MY WEEK AWAY WITH FRIENDS FOR
CINDY AND JOSH'S WEDDING!
Halloween - October 31, 2006
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MY WEEK AWAY WITH FRIENDS FOR
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Halloween - October 31, 2006
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I went away on a trip to Maryland on October 25th to see my friends, Cindy and Josh, who were getting married on Halloween. I was their Matron of Honor. Cindy and Josh are net friends I had met in a text chatroom in 1998. I met Cindy & Josh in person, along with many others from that chatroom, in 1999 for a long-weekend chat meet in Toronto, Ontario, Canada which included a wedding of two members from that chatroom. It was 5 fun-filled days of partying and laughter that I will never forget. We have all been friends since that trip.
Cindy and Josh asked me to be in there wedding many years ago as they had intended originally to be married on Halloween, 2001. However, they both decided to put off their wedding until after attending and graduating from college - which they both did with honors in May of 2005. I was invited to their graduation and have never been prouder of two people. I was honored to be in attendance and happy to have a chance to share in their happiness that day. I also had the pleasure of meeting Keith that day, another net friend from that text chatroom I had not met before, and his girlfriend.
Josh and Cindy became engaged and asked me to be in their wedding this year. I was again honored at their request and happy to be able to share in the joy of their wedding.
Two other net friends from that text chatroom, Sheldon and Angie, were also invited to the wedding. I had met Sheldon in May of 1999 through another friend from our chatroom, Betty Ann (rapunzel). At that time, Betty Ann and Sheldon had both lived near me. Sheldon and I attended a Dave Matthews/Santana Concert together in Philadelphia after being introduced by Betty Ann. I met Angie at the chat meet in Toronto in July of 1999. Sheldon & Angie are now married and live in Toronto. They flew down for the wedding, as Angie was also in the wedding as a bridesmaid. It was great to see them again.
On the first night of my trip, I was able to meet up with another net friend of mine from my new chat hangout. I had found out last year that he lived near Cindy and Josh, so I had met him last year when I was there. When he found out I was going to be in the area again, he asked if we could meet up again. It was really great to see him again. It was nice to finally get to talk in person for a change. We had a great time catching up with one another.
Cindy and Josh had to work on Thursday, so I spent the day at my hotel room. I did some reading, some writing, and watched TV. It really felt good to just "sit" and "relax"! I didn't realize how much I had needed that until then. It did me a world of good. After they got back from work, Cindy and Josh were pretty tired, so we decided to meet up on Friday. So, I went out to dinner and did some shopping came home, took a long, hot bath, watched some TV and SLEPT... ahhhhhhhhhhhhh.... lol
I spent all day Friday, hanging out with Cindy and visited with Josh at his work a couple of times, and then again at their apartment when Josh got home. Cindy introduced me to a computer game I hadn't tried yet. I found out we have similar interests in computer games, something I had not known we had in common.
On Saturday, I spent the day relaxing in my hotel room as Cindy and Josh were busy gathering relatives who were flying in for the wedding, etc. Sheldon and Angie had arrived, but were pretty tired out from their trip, so they decided to stay at their hotel and get some rest and would meet up with us on Sunday.
I went to Cindy and Josh's apartment later that evening and met Cindy's Mom. I knew Cindy hadn't been back yet, but I had to take a double take when I saw her mother sitting on the couch, as she looked just like Cindy! I told her, You MUST be Cindy's Mom! You can't deny THAT child!" LOL... She laughed and agreed. Her mom is a great lady.
Shortly after that, Cindy arrived with her brother and his girlfriend. What a great family! I had a lot of fun sitting and talking with them. Cindy, of course, had to bring up stories from our old text chat days and the fun times we all used to have there. We were all laughing listening to her tell the stories. It was a very fun night.
I had previously told Cindy and Josh that Jay would be coming to the wedding, so they had paid for two people to attend. Since Jay was not feeling well, he did not come along with me. I asked Cindy and Josh if they would mind if I could bring a net friend of mine to the wedding in Jay's (my husband's) place. They didn't mind. A friend of mine had agreed to be my date, but never got back to me when the wedding was near. I had found out another net friend of mine, Larry, who had lived in that area but had moved, would be back in the area for the month of October. In September, I had jokingly asked him if he wanted to be my date for the wedding if Jay wasn't up to going. He told me to let him know, he should still be around then.
So, when I got back to the hotel, I logged onto my yahoo account and sent Larry a text message asking him to call me when he got my message or to send me his number so that I could call him back.
Larry replied that he would be honored to be my date, if I didn't mind going with an "old fart". Of course, we both laughed at that. I told him I happened to like "old farts". LOL...
We had used video chat to correspond over the last 3 years, but had never met, so I asked him if he would like to meet before the wedding. It was getting late, but since we are both "night owls", he asked if I was up for company. I figured that would make it more comfortable for us both at the wedding if we had already gotten the nervous jitters of meeting in person for the first time out of the way beforehand. So, Larry decided to drive over to meet me.
After chatting for a few years, it was not a surprise that he and I felt very comfortable around each other. It was really nice to be able to finally sit and talk in person. I knew immediately that we would have a great time at the wedding.
And what a nice "old fart" he is (*wink*... he he) - a complete gentleman with a great sense of humor who doesn't mind his ears getting tired from listening to this motormouth, has a big shoulder to lean on that he didn't mind getting wet with tears, and gives great ((hugs)) - a good friend, indeed. We had a wonderful night. As is often the case when I chat online, the sun came up during our visit together. Larry and I parted ways soon after the sun came up.
I managed to get enough sleep before having to leave on Sunday to meet at Josh's parent's house. His parents were having dinner for everyone that had come in for the wedding. I was excited to see Sheldon and Angie again, as I had not seen them in person since 1999.
I found some outlet stores and stopped to do some shopping on the way. I found a matching watch, necklace, and earrings to wear with my dress for the wedding, then headed to Josh's parents' house.
Josh's family was all there. I had met them last year, and it was great to see them all again. Cindy's dad and stepmother were there, and I finally got to meet Cindy's stepfather who had been asleep when I visited at Cindy's the night before. Sheldon and Angie arrived soon after I did. Hugs were abundant from everyone there. They really made us feel like part of the family. I had felt like I had known them all my life.
Dinner was delicious! Josh's grandma served her home-made pies fresh out of the oven - real down home cooking! ~smile~... The day brought back many fond memories of my childhood days with family friends I had visited many times nearby in Arlington, VA where family gatherings like these happened on a daily basis.
I informed Cindy and Josh that Larry had accepted the invitation to be my date for the wedding. Angie inquired how I knew Larry and what did he look like. I jokingly said, "Just look for Santa on a Harley!" Then I told them about Larry and how we met. They were all looking forward to meeting him. And I had told him that I believed he would "fit right in". We all enjoyed a very nice evening on the back deck in front of a fire. It was a very enjoyable evening talking and laughing. I had a WONDERFUL time, as did everyone else! I hated to see the night end.
I returned to my hotel and gave Larry a call. He had told me if the party ended early, and I was bored sitting in my hotel room alone, to call him, and he'd come over for a visit again. But since I had gotten back later than I had expected, and we both had a lot of things to do the next day, we decided against it. I hadn't realized that the exact address of the yacht club was not included on the invitation. I gave him the only information I had - the name and town of the yacht club. He told me he would look up the directions and would see me on Tuesday for the wedding.
I decided to get a good night's sleep and get an early start in the morning. Cindy had decided that she wanted all the "women" to spend the night with her at her hotel suite the night before the wedding. Since Cindy had appointments to attend to on Monday, I spent the morning getting everything ready to go for that evening and day of the wedding. I also packed up what I knew I would not need the rest of the week, as I was leaving the day after the wedding. The wedding rehearsal was at 3 p.m. with a rehearsal dinner following.
I went to meet Sheldon and Angie at their hotel and went to the rehearsal with them. Everyone was gathering as we pulled up to the Yacht club. The weather was spectacular and the Chesapeake Bay was absolutely beautiful! The minister was a very nice man. He made soem very helpful suggestions for the reception which we all agreed were excellent ideas. We all gathered out back on the shore of the Chesapeake for pictures following the rehearsal, then all of us left for a wonderfully superb dinner at a restaurant which was also situated along the bay. We watched the sunset on the Chesapeake Bay as we ate dinner. We all laughed and talked, Cindy and Josh opened presents, and then we all gathered for more pictures on the balcony of the restaurant before leaving.
Cindy, her mom, her brother's girlfriend, Angie and I gathered at Cindy's suite at the Hilton hotel which was also on the Chesapeake Bay shore. We had a beautiful view of the bay from our balcony. The moonlight and lights from the shore and boats glistened on the water's surface. It was a magnificent view! Cindy handed Angie and I presents she had bought for us. Angie is a collector of "coca-cola" memorabilia. Josh had a coca-cola tin he had come across in his early teens that had the look of an antique "coca-cola" design. Cindy had asked Josh if he was willing to part with it to give to Angie as her present as it had personal meaning to him and is something that Angie would really appreciate receiving as a gift. Angie was touched by her present. Cindy gave me a necklace with a heart. The silver heart has red, white, and blue stones along the one side. When I opened it, she told me she bought that for me because I am very "close to her heart". And of course, we both smiled and cried as we gave each other a hug. I was also VERY touched. ~smile~...
We all got dressed in our pajamas for what Cindy called her "girls' slumber party".
We spent the night talking, drinking, and breaking the rules by smoking in the "non-smoking" room... OOPS! Hey! Shhhhhhhhhhh... don't tell on us, okay? We were thoughtful enough to open the balcony door and light a candle! LOL...
We took a break in our "gabbing" to go downstairs to the hotel lobby to get some "coffee". Yes, we went down in our pajamas - joking all the way that we looked like the "Beverly Hillbillies at the Hilton"! As we were all getting our coffee, a bunch of men entered the lobby. Angie, fun person that she is, yelled, "Hey, girls, the strippers have arrived!" Just after she said that, one of the men, who apparently had a great sense of humor, teasingly posed with one hand on the side of his head, one hand on his opposite hip, in a sexy, stripper-like pose, and shook his behind for us. Of course, all of us gathered in the lobby by then were hysterically laughing, including the hotel staff and onlookers. That man continued this behavior all the way to the elevator... whistles were heard... and us women laughed all the way back to our hotel suite.
We spent most of the evening into the early morning hours talking, most of which entailed stories from our old chatroom days. I did my nails as we talked... We got to know Cindy's mom and her brother's girlfriend a bit better. It felt like we had known each other all our lives. It was tons of fun.
When it came time to go to sleep, we were were all worried who was going to "snore" and move around too much, etc. and joked about that. LOL...
Next thing we knew, we were all awake after almost 8 blissful hours sleep, in the same position we had fallen asleep in, and no one snored! WOW, were we surprised! We had a good laugh about that!
The rest of the day was a blur with the hustle and bustle of last minute things to be done. Cindy's mom, stepmother, and I all went to have our hair done in "up-do's" at a nearby salon. I was first, so I had time to snap pictures of us all getting our hair done.
I then went out to have a cigarette and tried to think of what to say in my "toast" to the bride and groom at the wedding, something that I had given much thought to, but hadn't written down. About five minutes later, I had written a poem, totally opposite of what I had been thinking of writing. My thoughts flowed with ease as soon as the pen hit the paper. However, the thoughts were not all in the order as they should have been, so lines were drawn realigning paragraphs in their proper places, etc... I decided that I would re-write it later when I got back to the hotel.
We arrived back from the salon with only an hour to spare before we had to leave for the wedding. We met Angie in the lobby of the hotel when we got back. She looked absolutely beautiful in the dress tailored by her father! We joked with her as we noticed her dress did not have the straps that she had told us about the night before. She informed us that even though they spent hours working on the straps of her dress before leaving Toronto, she decided at the last minute to do away with them. She liked it much better without the straps. We never saw the dress with the straps, but we agreed that the dress looked beautiful on her the way it was!
Needless to say, the hurriedness that followed was very nerve-racking. As each minute passed, the more nervous we all became. We helped Cindy into her dress, Angie helped Cindy's mom with her make-up, I donned my dress and did my own make-up.
The photographers arrived soon after to take some photos then left for the reception hall. Once ready, we all headed downstairs to gather for the wedding.
Cindy's dress was absolutely elegant, and she looked beautiful! We all gathered our belongings and took them to the car and waited for Cindy's chauffeur to arrive. Once she was ready to go, we all headed to the reception hall.
Cindy's father was outside when I arrived at the door to the hall. As we were standing there, someone drove up wearing a Halloween clown outfit, including an orange fro, full facial make-up and large, RED NOSE! Her father became very nervous, worrying that a guest had arrived in a costume, and said that Cindy would be VERY upset! I laughed and joked that I thought Cindy would probably find it to be very funny! That didn't seem to sit well with him. He was much relieved to find out that this person was not attending the wedding, but was there for a card game being held in another room at the yacht club.
I waited outside for Larry until it was time to head inside for the ceremony. Since he only knew me, I had wanted to introduce him to Sheldon and seat him together with him so that Larry would feel more comfortable during the ceremony. But unbeknownst to me at the time, there were 14 yacht clubs with the same name on the island and Larry had gotten lost.
While waiting, some friends of Cindy's had gathered outside. One was telling me he had grown up in the area, had left for many years and had recently moved back. He was saying how there had been a lot of changes in the scenery, relating that his childhood was a long time ago and that he was pushing 50. I said, "I know the feeling!" He replied, "Yeah, but I only got 4 more years to go!" I said, "Lucky you! I only have two!", and laughed. He said, "What? Damn, girl, you're looking good! I would never have guessed! I thought you were in your thirties!" I replied, "Well, you just made MY day! Thank you very much!" He said, "None needed, it's my pleasure!" At that, one of his friends said, "Oh, Jay, you are such a player!" She then turned to me and said, "We call him Prince Jay!" They all laughed at what apparently was another private joke of the day. And I laughed along with them. It was getting near the time to start the ceremony, so I told them all that it was nice to meet them, and excused myself.
The hall was beautifully decorated with flowers and soft lighting. The bay could be seen from the hall behind the temporary altar provided for the wedding ceremony, water and shoreline spreading out for miles behind the altar, the sun glistening across the top of the water. It was breathtaking!
A crowd started to gather, and seats were quickly filled. Cindy was rushed through to a back room out of sight until it was time for the ceremony to begin. Her father came back to see Cindy, and his eyes glistened with pride and twinkled with happiness for his daughter, as well as her mother's.
Once the guests had arrived and all been seated. After everyone had hugged and kissed the bride, the wedding party was quickly gathered into position. With flowers in hand, we met our ushers in the back. Josh was nervously waiting at the altar. You could see by his face that he was stunned by the beauty of his soon-to-be bride. Angie is a very sensitive, emotional soul. ~smile~... So, she quickly hid her handkerchief for easy access for her much-expected tears of joy. I joked that I hoped she had another one handy because if she started crying I was going to need one, too! LOL...
Josh's niece was the flower girl and his nephew was the ring bearer. They were first in line, followed by Angie and Josh's brother, the bridesmaid and usher. Josh's dad, Mike, was Josh's best man, and I was the matron of honor. So, we were next in line before Cindy, the bride, and her father, Jim.
The music started, and Josh's father and I proceeded down the aisle to "Dance of the Sugar-Plum Fairy" (Danse de la Fee-Dragee)from the Ballet "The Nutcracker".
Once everyone was in their places, the flower girl and ring bearer started down the aisle, she carefully tossing petals from her basket along the aisle as her usher carried the pillow bearing the (fake) wedding couple's rings. (The minister had previously stashed the real ones in his pocket for easy access during the cermony.) Shortly after all the attendants reached the altar, the bride and her father started their walk down the aisle.
I glanced over at Josh as he watched Cindy come down the aisle. He glanced over at me, gave me a nervous smile, his eyes glistened with tears, his eyes got big and his one eyebrow went up as if to express the unexpected, overwhelming emotions that were going through him. I could almost feel his nervousness and hear his thoughts saying, "Oh My GOD! She's absolutely beautiful!" Josh's father had a similar expression on his face, his eyes also glistened with tears. I could hear Angie "sniffing" next to me, and was praying she wouldn't start an emotional downpour of tears because that would get me crying. LOL... My hands, arms, and knees began to shake. Tears welled up inside me as I remembered my own wedding day. I could feel these emotiongs building in everyone around me, too. I was so happy for the two of them. I knew how hard they worked to get to where they were today, and I was SO proud of them both!
The minister asked who is giving away the bride, and her father replied, "Her mother and I." He turned and gave his daughter a kiss, and slowly walked back to join his wife, who at this point had tears pouring down both cheeks - as was everyone around her, also. No matter where I looked, I saw people crying tears of joy. I was telling myself to calm down, take some deep breaths... don't look at them.
Then the service started and my attention was taken back to the ceremony.
The minister had greeted everyone and continued on with the customary wedding ceremony, including his own personal "advice" to the newlyweds on how to have a long-lasting, loving marriage. I wish my memory was good enough to remember his words so that I could include them here. It was exceptionally well versed and full of excellent advice. He also included a Native American Prayer that he had said he often includes in his marriage services. This was very appropriate for Cindy and Josh's wedding, as Josh comes from Native American ancestry.
Larry arrived soon after the ceremony began. As he entered the hall, I lifted my flowers a bit and smiled in his direction to acknowledge I saw him. He nodded his head,*winked*, and quietly took a seat in the back for the ceremony. I heard Angie chuckle a bit and then heard her whisper, "That was him, wasn't it?" I giggled quietly and said, "Yes, that was Larry." She said,"I knew it as soon as he walked in!" It was hard not to figure that out, as Larry has long, whitish gray hair, white beard and mustache, and arrived wearing a black leather sport jacket with black dress pants, a white linen shirt donning a Harley Davidson tie and suspenders! Hence, he easily matched my "Santa on a Harley" comment! It's funny, now that I think of it, too, as Larry had not mentioned anything to me about wearing the Harley Davidson tie and suspenders. I had just known that he had motorcycles and liked Harley Davidson bikes.
As the ceremony unfolded, I tried to divert my attention away from the many crying guests to the calming waters of the bay outside. The start of the sunset had started to unfold and the light glistening off the waves was very soothing.
Josh and Cindy's mothers came up to light two candles for the bride and groom that were on a table set on the altar and then returned to their seats. Cindy and Josh then used those two candles to light the "marriage candle" to represent their unity in marriage. The minister then handed them a single rose which he said represented their unity and undying love for each other. Then he offered some more advice concerning "the rose". He explained that they should designate a place outside their home, somewhere that could be viewed upon entering the home where they could place a rose whenever there was something troubling them or pulling them apart. The rose would represent the love you still have for each other and show that even though you are upset, that your love is still there. He then went on to say that this lets the other person know you need to talk and reminds the other that the unity and love is still there which allows your hearts to open up to discussing your problems in a less threatening atmosphere when you are both ready to talk about it.
The minister then led Cindy and Josh through their vows as they exchanged their wedding rings.
He then pronounced them husband and wife, Josh kissed the bride.
The wedding party exited down the aisle to the back of the church. Hugs and kisses were abundant at the back of the reception hall by all those waiting to congratulate the bride and groom.
I excused myself to go say hello to Larry, who had been patiently waiting at a table. We said hello and hugged, then Larry started to apologize for being late. I quickly responded that I was sorry that he had to walk into a reception hall of strangers alone. He then got this "sarcastic eye-raised" expression on his face and said, "I just want you to know that I found out today that there are 14 yacht clubs with the same name on this island! I guess you didn't know that, huh?" And, guess what? This was the last one I found, and I found this one by accident. I turned down this road expecting to find someone to ask for directions, and here it was! That's okay, though, I met a lot of nice people along the way at other THIRTEEN yacht clubs" He then smiled, and laughed, anyway, that is why I was late!" I laughed with him, took his hand, apologized for the mix up and his troubles, and escorted him to our table and introduced him to Sheldon.
At the advice of the minister, the bride and groom's table was set up where the altar had been, and the members of the wedding party were able to sit with their partners during the reception. This made it possible for Larry and I, and Sheldon and Angie, to sit together through dinner.
The bride and groom were seated at the head table.
The clinking of glass could be softly heard as if to ask for the crowd's attention. Shortly after that, the disc jockey quickly tapped his microphone lightly and said, "It's time now for the toast to the bride and groom. Would you all stand with your glasses for the toast which will be given by the best man?" Upon hearing this, I suddenly realized that I was not prepared for mine. I had forgotten to "rewrite" my clumsily written speech, and all I had was the words to my poem scribbled on a paper with lines drawn moving one paragraph here and another there. I quickly became very nervous as I search for my paper, debating whether or not to embarrass myself or not! LOL...
The crowd had stood with glasses in hand. As I was going through this turmoil in my head, I, unfortunately, missed most his speech, but of what I do remember, it was a very eloquent, personal, and fitting toast to the bride and groom by the best man.
Soon after that toast, and as I was gathering the nerve to announce I had a speech, the disc jockey asked the crowd if there was anyone else who would like to say a few words. Cindy's father gestured and also gave a humorous but very heart-warming toast to the bride and groom. This gave me the time to gather up more nerve, thank goodness! lol...
When the disc jockey asked if there was anyone else, I quickly raised my hand, stood, and said, "Yes, I would like to say a few words." I explained to the crowd that I had come up with this speech while getting our hair done and that I had not had time to rewrite it before the wedding. Everyone laughed, of course, lightening my nervousness a bit.
Everyone in the audience was aware that Cindy and Josh had met through the internet and that Angie, Sheldon and I had also met each other and them through the internet in a certain chatroom we used to frequent. However, most were not aware of our "discussions" or "antics" in those chats.
My poem, therefore, contained a lot of things that only the four of us - Cindy, Josh, Sheldon, and I, would understand.
I said, "Cindy and Josh, I wrote this poem while having a cigarette outside at the hair salon today waiting for you to be finished with your appointment, Cindy. But I, unfortunately, only have my rough copy which has lines drawn all over it moving paragraphs around, and I never got to rewrite it. Since this was meant to be a poem, things may not be in the proper order. So, I'm going to do my best!" Then I said, "Okay, here goes!", with a nervous laugh. Everyone laughed with me.
My toast, the poem, went like this:
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Everyone clapped, and I nervously sat down to take a few deep breaths and said, "Whew!" Larry leaned over to me and said, "Hon, that was great, real nice!" I thanked him, and leaned my head into his shoulder and got a squeeze from Larry. Then Angie asked if she could read my poem because she was laughing so hard, she had missed some of it. She then asked if I would give her a copy before we all went home. I agreed to do so.
Dinner started to be served to the bride and groom and then the rest of the guests were guided to the banquet line table by table. Larry and I went off to get our food. Larry was asking what some of the foods were, as he had never seen some of it. I explained what they were, and he asked me, "How do you know all this stuff?" I winked and said, "Because I'm a good cook that's why!", and laughed as I nudged him gently in the side with my elbow.
After the bride and groom were finished eating, the disc jockey announced them as Mr. and Mrs. and invited us to watch their first dance as husband and wife. Josh had picked the song, "a href="caribb.mid">"Caribbean Blue" by Enya. They looked beautiful together.
Cindy then danced with her father to "Butterfly Kisses".
And Josh then danced with his mother, Kathy.
At one point, and I can't for the life of me remember who it was, someone (I think it was Josh's Dad) tapped Josh on the shoulder requesting a dance with Cindy. Soon after seeing that, Angie grabbed my hand and said, "C'mon, we're breaking in!" She led me to Josh and tapped on Cindy's shoulder requesting a dance from Josh, and the three of us danced together for awhile before allowing Cindy to rejoin Josh on the dancefloor. As usually does happen, Angie's "antics" got the entire crowd laughing. Josh said, "This is great, laughed and gave us both a big hug."
Soon after the dances, the photographers whisked the wedding party and family members outside on the lawn for pictures.
The photographers had opted to take pictures of the family members and the bride and groom before taking pictures of the wedding party together. The wind had kicked up and now that the sun was starting to set, it was getting very chilly outside. And, of course, us women in the wedding party were wearing sleeveless dresses and freezing our behinds off!
Angie and I both started to complain about being cold. Sheldon had brought Angie her jacket. I leaned up against Larry and said, "I forgot my sweater. Warm me up, will ya!?" Gentleman that he is, Larry said, "Are you cold hon? Here, take my jacket, I have long sleeves on." Larry helped me into his leather jacket which was VERY warm, and I thanked him for being such a gentleman.
Angie started to tell Larry that she knew who he was as soon as he walked in because of my description of him, and commented on how she liked his Harley Davidson tie and suspenders. The conversation quickly went to motorcycles and "biker dudes". lol... We all related some stories about how a lot of "bikers" get bad names. Larry joked that most of them were only interested in drinking heavily and chasing women. Then Angie related an experience she had once - how two bikers had come to her rescue and offered a ride out of an uncomfortable situation.
Larry leaned closer to Angie quietly, winked, and said, "Hon, they just happened to like your attributes. And if I may say so, you do have VERY fine attributes!" Of course, we all broke up laughing while Angie got all flustered, her face turning all shades of red. I quickly spoke up and said, "See, I told you he would fit right in, didn't I?" And we all laughed again. We all continued with our friendly banter while waiting for our pictures to be taken - for 45 minutes! LOL... We were popsicles by this time, and then the photographers decided to stop photographing outside and said they'd take our pictures inside. Angie and my patience had about dwindled to nothing at this point, and we were NOT happy campers at hearing we had waited outside all that time in the cold for nothing. The typical "woman thing" ensued with us moaning and groaning about it for awhile.
We were asked by the photographers to gather at the back of the hall for pictures, but many minutes went by and every time we were ready, the photographers weren't. I walked over with Cindy to see the cake, as I had not seen it yet. It was absolutely beautiful. Atop the cake was a statue of a bride dragging the groom, butt on the ground, across the floor by his neck collar. Cindy pointed to the cake and said, "How do you like this?", pointing at the statue on the top. I laughed and said, "That's perfect for you two! Where on earth did you find that?" She has said she had seen it at Walmart and Josh had gone back to buy it for her later saying he wanted to use that one. I said, "WALMART? Of all places?" She Said, "Yeah, I love it!" I said, "Here's Miss ATTITUDE dragging her groom, Ohpi's ass across the floor! Gotta love Walmart!" We both laughed. LOL...
The photographers whisked Cindy away for more pictures. Then, Larry and I, not realizing that we could smoke at the bar which was located next to the reception hall, and since the photographers were taking their good old time deciding on when to take the pictures the wedding party, Larry and I went outside to have a cigarette. While out there, a guest had come over to Larry and they both talked for awhile about motorcycles and Harley Davidson rallies that they had both been to. When we returned to the hall, we realized we had just missed the "cutting of the cake". We sat down with Angie and Sheldon, then we and the other guests at the table talked over dessert and coffee.
I started to complain about the photographers again, and Larry leaned over and said, quite loudly, "Oh, would YOU stop your BITCHIN'!!!", with a wink and a sarcastic giggle. I quickly apologized for my rudeness. Larry broke out into laughter and said, "Hon, I was teasing you!" He winked again and said, "But will you PLEASE stop your bitchin'!", leaned back as if to avoid getting hit, and laughed. So, I would know that he was really joking.
Soon after that, Angie had started complaining - what about, I don't remember now. I leaned over to Larry and said, "Hey, how come she can bitch and get away with it, but you tell me to stop my bitchin'?" while giving him the evil eye. Larry leaned over and said softly, but loud enough for Angie and Sheldon to hear, "Well, hon, she has REALLY nice ATTRIBUTES!". He smiled an evil smile, winked at Sheldon and Angie and leaned away as to avoid getting hit, and everyone gathered at our table broke out in very loud laughter. Larry then leaned over and whispered to me, also loud enough for Angie and Sheldon to hear, "Hon, now you know I think you have VERY fine attributes and that I happen to like your attributes VERY much!". For that, Larry got a "Yeah, I know you do!", "thank you," and a kiss on the cheek. I got a snicker and a smile back from Larry as his arm went around my shoulder in a big hug, then kissed me back on my cheek.
The photographers had asked Angie and I to join them to get those pictures they had wanted earlier. She showed us where to wait and said she'd be right back. Well, knowing how that had gone earlier, Angie asked if Larry and I would go for a cigarette with her first. And we all went outside together. We all enjoyed one cigarette and quickly went back inside to find Cindy and the photographer. Larry commented on how empty the hall was, and mentioned, "Where did everyone go?" I said, "I don't know? I guess some people had to leave early for work or classes or something." We both shrugged it off and went to find Cindy. We soon found out where everyone had gone. They had joined Cindy and Josh in the bar so that they could have a drink and smoke indoors. Larry sat a table, and I joined him. Soon after, the photographer (who was FINALLY ready to take our pictures) asked us to come over to the table for some pictures. She had Angie and I stand with Cindy by a table for a couple of snapshots.
Then we joined Josh at the piano. I had not remembered ever hearing that he played the piano. He looked great sitting there at that baby grand piano.
Soon after, the disc jockey started playing some music and I went back and joined Larry at the table near the bar. I had forgotten to write out my card to Cindy and Josh earlier, so I was doing that before they came back. Cindy's father then came up to say goodbye, as he had to leave for their long drive back home. I excused myself to go with him to say goodbye to his wife, also. But when we entered the hall, we found his wife and Josh dancing to a slow song and Cindy was dancing with her brother. So, I said to Cindy's dad, "May I have the pleasure of this dance?" He accepted and we started dancing and ended up near Josh and his wife. I said, you want to switch partners? He tapped Josh on the shoulder and asked for his wife's hand for this dance, and I started dancing with Josh.
Josh said, "So, Mae, when DID you write that poem, this morning?" I said, today after I got my hair done. I had explained that I had been thinking for days about what to say but never wrote anything down, and then the idea hit me as I was having a cigarette and by the time I was finished my cigarette, it was written!" He said, "Wow, that's really good! That was fast, you didn't have much time!" Then I laughed and said, "I only wished I would have had the time to rewrite it!" He laughed and said, "No, it was great! We loved it!", and gave me a big hug and a kiss. That dance ended and soon, everyone was dancing to "The Monster Mash". I had left briefly to let Larry know where I had gotten to. I had felt bad leaving him all alone at the table, but then saw that someone else was talking to him. I went up to the table and said, "Oh, that's right, leave you alone for a few minutes, and you're cheating on me already!" He looked up the ceiling and rolled his eyes, and when he looked at me again, it was with this, "I'm going to get you later for saying that!" kind of look. The woman he was talking to introduced herself, and we talked for a minute before I excused myself to say goodbye to some other people that were leaving.
When I got back to the table, Larry was still talking to "Betty". We talked for a few minutes, she said it was very nice to meet us and that she enjoyed talking with us and then excused herself. I whispered to Larry, "There ya go, hon! I think she likes you!" He looked very irritated by that remark. He then said, "Where the hell were you? You left me here all alone!" I apologized and said that I had gotten caught up saying goodbyes to guests leaving and that it was getting to be time to go. We both joined the remaining guests in the reception hall and gathered our things before heading to the car. Larry, gentleman that he was, reminded me to pick up things I had forgotten, thank goodness!" He knows I'd leave my head if it wasn't attached, as I had joked about that many times before with him.
The reception is over - time to go!
I had to drive Cindy's family members back to Cindy and Josh's apartment, so I asked Larry if he wanted to follow me back there or if he wanted to be on his way home. He said, I'll go back to the hotel and wait for you. I suggested he take my key and let himself in, but he declined and said that he was a big boy and could fend for himself. I offered again for him to follow me back to the apartment, as I didn't want him to have to wait too long by himself, but he insisted on my letting him wait there. So, I suggested he get a cup of coffee at Denny's nextdoor while I wait and that I would hurry back. He told me to take my time and gave me a kiss and hug goodbye, saying, "Later gator!"
I left to drive Cindy's family back to her apartment. On the way, my anxiety was reaching a breaking point - and I still had no reason why. I had almost missed a turn having to swerve quickly to bear right, most likely scaring everyone in the car - for which I apologized for. LOL... Cindy's brother quickly noticed that my car was on "empty" and suggested that it might be a good idea to get some gas. I assured him that I did have enough to get us to the apartment, but told him I'd stop for gas to make them feel better. Except, I missed the turn for the first gas station. DUH! I promised to stop at the next one and did.
I had left my bottle of Jack Daniel's at Cindy's hotel suite from the night before, so I decided to buy a small bottle at this gas station to help calm my nerves which were getting exceedinly worse at this point. I even commented, "I did't even drink, and I'm not high! What the hell is wrong with me?" LOL... I almost missed the turn onto the highway leading to Cindy's apartment, as I was looking for the wrong exit number (the numbered exit for the wedding reception location... DUH! - yes, another "former blonde" moment!) LOL...) I realized this when Cindy's brother said, "Aren't you supposed to turn here?" I will say, though, Cindy's family members were all good sports about all this! We all had a good laugh about my strange behavior. They jokingly asked if I would be able to find my way back to my hotel room. I laughed, and said, "I think so! At least I hope I can!" , and we all laughed.
We all laughed, said our goodbyes with hugs and kisses, and told them all how wonderful it was to meet them and what a wonderful time I had that week with them all. Then Cindy's mother walked me to my car. I got another hug and goodbye from her, and I left for my hotel.
When I got back to my hotel, Larry was waiting patiently in his truck drinking his coffee. Larry escorted me to my door and made himself comfortable on the couch while I went to get myself a drink. I told him, "I don't know what's wrong with me, I've been a nervous wreck all day, and I can't think of a reason for it! But I need a stiff drink, do you mind?" He said, "No, not at all hon." I joined Larry on the couch, and we started talking. I asked if he minded if I took my hair down while we talked, and he said that he didn't mind. Larry and I talked while I was taking my hair down. Good friend that he is, Larry was offering some objective, sound "advice" to me about things going on in my life. After removing the pins, I got up to get a brush. When I started to brush my hair, a rush of emotion overcame me, and I said, "Damn, I know what's wrong with me. I don't want to go home to all the stress," and the tears just started to flow. I heard Larry say, "Would you get over here?" I went over to him thinking I was going to get a consoling hug from him, but when I got there, he pulled me down onto his lap with my back facing me and said, "Give me that!" Grabbing the brush out of my hair, he started to brush my hair for me. Then he realized I had been crying and puts his arms around me and squeezed me tight and said, "I'm sorry, hon, you thought you were going to get a hug. I didn't know you were crying when I told you to come over here." I said, "That's okay, you can brush my hair as long as you like! I won't stop you," and laughed. With that, Larry said, "Well, hon, I do enjoy this and I really miss doing this." To lighten things up and to make me laugh, he said, "Besides, I hear that it is sexy!" We both laughed, and Larry continued to brush my hair for about 30 minutes. By that time, I had finally calmed down. I gave him a big hug and thanked him for brushing my hair. I made some coffee and we laughed and talked again for hours. When it was time for Larry to leave, he said, "Well, hon, as much as I hate to leave, it's getting to be that time." I thanked him for being my date and for a wonderful time and told him that it was great to finally meet him in person. I told him to have a safe trip and to keep in touch. With that we hugged and said our goodbyes.
I packed up everything I would not be needing the next day and went to sleep. In the morning, I found out that Cindy and Josh would be back at their home before I had to leave, so I drove over to their apartment after packing up my car. They had not gotten my wedding gift as I had neglected to give it to them before they left the reception, so it was waiting at their apartment for them. I stayed for a short visit and then started on my way home. I thanked them all for a wonderful time, wished them a safe trip on their honeymoon, and told them to have a GREAT time - which, I was very happy to hear that they did.
The ride home was absolutely gorgeous with all the leaves changing, and the weather was beautiful, warm and sunny! I was feeling much better when I woke up and the three-hour drive was very soothing and relaxing. The week away did me a world of good! I'm back to being "superwoman" again until the next enemy defeats her! And when that happens, I'll just have to go away again to recharge for the next battle! LOL...
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