A Howard Family Wedding
...hoo, boy.
My dad is the oldest of nine kids. When that set of siblings, plus their families, plus assorted other relatives attached to us in various ways get together, the results are always... interesting. We used to see each other every summer at a Howard Family Camping reunion, but that's dissipated over the last few years.
Today, though, my Uncle James got married to his longtime girlfriend, Shelley, who's been practically part of the family for a long, long time (and is now a bit more officially so). This, of course, meant getting all of us together for a big old wedding celebration. One really big bonus was that my Uncle Tim, who recently finished his residency after graduating from a DO school in 2007, was staying with us. I hadn't seen him in person in forever, so it was fantastic to catch up and compare notes on the first few weeks of med school.
In any case, it's been a really fun night. Just wanted to hit some highlights:
-I have way too many cousins to keep track of. It's harder when you don't see them for three years and they all get a lot older and bigger and you don't even recognize them. But they're all awesome kids.
-Got really confused when pretty much the only members of the bride's family to appear at the ceremony were her parents and her sister (the maid of honor). The rest of the family showed up for the reception, though. Someone told me that's a cultural thing, though (they're Chinese).
-My Uncle Joh, the best man, gave a rambling and... idiosyncratic toast, which reminded me of just how much I love him.
-I was greatly disappointed at the lack of a dance floor at the reception. My dancing at the last wedding I went to got me referred to by their family friends as "that creepy guy at the wedding", a title I wear with pride. No chance to repeat here, though.
-Hanging out, goofing around, and generally setting a good example for our San Diego cousins, who are the oldest pack of kids after us. And by "setting a good example" I mean "distributing high fives when they bring me jelly beans they stole from the other wedding reception going on elsewhere in the building".
-My mother wound up in a conversation with one guest who was both gay and drunk. He thought our family was cool, but my mom was amused that he kept repeating how hot he thought our dad was. This conversation is already on its way to legendary status.
-Each table had been provided with a specially labeled bottle of Remy Martin Cognac. The bottle on our table had not been finished, so I set it aside to take home with me (because Devon would be proud of me). Unfortunately, I was unable to do so because said bottle was stolen by my grandmother. No, seriously. My brother Steve saw her grab it, and mentioned to her that I'd already claimed it. She replied that someone had taken hers, and this stuff was a hundred bucks a bottle. *sigh* All yours, Nana. =P
It was wonderful to get everyone together again for the first time in a long time. I love these people, with all of their quirks and oddities. Hopefully, it won't be too long before I get to see them all again.
PS- The song I'm 'singing along to'. Go buy it. It's wonderful.
My dad is the oldest of nine kids. When that set of siblings, plus their families, plus assorted other relatives attached to us in various ways get together, the results are always... interesting. We used to see each other every summer at a Howard Family Camping reunion, but that's dissipated over the last few years.
Today, though, my Uncle James got married to his longtime girlfriend, Shelley, who's been practically part of the family for a long, long time (and is now a bit more officially so). This, of course, meant getting all of us together for a big old wedding celebration. One really big bonus was that my Uncle Tim, who recently finished his residency after graduating from a DO school in 2007, was staying with us. I hadn't seen him in person in forever, so it was fantastic to catch up and compare notes on the first few weeks of med school.
In any case, it's been a really fun night. Just wanted to hit some highlights:
-I have way too many cousins to keep track of. It's harder when you don't see them for three years and they all get a lot older and bigger and you don't even recognize them. But they're all awesome kids.
-Got really confused when pretty much the only members of the bride's family to appear at the ceremony were her parents and her sister (the maid of honor). The rest of the family showed up for the reception, though. Someone told me that's a cultural thing, though (they're Chinese).
-My Uncle Joh, the best man, gave a rambling and... idiosyncratic toast, which reminded me of just how much I love him.
-I was greatly disappointed at the lack of a dance floor at the reception. My dancing at the last wedding I went to got me referred to by their family friends as "that creepy guy at the wedding", a title I wear with pride. No chance to repeat here, though.
-Hanging out, goofing around, and generally setting a good example for our San Diego cousins, who are the oldest pack of kids after us. And by "setting a good example" I mean "distributing high fives when they bring me jelly beans they stole from the other wedding reception going on elsewhere in the building".
-My mother wound up in a conversation with one guest who was both gay and drunk. He thought our family was cool, but my mom was amused that he kept repeating how hot he thought our dad was. This conversation is already on its way to legendary status.
-Each table had been provided with a specially labeled bottle of Remy Martin Cognac. The bottle on our table had not been finished, so I set it aside to take home with me (because Devon would be proud of me). Unfortunately, I was unable to do so because said bottle was stolen by my grandmother. No, seriously. My brother Steve saw her grab it, and mentioned to her that I'd already claimed it. She replied that someone had taken hers, and this stuff was a hundred bucks a bottle. *sigh* All yours, Nana. =P
It was wonderful to get everyone together again for the first time in a long time. I love these people, with all of their quirks and oddities. Hopefully, it won't be too long before I get to see them all again.
PS- The song I'm 'singing along to'. Go buy it. It's wonderful.