This Day is all about Luiz n Natalia - the follow up

I had to take a minute to write a quick follow to Luiz Henrique and Natalia's big day.   Yes time has passed and they have settled into their quaint two bedroom apartment in Goiania.   We joined some friends there a couple of days ago for coffee and to see the new place.  During our visit the wedding was brought up and they mentioned how they liked the blog post I had written. Natalia needed a little help with translation but good for her Luiz Henrique speaks English fluently.  The conversation continued on about the similarities and differences there were from weddings in the United States that I help plan.   It started with the ceremony and I again shared how not knowing exactly what was said,  it seemed like every Catholic wedding ceremony I had been to before.  We then discussed what was written about the reception and I mentioned that there is traditionally a cake cutting as part of the evenings festivities in the states.  They shared that this was part of the original plan but  somehow the wedding planner dropped the ball and forgot it.  They were also supposed to have time to toast each other and drink a glass of champagne as husband and wife.  Similar to the toast given by the best man in the U.S.A., this ceremonial gesture

of sharing a glass of champagne between the newlyweds is reserved for the new couple.  I asked if maybe I had missed it but was informed no,  it was missed by the planner as well.  Luiz Henrique and Natalia said these were two regrets of the evening which were supposed to be in the hands of  the wedding planner.  They also pointed out my observation of too many photos during the reception was accurate as well.  All the newlyweds wanted to do is dance and enjoy their guests and it seemed like the photos went on and on.   In the end they had a wonderful evening with no major mishaps and plenty of pictures to remember it with.  The young couple are both happy with how the evening went and were pleased that I enjoyed their evening of celebration honoring the beginning of their lives together as husband and wife.

This day is all about Luiz n Natalia - The reception

The wedding ceremony is over and all the guests slowly file out of the church.  I am sure Luiz and Natalia are taking a deep breath and are plenty ready to continue on and have a great night.  This is when the wedding planner's job really begins but again I am just here to participate and fortunately no work for me tonight.  We all load into vehicles and bump and squeeze down the roads of Mineiros to the reception venue.  A plain building with a circle drive to drop people off before heading to park the car.  This is useful tonight as an occasional shower blesses the evening cooling it down a bit.
In the wedding invitations there was a little card which invited us to the reception and this ticket is

taken at the door by two gentlemen who obviously work for the venue.  We enter the large banquet hall which is decorated with lavish linens and ornate table centerpieces.  I think to myself that this would be like any reception in the U.S.  The venue is simply gorgeous.  At the far end of the room just beyond what is obviously the dance floor is a small riser with a white table topped with a four tier cake, framed by pink flower spheres and platters filled with what only could be Brazilian sweets.  Before I can go investigate a little closer we find a seat to call ours for the evening and visit with family and friends who are already seated and some that arrive shortly after us.

The DJ begins to play some soft music allowing the guests to talk for a while.  By American standards,  this would be a large wedding with clearly over 300 guests but not quite 500.  The tables are filled and soon the newly Mr. and Mrs. Luiz Henrique Brito enter the room and are introduced to cheering and applauding and "We are the Champions" being played by the DJ.   I asked the groom later of the significance to this musical choice but he simply states with a chuckle that they both love the song.  The reception is official kicked off by the first dance of the newlyweds and shortly after the dance the buffet is open.  Guests begin filtering through the food lines filling their plates with bread, meats,

The Bride n Groom with his family

pastels,  panelinhas (small pans), and salad. All cooked to Brazilian perfection and no one should have left hungry.  Of course the wait staff brought beverages to the tables and people just enjoyed the evening catching up with each other.  I watched as the wedding coordinator buzzed around making sure the food was replenished at the buffet,  tables were cleared around the ballroom,  and she even helped the photographer find family members for photos by the cake table from time to time.

Speaking of the photographer,  they spent the evening filling the riser with different combinations of people for a quick photo and then on to the next group.  The wedding party, the bride's family, the groom's family,  the extended families,  all the bridesmaids, all the groomsmen and on and on.  Heck even Luiz and I had our photo taken with the newlyweds and once these photos were finished, the photographers dispersed into the crowd for additional candid shots.  I thought to myself that such a large portion of the couples evening was taken by these photos and in the United States many of them would have been done prior to the ceremony or at the church right afterwards.  In the end primarily the same photos were taken as I would expect back stateside just during the reception.

After the first dance and everyone has had a chance to eat, the dance floor begins to fill with guests grooving to the sounds of the DJ.    Everyone was having a good time and on occasion someone from the family even dragged me out to shake my groove thing a little.  No line dance or chicken song but some good classic American songs mixed with Brazilian favorites filled the evening.  Half way through the night the bride tossed her bouquet to all the

single ladies whom had scurried to the dance floor in hopes of catching it.  Shortly after the new husband joined his wife at the cake table for a couple of speeches or toasts.  They were in Portuguese and with all the crowd talking I had a hard time interpreting. These were  the only customs I noticed during the evening.   At least the only ones that I am aware of.  Oh wait.  a Brazilian custom which I almost forgot was when several of the groomsmen took the groom around to the different table throughout the ballroom asking men to contribute money for the couples's honeymoon.  If you made a contribution,  the groomsmen would cut a piece of the groom's tie for you as a souvenir of sorts. After this brief interruption, the rest of the

evening was filled with dancing and fellowship with family and friends.  Soon the night was at an ending point and upon leaving we noticed a beautiful coffee station complete with an elegant floral arrangement.  Not sure how we missed it on the way in and maybe it was not there but what a nice ending to a wonderful evening.  I cannot wait to be invited to another nuptial celebration in Brazil.

This day is all about Luiz n Natalia

I just had to find time to get this finished today and publish it on Valentines Day ... 

Enjoy and Happy Valentines Day 

Normally I am on the working end of a wedding but this past December I was able to attend the wedding of Natalia and Luiz as a guest (F.Y.I. Luiz's nephew).  This was also my first Brazilian wedding and I was excited to see what it is all about when the date was announced and I was able to attend.  Of course a December wedding in Brazil is a little more common then in the states as this is their summer and the largest deterrent is the heat,  but then again all year long it is warm in Goiania / Mineiros, so any time would be good.   Leading up to the day,  I was curious about how it would compare to those I coordinate back in the states.

December seemed to come quickly almost as if it was my own big day (I am sure that will come later) and soon it was the week of the nuptials.  The invitations arrive and our journey begins with the five hour drive from Goiania to Mineiros.  We pick up Luiz's cousin and off we head down the mess of a road that is still under construction as progress is slow (another story for later).  We arrive at his mom and dad's house Friday afternoon and scurry away for lunch at the bride's families home followed by a gathering of family at his parents home that evening.  Relatives I have met before and some that I have not mixed in with some friends of the family.  An evening sitting around and talking while I switch to "listen mode" in order to work on my Portuguese again.  Soon it is time for bed with a big day ahead.

The morning of the big day for the family is like any other.  Coffee and bread after the dreams have subsided.  It was a little warm overnight as we are sleeping at his grandmothers house and there is no air conditioning and unfortunately that night no breeze.  It reminds me of sleeping outside when we were growing up.  All the wonderful nights of dragging our sleeping bags and air mattresses out on the screened in balcony when it was just too warm to sleep inside.  Heck,  I think that was one of the largest draws to the summer for me back then.   But enough with memories and soon it is time to head to lunch and it seems like shortly after this it we begin to get ready.  It is a hot day so putting on a suit and tie is not something I am looking forward to but soon a small shower of rain rolls in and makes it a little more tolerable.  Once we are all dressed and ready we walk the three blocks to the church.  A beautiful old Catholic Cathedral which we pass by several times a day when we are in town.  Towering over the residential and commercial buildings that surround it the church is simply majestic.  Out front of the church is a small crowd of people waiting to get it.  As we approach the church we realize these are the guests of Luiz and Natalia all waiting for the prior wedding ceremony to finish.  Of course like many things in Brazil it is a little behind schedule and I don't think they left enough time in between but I guess you get used to it.  Just as the clouds begin to drip a drop or two we are ready to enter the cathedral.  The small sanctuary with blue and white walls accenting the ornate details and altar at the front of the church.  The alter has been decorated for the occasion with two grand flower arrangements framing  it.

People begin sitting and soon the beautiful house of worship is filled with people anticipating this union.  The preceremony begins with the bride and grooms parents ushered to their seats by family followed by sixteen bridesmaid escorted by sixteen groomsmen down the center isle.  The men are all dressed alike in black suites and silver ties,  but unlike weddings in the US, each of the women are wearing there own dress with colors from orange, yellow and red to blue, green and purple.  They take their seats in the front few pews of the church and soon it is the ring bearer and three flower girls turn.  The young children walk down the isle with a little persuasion.  The ring bearer in a suite like the older men and the flower

 girls in lovely white dresses, two of them holding kissing balls and the youngest one in the middle holding a  bouquet of marshmallow treats.  Finally the time arrives for the bride (Natalia) to begin her walk with her father down the isle.  The back doors open to reveal her holding a wonderful bouquet of white orchids and wearing and beautifully beaded white dress.  They end up at the front of the church and the exchange from father to fiance happens smoothly.  The service begins and like any other Catholic Ceremony I have been to in the past it is filled with music, scripture, and prayer.  (of course in Portuguese)  It does not seem to vary much from the ceremonies in the US and soon it is time for the groom to kiss the bride, they are announced as husband and wife and everyone leaves the church on their journey to the reception.  (to be continued...)  

(to read about the reception - click here)

Whether it looks good or not .. eat it III

One of the evenings we spent on the farm we were treated to a traditional dish made with fresh caught "painted fish" from one of the local rivers in the Mineiros area.   Prepared in  a stew similar to how I have had cod and other fish in Brazil the flavor was wonderful with fresh tomatoes,  carrots, and potatoes,  it filled the house with a wonderful aroma.  The painted fish itself was a little unappetizing to the sight and I was not fond of the mushy blubber like texture.  But as the title of the post suggests, regardless of how it looks I am dedicated to give it a try and once I got past those two superficial observations the flavor was good.  Afresh water fish without being gamy or fishy. Another delightful local meal served with rice that you must try if you are offered in Goias.

Scenic Sunday -Tucano

toucan - Mineiros Brazil! 

 This weeks scene is dedicated to that fruit loop of a bird.  You know the one I comb the tree tops and skies of Brazil in search of:  Yes...the toucan or in Portuguese the Tucano.  I am not sure if I fell in love with the bird prior to coming to Brazil but I find myself infatuated with the quirky black and white bird with its over sized orange bill.  On previous trips to Brazil I learned about this bird through friends and a little research on line and even saw one or two from a distance.  A true wild bird,  Toucans tend to keep their distance from human settlements and most of my personal experiences have been from quite a distance or as we drive along the countryside making it difficult to capture a photo with my little instant shot camera.  I was told by a friend that they tend to stay in groups so if you see one there are probably more.  They love a good 
mango tree when the fruit is ripe but unfortunately I have not been around when they have discovered these trees. However, on this most recent visit to Minerios, the palm seeds must be what is on their diet plan as on several occasions a small flock of toucans have been spotted flying through the blue skies around Minieros.  

More Toucans - Mineiros Brazil 

My first close encounter happened a good week ago as we were sitting on the patio and heard a grunting noise of sorts.   Luiz informed me that this was the call of the tucano and so I grabbed my camera and we left the gated yard to follow our ears in hopes of capturing a photo or two.  To my joy,  a flew blocks away a grunting toucan sat in wait in the lower fronds of a palm tree.  As I got closer he was surely posing for his close up,  or maybe just interested in the seeds of the tree.  This would be the first sighting of many in the days to follow.  These great flying oddities stayed around a few days to grace the vast blue above town.  I call them oddities because their little black and white bodies are trumped by the large orange beak.  This vast difference in their proportions make them easy to distinguish when in flight.  By no definition are toucans graceful,  but I could sit and watch them for hours.  In my observations I came to appreciate the creator of the movie "Rio" even more.  The character Rafael (a toucan)  truly is a work of art as he captures the quirky characteristics of this wonderful bird.  Dodging from branch to branch,  looking and observing what is going on around,  and not pausing for a minute as he searches for a morsel to eat.   I am entertained by the character Rafael even though I am not watching the movie and watching the real thing.  Toucans are such beautiful birds as they flutter from tree to tree and dodge from branch to branch.  Always looking down that long orange beak at what may be peeking back at them.   I hope you enjoy as much as I have! 

Cross Country Travel - Day 1

All packed and ready to go.  We have decided to take a trip to Southern Brazil (Porto Alegre to be exact) and since there are three of us traveling and airfare seemed a little high,  Luiz's brother Junior offered to drive his car so we could road trip.  YEAH! I love a good road trip as you get to see more local things, eat more local foods, visit with local people (ok maybe I won't be able to vistit a whole lot on this trip) and as a bonus you get to see all the countryside from were you are to where you are going.  Of course extra time must be available as all this local searching will require more time. Fortunately for us we all have the time so our plans are set.   Some of my favorite trips have been road trips like: heading to Philadelphia (from Iowa/ 24 hours one way) for the weekend during college when we got tickets to the Army verses Navy football game (crazy!) - many trips to Colorado during college and years after for a ski weekend - (some trips one weekend right after the next / 10 hour drives / I love to ski)  San Luiz Obispo from San Francisco with Lisa to visit my great aunt Twilla (we laughed so hard and had so much fun) - and finally in 2010 Luiz, his sister Beatrice and her husband Osmar took a cross country trip from Atlanta to Yellowstone with stops in  Chicago, Iowa, and the Black Hills of South Dakota.  These are just a few of the great road trips I have taken in my lifetime but back to present day.

We leave the apartment around 8:00 A.M.and off we head.  Our first destination is Mineiros,  Luiz's home town and where Junior lives.  It is a five hour drive on a road currently under construction as they work on making it a four lane highway. On top of the construction mess,  it is harvest season and there are way to many trucks (more then the too many we usually encounter on this drive) which always make it an unpredictable trip.  As I ride along,  I begin to compare the landscape with that of Iowa where I grew up. (day dreaming is such a great way to pass time) This being a heavy agricultural area of Brazil,  it is easy to see the similarities.  There are fields of corn lining the road on each side.  Brown and ready for harvest as it is winter in Brazil and every so often you see a farmer in the fields harvesting the corn.  The road is littered with trucks filled with the freshly harvested crops.  Where there is not fields the landscape is mostly grass lands reserved for cattle to graze.  Again,  it is winter which equals the dry season and everything is brown and little fresh grass for the cows. 

The differences between Iowa and Goias soon become apparent as we drive down the road and the corn fields turn to sugar cane fields.   Iowa is mainly corn and soy bean country and no sugar cane that I am aware of. It is a new experience watching and observing the sugar cane fields as they blur by.  The mature sugar cane stands about six feet tall and you would never be able to tell it was planted in rows as the plants have grown together like corn in a corn field.  How do I know it is planted in rows? There is a field next to the mature where the canes are just beginning to grow. Why is there a field just beginning to grow next to one ready to harvest?   Since the weather is favorable for production all year long in Goias Brazil,  farmers get two harvests from most of their crops each year.  (both facts I have learned since moving to Brazil)

This photo is for my Dad - we could
play I see something you don't see!

But, back to our drive down the dusty road and my sugar cane observations: an airy tassel has popped out at the top of the sugar cane plants in the mature fields which gives the field a soft fluffy look.   Huge trucks sit idle on the ends of the rows, waiting to be filled so they can deliver the harvested cane.  Brazil is the largest producer of sugar cane in the world with India a distant second and a majority of the crop is used for ethanol production in the country.(thank again wikipedia)

Beyond the sugar cane we come across a short field of crops:  Sorghum.  It is another crop grown in this region and although cereal is not as prominent on the grocery store shelves in Brazil,  sorghum is the fifth most used grain to make cereal.  As we drive by, I remember fields of sorghum in Iowa years ago but have not seen it in a while.  For some reason the memories of pheasants and hunting come to mind as well.  When I lived in South Dakota a group of my friends would go out on the weekends and after work and hunt this small bird.  Pheasants loved this crop with its low lying seeds and ability to catch the snow when it came.  We spent many hours driving and walking around in search of pheasants.  It was always a great way to spend a Saturday with friends and the fall pheasant feed was always a good time.  Each of the hunters from that season took a bird or two and prepared it different ways.  We would invite friends over to enjoy our catches.  I think pheasants would love this area of Brazil - especially with the lack of snow and all the sorghum fields.

We drive a little further and the surrounding fields have a silver / white shimmer.  It is easy to see the fields are cotton and the only  other time I have seen cotton fields is on a road trip with my mom from Atlanta to Florida.  She came to visit me and we decided to visit relatives who live in the Gainsville area.  There are many cotton farmers in the lower part of Georgia and I remember stopping to take some photos as I had not seen cotton fields before.   The cotton in the fields on our journey today are getting ready to harvest and almost look like snow shimmering in the sun.

The final crop I observe which is different for me are the rows of eucalyptus trees.  Obvious a crop that is not harvested yearly, but it does grow quickly and has about a 5 year turn around. (thank wikipedia again!) It is well suited for the dry conditions of this area and currently Brazil is a leader in the production of eucalyptus trees which are used for pulp, charcoal, and paper production. 

As we look at the eucalyptus fields, I am distracted by the yellow and purple canopies of the Ipe trees. These wonderful trees lose all their leaves during the dry season in order put forth a spectacular flower display.  The canopy of green is replaced with white, orange, purple, or yellow flowers.  Also knows as the trumpet tree -- the dry area of Brazil we are traveling makes the tree grown in short crooked pattern in the blue sky.  We drive along in search of the yellow flowers close enough to the road so we can snap a photo or two. What a spectacle they create and we continue to search for the more mature trees.  After a few spottings we arrive in Minerios to spend the evening with family and friends and prepare for the trip ahead.  The day ends and  we head off to bed in preparation for a long drive tomorrow.

Please let me know if you would like a personal tour of Porto Alegre -I would be happy to share this beautiful city with you! All inclusive packages available--

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Return from Mineiros

((Today's photos are of sidewalks around Goiania -- I am intrigued by the beauty and creativity of these mosaics and I think they tie in with the final statement of this post -- let me know if you agree))

I woke up this morning and there was sadness in the house.  The main reason for our trip this weekend was to visit Luiz' grandma (102 years old) as her health is failing. She has not been doing very well the past couple of weeks so many relatives are coming to pay her a visit.  Her home is right next door and the two homes share a back yard.  You can imagine she has played a large roll in their families lives. As I sit and eat some breakfast,  I sit back and think about what she has witnessed in her life. So what was it like in 1910:  it was the 9th year of competitive fotebol in Brazil -  Hermes da Fonseca was elected President of Brazil - Revolt of the Lash happened in Rio de Janeiro where the black Navy crew overthrew the white officers and threatened to bombard Rio / it lasted a whole week - these are just a few of the news paper headlines for the year she was born. (thanks wikipedia)  She was around when Brazil competed in their first Olympics (1920) - World War I and World War II - the Revolution of 1930 - Military dominance of Brazil and many different changes in the politics of the country.  All these events not to mention the changes she has personally witnessed.  When she was born, people traveled by horse as there were no cars. There were no computers, phones, electricity, indoor plumbing, sewers, mp3 players, radios or many other modern luxuries. It makes me begin to think about the things that have appeared in my lifetime, like ipads, cell phones, walkmans, CD’s, microwaves, just to name a few that come to my mind. I can barely remember what life was like before these introductions, but if I strain hard enough I can remember. I try and imagine what might be around the corner.  Time will only tell.

As I sit finishing my food, I take a minute to remember my own Grandmas. How their lives impacted me and enriched my life. I begin reflecting on visiting with Grandma Harbeck and hearing stories of her winning the Betty Crocker National Bake Off. Then actor Ronald Reagan was the celebrity who awarded her the prize and she often showed me the photo to prove it. With this win she received a trip to Germany. Also remembering how we would talk about Grandpa and how he was truly the love of her life. It was hard for her to live without him.

Next I think about Grandma Woelber who I cherished the weekends I spent at her home during college.  Only 20 minutes from where I attended college, it was a great weekend or day get away for my cousin Lisa and I.  We would often go there to do laundry, have lunch, catch up with relatives, and find time to study. Her home was always a welcoming place and reminds me of Luiz's moms.  The minute Grandma Woelber caught a glimpse of us: “Oh Forevermore” would rattled from her lips.  Many times she would be napping when we arrived.  She would wake and when entering into the dining room and you would hear those words ... "oh forevermore" and they would make you feel so welcome. I remember one time after she passed away I went to the farm house and was sitting in the dining room  I began to expect that any minute she would awake and come out with the welcoming “Oh Forevermore” but those words would never come again.

Thinking about Luiz’s families’ current situation brings me to think about life and some of the moments with my grandparents. The shiners circuses, camping at Little Sioux, birthday celebrations, holiday celebrations. These were all good times and I cherish the memories. Grandma Woelber’s farm provides a wonderful memory of support and unconditional love. I am so thankful that I went to college so close and was able to use her ringer washing machine and dry my clothes on the cloth lines outside. One of the fondest memories comes to mind as I reflect. Lisa and I had come to the farm to make some sugar cookies for friends. We arrive and begin to prepare the cookie dough. As we begin to roll our first batch of cookies, my aunt shows up with unbaked cookie dough.  She had heard of our plans and thought she would save us a step.  We were up to the task and now have two batches to bake. We start and after a little while another aunt shows up. You will never guess what she has brought for us… yes more cookie dough. Needless to say we laughed and make cookies all afternoon ( I think it was over 150 cut out sugar cookies) . By the time we are decorating the last of them, we had thinned down the frosting and were creatively splashing it on the cookies. These are wonderful memories that I will hold dear to my heart until my time has come. OK – that has been a large flashback and little to do with today, but I did say in my introduction that I would share my history with you so I hope you enjoyed the little bit of insight into my life.

After lunch we (Luiz, his aunt, cousin, and I) ride the 5+ hours through the truck burdened roads. It is a treacherous ride and will sure be better when the additional two lanes are finished. On the ride I am graced with the sighting of three toucans. I think I have shared before that I love these birds. They are not graceful in flight and they do not make a beautify song, but they are sure interesting and different birds. I guess that must be the reason I like them so. Our journey finds us safe in Goiania in time to eat and unwind for the evening.  As I am heading to sleep I remember a poem that I used to give out a lot to people.  I share it with you in hopes that it encourages you to cherish your

bits - n - pieces...

Bits and pieces,

Bits and pieces.

People.

People important to you,

People unimportant to you

cross your life, touch it with love and move on.

There are people who leave you,

 and you breathe a sigh of relief

and wonder why you ever came into contact with them.

There are people who leave you,

and you breathe a sigh of remorse

and wonder why they had to go and leave such a gaping hole.

Children leave parents,

 Friends leave friends.

Acquaintances move on.

People change homes.

People grow apart.

Enemies hate and move on.

 Friends love and move on.

You think of the many people who have moved in and out of your hazy memory.

You look at those present and wonder.

I believe in God's master plan in lives.

He moves people in and out of each other's lives,

and each leaves his mark on the other.

You find you are made up of bits and pieces of all who have ever touched your life.

You are more because of them, and would be less if they had not touched you.

 Pray that you accept the bits and pieces in humility and wonder, and never question and never regret's.

Bit's and pieces,

bits and pieces.

-Anonymous
(Read "What hidden Gems! Goiania") or  (Read "RIo de Janiero - Day 1)  or (Read "A little bit of History about Goias")

Please let me know if you would like a personal tour of Mineiros -I would be happy to share this beautiful city with you! All inclusive packages available--

See my about me page for contact information or leave a comment.