Ok, ok - enough of the wedding posts here. Let me get back to some random thoughts of the last couple weeks.
Fogle You
There's a group of new Subway commercials with our favorite former fat-boy, Jared. In each he says something like "Here's something you won't find at Burger King, Wendy's and McDonald's..." Then he goes on to say something stupid like "Subway doubled their menu by allowing you to get each sub toasted." I'm sorry, but toasted bread does not make a sandwich taste different enough to claim that it's a different sandwich. That's just plain stupid.
That's like McDonald's saying that they have doubled their menu by allowing you to get a burger with BBQ sauce. Which, in my opinion, is a larger taste difference than toasted bread.
On kind of the same note - he ends the commercials by saying "And here's another thing you won't find at Burger King, Wendy's or McDonald's... me." Like I care. Like I give a flying fig where Jared eats. Trust me, his fat ass would be in McDonald's if his Subway contract didn't forbid it. How can he consider himself soooo important that people will actually not go to McDonald's because Jared doesn't go in there. What makes him think that anything he does has any effect on me whatsoever! "Well, if Jared the former fat guy isn't going, then I shouldn't either."
Aaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrggggggggggghhhhhhhhhh.
Is it possible that I have put too much effort into not liking this guy?
Names
Bennifer. I guess that was kinda clever the first time I heard it. Then after the next 20,000 it got less and less clever. The best thing to come out of it was Ben Affleck's monologue on SNL making fun of it (Boprah... Mary Kate and Ashfleck... hee hee).
Now the entertainment media is out of control with name amalgam madness! Now we have TomKat for Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes. That whole thing is wrong on many levels, but the name itself is unforgivable. But at the very least those names went together, I mean they are now engaged. Recently I saw "Brangelina" for Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. What the hell? I don't think they're even together (not that I care). Do people have to be reduced to one name? Is it a timesaver? Or is it a stupid ass gimmick? My vote is for the latter. Hey, I think I will change me and Rachael to Trenchael. Adam and Kelly can become Adelly, and Ryan and Renea can become Rynea.
This is neither cute, nor funny. It actually, physically, hurts me.
Pizza
The other day I over heard someone ordering a pizza. Obviously, he was trying to gauge the difference in quantity between the different sizes. So I hear "So how many slices are in a medium? Eight, huh? Ok, now how many slices in a large? Uh-huh... so how many in an Extra Large? Eight?" I wanted to yell at him THEY ALL HAVE EIGHT SLICES!!! The size of the slices is what's different. I mean really, I think most people know that round pizzas are all cut the same way. A 'slice' is not a unit of measurement, and shouldn't be treated as such. If it were a unit of measurement, my brothers and I would not have fought over the 'big slice.' But then again we did fight over the "bigger half" - so that shows you how much we knew.
Contests
Am I the only person who has a drawer full of soda bottle caps telling me that I won something (most often: another bottle of soda) that will probably never be redeemed? I wonder If I can sell them for a quarter. Then again, a) it would take too much effort to do that and b) I would probably use the money I made on soda... and then it makes less sense.
Saddam Hussain
Last week 2 soldiers who guarded Saddam Hussain went on a few interviews and told about how Saddam liked Dorito's and seemed like a 'regular guy.' The media couldn't get enough of this.
I don't know if people have seen too many movies or what, but doesn't it make sense? I mean, it's not like Saddam is going to sit there and talk about evil, or ruling the world. If he wanted companionship and conversation, that would not have been in his best interest. So just for a little socialization, he acquiesced to more normal conversation. Does the media think he was in his cell yelling "YOU WAIT AND SEE, I'LL GET YOU ALL! A HA HA HA HA HA!"?
Then there are the Dorito's. First off, they are tasty. Again - I think the media was shocked that Saddam had 'human' characteristics. I don't know what the expectation was here either. Did they think that he would just eat bat heads and drink blood? I don't know what they expected him to eat or like eating. And the Dorito's now are "Nacho Cheesier," so... I mean... who wouldn't like that?
Tuesday, June 28, 2005
Monday, June 27, 2005
Jamaican Notes
By the end of the week - we were in fact sick of listening to Bob Marley.
We were on the 3rd floor. Outside of our window, on the ground, was a shuffleboard and a life-size chess board. Sometimes we would heard the sounds of the shuffleboard, walk out on the balcony and watch people play. It was interesting, because I don't think anyone ever knew we were watching. Not that we were hiding... we just didn't yell down and say "Hey, we're up here!" Does that make us weird?
Like I said, we made up for some people. Here are a few:
Ponytail guy - he looked like a villain from a movie. Steven Segal-ish. He just looked like a punk. I think his wife was a trophy.
Whiney woman - On Monday night Couples had a cocktail party to meet the managers. There Rachael discovered a drink called 'Fantasy.' Anyway, as we were getting ready to leave, we noticed a woman crying. She seemed to be throwing a fit because of something about "they not knowing it was her anniversary." We didn't know who 'they' were, and what they were supposed to do for their anniversary, but we were pretty sure she was over-reacting. We saw her a couple times, and she seemed to be worried or whining about something most of the time.
The Hicks - Towards the end of our stay there was this couple that I heard speak one time. They were hicks. I decided. The reason I decided this was... I was at the grill wanting to get a burger, and some jerk chicken. The Hicks were beside me. The guy ordered and had a hick voice. He ordered "dem mini cake thangs." Ummm, he meant "Mini Pattys," which are similar to small calzones and could not be mistaked for a "cake." The woman behind the counter corrected him, but he persisted and said it a couple more times. When he was told it would take 10 minutes. He said, "Tin meenites!?! That lawng? Could I git a plate of fries then?" From that point on, he and his bride (who both look all of 18) were "dumb hicks," and will remain that way in our minds forever.
There were shopping trips (we didn't go on any) most days. And without fail, people came back with their hair braided. It very much reminded us of the episode of Friends when Monica got her hair braided to tame her mane. We looked at these people and could only wonder one thing - "What the hell?" As Rach said "Just because you're in Jamaica doesn't mean have to get braids." It mostly looked stupid.. touristy. It was like the t-shirts we saw on people. A lot of Bob Marley shirts, one shirt had Snoopy in dreadlocks, and various other Rastafarian themes. We could only assume that this would be the only time they would wear these shirts. Or, at least, we hoped it would. Ponytail man had a Bob Marley shirt, and a Jamaican flag shirt. It looked plain silly. Feed the machine, I guess. The only thing we didn't see was one of those Rasta hats with the dreads sewn in them (we did see them for sale, just not on someone).
Upon arrival we were given a sheet to fill out of activities. We selected the catamaran ride and dinner reservations for 2 nights. We turned it in on Monday. Our reservations were at 8:30, one for the Italian restaurant (Mon.) and one for the French restaurant (Wed.). We didn't want to do a whole lot - we wanted to have the time to do nothing. As I have been saying we really didn't pay attention to time. We looked at a watch once in a while, but didn't really keep one on us. The cocktail party on Monday started at 6:30. We could see the pier (where the cocktail party was) from our room, so when it seemed that they had been serving stuff for a while - we went over. We had reservations for 8:30 - so we did give a check of the watch. It said 7:30. We went down, had a few drinks, listened to the schpiel and after that headed to the restaurant. We went up there and told the hostess we were there for dinner. She asked what room we were in, we told her. She looked at her sheet for our room.... then flipped the page. "Oh, you're not until 8:30," she said. "What time is it now?" we responded. "It's 7:30." We had to let that sink in for a moment... how could it be 7:30... how could our watches be off... ah yes. The answer hit me - Daylight Savings Time. Jamaica doesn't follow it, and we were an hour off. This was the first time Rachael and I had been early for anything.
We noticed that evening that there was a resort worker snapping photographs. He came by us a few times and take a picture. Most times when he did that, we handed him our camera and asked him to take a picture of us. We never really figured out where the pictures he took went. Did they sell them? Were they using them for promotion? After thinking about it - we could never really say this guy worked for the resort... creepy.
Also on Monday night there was a Beach Party. They had the buffet on the beach (we had Italian that night) and then afterwards had entertainment. There was some Crab Races, which was funny. There was some performers, dancers, fire eaters, and limbo. There was also some bamboo dancing(?). Anyway, every so often there was some audience participation to put people on the spot - especially since they were most likely a little drunk.
One day we did meet a couple that seemed pretty nice. They were from New Jersey. His name was Rob, and he worked for the military. Her name was Jill, and I can't remember what she did. They were moving to San Antonio, TX soon. We had seen them before... ah yes, they were a couple who was brought on stage for some Bamboo Dancing the night before. Anyway, we sat and talked to them one day for a decent amount of time, telling stories of our wedding and work, and stuff. We decided to meet up later at the piano bar. We did and there were a few more couples in there who were a bit older. Rach and I were in the middle. There were stories of Rob and Jill and just starting out, and stories of being married for a long time. We soon realized that we really got a head start on a good marriage for 2 reasons. 1st being we are a bit older. We're a bit more mature and better equipped to handle complex relationship situations and 2nd being we've lived together for about 2 years and have dealt with a lot of things already. While Rob and Jill were talking about if their pets would get along, Rach and I have been through moving, financially struggling, periods of emotional strain together. And we've come out strong and so in love each time. She knows me better than anyone in this world - and I know her. So that all kind of made us feel better on some level. I got trashed at the piano bar though (boy did I sing along) ... so that made me feel pretty good too.
You knew it was going to happen. We had both a Continental Breakfast and the Breakfast Buffet one day. I haven't had breakfast this many days in a row since I was in high school.
We took a trip on a catamaran. We got on, looked for seats. Rach went to get a seat, and I went to get drinks. Rach then came up to me while I was still at the bar, and said that the seat she tried to get was already taken... by Ponytail guy. I knew he was a mean bastard. We found a couple seats, and had a nice trip. They played music throughout the trip, but on our way in there was one song called "Big Bamboo" that was particularly amusing. You can guess what it was actually about.
On Wednesday, we crashed. Not in a car, boat, or plane. Everything just caught up to us and we took a day and slept a lot of it. I read almost half of a book. Rach slept... we just crashed. And it was great. They were doing construction on the first floor - through the day we heard banging and hammering, and drills... ahh the sounds of Jamaica.
We also took a trip to Dunns River Falls. During this, you can climb the falls. You needed shoes in order to do that. We just wore our sneakers, the bus, however, stopped and they had Aqua Socks for rent. This was a little odd in our opinion. Anyway, you also have the option of not climbing the falls, which made sense to us. Our guide on the bus asked if there was anyone not planning on climbing. Couple's Resort took 3 busses I think. We started to make our way in, and they guy said "If you are planning on climbing the falls..." I didn't catch the rest because a woman behind me said "IF you are climbing? I didn't know we had an option. What's the alternative?" I turned looked at her and said "Not climbing, apparently." Seemed obvious enough to me. Then there was a woman complaining, no... crying about how hot it was. I don't know what she expected, being on a tropical island and everything. This is the same woman who we would also hear complain, no... cry that the water was too cold.
We divided into groups, and our main goal was to not be in the same group as the Hicks or the Crying Woman. When were at the bottom our group had to join hands. We would have to climb the falls like this. We were standing there for a couple minutes, and most people dropped hands for a moment. I had Rach on one side and another woman on the other. The other woman would not let go of my hand. I even released my grip and she didn't let go. Weird. Up the falls we went. It was pretty fun. Rach was first in line (except for our guide who took us up) and they took pictures along the way. We have a few good ones.
At one point we went back to the bird sanctuary. I don't know what the turkey did to the peacock but he was chasing that turkey in circles for at least 10 minutes.... man, they did not stop... and it was funny. Probably not as funny as it reads, but trust me on this.
About Thursday or Friday we started to notice that the people who we had gotten used to seeing at lunches, and on the beach were not as plentiful. There was a different lot. We seemed to have stayed through the standard turnover time. I went to the bar and got a beer. Some guy, who I had never seen before said "oh it's a baby beer," because they put it in a cup. To which I replied "Yeah, but I can come back for as much as I want." Idiot. Luckily, I didn't talk to him again.
At the beach there was a guy who seemed to appear out of thin air. He was on a kayak in the ocean and (I guess) selling seashells. I don't know how lucrative a business that is, but he seemed to disappear and reappear. Not once did we see him paddle away.
In the hall one day, we overheard a woman asking a resort worker about the 'Big Bamboo' song. The exchange went like this:
Woman: Hey, do you know where I can get that song they play on the catamaran?
Worker: (mumbles)
Woman: You know the 'Bamboo' song? What CD is that on? The one they play on the catamaran, you know. Oh you know, Big Bamboo, what CD is that on?
Rach and I thought it was funny lie all the workers knew every aspect of everything that happened. This guy probably has never even been on the catamaran.
On Thursday evening we were in the hotel room and I heard some water. Like the bath tub faucet was on. I walked to the bathroom and discovered water running from a vent above the toilet. After I decided that wasn't good, I called downstairs and we left. It was cleaned up when we got back. However, on Friday after dinner we went back to the room. We were on the balcony and I decided I needed to pee. So I went to the bathroom and almost seriously hurt myself as the floor was covered in water again. This time I went to the front desk, and told them about it and how I almost got hurt. Some guys came up and offered to switch our room - but we were going to leave in just a few hours, that would do us no good. I made the simple, obvious suggestion of actually fixing the problem instead of just cleaning it up.
We had a TV in the room but had it on for only 45 minutes the whole week. The Jersey couple told us we needed to check out P.O.N. - Jamaica'a answer to MTV. They were right, it was hilarious. They were videos that looked to be shot with a regular camcorder from the 80's. In one video there was a woman singing in a room and in the window behind her you saw workers just passing by and tending to what they needed. And this chick was singing away.
We took a nap on Friday night, because we had to leave the hotel at 2:15am. Woah. This was my fault really. I mean I made the reservations for the flight. We were the only ones in the lobby waiting for the van. 'Great' we thought. 'Another lovely ride in the van.' Can you sense the sarcasm there? We strolled around to kinda say good-bye to the place. Then the van showed. We hopped in. I'm not sure if it was the time of night, or the driver - but the ride to the airport was soooo smooth and peaceful. I mean, no craziness. My legs were a little cramped, but other than that... The funny thing is, I didn't sleep at all on the way to the airport. Funny, because I fell asleep with the driving maniac just a week before.
We got to the airport, and there were 2 people there: a mother and son combo (the son had a Rasta sweatband on his wrist...). That was it. Us and them. We had 4 bags, and I'm pretty sure they had 50. It was 4:00 am (or so). Now we wait. We sat in a couple chairs by the door in front of the airline counter. There was no one working it after all. After a little time, a couple vans showed up. The travelers exited got their bags and went and stood in line. Did I mention no one was working at the counter yet? We found it quite amusing that it was that important that they be first in line whenever they showed up. It was 5:30 in the morning. The plane didn't leave until 8. So they just wanted to be first to be allowed to wait in a different area. Makes a ton of sense to me. We sat.
After going through the Jamaican Customs portion (bag check and all) we went upstairs to wait some more. We got to the point that we were fine with each other, but other people annoyed us. Then a small group of big-stuff (censored for the children) teenagers showed up and annoyed us. I think it's funny the "one up" game teenagers play; "I slept, like 3 hours last night." "Oh yeah? Well I didn't sleep at all" "Well I didn't sleep and I'm wasted...." I didn't think it was funny then. I just really wanted to punch one in the face.
Once back in the states we had to pick up our bags, go through customs again, and go to our gate. Our flight leaving Jamaica was a little late, so we had to haul. We were waiting for our bags in Miami and a Customs Officer walked around with a drug sniffing dog. You know we did just come from Jamaica. The dog seemed to take particular interest in this one guy. I'm not sure what was on him but the dog was attached to him for a good 10 minutes. The officer checked the guy, patted him down, checked his hat and all and seemed satisfied. How scary would that be? I mean ESPECIALLY if you weren't carrying anything? The dog just cruised past us though.
We grabbed the bags and were off. We gave them to customs and almost ran at that point. We got there in time.
When we got back to Maryland - we were happy. Not so much to be back (because we really liked Jamiaca) but more so that our super-long day was over. Adam and Kelly picked us up from the airport.... bless them. We were hungry and tired. And when we got in the car, there sat a 6-pack of Red Stripe. Courtesy of Adam and Kelly. Yay.
We were on the 3rd floor. Outside of our window, on the ground, was a shuffleboard and a life-size chess board. Sometimes we would heard the sounds of the shuffleboard, walk out on the balcony and watch people play. It was interesting, because I don't think anyone ever knew we were watching. Not that we were hiding... we just didn't yell down and say "Hey, we're up here!" Does that make us weird?
Like I said, we made up for some people. Here are a few:
Ponytail guy - he looked like a villain from a movie. Steven Segal-ish. He just looked like a punk. I think his wife was a trophy.
Whiney woman - On Monday night Couples had a cocktail party to meet the managers. There Rachael discovered a drink called 'Fantasy.' Anyway, as we were getting ready to leave, we noticed a woman crying. She seemed to be throwing a fit because of something about "they not knowing it was her anniversary." We didn't know who 'they' were, and what they were supposed to do for their anniversary, but we were pretty sure she was over-reacting. We saw her a couple times, and she seemed to be worried or whining about something most of the time.
The Hicks - Towards the end of our stay there was this couple that I heard speak one time. They were hicks. I decided. The reason I decided this was... I was at the grill wanting to get a burger, and some jerk chicken. The Hicks were beside me. The guy ordered and had a hick voice. He ordered "dem mini cake thangs." Ummm, he meant "Mini Pattys," which are similar to small calzones and could not be mistaked for a "cake." The woman behind the counter corrected him, but he persisted and said it a couple more times. When he was told it would take
There were shopping trips (we didn't go on any) most days. And without fail, people came back with their hair braided. It very much reminded us of the episode of Friends when Monica got her hair braided to tame her mane. We looked at these people and could only wonder one thing - "What the hell?" As Rach said "Just because you're in Jamaica doesn't mean have to get braids." It mostly looked stupid.. touristy. It was like the t-shirts we saw on people. A lot of Bob Marley shirts, one shirt had Snoopy in dreadlocks, and various other Rastafarian themes. We could only assume that this would be the only time they would wear these shirts. Or, at least, we hoped it would. Ponytail man had a Bob Marley shirt, and a Jamaican flag shirt. It looked plain silly. Feed the machine, I guess. The only thing we didn't see was one of those Rasta hats with the dreads sewn in them (we did see them for sale, just not on someone).
Upon arrival we were given a sheet to fill out of activities. We selected the catamaran ride and dinner reservations for 2 nights. We turned it in on Monday. Our reservations were at 8:30, one for the Italian restaurant (Mon.) and one for the French restaurant (Wed.). We didn't want to do a whole lot - we wanted to have the time to do nothing. As I have been saying we really didn't pay attention to time. We looked at a watch once in a while, but didn't really keep one on us. The cocktail party on Monday started at 6:30. We could see the pier (where the cocktail party was) from our room, so when it seemed that they had been serving stuff for a while - we went over. We had reservations for 8:30 - so we did give a check of the watch. It said 7:30. We went down, had a few drinks, listened to the schpiel and after that headed to the restaurant. We went up there and told the hostess we were there for dinner. She asked what room we were in, we told her. She looked at her sheet for our room.... then flipped the page. "Oh, you're not until 8:30," she said. "What time is it now?" we responded. "It's 7:30." We had to let that sink in for a moment... how could it be 7:30... how could our watches be off... ah yes. The answer hit me - Daylight Savings Time. Jamaica doesn't follow it, and we were an hour off. This was the first time Rachael and I had been early for anything.
We noticed that evening that there was a resort worker snapping photographs. He came by us a few times and take a picture. Most times when he did that, we handed him our camera and asked him to take a picture of us. We never really figured out where the pictures he took went. Did they sell them? Were they using them for promotion? After thinking about it - we could never really say this guy worked for the resort... creepy.
Also on Monday night there was a Beach Party. They had the buffet on the beach (we had Italian that night) and then afterwards had entertainment. There was some Crab Races, which was funny. There was some performers, dancers, fire eaters, and limbo. There was also some bamboo dancing(?). Anyway, every so often there was some audience participation to put people on the spot - especially since they were most likely a little drunk.
One day we did meet a couple that seemed pretty nice. They were from New Jersey. His name was Rob, and he worked for the military. Her name was Jill, and I can't remember what she did. They were moving to San Antonio, TX soon. We had seen them before... ah yes, they were a couple who was brought on stage for some Bamboo Dancing the night before. Anyway, we sat and talked to them one day for a decent amount of time, telling stories of our wedding and work, and stuff. We decided to meet up later at the piano bar. We did and there were a few more couples in there who were a bit older. Rach and I were in the middle. There were stories of Rob and Jill and just starting out, and stories of being married for a long time. We soon realized that we really got a head start on a good marriage for 2 reasons. 1st being we are a bit older. We're a bit more mature and better equipped to handle complex relationship situations and 2nd being we've lived together for about 2 years and have dealt with a lot of things already. While Rob and Jill were talking about if their pets would get along, Rach and I have been through moving, financially struggling, periods of emotional strain together. And we've come out strong and so in love each time. She knows me better than anyone in this world - and I know her. So that all kind of made us feel better on some level. I got trashed at the piano bar though (boy did I sing along) ... so that made me feel pretty good too.
You knew it was going to happen. We had both a Continental Breakfast and the Breakfast Buffet one day. I haven't had breakfast this many days in a row since I was in high school.
We took a trip on a catamaran. We got on, looked for seats. Rach went to get a seat, and I went to get drinks. Rach then came up to me while I was still at the bar, and said that the seat she tried to get was already taken... by Ponytail guy. I knew he was a mean bastard. We found a couple seats, and had a nice trip. They played music throughout the trip, but on our way in there was one song called "Big Bamboo" that was particularly amusing. You can guess what it was actually about.
On Wednesday, we crashed. Not in a car, boat, or plane. Everything just caught up to us and we took a day and slept a lot of it. I read almost half of a book. Rach slept... we just crashed. And it was great. They were doing construction on the first floor - through the day we heard banging and hammering, and drills... ahh the sounds of Jamaica.
We also took a trip to Dunns River Falls. During this, you can climb the falls. You needed shoes in order to do that. We just wore our sneakers, the bus, however, stopped and they had Aqua Socks for rent. This was a little odd in our opinion. Anyway, you also have the option of not climbing the falls, which made sense to us. Our guide on the bus asked if there was anyone not planning on climbing. Couple's Resort took 3 busses I think. We started to make our way in, and they guy said "If you are planning on climbing the falls..." I didn't catch the rest because a woman behind me said "IF you are climbing? I didn't know we had an option. What's the alternative?" I turned looked at her and said "Not climbing, apparently." Seemed obvious enough to me. Then there was a woman complaining, no... crying about how hot it was. I don't know what she expected, being on a tropical island and everything. This is the same woman who we would also hear complain, no... cry that the water was too cold.
We divided into groups, and our main goal was to not be in the same group as the Hicks or the Crying Woman. When were at the bottom our group had to join hands. We would have to climb the falls like this. We were standing there for a couple minutes, and most people dropped hands for a moment. I had Rach on one side and another woman on the other. The other woman would not let go of my hand. I even released my grip and she didn't let go. Weird. Up the falls we went. It was pretty fun. Rach was first in line (except for our guide who took us up) and they took pictures along the way. We have a few good ones.
At one point we went back to the bird sanctuary. I don't know what the turkey did to the peacock but he was chasing that turkey in circles for at least 10 minutes.... man, they did not stop... and it was funny. Probably not as funny as it reads, but trust me on this.
About Thursday or Friday we started to notice that the people who we had gotten used to seeing at lunches, and on the beach were not as plentiful. There was a different lot. We seemed to have stayed through the standard turnover time. I went to the bar and got a beer. Some guy, who I had never seen before said "oh it's a baby beer," because they put it in a cup. To which I replied "Yeah, but I can come back for as much as I want." Idiot. Luckily, I didn't talk to him again.
At the beach there was a guy who seemed to appear out of thin air. He was on a kayak in the ocean and (I guess) selling seashells. I don't know how lucrative a business that is, but he seemed to disappear and reappear. Not once did we see him paddle away.
In the hall one day, we overheard a woman asking a resort worker about the 'Big Bamboo' song. The exchange went like this:
Woman: Hey, do you know where I can get that song they play on the catamaran?
Worker: (mumbles)
Woman: You know the 'Bamboo' song? What CD is that on? The one they play on the catamaran, you know. Oh you know, Big Bamboo, what CD is that on?
Rach and I thought it was funny lie all the workers knew every aspect of everything that happened. This guy probably has never even been on the catamaran.
On Thursday evening we were in the hotel room and I heard some water. Like the bath tub faucet was on. I walked to the bathroom and discovered water running from a vent above the toilet. After I decided that wasn't good, I called downstairs and we left. It was cleaned up when we got back. However, on Friday after dinner we went back to the room. We were on the balcony and I decided I needed to pee. So I went to the bathroom and almost seriously hurt myself as the floor was covered in water again. This time I went to the front desk, and told them about it and how I almost got hurt. Some guys came up and offered to switch our room - but we were going to leave in just a few hours, that would do us no good. I made the simple, obvious suggestion of actually fixing the problem instead of just cleaning it up.
We had a TV in the room but had it on for only 45 minutes the whole week. The Jersey couple told us we needed to check out P.O.N. - Jamaica'a answer to MTV. They were right, it was hilarious. They were videos that looked to be shot with a regular camcorder from the 80's. In one video there was a woman singing in a room and in the window behind her you saw workers just passing by and tending to what they needed. And this chick was singing away.
We took a nap on Friday night, because we had to leave the hotel at 2:15am. Woah. This was my fault really. I mean I made the reservations for the flight. We were the only ones in the lobby waiting for the van. 'Great' we thought. 'Another lovely ride in the van.' Can you sense the sarcasm there? We strolled around to kinda say good-bye to the place. Then the van showed. We hopped in. I'm not sure if it was the time of night, or the driver - but the ride to the airport was soooo smooth and peaceful. I mean, no craziness. My legs were a little cramped, but other than that... The funny thing is, I didn't sleep at all on the way to the airport. Funny, because I fell asleep with the driving maniac just a week before.
We got to the airport, and there were 2 people there: a mother and son combo (the son had a Rasta sweatband on his wrist...). That was it. Us and them. We had 4 bags, and I'm pretty sure they had 50. It was 4:00 am (or so). Now we wait. We sat in a couple chairs by the door in front of the airline counter. There was no one working it after all. After a little time, a couple vans showed up. The travelers exited got their bags and went and stood in line. Did I mention no one was working at the counter yet? We found it quite amusing that it was that important that they be first in line whenever they showed up. It was 5:30 in the morning. The plane didn't leave until 8. So they just wanted to be first to be allowed to wait in a different area. Makes a ton of sense to me. We sat.
After going through the Jamaican Customs portion (bag check and all) we went upstairs to wait some more. We got to the point that we were fine with each other, but other people annoyed us. Then a small group of big-stuff (censored for the children) teenagers showed up and annoyed us. I think it's funny the "one up" game teenagers play; "I slept, like 3 hours last night." "Oh yeah? Well I didn't sleep at all" "Well I didn't sleep and I'm wasted...." I didn't think it was funny then. I just really wanted to punch one in the face.
Once back in the states we had to pick up our bags, go through customs again, and go to our gate. Our flight leaving Jamaica was a little late, so we had to haul. We were waiting for our bags in Miami and a Customs Officer walked around with a drug sniffing dog. You know we did just come from Jamaica. The dog seemed to take particular interest in this one guy. I'm not sure what was on him but the dog was attached to him for a good 10 minutes. The officer checked the guy, patted him down, checked his hat and all and seemed satisfied. How scary would that be? I mean ESPECIALLY if you weren't carrying anything? The dog just cruised past us though.
We grabbed the bags and were off. We gave them to customs and almost ran at that point. We got there in time.
When we got back to Maryland - we were happy. Not so much to be back (because we really liked Jamiaca) but more so that our super-long day was over. Adam and Kelly picked us up from the airport.... bless them. We were hungry and tired. And when we got in the car, there sat a 6-pack of Red Stripe. Courtesy of Adam and Kelly. Yay.
Wednesday, June 22, 2005
Jamaican Paradise
One thing I forgot to mention was the Continental Breakfast card. We get a card, to fill out what we want for a Continental Breakfast, and when we want it. We put in on the door and then the next day, it comes to our room (we could also have a full buffet breakfast if we went to the patio). We opted for the in-room Continental Breakfast for the first day.
After the breakfast on the patio, we ventured out. We just really wanted to walk around a bit and look at everything in daylight. First it was to the fron of the resort where the garden is. We came across a gated area that housed birds. It had a male and female peacock, hens, a rooster, a couple parrots, and, I think, doves... well they were white birds anyway. Rach went in, I decided that I was better off on the outside. Birds can be a little scary to me.
We then went through the lobby out toward the beach and stopped at the bar. The sounds of reggae music - specifically Bob Marley - hung in the air. Rach kept commenting on how she couldn't believe we were there. The sand was white, the water was blue. We took a lot of pictures on day 1. Off the ocean out a little ways, Couples had an island specifically for nude bathing. We dubbed it Nakki island. It looked like it would be a cool place to hang out - except for the whole naked thing.
What we liked about the place was that it was designed for couples (hence the name I guess). More to the point there were no kids running around - no full fledged families. Don't get me wrong, we like kids and everything, it's just not something we wanted to deal with on our honeymoon. There were a couple basket chairs designed for two. We laid in one that was by the ocean for a while.
After that it was off to the bar again. Oddly enough, the music had changed from reggae to Michael Jackson - or the Jackson Five. It was definitely some sort of Michael Jackson compilation album. Freaky.
If you ordered "beer" you automatically got a Red Stripe. You had to specifically order anything other than that. The workers were quite accommodating. Very nice, and polite. One smart thing I noticed as well was that the central bar had no stools or seating. Very smart because that meant people didn't hang out there crowding the bar. Sweet.
What time is it? Who cares?
I guess it was about lunch time since the buffet was set up.
I think that they think the only thing Americans and other tourists know about Jamaica is Bob Marley. I could never tell if the people who worked there ever got sick of listening to Bob Marley. I would think they would. I think it's akin to going to Graceland and hearing nothing but Elvis.
On the patio is where the buffet was. It was all open, which was cool because you could feel the breeze, but it was bad because a group or birds seemed to hang out and steal food off of unattended plates. They really weren't all that bothersome. We sat at lunch and just kind of basked in the past few days. At this point everything was still a little surreal. But it was starting to all sink in.
Looking around, we saw various people. This would be the same people that we would see for the next few days - though we didn't realize it just yet. They were all on their respective vacations, anniversary trips, honeymoons... We wouldn't get to know any of them. We are that type really. Later on, we would start to develop our own stories about them.
What time is it? Eh, no matter.
After the breakfast on the patio, we ventured out. We just really wanted to walk around a bit and look at everything in daylight. First it was to the fron of the resort where the garden is. We came across a gated area that housed birds. It had a male and female peacock, hens, a rooster, a couple parrots, and, I think, doves... well they were white birds anyway. Rach went in, I decided that I was better off on the outside. Birds can be a little scary to me.
We then went through the lobby out toward the beach and stopped at the bar. The sounds of reggae music - specifically Bob Marley - hung in the air. Rach kept commenting on how she couldn't believe we were there. The sand was white, the water was blue. We took a lot of pictures on day 1. Off the ocean out a little ways, Couples had an island specifically for nude bathing. We dubbed it Nakki island. It looked like it would be a cool place to hang out - except for the whole naked thing.
What we liked about the place was that it was designed for couples (hence the name I guess). More to the point there were no kids running around - no full fledged families. Don't get me wrong, we like kids and everything, it's just not something we wanted to deal with on our honeymoon. There were a couple basket chairs designed for two. We laid in one that was by the ocean for a while.
After that it was off to the bar again. Oddly enough, the music had changed from reggae to Michael Jackson - or the Jackson Five. It was definitely some sort of Michael Jackson compilation album. Freaky.
If you ordered "beer" you automatically got a Red Stripe. You had to specifically order anything other than that. The workers were quite accommodating. Very nice, and polite. One smart thing I noticed as well was that the central bar had no stools or seating. Very smart because that meant people didn't hang out there crowding the bar. Sweet.
What time is it? Who cares?
I guess it was about lunch time since the buffet was set up.
I think that they think the only thing Americans and other tourists know about Jamaica is Bob Marley. I could never tell if the people who worked there ever got sick of listening to Bob Marley. I would think they would. I think it's akin to going to Graceland and hearing nothing but Elvis.
On the patio is where the buffet was. It was all open, which was cool because you could feel the breeze, but it was bad because a group or birds seemed to hang out and steal food off of unattended plates. They really weren't all that bothersome. We sat at lunch and just kind of basked in the past few days. At this point everything was still a little surreal. But it was starting to all sink in.
Looking around, we saw various people. This would be the same people that we would see for the next few days - though we didn't realize it just yet. They were all on their respective vacations, anniversary trips, honeymoons... We wouldn't get to know any of them. We are that type really. Later on, we would start to develop our own stories about them.
What time is it? Eh, no matter.
Sunday, June 19, 2005
The trip to Jamaica
Awwwwww no... Uhhhhhhhh. Too Early. What time is it? (the beginning of a common theme) 7:00am. We need to finish packing. But first, first... breakfast. We went to breakfast with Rachael's father, and other family in the Hilton restaurant. It was early. But we needed to get moving. We had a good breakfast, it was a buffet. The waiters were less than accommodating considering we were one of just a few tables. But anyway... we had a good breakfast.
We needed to get home and get packing. Adam and Kelly were coming to pick us up at 11:30 to take us to the airport. Though he didn't admit it, he would not have been pleased if we weren't ready. So we said our goodbyes and then went home and started packing.
It wasn't as hard as we thought, though it wasn't easy either. We spent a little time checking and double-checking that we have everything (especially the birth certificates and all). We were finished by 10:30 - 11:00. Perfect. Adam and Kelly arrived and helped us with our things. It was sooo nice to not have to worry about transportation to the airport. Adam and Kelly were taking care of the tuxes and our transportation to the airport, they were a God-send.
They dropped us off around 12:00. Our flight was at 2:40. We got in there and there was barley a line for us. We went up there and went through without a problem. As we were going through security I beeped. I took out my money clip and change and I reached for the wedding band. The woman at security said, "You'd better not take that ring off." I chuckled and left it on. This, somehow spirred a conversation between Rach and the woman behind her. Rach would have talked anyone's ear off I think, because she was so excited.
Now we wait. La de da de doo.... We grabbed a bite to eat. And then sat and reflected on the wedding a bit until it was time to board. Someone please explain to me why planes have 3 seats on each side? I mean don't most people travel in even numbers? Maybe I'm crazy, but it seems to be that way... Anyway, we sat down and no one sat with us - we considered this a small victory, don't ask me why.
We were a little tired, but excited. We had to stop over in Miami. Waiting in airports may be the most excruciating thing to do outside of moving. Luckily there wasn't much time there. We waited for the next one. The flight would be short, and like I said, we were just anxious to get there. On this flight we were given homework - Customs sheets to fill out. I did have the joy of saying "yes," when we were asked if we were family. I filled out as much as I could. This was the first time I have been outside of the country outside of Canada.
It was kind of dark on our arrival. So we didn't get to see much. Once there, we went to the baggage claim... okay, so maybe I don't know what my bag looks like. I swear the bag passed us 4 times. One time I pulled the bag off thinking it was ours, then put it back after deciding it wasn't ours... it was. Oops.
We grabbed them and went to the Couples Resort place in the Montego Bay airport. There we were graciously offered a beverage - Red Stripe Light. It was really good. We waited a bit for the van. There was another couple in there with us, and a woman who apparently worked for Couples, I think. The four of us went to the van. I tipped the guy who carried our bags - one of the few times that I would tip with our "All Inclusive" trip.
The ride to the resort was 2 hours long. It was interesting to say the least. First, the Jamaicans drive on the opposite side than we do, and they have the steering wheel on the right. The second thing is they - well, at least this guy - drive like maniacs. They pass every few seconds. The roads have a number of pot holes, and I think we hit all of them. Rach and I sat behind the other couple. The woman in front of us had her head down on her husbands' shoulder almost the entire ride. She was skeered. I think I actually started dozing off a little, but didn't fall all they way asleep.
We finally pulled in. The lobby was wide open. There were no doors, just an overhang and 2 desks... Check in was painless and we had help with our luggage - now we are to the 'no tipping' portion which was great. It was about 11:00 or so at night. We went up to the room and took a look around. We had an 'oceanview' room. There were a set of double-doors that opened out onto the patio. We opened it up and marveled a little at where we were. Aaaahhhhhhhhhhhhh.
Ok. Food now. Me hungry. Need beer too. Rach was hungry as well, and we wanted to see a little more, so we took a walk. We went to the (choose)
a. Beach
b. Bar
c. Eatery
d. All Three in one place
If you chose "D," then you're a winner!!! We had a couple cheeseburgers and fries. And some beverages. It was late, but no big deal. The grill stayed open until 4:30am. I didn't have a watch, and neither did Rach. We had no clue what time it was and didn't care. We did know that we were tired. After our hearty meal we decided to go back and sleep.
We needed to get home and get packing. Adam and Kelly were coming to pick us up at 11:30 to take us to the airport. Though he didn't admit it, he would not have been pleased if we weren't ready. So we said our goodbyes and then went home and started packing.
It wasn't as hard as we thought, though it wasn't easy either. We spent a little time checking and double-checking that we have everything (especially the birth certificates and all). We were finished by 10:30 - 11:00. Perfect. Adam and Kelly arrived and helped us with our things. It was sooo nice to not have to worry about transportation to the airport. Adam and Kelly were taking care of the tuxes and our transportation to the airport, they were a God-send.
They dropped us off around 12:00. Our flight was at 2:40. We got in there and there was barley a line for us. We went up there and went through without a problem. As we were going through security I beeped. I took out my money clip and change and I reached for the wedding band. The woman at security said, "You'd better not take that ring off." I chuckled and left it on. This, somehow spirred a conversation between Rach and the woman behind her. Rach would have talked anyone's ear off I think, because she was so excited.
Now we wait. La de da de doo.... We grabbed a bite to eat. And then sat and reflected on the wedding a bit until it was time to board. Someone please explain to me why planes have 3 seats on each side? I mean don't most people travel in even numbers? Maybe I'm crazy, but it seems to be that way... Anyway, we sat down and no one sat with us - we considered this a small victory, don't ask me why.
We were a little tired, but excited. We had to stop over in Miami. Waiting in airports may be the most excruciating thing to do outside of moving. Luckily there wasn't much time there. We waited for the next one. The flight would be short, and like I said, we were just anxious to get there. On this flight we were given homework - Customs sheets to fill out. I did have the joy of saying "yes," when we were asked if we were family. I filled out as much as I could. This was the first time I have been outside of the country outside of Canada.
It was kind of dark on our arrival. So we didn't get to see much. Once there, we went to the baggage claim... okay, so maybe I don't know what my bag looks like. I swear the bag passed us 4 times. One time I pulled the bag off thinking it was ours, then put it back after deciding it wasn't ours... it was. Oops.
We grabbed them and went to the Couples Resort place in the Montego Bay airport. There we were graciously offered a beverage - Red Stripe Light. It was really good. We waited a bit for the van. There was another couple in there with us, and a woman who apparently worked for Couples, I think. The four of us went to the van. I tipped the guy who carried our bags - one of the few times that I would tip with our "All Inclusive" trip.
The ride to the resort was 2 hours long. It was interesting to say the least. First, the Jamaicans drive on the opposite side than we do, and they have the steering wheel on the right. The second thing is they - well, at least this guy - drive like maniacs. They pass every few seconds. The roads have a number of pot holes, and I think we hit all of them. Rach and I sat behind the other couple. The woman in front of us had her head down on her husbands' shoulder almost the entire ride. She was skeered. I think I actually started dozing off a little, but didn't fall all they way asleep.
We finally pulled in. The lobby was wide open. There were no doors, just an overhang and 2 desks... Check in was painless and we had help with our luggage - now we are to the 'no tipping' portion which was great. It was about 11:00 or so at night. We went up to the room and took a look around. We had an 'oceanview' room. There were a set of double-doors that opened out onto the patio. We opened it up and marveled a little at where we were. Aaaahhhhhhhhhhhhh.
Ok. Food now. Me hungry. Need beer too. Rach was hungry as well, and we wanted to see a little more, so we took a walk. We went to the (choose)
a. Beach
b. Bar
c. Eatery
d. All Three in one place
If you chose "D," then you're a winner!!! We had a couple cheeseburgers and fries. And some beverages. It was late, but no big deal. The grill stayed open until 4:30am. I didn't have a watch, and neither did Rach. We had no clue what time it was and didn't care. We did know that we were tired. After our hearty meal we decided to go back and sleep.
Tuesday, June 14, 2005
The Reception
Pictures went well. Rach and I had someone from the caterer tending to us specifically (Callahan). Oddly enough she also worked at Rachael's restaurant. She was very sweet and started us off quickly. Good. Earlier in the day I asked Dan for a drink and remember that he told me to wait. Later I found out he took a cooler of beer up to Rachael and her bridesmaids... hmmmmm.
Anyway, after the pictures, we went to be introduced. Brian, our DJ and my co-worker, was going to introduce us. I didn't know that the DJ didn't usually do that. But he came back and double checked the name pronunciations - we had some toughies. Then off we went. Introduced into the courtyard.
Adam gave a good toast. In it he clearly recognized not that we were different - or trying to change one another, but our compatibility and how we simply fit together. It was delivered with humor, but I got exactly what he meant. It kinda echoed Ryan's toast of the evening before (which I forgot to mention). It too was good as he commented on our similarities. One thing I remember from a lot of the comments made by our guests was how happy we looked. The kind of happy that cannot be faked.
Reverend Bob gave a blessing and it was off to eat.
THE FOOD WAS DELICIOUS! Another common thread in comments by our guests. We filled up out plates and went to sit down. Everything looked fantastic from the room to the food. I looked out at everyone... We got up after a bit and visited the tables.
A few months ago, I thought this would be the hard part; trying to talk to everyone. My fear was that a ton of people would show, and I would have to move along quickly, or I wouldn't know what to say, or anything. This was nothing like that. It was easy to talk to everybody. I only hope that I did talk to everybody, as it did go by fast. If I missed you, I am sorry. This is all very blurry - either from the alcohol or from the sheer giddiness of the day... or both. For the sake of argument, we'll go with "giddiness of the day." It just seems safer.
Soon we were told it was time for the dances. Me and Rach, then her and her dad, and then me and my mom. Following that was the cutting of the cake. Not to sound stupid or anything, but I had no idea how to do this. There were 2 pieces of silverware, and I knew we were supposed to hold one of them together, but how big of a piece? Do I cut the piece we cut into smaller pieces to feed to her? I knew I wasn't going to smash it in her face - but when it got to that point, I could tell she was thinking about it... but she didn't either.
The next part was Nute and I playing. Ever since I thought about asking Rachael to marry me, the one thing I always wanted to do for her was play at the reception with Nute. This was a huge (if not the main) reason for us getting together. Rach would always come watch us play. I remember a couple times calling her late on a Wednesday and actually waking her up from a sleep asking if she was coming out. She always found a way to make it. Nute and I hadn;t really played out for a couple years. And we practiced and had about 10 songs we wanted to play - even a couple new ones. I had a blast. We got up there and it was like we hadn't missed any time at all. The only bad thing was I cut it short. We played until 9:45, and for the sake of time, I felt we had to. I regret not playing a few songs - but still - it was a great release for me for the week. The only hiccup was in "Southern Cross" I was playing the wrong chord progression, but Nute quickly straightened me out.
I close my eyes when I play, mainly because I don't want sweat in my eyes, but when I did open them, I saw her off to my right in the doorway. What made it even better was I got to play with the guitar Rach gave to me the night before.
After that, we went outside to talk some more. Adam gave me a cigar, and that pretty much solidified that I would be outside for the rest of the night. It was a great time to reflect on the day. Everyone was so complimentary of the day - how great the Cloisters was; how tremendous the food was; how happy we were.
Spending a few more minutes with family and friends as they started to say their goodbyes was the perfect end to the perfect day, and - in my opinion - the perfect wedding... I was happy.... and a little drunk. Oh, uh, hee hee, drunk with love... yeah.
Thanks again to everyone who pitched in all day. I feel like an Oscar winner because I would name people but I would be scared that I would leave someone out. I know my groomsmen were fabulous and Rachael's friends were fabulous and our families were fabulous... and now it's on to Jamaica!
Anyway, after the pictures, we went to be introduced. Brian, our DJ and my co-worker, was going to introduce us. I didn't know that the DJ didn't usually do that. But he came back and double checked the name pronunciations - we had some toughies. Then off we went. Introduced into the courtyard.
Adam gave a good toast. In it he clearly recognized not that we were different - or trying to change one another, but our compatibility and how we simply fit together. It was delivered with humor, but I got exactly what he meant. It kinda echoed Ryan's toast of the evening before (which I forgot to mention). It too was good as he commented on our similarities. One thing I remember from a lot of the comments made by our guests was how happy we looked. The kind of happy that cannot be faked.
Reverend Bob gave a blessing and it was off to eat.
THE FOOD WAS DELICIOUS! Another common thread in comments by our guests. We filled up out plates and went to sit down. Everything looked fantastic from the room to the food. I looked out at everyone... We got up after a bit and visited the tables.
A few months ago, I thought this would be the hard part; trying to talk to everyone. My fear was that a ton of people would show, and I would have to move along quickly, or I wouldn't know what to say, or anything. This was nothing like that. It was easy to talk to everybody. I only hope that I did talk to everybody, as it did go by fast. If I missed you, I am sorry. This is all very blurry - either from the alcohol or from the sheer giddiness of the day... or both. For the sake of argument, we'll go with "giddiness of the day." It just seems safer.
Soon we were told it was time for the dances. Me and Rach, then her and her dad, and then me and my mom. Following that was the cutting of the cake. Not to sound stupid or anything, but I had no idea how to do this. There were 2 pieces of silverware, and I knew we were supposed to hold one of them together, but how big of a piece? Do I cut the piece we cut into smaller pieces to feed to her? I knew I wasn't going to smash it in her face - but when it got to that point, I could tell she was thinking about it... but she didn't either.
The next part was Nute and I playing. Ever since I thought about asking Rachael to marry me, the one thing I always wanted to do for her was play at the reception with Nute. This was a huge (if not the main) reason for us getting together. Rach would always come watch us play. I remember a couple times calling her late on a Wednesday and actually waking her up from a sleep asking if she was coming out. She always found a way to make it. Nute and I hadn;t really played out for a couple years. And we practiced and had about 10 songs we wanted to play - even a couple new ones. I had a blast. We got up there and it was like we hadn't missed any time at all. The only bad thing was I cut it short. We played until 9:45, and for the sake of time, I felt we had to. I regret not playing a few songs - but still - it was a great release for me for the week. The only hiccup was in "Southern Cross" I was playing the wrong chord progression, but Nute quickly straightened me out.
I close my eyes when I play, mainly because I don't want sweat in my eyes, but when I did open them, I saw her off to my right in the doorway. What made it even better was I got to play with the guitar Rach gave to me the night before.
After that, we went outside to talk some more. Adam gave me a cigar, and that pretty much solidified that I would be outside for the rest of the night. It was a great time to reflect on the day. Everyone was so complimentary of the day - how great the Cloisters was; how tremendous the food was; how happy we were.
Spending a few more minutes with family and friends as they started to say their goodbyes was the perfect end to the perfect day, and - in my opinion - the perfect wedding... I was happy.... and a little drunk. Oh, uh, hee hee, drunk with love... yeah.
Thanks again to everyone who pitched in all day. I feel like an Oscar winner because I would name people but I would be scared that I would leave someone out. I know my groomsmen were fabulous and Rachael's friends were fabulous and our families were fabulous... and now it's on to Jamaica!
Sunday, June 12, 2005
Wedding Part 3
We made it to the bottom of the stairs successfully. Yay. I was pretty emotional, and quelled it by looking directly over everyone, a little trick I haven't used in years.
The day was perfect. All week Rachael and I kept an eye on the forecast, that flipped from rainy, to cloudy, to partly cloudy, to sunny, and finally ended with a 30% chance of a thunder shower. When I was a lifeguard many years ago, I learned that 30% chance of showers usually meant - "no rain, but we want to put in the 30% chance in case there is a shower, so we can say we weren't completely wrong."
In the early evening - the shadows fell in the amphitheater, but sun was all around. I was taking in the day, as my brothers escorted my mom to her seat.
The first bridesmaid (Nikki) started.... this was really happening. All the months, all the time, all the negotiations, and phone calls, and hours on the computer, the spreadsheets, the lists, checklists, stress, weekends, and everything brought us to this moment. And then, Nikki stopped. She bent over and turned around. Melissa was behind her, and Melissa had Sophie. So I guess the puppy was giving them some troubles... Brooks was playing and I could see Nikki and Melissa fumbling around a little. I smiled... "take all the time you need," I thought.
Then she started again. They came down the steps on my right-hand side. One by two by one (Nikki, Melissa and Sophie, and Sharon). Sophie was pretty funny navigating the steps.
There are certain things in life that people always remember. Things that make such an impact on your life (positively or negatively) that they are burned in you mind; 9/11, the Challenger, Graduation, winning the Coach's Award for swimming, tearing my ACL, Ryan's wedding, Adam's wedding, our nephew being born... each and every person has their own moments.
The moment I saw Rachael is now added to mine.
She was looking down to watch her step and (of course) was escorted by her father. The shadows were cooling the amphitheater, but had not yet trickled up to the top where she was walking, so when she walked out from underneath the overhang the sun illuminated her, and seemed to bounce off her dress.
All I could do was hold my breath.... or more realistically, I forgot to breathe.
The moments where they walked around and down the stairs were mainly filled with pulsating excitement. Almost overwhelming, almost bringing me to tears. It's the way I would imagine winning the lottery would feel, or something. Something so unbelievable and rare that it makes you tremble - that's what Rach and I have, and she was now the embodiment of that as she descended the staircase. She was smiling - as only she can - and I fell in love with her all over again.
Then all of a sudden, as her and her dad walked over, my brains decided to take a break. They went out for a drink or something because the reverend asked "Who gives this woman to this man?" Ivan answered ("I do") and put his hand out for me to shake and it felt like it took me 10 minutes to realize it and shake his hand - though it was probably only a second.
I looked at her... but not too long. I found that when I did look at her, I would well up, so I had to look away periodically. The next 20-25 minutes seemed like a roller-coaster - not in that it was up and down...not at all. It was more that it seemed like time would go really slow for a few moments then take off really fast, then slow down again. Like, when the Reverend was asking us questions, it seemed like mach speed, then during the readings things went slower...
At one point I swatted a bee away from Rach and her bouquet.
I was suddenly very happy that I chose to write down my vows. Never at a loss for theatrics, I felt compelled to share and show everyone that the vows were written on AmeriSuites stationary. I thought for a moment about mentioning the bee and being there to swat all the bees away, but I thought that would take me on a rambling path. I stuck to the stationary. I held it in my hands and they shook just a little. I tried to make an effort to speak loudly and clearly. I don't know if you know this about me, but I tend to mumble sometimes.
I handed the paper back to Reverend Bob. I t was her turn.
Funny, she didn't want me to go first. She felt I would make her cry. So she wanted to go first... but I think Rev. Bob switched up on us. Rach was, indeed, crying a little. She was trying to compose herself as she took her sheet from Rev. Bob. I looked at her and said "It's just me." She began, and I just watched and listened. She shook a little too. I squeezed her hand.
I'm pretty sure the rings were next. Ryan had both of them. He's on top of things. He held the rings at Adam's wedding too. When Adam had chosen him to hold the rings, I didn't fully understand. Now that it was my wedding - I did. He's just been the most organized one. Hatched from an egg.
Reverend Bob blessed them.
The sentences were short that I had to repeat. Good thing too. I looked at her. I remember not knowing when exactly to slip the ring fully on her finger, but then I bet it's a nuance no one ever really knows, or cares, as long as it's on there. I remember putting it on there a little bit so I wouldn't drop it. Rachael had a little trouble figuring out which hand was my left. I tried to help. She finally got it and repeated her short sentences as well.
"You may now kiss the bride."
I said "Thank God." And laid one one her. As far as wedding kisses go, I think we did pretty well considering I wanted to spend the next few hours right there.
Reverend Bob introduced us "Trenton and Rachael Zundell." And we were off up the stairs. I remember Rach saying - the girls and guys forgot to alternate. A minor mistake. One no one would ever care about. We walked up to take pictures and we kissed again. Truly the happiest moment in my life.
The day was perfect. All week Rachael and I kept an eye on the forecast, that flipped from rainy, to cloudy, to partly cloudy, to sunny, and finally ended with a 30% chance of a thunder shower. When I was a lifeguard many years ago, I learned that 30% chance of showers usually meant - "no rain, but we want to put in the 30% chance in case there is a shower, so we can say we weren't completely wrong."
In the early evening - the shadows fell in the amphitheater, but sun was all around. I was taking in the day, as my brothers escorted my mom to her seat.
The first bridesmaid (Nikki) started.... this was really happening. All the months, all the time, all the negotiations, and phone calls, and hours on the computer, the spreadsheets, the lists, checklists, stress, weekends, and everything brought us to this moment. And then, Nikki stopped. She bent over and turned around. Melissa was behind her, and Melissa had Sophie. So I guess the puppy was giving them some troubles... Brooks was playing and I could see Nikki and Melissa fumbling around a little. I smiled... "take all the time you need," I thought.
Then she started again. They came down the steps on my right-hand side. One by two by one (Nikki, Melissa and Sophie, and Sharon). Sophie was pretty funny navigating the steps.
There are certain things in life that people always remember. Things that make such an impact on your life (positively or negatively) that they are burned in you mind; 9/11, the Challenger, Graduation, winning the Coach's Award for swimming, tearing my ACL, Ryan's wedding, Adam's wedding, our nephew being born... each and every person has their own moments.
The moment I saw Rachael is now added to mine.
She was looking down to watch her step and (of course) was escorted by her father. The shadows were cooling the amphitheater, but had not yet trickled up to the top where she was walking, so when she walked out from underneath the overhang the sun illuminated her, and seemed to bounce off her dress.
All I could do was hold my breath.... or more realistically, I forgot to breathe.
The moments where they walked around and down the stairs were mainly filled with pulsating excitement. Almost overwhelming, almost bringing me to tears. It's the way I would imagine winning the lottery would feel, or something. Something so unbelievable and rare that it makes you tremble - that's what Rach and I have, and she was now the embodiment of that as she descended the staircase. She was smiling - as only she can - and I fell in love with her all over again.
Then all of a sudden, as her and her dad walked over, my brains decided to take a break. They went out for a drink or something because the reverend asked "Who gives this woman to this man?" Ivan answered ("I do") and put his hand out for me to shake and it felt like it took me 10 minutes to realize it and shake his hand - though it was probably only a second.
I looked at her... but not too long. I found that when I did look at her, I would well up, so I had to look away periodically. The next 20-25 minutes seemed like a roller-coaster - not in that it was up and down...not at all. It was more that it seemed like time would go really slow for a few moments then take off really fast, then slow down again. Like, when the Reverend was asking us questions, it seemed like mach speed, then during the readings things went slower...
At one point I swatted a bee away from Rach and her bouquet.
I was suddenly very happy that I chose to write down my vows. Never at a loss for theatrics, I felt compelled to share and show everyone that the vows were written on AmeriSuites stationary. I thought for a moment about mentioning the bee and being there to swat all the bees away, but I thought that would take me on a rambling path. I stuck to the stationary. I held it in my hands and they shook just a little. I tried to make an effort to speak loudly and clearly. I don't know if you know this about me, but I tend to mumble sometimes.
I handed the paper back to Reverend Bob. I t was her turn.
Funny, she didn't want me to go first. She felt I would make her cry. So she wanted to go first... but I think Rev. Bob switched up on us. Rach was, indeed, crying a little. She was trying to compose herself as she took her sheet from Rev. Bob. I looked at her and said "It's just me." She began, and I just watched and listened. She shook a little too. I squeezed her hand.
I'm pretty sure the rings were next. Ryan had both of them. He's on top of things. He held the rings at Adam's wedding too. When Adam had chosen him to hold the rings, I didn't fully understand. Now that it was my wedding - I did. He's just been the most organized one. Hatched from an egg.
Reverend Bob blessed them.
The sentences were short that I had to repeat. Good thing too. I looked at her. I remember not knowing when exactly to slip the ring fully on her finger, but then I bet it's a nuance no one ever really knows, or cares, as long as it's on there. I remember putting it on there a little bit so I wouldn't drop it. Rachael had a little trouble figuring out which hand was my left. I tried to help. She finally got it and repeated her short sentences as well.
"You may now kiss the bride."
I said "Thank God." And laid one one her. As far as wedding kisses go, I think we did pretty well considering I wanted to spend the next few hours right there.
Reverend Bob introduced us "Trenton and Rachael Zundell." And we were off up the stairs. I remember Rach saying - the girls and guys forgot to alternate. A minor mistake. One no one would ever care about. We walked up to take pictures and we kissed again. Truly the happiest moment in my life.
Friday, June 10, 2005
05/27/05 Part 2
During the day I had thought a number of times about going to the spa, finding my mom so I could get in her car and grab my tux to try it on. It was starting to worry me that I hadn't yet. Oh well, I had to go meet Nute. He had just called and was on his way. When I got to the apartment, I began to think about everything that needed to be taken and set up. I had to talk to Rach and find out what I needed to take. I gave her a call as Nute and Dom loaded up their car. I received help in what I should take... I felt a little better. Nute and Dom we ready to head out, and I had a thought of borrowing one of their cars. Dom offered his. Cool. He handed me the keys and said "It's a 5-speed." Uh-huh. I then looked at him and explained that it has been a number of years since I drove a stick. I certainly didn't want to recapture my feel for a manual transmission in my friends car, on the beltway in holiday traffic. He agreed. We quickly switched plans and I was going to take Nute's car.
They left, and I began loading. Rachael gave me a call. They were finished at the spa, and she wanted to come home, but didn't want to show up while I was there. I told her to give me a few minutes, and I would call her when I was out. At some point I received a call from my friends saying they were finished golfing. I told them to be there by 4:15 - but I would be there earlier.
I loaded up everything I could - including blank CDs my laptop, quotes, and flowers. I gave Rach a quick call to let her know that I left my car there, and not to worry, I wasn't there. She had stopped by her restaurant for a spell. Then I left.
My mom was at the hotel upon my return. Good. I wanted to try on my tux... and then she told me it had been hanging in the closet all along. Oops. I hopped in the shower. Thank goodness the thing fit perfectly. My mom and I talked a little about the day. Ryan called and made the suggestion that I put on the pants and a T-shirt and leave the rest to put on at the site. I just wasn't thinking I guess, I took off the tux shirt, and began pacing again. I was eager. My mom tried to calm me down. I wasn't nervous about marrying the woman of my dreams, I was nervous about everything going perfectly, the weather holding out, the vendors coming through, and helping provide the perfect day for Rachael. She deserves nothing less.
I still paced.
The time came to go to the Cloisters. Ryan was heading up and he was going to follow me to the site. I grabbed everything I needed, and we were off. We ran squarely into traffic.
This is where everything gets a little blurry, but I will do my best.
We got to the site. I know I either made or received a couple calls along the way in regards to traffic and what not. When I got there I heard the sound of leaf blowers. They were clearing out the amphitheater. There was a lot of bustling about too. I walked in to find things underway from the caterer and the florist. Everything was looking good, and taking shape. I took the flowers and the quotes, and hung them around the amphitheater. I made sure that chairs were set up for my grandparents. The other groomsmen were soon there and pitched in so much. Dan and Vinnie promptly asked me if I needed anything. I know I gave them a couple assignments, but I can't remember what. Glen and Shanda (his wife) arrived and wanted to pitch in as well. Shanda really took over the hanging of the rest of the quotes, and my mom tells me she pitched in a ton.
Sophie was there, on time strolling with Rachel K. I went over to pet Soph often. She calms me. I remember getting help with the programs, and the place cards, and the favors (Ryan and Dad). The table numbers needed placed, the sound equipment was being set up by Nute (with a lot of help from Brian, our DJ). Things were taking shape before my eyes. I talked to the florist and looked at the boutonnieres. I saw the photographer, and told her we would do a few pictures with the groomsmen first, because Rach was running a bit late. It was a flurry of activity - and I can't be sure in what order things happened or who did what. I do know that I would have gone absolutely nuts without my friends, my dad, and my brothers at that point.
I spoke with Rachael's dad who informed me that the reason that Rach didn't go to the spa was because she had been sick with nervousness all day... I did not know that. I figured she just didn't want to worry me. Later I would find that I was right.
Then all of a sudden, I got a call from Rach. She was on her way. I was hustled into the garden area so I wouldn't catch a glimpse. I petted Sophie some more. We got her a little water. Then it was time for a sound check. I got up with Nute and played a little so the mics and everything sounded good. It was getting to crunch time and after a couple minutes, people were arriving. We wrapped it up, and I was told to go downstairs.
Amazing - it seemed as if a couple hours whizzed by in moments. But I was happy Rach was there. I was practically told to go away and everything would be handled. I went downstairs and sat in a room. Adam was with me most of the time. I paced, and Adam sat and talked to me... I looked out the window often to see what was going on.
"Well, now I think we see how you would be on the 'The Apprentice'," Adam said. Hmmm, I can see that. I hope I wasn't too pushy. But, if this were 'The Apprentice' I would have also had a great team. I would have definitely been hired, leaving others in the dust. I would have owned the boardroom, I tell you. Who will succeed? Who will fail? Anyway...
At one point, I am pretty sure I was reading the history of the Cloisters to Kyle...
I think I asked what time it was a hundred times.
People were out there. Adam ran upstairs to check on Rach. I was worried about her coming down and me not seeing her, and me going out at the right time. I know walking out isn't rocket science, but it worried me nevertheless. Adam returned and said that she was ready. The reverend came in and talked to us for a moment saying that someone from the wedding party went up to check on Rach. Behind Reverend Bob, Adam pointed to himself and mouthed "that was me." It was almost time.
I got up and went right outside where the groomsmen were gathering. Adam ran back upstairs to have Rach begin to come down... I think her dad was helping in that department as well. Vinnie was loving it as it was creeping past 6:00 and Danny G. was freaking out. He's notoriously on time. Vinnie wanted to see if we could push it to 6:15 just to watch Dan. Ok. We were ready to go....
The Reverend led the way - Vinnie was behind me, then Nute, Dan and Glen. We started to walk down the stairs and I almost stepped on the Reverend's robes. I had a flash of the Reverend tumbling down the concrete stairs, having to call the ambulance, and having to got to the bullpen and have Ryan (who is Internet Ordained) fill in. With that, I slowed down a little. No sense in getting anyone hurt.
They left, and I began loading. Rachael gave me a call. They were finished at the spa, and she wanted to come home, but didn't want to show up while I was there. I told her to give me a few minutes, and I would call her when I was out. At some point I received a call from my friends saying they were finished golfing. I told them to be there by 4:15 - but I would be there earlier.
I loaded up everything I could - including blank CDs my laptop, quotes, and flowers. I gave Rach a quick call to let her know that I left my car there, and not to worry, I wasn't there. She had stopped by her restaurant for a spell. Then I left.
My mom was at the hotel upon my return. Good. I wanted to try on my tux... and then she told me it had been hanging in the closet all along. Oops. I hopped in the shower. Thank goodness the thing fit perfectly. My mom and I talked a little about the day. Ryan called and made the suggestion that I put on the pants and a T-shirt and leave the rest to put on at the site. I just wasn't thinking I guess, I took off the tux shirt, and began pacing again. I was eager. My mom tried to calm me down. I wasn't nervous about marrying the woman of my dreams, I was nervous about everything going perfectly, the weather holding out, the vendors coming through, and helping provide the perfect day for Rachael. She deserves nothing less.
I still paced.
The time came to go to the Cloisters. Ryan was heading up and he was going to follow me to the site. I grabbed everything I needed, and we were off. We ran squarely into traffic.
This is where everything gets a little blurry, but I will do my best.
We got to the site. I know I either made or received a couple calls along the way in regards to traffic and what not. When I got there I heard the sound of leaf blowers. They were clearing out the amphitheater. There was a lot of bustling about too. I walked in to find things underway from the caterer and the florist. Everything was looking good, and taking shape. I took the flowers and the quotes, and hung them around the amphitheater. I made sure that chairs were set up for my grandparents. The other groomsmen were soon there and pitched in so much. Dan and Vinnie promptly asked me if I needed anything. I know I gave them a couple assignments, but I can't remember what. Glen and Shanda (his wife) arrived and wanted to pitch in as well. Shanda really took over the hanging of the rest of the quotes, and my mom tells me she pitched in a ton.
Sophie was there, on time strolling with Rachel K. I went over to pet Soph often. She calms me. I remember getting help with the programs, and the place cards, and the favors (Ryan and Dad). The table numbers needed placed, the sound equipment was being set up by Nute (with a lot of help from Brian, our DJ). Things were taking shape before my eyes. I talked to the florist and looked at the boutonnieres. I saw the photographer, and told her we would do a few pictures with the groomsmen first, because Rach was running a bit late. It was a flurry of activity - and I can't be sure in what order things happened or who did what. I do know that I would have gone absolutely nuts without my friends, my dad, and my brothers at that point.
I spoke with Rachael's dad who informed me that the reason that Rach didn't go to the spa was because she had been sick with nervousness all day... I did not know that. I figured she just didn't want to worry me. Later I would find that I was right.
Then all of a sudden, I got a call from Rach. She was on her way. I was hustled into the garden area so I wouldn't catch a glimpse. I petted Sophie some more. We got her a little water. Then it was time for a sound check. I got up with Nute and played a little so the mics and everything sounded good. It was getting to crunch time and after a couple minutes, people were arriving. We wrapped it up, and I was told to go downstairs.
Amazing - it seemed as if a couple hours whizzed by in moments. But I was happy Rach was there. I was practically told to go away and everything would be handled. I went downstairs and sat in a room. Adam was with me most of the time. I paced, and Adam sat and talked to me... I looked out the window often to see what was going on.
"Well, now I think we see how you would be on the 'The Apprentice'," Adam said. Hmmm, I can see that. I hope I wasn't too pushy. But, if this were 'The Apprentice' I would have also had a great team. I would have definitely been hired, leaving others in the dust. I would have owned the boardroom, I tell you. Who will succeed? Who will fail? Anyway...
At one point, I am pretty sure I was reading the history of the Cloisters to Kyle...
I think I asked what time it was a hundred times.
People were out there. Adam ran upstairs to check on Rach. I was worried about her coming down and me not seeing her, and me going out at the right time. I know walking out isn't rocket science, but it worried me nevertheless. Adam returned and said that she was ready. The reverend came in and talked to us for a moment saying that someone from the wedding party went up to check on Rach. Behind Reverend Bob, Adam pointed to himself and mouthed "that was me." It was almost time.
I got up and went right outside where the groomsmen were gathering. Adam ran back upstairs to have Rach begin to come down... I think her dad was helping in that department as well. Vinnie was loving it as it was creeping past 6:00 and Danny G. was freaking out. He's notoriously on time. Vinnie wanted to see if we could push it to 6:15 just to watch Dan. Ok. We were ready to go....
The Reverend led the way - Vinnie was behind me, then Nute, Dan and Glen. We started to walk down the stairs and I almost stepped on the Reverend's robes. I had a flash of the Reverend tumbling down the concrete stairs, having to call the ambulance, and having to got to the bullpen and have Ryan (who is Internet Ordained) fill in. With that, I slowed down a little. No sense in getting anyone hurt.
Wednesday, June 08, 2005
05/27/05 Part 1
The alarm went off around 5:00am. Ugh. Golf was scheduled for today. Meet at the Hilton at 6:00am. Ugh. I hit the snooze... I finally roused myself at about 5:30 and decided that I was not golfing. I called everyone to let them know that I was staying and sleeping. I loved seeing my friends and golfing with them, but I just could not do it today. My dad - who was a little surprised I had planned on playing on Friday anyway - applauded my decision to sleep and run a few errands.
My mom woke up a little later and she headed to the spa. Her, Rach, and the bridesmaids had appointments for the morning. I woke up a little after 8:00. Much better. I needed to do just a couple things; get keys made, and get my hair trimmed a bit. I waited a bit and decided to give Rach a call. I didn't know when her appointment was, but figured I would just leave a message telling her I was around - it was about 9:00am. I called and she answered. She said she decided not to go to the spa that day for the same reasons I decided not to golf.
I took off to get my errands completed. First I stopped by Ryan's room to drop off the rings and Marriage License. Hopefully getting out would get my mind off of things. First was the hair shop, or barber, or stylist... whatever you want to call it. I went in and asked that she cut my hair and trim it, but have it look like it had not been freshly cut. She paused a second... then said "okay."
After about 15-20 minutes, I went to Wal-Mart for the keys. 2 keys, 2 copies of each. I went to the key section... "I'd like 2 copies of each of these keys please." The woman took a minute to look for the key models (2 different types). She stepped back and said "I can make copies of this one, but we're out of this other key." I paused a second. My thoughts went like this in a matter of milli-seconds; "Ok you make a copy of one, but not both, so do you seriously expect me to have duplicates of one of the keys made here, then go to somewhere else and get duplicates of the other? What kind of sense does that make? Do I look like someone who would take that deal?" She must have read that on my face, because she promptly referred me to Home Depot, down the street. Whew.
So I go to Home Depot. They tell me that they make keys at register 16. Cool. I started walking toward the registers. Ok I see 1, 2, 3, 4 all the way to 12. Wait a minute. Where's 16? Let me harken back to my First Grade days and look at the numbers again and make sure I am identifying them correctly. Yep. 1-12. Damn. For a moment I felt like a Freshman who was just tole by an upperclassman to go to the 5th floor of a 4 story building. Determined, I began to look. There must be other registers around. As I was looking, I got a call from Nute. He was a little hung over. Apparently, he and Dom went to the bridesmaid's hotel room after they left my apartment, and drank a little - or in Nute's case, a lot. I told him I was looking for phantom register 16 and we made plans to meet at my apartment so he could get the guitars and stuff at 1:00. After much longer than I should have spent looking for this register, I decided to ask someone else... maybe I heard wrong. So I went up to register 7. "Where can I get keys made?" She pointed and said "Register Sixteen." I looked in the direction she was pointing and there it was... smack dab in the middle of some sub section of the store - an odd place for a register really, but instead of filing a complaint, or asking to talk to someone in charge of the store layout, I simply thanked the young lady and walked over to the register.
With my errands run, I had nothing to do for a while. I made my way back to the hotel. I called Rach again to see if she was nervous (she said "no") and to let her know that I was meeting Nute at the apartment at 1:00. It was important for us to not see each other that day. She was planning on heading to the spa around noon, so all should be okay. I also received a call from our DJ, who was at the site looking around. We talked about a couple things, and I felt better about that. Once I was back at the hotel, Ryan gave me a call. He, Renea, and Owen were heading over to the mall, and he wanted to know if I wanted lunch. Yummy. I immediately accepted the offer. 6" Turkey sub... nothing too hard or rough.
Rachael and I had decided long ago to say our own vows. Up until this day, I thought I would just go up there without anything written down and I would be fine. I mean, I spent many years as a trainer, and thought I spoke fairly well on the spot. I knew I would be emotional, and the last thing I wanted was my mind to go blank. Then there was a distinct possibility that I would get up there and start rambling on and on and on... I have a tendency to do that at times too. That said, after I talked to Ryan, I decided to actually write down what I wanted to say, in a concise, little paragraph. It took 1 try. Hmmm.... now I needed to kill some time before Ryan and Renea got there, so I did the only thing I could. I paced. Occasionally I sat on the bed and flipped through the channels - not searching for anything specific, and not paying attention to what was on anyway - then I would get up again.
Then the phone rang. It was the woman who was going to look after our animals (Rachel... same name, different spelling), and who was responsible for getting Sophie (our puppy) to the ceremony. I had keys made for her. She was on her way from Columbia, and could stop by and get the keys. Perfect. I let her know where I was. I hung up the phone and resumed pacing.
About 10 minutes later Rachel called and said she was in the lobby. I told her I would be right down with the keys.
Shortly after that Ryan, Renea and Owen showed up with lunch. Yay. And bringing Owen was a good way to distract me. Just watching him is funny, and sweet. We talked and ate. Just what I needed. I was planning on going over to the Cloisters really early - and Ryan offered to go with me. All we had to do is figure out the car situation.
My mom woke up a little later and she headed to the spa. Her, Rach, and the bridesmaids had appointments for the morning. I woke up a little after 8:00. Much better. I needed to do just a couple things; get keys made, and get my hair trimmed a bit. I waited a bit and decided to give Rach a call. I didn't know when her appointment was, but figured I would just leave a message telling her I was around - it was about 9:00am. I called and she answered. She said she decided not to go to the spa that day for the same reasons I decided not to golf.
I took off to get my errands completed. First I stopped by Ryan's room to drop off the rings and Marriage License. Hopefully getting out would get my mind off of things. First was the hair shop, or barber, or stylist... whatever you want to call it. I went in and asked that she cut my hair and trim it, but have it look like it had not been freshly cut. She paused a second... then said "okay."
After about 15-20 minutes, I went to Wal-Mart for the keys. 2 keys, 2 copies of each. I went to the key section... "I'd like 2 copies of each of these keys please." The woman took a minute to look for the key models (2 different types). She stepped back and said "I can make copies of this one, but we're out of this other key." I paused a second. My thoughts went like this in a matter of milli-seconds; "Ok you make a copy of one, but not both, so do you seriously expect me to have duplicates of one of the keys made here, then go to somewhere else and get duplicates of the other? What kind of sense does that make? Do I look like someone who would take that deal?" She must have read that on my face, because she promptly referred me to Home Depot, down the street. Whew.
So I go to Home Depot. They tell me that they make keys at register 16. Cool. I started walking toward the registers. Ok I see 1, 2, 3, 4 all the way to 12. Wait a minute. Where's 16? Let me harken back to my First Grade days and look at the numbers again and make sure I am identifying them correctly. Yep. 1-12. Damn. For a moment I felt like a Freshman who was just tole by an upperclassman to go to the 5th floor of a 4 story building. Determined, I began to look. There must be other registers around. As I was looking, I got a call from Nute. He was a little hung over. Apparently, he and Dom went to the bridesmaid's hotel room after they left my apartment, and drank a little - or in Nute's case, a lot. I told him I was looking for phantom register 16 and we made plans to meet at my apartment so he could get the guitars and stuff at 1:00. After much longer than I should have spent looking for this register, I decided to ask someone else... maybe I heard wrong. So I went up to register 7. "Where can I get keys made?" She pointed and said "Register Sixteen." I looked in the direction she was pointing and there it was... smack dab in the middle of some sub section of the store - an odd place for a register really, but instead of filing a complaint, or asking to talk to someone in charge of the store layout, I simply thanked the young lady and walked over to the register.
With my errands run, I had nothing to do for a while. I made my way back to the hotel. I called Rach again to see if she was nervous (she said "no") and to let her know that I was meeting Nute at the apartment at 1:00. It was important for us to not see each other that day. She was planning on heading to the spa around noon, so all should be okay. I also received a call from our DJ, who was at the site looking around. We talked about a couple things, and I felt better about that. Once I was back at the hotel, Ryan gave me a call. He, Renea, and Owen were heading over to the mall, and he wanted to know if I wanted lunch. Yummy. I immediately accepted the offer. 6" Turkey sub... nothing too hard or rough.
Rachael and I had decided long ago to say our own vows. Up until this day, I thought I would just go up there without anything written down and I would be fine. I mean, I spent many years as a trainer, and thought I spoke fairly well on the spot. I knew I would be emotional, and the last thing I wanted was my mind to go blank. Then there was a distinct possibility that I would get up there and start rambling on and on and on... I have a tendency to do that at times too. That said, after I talked to Ryan, I decided to actually write down what I wanted to say, in a concise, little paragraph. It took 1 try. Hmmm.... now I needed to kill some time before Ryan and Renea got there, so I did the only thing I could. I paced. Occasionally I sat on the bed and flipped through the channels - not searching for anything specific, and not paying attention to what was on anyway - then I would get up again.
Then the phone rang. It was the woman who was going to look after our animals (Rachel... same name, different spelling), and who was responsible for getting Sophie (our puppy) to the ceremony. I had keys made for her. She was on her way from Columbia, and could stop by and get the keys. Perfect. I let her know where I was. I hung up the phone and resumed pacing.
About 10 minutes later Rachel called and said she was in the lobby. I told her I would be right down with the keys.
Shortly after that Ryan, Renea and Owen showed up with lunch. Yay. And bringing Owen was a good way to distract me. Just watching him is funny, and sweet. We talked and ate. Just what I needed. I was planning on going over to the Cloisters really early - and Ryan offered to go with me. All we had to do is figure out the car situation.
Monday, June 06, 2005
Wedding Journal Entries
Ok, I am absolutely double-posting. I am doing the same journal for this site and for the wedding site. But, I am hoping to add one about everyday, so hopefully it will do. The following will chronical the day before, the day of the wedding, and some parts of the honeymoon.
So such to say about the last few days... amazing. Simply amazing.
05-26-05
Wedding Eve... I guess. Let me think a minute it seems so long ago... okay... The morning started off way early for me. 5:00am or so. I woke up to get ready for golf. Me, Dan, Vinnie, Glen, Ryan, Adam, and my dad we going golfing for the second day in a row.
Rach was going to pick up her dress, but first she had to wait for something very important.... her Birth Certificate. A couple days before we had looked for it, and could not find it. Since it was a document needed to go to Jamaica, we ordered one from Charleston, WV - and had it over-nighted. We called on Tuesday, but it wasn't processed until Wednesday, and was to be there before noon on Thursday.
Anyway, I got up and headed to meet my friends at the Hilton at 6:00. I actually made it close to on time. I suggested a McDonald's breakfast would be wonderful, and they agreed. So with a quick stop to the Golden Arches, we were on our way to the course.
We met Adam, Ryan and my dad there. It was early, but there were still a few people on the course. Quite a bit for a Thursday, if you ask me. We had 2 foursomes, and teed off.
During the week of the wedding, I kept my cell phone on, and used it more that I have since I got the thing. If I had seen me on the golf course, I would have been annoyed and maybe made jokes. I have always had a certain distaste for those who seem to use their cell phones non-stop with no regard for environment or company... but there I was with it on, in case there was some emergency. Mainly I was waiting for Rach to call to say the Birth Certificate had arrived. I had put off packing for Jamaica as to not jinx anything. She called around the 13th hole, and we were good to go - it had arrived.
So at that point I turned off the phone and I was back to some normalcy. I played surprisingly well... there were a few holes on the back 9 that I struggled on, but my Dad and I beat Adam and Ryan - and that was the most important thing. After golf we had a quick bite, and everyone pulled out their cell phones, to coordinate when to get to the rehearsal. I would have been sick if I had seen us as an uninterested third party.
It was good I called, because at that point I discovered that my mom had told a few people that the rehearsal was at 4:00 when it was at 3:00. For a brief moment she attempted to blame me - saying that I told her it was at 4:00. Under normal circumstances, I may have been inclined to believe her - but there was no way I had gotten the time wrong here. I made that clear, and we moved on - because now there we some out there that thought it was at 4:00. Luckily I had all my groomsmen with me - so they were straight. I gave Rachael a quick call, and discovered that none of the bridesmaids would make it to the rehearsal so... I guess they were covered. I was certain that the Reverend knew the right time. That's pretty much all you need there, right? I meant, who was my mom telling the wrong time to? Brooks. That's pretty much it. She told Adam too, but I got that straightened out (actually when I was talking to everyone, it was Adam who told me that I should call mom and tell her about the time).
We had just a little time, so we parted ways, temporarily, to shower.
I called Rach on my way home and she was going to head to the dress shop to pick up her dress. At this point she could only hope and cross her fingers that it was complete. Somewhere along the line she ran into Nute and Dom. I'm not sure when and how that happened, but I really didn't have time to ask. They were unloading some music equipment and stuff to practice later.
I got home and hopped in the shower. I cleaned up and threw on some clothes. Before Rachael could get back, I got a call from Adam. He was at the Cloisters a little early, and the gates were closed. Damn. I gave Adam a phone number to call, finished getting ready and headed out. I would have to meet Rach at the rehearsal.
On the way, Adam called and let me know that they got in. Crisis averted.
When I got there, most people were there - except the Reverend... and a few others. We had to be out by 4:00, but the rehearsal shouldn't take long, so I hung out a little and talked with family and friends. The Reverend called saying he was going to be a bit late...
When he got there, I had to take control. We had to get through and get places. Which we did with little problem. With no bridesmaids, it went quickly. We were pretty confident in their ability to process on their own. During the post rehearsal discussion the convoy to the bridal shop was scrapped in favor of having one person (Adam) go and grab the the tuxes. Adam really came through here because he knew where to go and it would reduce confusion. This meant we had a couple hours before the dinner.
Nute wanted to practice a bit before the dinner, but I suggested he go get ready first and then we see what time we had left - a good idea because Nute (like me) is perpetually late. So he came over about 5:30 - dinner is at 6:00.
Rach got home and we were still awaiting the bridesmaids (well, 2 - Melissa couldn't make it until Friday). Rach made a call or two, I took over from there. Rach drove over with some things and I would shortly follow. Nute and Dom were happy they were there because they aren't late if they are with the groom. And we were off.
Rachael works at Linwoods)(Due - the restaurant the rehearsal dinner was held. They treated us very well. Very well. The food was phenomenal, and the company was better. The planning was over. Nothing left to do but sit and let things happen. Yeah, right.
Later in the evening, as things were winding down, I had the opportunity to play the DVD that I made many months ago. I get a little choked up every time I watch it, simply because it makes me think about how happy I am with her. I am a big softy when it comes to her. Anyway, after that - Rach disappeared for a few moments and brought in my wedding present... a new Taylor Acoustic guitar. Wow. I can't imagine the look on my face when I opened that case. I hear it was priceless. It sounded phenomenal. I was ready to practice at that point.
That was pretty much the end of the night, and Nute and I did want to try to practice a little before calling it a night. So we went back to my place. Rachael and her bridesmaids stopped by as well. They stayed for a few and then went to the Hilton. Nute and I played, until 12:00am... I'm pretty sure I felt banging underneath my feet from our downstairs neighbor. That was our queue to stop. We discussed whether or not we were golfing the following day. I then drove to the AmeriSuites, where I was staying with my mom that night. She had fallen asleep. I knocked on the door... nothing. I called her cell phone... I could hear it ring through the door.... nothing. I knocked harder and called a few more times... nothing. Before I resigned myself to sleeping in my car for the night - I gave the door a good kick. Finally, that woke her.
We talked for a minute, and I went to bed.
So such to say about the last few days... amazing. Simply amazing.
05-26-05
Wedding Eve... I guess. Let me think a minute it seems so long ago... okay... The morning started off way early for me. 5:00am or so. I woke up to get ready for golf. Me, Dan, Vinnie, Glen, Ryan, Adam, and my dad we going golfing for the second day in a row.
Rach was going to pick up her dress, but first she had to wait for something very important.... her Birth Certificate. A couple days before we had looked for it, and could not find it. Since it was a document needed to go to Jamaica, we ordered one from Charleston, WV - and had it over-nighted. We called on Tuesday, but it wasn't processed until Wednesday, and was to be there before noon on Thursday.
Anyway, I got up and headed to meet my friends at the Hilton at 6:00. I actually made it close to on time. I suggested a McDonald's breakfast would be wonderful, and they agreed. So with a quick stop to the Golden Arches, we were on our way to the course.
We met Adam, Ryan and my dad there. It was early, but there were still a few people on the course. Quite a bit for a Thursday, if you ask me. We had 2 foursomes, and teed off.
During the week of the wedding, I kept my cell phone on, and used it more that I have since I got the thing. If I had seen me on the golf course, I would have been annoyed and maybe made jokes. I have always had a certain distaste for those who seem to use their cell phones non-stop with no regard for environment or company... but there I was with it on, in case there was some emergency. Mainly I was waiting for Rach to call to say the Birth Certificate had arrived. I had put off packing for Jamaica as to not jinx anything. She called around the 13th hole, and we were good to go - it had arrived.
So at that point I turned off the phone and I was back to some normalcy. I played surprisingly well... there were a few holes on the back 9 that I struggled on, but my Dad and I beat Adam and Ryan - and that was the most important thing. After golf we had a quick bite, and everyone pulled out their cell phones, to coordinate when to get to the rehearsal. I would have been sick if I had seen us as an uninterested third party.
It was good I called, because at that point I discovered that my mom had told a few people that the rehearsal was at 4:00 when it was at 3:00. For a brief moment she attempted to blame me - saying that I told her it was at 4:00. Under normal circumstances, I may have been inclined to believe her - but there was no way I had gotten the time wrong here. I made that clear, and we moved on - because now there we some out there that thought it was at 4:00. Luckily I had all my groomsmen with me - so they were straight. I gave Rachael a quick call, and discovered that none of the bridesmaids would make it to the rehearsal so... I guess they were covered. I was certain that the Reverend knew the right time. That's pretty much all you need there, right? I meant, who was my mom telling the wrong time to? Brooks. That's pretty much it. She told Adam too, but I got that straightened out (actually when I was talking to everyone, it was Adam who told me that I should call mom and tell her about the time).
We had just a little time, so we parted ways, temporarily, to shower.
I called Rach on my way home and she was going to head to the dress shop to pick up her dress. At this point she could only hope and cross her fingers that it was complete. Somewhere along the line she ran into Nute and Dom. I'm not sure when and how that happened, but I really didn't have time to ask. They were unloading some music equipment and stuff to practice later.
I got home and hopped in the shower. I cleaned up and threw on some clothes. Before Rachael could get back, I got a call from Adam. He was at the Cloisters a little early, and the gates were closed. Damn. I gave Adam a phone number to call, finished getting ready and headed out. I would have to meet Rach at the rehearsal.
On the way, Adam called and let me know that they got in. Crisis averted.
When I got there, most people were there - except the Reverend... and a few others. We had to be out by 4:00, but the rehearsal shouldn't take long, so I hung out a little and talked with family and friends. The Reverend called saying he was going to be a bit late...
When he got there, I had to take control. We had to get through and get places. Which we did with little problem. With no bridesmaids, it went quickly. We were pretty confident in their ability to process on their own. During the post rehearsal discussion the convoy to the bridal shop was scrapped in favor of having one person (Adam) go and grab the the tuxes. Adam really came through here because he knew where to go and it would reduce confusion. This meant we had a couple hours before the dinner.
Nute wanted to practice a bit before the dinner, but I suggested he go get ready first and then we see what time we had left - a good idea because Nute (like me) is perpetually late. So he came over about 5:30 - dinner is at 6:00.
Rach got home and we were still awaiting the bridesmaids (well, 2 - Melissa couldn't make it until Friday). Rach made a call or two, I took over from there. Rach drove over with some things and I would shortly follow. Nute and Dom were happy they were there because they aren't late if they are with the groom. And we were off.
Rachael works at Linwoods)(Due - the restaurant the rehearsal dinner was held. They treated us very well. Very well. The food was phenomenal, and the company was better. The planning was over. Nothing left to do but sit and let things happen. Yeah, right.
Later in the evening, as things were winding down, I had the opportunity to play the DVD that I made many months ago. I get a little choked up every time I watch it, simply because it makes me think about how happy I am with her. I am a big softy when it comes to her. Anyway, after that - Rach disappeared for a few moments and brought in my wedding present... a new Taylor Acoustic guitar. Wow. I can't imagine the look on my face when I opened that case. I hear it was priceless. It sounded phenomenal. I was ready to practice at that point.
That was pretty much the end of the night, and Nute and I did want to try to practice a little before calling it a night. So we went back to my place. Rachael and her bridesmaids stopped by as well. They stayed for a few and then went to the Hilton. Nute and I played, until 12:00am... I'm pretty sure I felt banging underneath my feet from our downstairs neighbor. That was our queue to stop. We discussed whether or not we were golfing the following day. I then drove to the AmeriSuites, where I was staying with my mom that night. She had fallen asleep. I knocked on the door... nothing. I called her cell phone... I could hear it ring through the door.... nothing. I knocked harder and called a few more times... nothing. Before I resigned myself to sleeping in my car for the night - I gave the door a good kick. Finally, that woke her.
We talked for a minute, and I went to bed.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
