1 drink for me!</p>
<p>(A side note- anyone find it strange that out of a medical school graduating class of 220, only FOUR students attended Convocation (church service) and the ONLY family members there were us???)</p>
<p>MOWC, you must tell us whether in your youth you were more like your angelic daughter or your not-angelic son.</p>
<p>Is convocation part of the graduation ceremony? I would find it strange that there was such a small turnout.</p>
<p>No, I don’t find the convocation attendance weird at all. I know too many medical students who found the process of watching people die meaninglessly led them to atheism.</p>
<p>I don’t think the Convocation was publicized as well as it could have been. The priest who conducted the service (which happened to be at D and fiance’s church they attended in Houston) is bi-vocational and teaches at the medical school. It was really neat. The priest who is coming to our town to officiate at the wedding (along with our Rector) also participated in the service. </p>
<p>NYMom- I was absolutely not angelic and my son is referred to as “[MyName]Junior”. I don’t think it was quite as easy to get in as much trouble back in my day. I should also add that my daughter wasn’t BORN a Postulant! She has always been a “good” kid, but was pretty hard to deal with as a teenager due to the teenage girl “emotional” stuff. As a vocal performance major, she still can give some pretty good “performances”!</p>
<p>I also don’t think it’s so unusual for graduates to skip the Convocation - out of those 220 graduates, how many were actually Episcopalian? I bet there were a fair number of Jews, Catholics, Baptists, etc. in the class who would not only feel no need to attend the Convocation, but even uncomfortable doing so.</p>
<p>Congrats on the new doc in the family, and I’m glad that the dinner went well!</p>
<p>I didn’t attend my own college convocation for the simple fact that I feel there should be no religious or quasi-religious public celebration at a public college for the reasons expressed by Chedva. I don’t think mine was held at a chapel but in the gym.</p>
<p>This was not “at” the public university but at a nearby church. They have had about 20-30 attendees in other years. It apparently varies year to year.</p>
<p>At DS’s graduation there were almost NO people at all at the convocation. It was at 9 in the morning and the graduation itself was at 11. Most folks slept in…or had a leisurely breakfast with their families.</p>
<p>re #72: perhaps there were convocations sponsored by other faith groups, too?</p>
<p>I believe this was the only one.<br>
The graduation itself was amazing. The new doctors look like college freshman. As one of them said, “Don’t go to the hospital in July!” (new residents abound…)</p>
<p>I thought convocations were non-denominational. All the public high schools have them in our highly multicultural area. I know the one at my kid’s school when she graduated had a Protestant minister, a Catholic priest, a Jewish rabbi, and a Muslim spiritual leader (imam?) as co-officiaries. The one for my area’s high school rotates amongst various houses of worship within the hs boundaries.</p>
<p>
Oh my, I never thought of that!</p>
<p>I thought convocation was just a synonym for graduation, and baccalaureate was the religious ceremony. Neither of my boys’ colleges (UPenn and Juilliard) had any kind of religious ceremony, and I wouldn’t have expected them to.</p>
<p>Wow! Just got back in town and catching up on the entertainment!! First, happy anniversary, binx!</p>
<p>Now, MOWC- Please keep us posted of the wild and wooly antics! Hopefully the adults will consider, at least for a brief moment, acting like <em>adults</em>, and will not wreck things for the bride and groom. Sheesh.</p>
<p>When your dust settles, I’ll share some “parent of bar/bat mitzvah child” stories (younger s. shared his bar mitzvah day with a sweet boy whose parents were divorced. Dad wasn’t Jewish but was doing all the “planning” as mom was not willing to be involved. I held the dad’s hand and helped him with all the details all the way through to the week of the event. Then the mom shows up and tries to wreak havoc with everything. Details to follow.)They are also unbelievable, but less significant, in the scheme of things, than a wedding. Can’t wait to hear the day-by day events! Hang in there. Remember to keep a running list of the most ridiculous thing someone asks of you during this last week prior to the wedding. You probably haven’t heard it yet. Hopefully it’ll make you laugh, not cry! Hang in there.</p>
<p>As an aside… I am still trying to ponder what a “view from the other side” is. No matter what the issues, IMO no one has the right to make a scene, demand things or ruin someone elses wedding. Period.</p>
<p>well they’ve already written the book – so you’re too late to be included. A good sign, I’m sure!</p>
<p>[A</a> puking bride, crazy squirrel and a fire - CNN.com](<a href=“http://www.cnn.com/2008/LIVING/wayoflife/06/02/weddings.from.hell/index.html]A”>A puking bride, crazy squirrel and a fire - CNN.com)</p>
<p>MOWC - curious minds want to know… are there any updates?</p>