The Main Event

I am too wordy. My prose is long and flowing, I always use to much to say something very simple. I have always had a gift for drafting a letter, an E-mail, getting my point across to someone but lately, it all just feels too. . .long. My entries here feel too long and as the days slowly drag into summer, I know I will have less and less time to write here.

So much has happened since the last day I wrote about, the only way to get any of it down is to keep it simple. Short and sweet. Keeping it to the point and what I call the “main event”.

Wednesday
The Main Event – a visit to Lynne’s house

Our visit at Lynne’s actually went really well. I think I finally understand the difference in the kids moods and temperaments between early in the day and later in the evening, which is usually when we are able to go to visit her family. We . . .or I should say I spent the morning taking turns playing with all 3 kids and I really had a lot of fun. My mom honestly wanted nothing to do with them – their noise and craziness was just too much for her and she showed no interest in them at all. I was a little embarrassed but thought, what the hell – they just aren’t for her, just like they aren’t for me. She was just even MORE obvious about it. Gee – wonder where I got THAT from? *grin*

Even though her mom was busy with her home business (she makes custom made draperies), she took the time to make 6 of us a homemade lunch of chicken salad, other dishes and desserts. I honestly don’t know how the woman does it. Nor do I know why you would bother yourself with something so elaborate. We are definitely more of a grab and go kind of family, my mom genuinely hates to cook so as we got older, it was more take out for us than home cooked meals. I guess that is a lot of what I learned that day – for Lynne and I, the apples certainly did not fall far from the tree.

Thursday
The Main Event – Decorating the Reception Hall

Little side note – I went to my final Mystic tanning session this morning and I swear to you, as all of my witnesses, I will NEVER do that again! I just have a horrible reaction to the spraying process in the booth and for sessions #2 and #3, ended up with a horrible headache and neckache. This time was much worse than the last and I am still feeling the affects of it, even today. It is tightness up the back of my neck up into the back of my head, radiating up the sides up my neck into my ears. The shock of that spray, taking your breath away is something I never hope to experience again. The result was amazing and I am very pleased with all of the pictures from the wedding but it is definitely not worth it to me to ever do again. I have started my at home sunless tanning lotion applications instead.

We headed to my cousin’s house around lunchtime and split up – my aunt and mom to run final wedding errands and my cousin and I were left at her house all afternoon, by ourselves making the reception table favors. I don’t think I have even spent that much time alone with my cousin as I did this day and I am pleased to say I really enjoyed our time together. We talked about things that only girls can talk about with friends, things off limits to conversation with your mother. Her sex life with her fiancé (which her mother, my aunt chooses to believe does not exist before their wedding), yeast infections, sexual positions, money tips on a trip out of the country and laughing at the crazy bridezillas on the marathon on TV that afternoon. My cousin and I are about 10 years apart in age exactly and this past year or two is the first we have really had to get to know each other and actually have things in common – which is great for both of us, since neither of us were blessed with a sister.

We went to the hall to decorate later, goofed around, had dinner together that night then went back to their house and toasted with a bottle of cheap champagne while watching the Lost season finale. I helped her back her honeymoon suitcase and search for the perfect mother/son dance song. My eyes are welling a little, thinking of all of the intimate moments my cousin and I shared on this day and I am grateful for our time together.

Friday
The Main Event – the Rehearsal and Dinner

We started the morning early, decorating the church and unfortunately, missed our time to go out to the fancy lunch I had planned for me, my mom, aunt, cousin and her maid of honor that day. No matter – we cruised to a quick lunch at Quizno’s instead and then spent the afternoon together, getting manicures and pedicures at a fancy local salon. Was it more expensive than one of those little Asian nail joints in the mall? Yes – but the experience was well worth the extra money to me.

The rehearsal went as all do – a little chaotic as the wedding planner tried to find her way. I think she quickly discovered it is one thing to have it all planned out in your head and quite another to have to manuveur 20 or so people and answer their questions on every little detail. Once it got rolling, the rehearsal was short and sweet and it was easy to see this was going to be one fast wedding ceremony. One small scripture reading, only 1 song sung during the unity candle ceremony and we would be outta there. Dinner was at a local pizza joint, in a HUGE reserved room on the 2nd floor of the actual restaurant so we had the whole room to ourselves. My cousin gave everyone a lovely photo album with a metal cover and 5×7 picture of the 2 of us on the cover and a ribbon and charm latch to shut it with our names and the wedding date inscribed in it. It was actually very unique and pretty and something I will actually use for all of the wedding pictures, once I get copies. We had lots of pizza, lots of beers, lot of fun chasing my aunt’s little grandson around and then it was on to the big day.

Saturday
The Main Event – the Wedding (DUH!)

It was a VERY long day but a fun one. I was first to get my hair done at 9am and we didn’t leave the reception hall until around 11pm that night. We spent the morning watching bridesmaid after bridesmaid get their hair done and then after our 1pm pictures, spent the next 2 hours trying to keep the bride occupied so she didn’t freak herself out. We had the normal wedding day mishaps – the wrong type of flowers delivered to decorate the sanctuary, the groom’s family – which included one of the bridesmaids and flower girls – did not show up until 3pm, when the wedding started at 3:30 and having missed the rehearsal the night before, had no idea what to do.

But, there were great moments too – my cousin, the most unemotional female I have ever met, starting to cry mere minutes before walking down the aisle, the looks of joy on their faces as they were presented as man and wife to the guests, the limo ride from the church to the reception hall that included the ENTIRE wedding party and lots of beer, champagne and whiskey flasks and dancing, dancing, DANCING at the reception.

You spent one and a half years planning and anticipating such a big event and the wedding itself was over – start to finish in just 20 minutes with the reception lasting just hours. Hard to believe – $15,000 down the drain, just like that. It was a fabulous party but knowing how much money it set my family back,money they didn’t really have, you just have to wonder if it was all worth it. I know it will give my cousin memories that she will never forget, it was a great luxury that she will always be able to cherish but I just hope from here on out, my aunt and my cousin will make better financial decisions so they can enjoy EVERY day of their life, not just live for one big one and then be disappointed in what they DON’T have every other day. It should be interesting to see the kind of married, adult life my cousin will choose to lead. I just hope it is an independent one where her and her husband lean on each other and don’t just depend on my aunt and uncle to keep giving to them, taking care of them. Time to fly away, little bird – and that means taking the bad along with the good.

Sunday
The Main Event – the Sex and the City Movie

In a word – or two – LOVED IT! I cried so much, I felt like an idiot but I didn’t care. There were so many wonderful performances in the movie – they all just went all out for their roles and for the most part, the story lines did NOT disappoint. I would definitely love to go see it again and will if I can maybe sneak out and go see it by myself some rainy afternoon.

Now, it is just back to real life – which is tough to do. I feel like I am behind on the normal things I enjoy and not everything can be given attention at the same time. Like right now – Brian is being put on the back burner while I type out this entry. But he wasn’t on the back burner last night after the last of my mom’s bags were packed into my aunt’s car and they drove away for her to spend this last week here at her house. Oh no – we made some definite time for each other . . . at least for an hour or two! *wink*