Surprise (Thunder) Shower

As matron of honor I was pleased to be in charge of hosting a shower for my sister. And as 'ring bearer' Surrey was elated to co-host - especially since that meant she got to stay up past her bedtime. My sister's main request was that she not know anything about it. Sounds easy until you combine all the factors: I live in a different state, my sister lives at my parents' house so I can't stay there while up for the shower, I live in a different state and my sister lives at my parents' house so having serving dishes and groceries on hand isn't the easiest thing to pull off. Good times. But, I remained optimistic throughout the process and even up until the start of the big event. The morning of, although temps reached 103 degrees, the tables were set just right and the overall ambiance was reaching perfection. Once the food got set out about a half hour prior to game time it would be complete and people would be knocking down my door to help plan their next special occasion. 
That is, until the storm hit. Yep, at the exact time it was all hands on deck to get the last minute details ready, particularly the food, a rather tornadic storm ripped through our cozy, outdoor setting. The gusting winds blew the table settings on the ground and pulled down some strands of lights/lanterns. Pouring rain and fierce lightning. We had to rushingly set up everything in my aunt's garage, which felt like a sauna and barely fit everything in it. We had decorations resting on oil canisters and tool chests. My hopes and dreams all came crashing down in minutes. Thank God for my parents and the Franks and my husband who saved it all. I stood there staring blankly in disbelief and on the verge of tears pretty much the whole time. And of course, minutes after my sister was surprised, the rain stopped. So, to keep things formal, guests had to carry their own chairs back outside and my dad and uncle set all the tables back up under the tent. Although things were mildly still in shambles, I was grateful to be out of the garage and trying to carry on as usual.
Oh and after 27 years you'd think I'd listen more closely to my mom's advice. After we had set things up that morning she told me I should probably take pictures then. I quickly told her I had it all under control and would snap photos once everything was perfect and set out, minutes before the start of the shower. We all can imagine how that turned out. I have zero pictures of my masterpiece. I could cry. Below are a few pictures I salvaged and some I even took this weekend while back at home to craft for my sister's wedding. Lame. Unfortunately I don't have photos of the perfectly matching Crate & Barrel prize mugs or the fun "How Old Is She" game or the yellow and white tent strung with lights and lanterns or the fun dairy farm themed cream and sugar holders or the little John Deere car holding gifts... BUT, I do have pictures of those awesome felt flowers my mom made (put in glass milk containers as centerpieces), the felt wreath that hung from a fun orange and yellow polka-dotted ribbon was crafted by me. The flowers we're wearing were the favors.