A perfect weekend
A week ago we held the celebration of life events for Obie. This last week has run the full spectrum of emotions, but at this point, I feel peace and calm. My goal for these events were to provide opportunities for people who wanted to pay their respects to Obie to do so in a way that matched their relationship with him. Last weekend was a truly magical time filled with love, friendship and community. Thank you to everyone who brought their joy and smiles, especially those who travelled so far to be here. Each event went smoothly without any issues, they were filled with emotion, obviously a sadness that he was not there with us, but buoyed by everyone’s love for him. I know that he was smiling at the bright colors, the stories being shared, the laughs that prevailed and the overwhelming sense of community these events embodied. I hope that everyone walked away with a greater appreciation for the people in their lives. Obie’s impact continues beyond the event, there are two specific examples that have been shared with me. A very generous donation to his fund at the Boys & Girls Club of Benton and Franklin Counties which will positively impact the youth in our community. As well as the rebuilding of relationships that have been challenged would both make him so proud.
As expected, there has been a let down this last week as it would be with any big event. I love being with my family and friends, I am always sad when everyone travels home. This has been a bit more pronounced as my life in most of May and June has been focused on getting everything ready for last weekend, both with the events and the projects around the house. So imagine going from full speed, every minute planned out, to a completely open schedule. This last week, I resisted my normal urge to rush to the next thing and just sat with the stillness. There were a lot of tears but also a lot of smiles as I thought about the weekend.
A sense of finality has also set in this last week. The last six months have been focused mostly on him, resolving his estate, planning these events and now that is all done. So now it’s just me, moving forward. I know that he stands beside me and always will, but I feel a shift. I am embracing this change, even ready for it.
For those who weren’t able to join us or anyone who wants to revisit the weekend, here’s a run down:
Golf Tournament (Friday): The weekend kicked off with the first (now to be annual) Obie Open with a full roster of teams. The weather was perfect for golf and the pace of play was a near miracle. For 120 golfers to play a full round is 4 1/2 hours is unheard of, I think everyone was looking forward to the 19th hole. Huge thanks to Rich Gentz who was the mastermind behind the event and worked closely with Josh at the golf course to get all of the details nailed down. Rich Crigler and Pat Harty provided a lunch after the round that was beyond the typical tournament fare, salmon, BBQ beef, beans and pasta salad. It was delicious. Obie’s monument was completed behind the house and everyone was able to have a beer with him. Side note: I find it hilarious that finding Natural Light beer has become quite a challenge. My theory is that their demand dropped significantly once Obie quit drinking beer last year. Rich announced after the round that they will hold the Obie Open the last weekend of June every year. So for those who didn’t get in this year, mark your calendars! The photos for the golf tournament are located here. I’ve also figured out how to more easily add pictures to the blog, so buckle up for pics!
The McClelland girls: My sisters Jodie and Kerri and me (Rich Gentz and our mom in the back)
Obie’s cut out was a big hit over the weekend and we raised a lot of money!
We decorated the clubhouse with a bunch of Obie’s sports memorabilia.
Celebration of Life (Saturday): We held this event in the same room where we had our wedding reception and the room was filled to the capacity with bright colors. I’ve had many people ask if we recorded the event (we did not) but I have added a page to this site with the speeches and the video. A massive thank you to Eddie Pablo from Wilde Film Co. for creating such a moving video to document Obie’s life. If you don’t look at anything else, I urge you to watch the video as it encapsulates Obie perfectly. You can visit the Celebration of Life Program page to see more about the program.
Private Dinner Party (Saturday): Due to capacity at the Yacht Club, I could not invite as many people as I would have liked. I recognize that by sharing this event publicly, there may be people who felt like they should have been invited. For that, I apologize. I focused on immediate family and close friends who we spend the most time with, as well as others who have been pivotal in our lives. There was no program for this event, it was just a party like Obie would have loved. The decor was stunning (beach casual), the food was amazing (salmon and chicken) and the DJ had us on the dance floor all night long. You know it’s a good sign when you can’t get to sleep because your feet are hurting from dancing. The professional photos for this event are in the same album as the golf tournament. Huge thank you to our team of amazing vendors who made these events stress free! I highly recommend all of them for any local events, they were the dream team.
Food: Castle Catering
Decor: Sash Weddings
Floral: Simplified Celebrations
DJ and AV: Platinum Entertainment
Photography: Andrea Starr Photography
Jewell and her team at Sash Weddings handled all of the decor and it was stunning!
The photo backdrop where Andrea could work her magic.
Chandra at Simplified Celebrations created these spectacular tropical centerpieces.
Thank you again to everyone who made last weekend so incredible. I’ll write more soon about my plans for the rest of the summer, but this post is getting long so I’ll wrap it up.