A Wedding

I'm baaaack! I've been MIA for the past ten days preparing for, flying to, and participating in my brothers wedding. My family is all in New England, so it's a long haul for me. But it was totally worth it!

My brother got married to an absolutely wonderful woman who I am proud to call my sister-in-law. They've been together for about three years, and he proposed on New Years Eve. He meant to propose right at midnight when the ball dropped in New York and everyone was celebrating and kissing, but he couldn't make it that long. He ended up proposing at about ten in the morning.

If you take away anything from that, you probably can imagine that he was a disaster before the wedding. He told us that he felt like a four year old, there was no past, and no future, only the current thing he was working on. It was like, "ok, it's time to eat dinner. Ok. Dinner is over, now it's time to go home." We couldn't even talk about the wedding details around him or he got flustered. His best man was our brother Matt, and his two groomsman were her brother, and his best friend from childhood. They were in charge of making sure he got there in one piece, in his suit, on time, and sober. I was a bridesmaid, along with her brothers girlfriend, and one of her best friends.

Being a bridesmaid was a definitely an interesting experience. It was about 100 degrees out with 100% humidity outside, but inside the barn was at least 110. Dressing the bride consisted of holding fans, dabbing her back and face, and trying to keep her calm. We put a big fan right under the skirt of her dress and had a small fan that we pointed at her neck and shoulders. It was strange, I have never been a bridesmaid before. It was a little haywire. There was a frantic search for a safety pin, scissors, and one of the bouquets went missing. And then all of the sudden, it was time.

The ceremony itself was short, and that was a blessing since we were all kind of waiting for someone to pass out. Everyone was crying, and my brother was practicing some serious yoga breathing to get through his vows, after which he mouthed the word "brutal" several times. All in all, it was beautiful and they got through it.

So there is our new complete family! I love Melinda and I'm so happy for my brother. It was such a beautiful day despite the heat, and our families seemed the mesh well and there was no drama.

The reception was one huge party. Dancing and eating and drinking. Right when it was getting unbearably hot, my mom produced a whole ton of squirt guns and the fighting ensued! And wielding the biggest squirt gun of all was my new sister, armed and dangerous, even in a wedding dress.

"Don't you dare shove that cake in my face!"

And here is my favorite picture of them. It was right after the ceremony, right before they walked down the aisle together, and it looks like the first breath they have taken in a week. 

I am so proud of my brother, and so happy for him. I am excited for them, and I can't wait to watch them build a life together.