Weekend Wedding
I spent this weekend attending the wedding of some friends down in DC,
giddysinger and gkaczns. It was fabulous - one of the most fun weddings I've ever attended (up there with
hildakrista's wedding, of course).
Friday night my sweetie slogged through a lot of snow from Buffalo to Pgh, then we left Saturday am, only half an hour later than I had planned. The kids were pretty good in the car, and despite some pounding rain and fog over the mountains, we made it to the DC area in just over 4 hours. We met my sweetie's brother, A., and his kids and some friends of theirs, for lunch at Panera. Then we went to Target in search of better shoes for Robert, since until that morning it had somehow escaped my attention that his only shoes were glaringly white, inappropriate for wearing with a suit, sneakers. Found a pair of black velvety sneakers that he didn't initially like but later decided were good once he'd stretched them out a little (how on earth did this kid go from a size 4 in September to a size 5-1/2 now?). Then we headed off to find the church.
We were disreputable enough that we waited to change into our fancy clothes until we got to the church.
kenrs helped my kids with their ties since they don't seem to get that you have to button the top shirt button before you clip the tie on... Then we chatted with friends until the ceremony began.
gkaczns looked fabulous in her gown, and
giddysinger was beaming the whole time. There were a couple of occasions when the guests were asked to sing, and the minister was... nonplussed, in a good way, at how well we all sang. Knowing the bridal couple, I'm guessing that more than half of the guests were amateur or professional musicians. :-)
The reception was a blast. There were nods to both of their interests - instead of numbering tables 1,2,3 etc., the tables had either scientific symbols or musical symbols. We were at the "C" table, which we assumed to be the speed of light as opposed to the pitch/key, but I suppose either would do. There was also a Jacob's ladder on display, though initially it was a trifle persnickety, so we were treated to the amusing sight of the bride in her white wedding finery, twiddling with the wires using pliers and muttering "There will be plasma at this wedding!". The food was some really good tacos, and a Celtic/folk band, Tinsmith, performed throughout the reception. They were impressive enough that a number of us (including me) bought a copy of their CD. Some of
giddysinger's friends came out to do a Morris Dance, and when they finished, he strode out to the floor and shouted "Is that all you got?!" We all laughed because we could guess what was coming - the dancers returned and he joined in the next several sets with them, in his tux while they were all in knee breeches with bells on their ankles. They performed intermittently throughout the evening, and were always both athletic (enough so that we discussed "hang time" regarding a few of them) and entertaining.
I was also pleased to get a chance to meet
telerib in person, having briefly made her acquaintance on LJ. We talked music for a little bit, and though she comes from a bardic tradition while I do choral music, we agreed about pretty much everything regarding how to create and build music ensembles and encourage authenticity in music performance. I wish we'd had more time to talk, but I expect LJ will help fill that gap.
Saturday night we stayed at
kenrs' brother, A's, place. A is a fun, and funny, guy, and I enjoyed spending time with him and his family. His kids are a good bit younger than mine, but they had fun running around generating chaos together anyway.
At noon Sunday we met my apprentice, Emilia, and her family for lunch at an Italian restaurant. I hadn't seen her in over two years so it was great to reconnect. Her 2-year-old daughter is adorable, her son is going to be Bar Mitzvah next month (doesn't that make all of you who know him feel old!), and she and her husband are doing very well. I gave her greetings from various friends, and she sent them back.
After lunch we returned to A's house for a brief visit with him and his wife, who had just returned from a trip out of town to see her sister's new baby, then we hit the road. We got home in time for the kids to deal with trash night, take their baths and head off for bed. My sweetie stayed at my place last night - since he didn't want to spend 9 or 10 hours in the car on Sunday, he had arranged to take Monday off work. When I left this morning he was sleeping, but I expect he'll be on the road back to Buffalo soon if he isn't already.
Many happy years together to giddysinger and gkaczns!
giddysinger and gkaczns. It was fabulous - one of the most fun weddings I've ever attended (up there with
hildakrista's wedding, of course).
Friday night my sweetie slogged through a lot of snow from Buffalo to Pgh, then we left Saturday am, only half an hour later than I had planned. The kids were pretty good in the car, and despite some pounding rain and fog over the mountains, we made it to the DC area in just over 4 hours. We met my sweetie's brother, A., and his kids and some friends of theirs, for lunch at Panera. Then we went to Target in search of better shoes for Robert, since until that morning it had somehow escaped my attention that his only shoes were glaringly white, inappropriate for wearing with a suit, sneakers. Found a pair of black velvety sneakers that he didn't initially like but later decided were good once he'd stretched them out a little (how on earth did this kid go from a size 4 in September to a size 5-1/2 now?). Then we headed off to find the church.
We were disreputable enough that we waited to change into our fancy clothes until we got to the church.
kenrs helped my kids with their ties since they don't seem to get that you have to button the top shirt button before you clip the tie on... Then we chatted with friends until the ceremony began.
gkaczns looked fabulous in her gown, and
giddysinger was beaming the whole time. There were a couple of occasions when the guests were asked to sing, and the minister was... nonplussed, in a good way, at how well we all sang. Knowing the bridal couple, I'm guessing that more than half of the guests were amateur or professional musicians. :-)
The reception was a blast. There were nods to both of their interests - instead of numbering tables 1,2,3 etc., the tables had either scientific symbols or musical symbols. We were at the "C" table, which we assumed to be the speed of light as opposed to the pitch/key, but I suppose either would do. There was also a Jacob's ladder on display, though initially it was a trifle persnickety, so we were treated to the amusing sight of the bride in her white wedding finery, twiddling with the wires using pliers and muttering "There will be plasma at this wedding!". The food was some really good tacos, and a Celtic/folk band, Tinsmith, performed throughout the reception. They were impressive enough that a number of us (including me) bought a copy of their CD. Some of
giddysinger's friends came out to do a Morris Dance, and when they finished, he strode out to the floor and shouted "Is that all you got?!" We all laughed because we could guess what was coming - the dancers returned and he joined in the next several sets with them, in his tux while they were all in knee breeches with bells on their ankles. They performed intermittently throughout the evening, and were always both athletic (enough so that we discussed "hang time" regarding a few of them) and entertaining.
I was also pleased to get a chance to meet
telerib in person, having briefly made her acquaintance on LJ. We talked music for a little bit, and though she comes from a bardic tradition while I do choral music, we agreed about pretty much everything regarding how to create and build music ensembles and encourage authenticity in music performance. I wish we'd had more time to talk, but I expect LJ will help fill that gap.
Saturday night we stayed at
kenrs' brother, A's, place. A is a fun, and funny, guy, and I enjoyed spending time with him and his family. His kids are a good bit younger than mine, but they had fun running around generating chaos together anyway.
At noon Sunday we met my apprentice, Emilia, and her family for lunch at an Italian restaurant. I hadn't seen her in over two years so it was great to reconnect. Her 2-year-old daughter is adorable, her son is going to be Bar Mitzvah next month (doesn't that make all of you who know him feel old!), and she and her husband are doing very well. I gave her greetings from various friends, and she sent them back.
After lunch we returned to A's house for a brief visit with him and his wife, who had just returned from a trip out of town to see her sister's new baby, then we hit the road. We got home in time for the kids to deal with trash night, take their baths and head off for bed. My sweetie stayed at my place last night - since he didn't want to spend 9 or 10 hours in the car on Sunday, he had arranged to take Monday off work. When I left this morning he was sleeping, but I expect he'll be on the road back to Buffalo soon if he isn't already.
Many happy years together to giddysinger and gkaczns!