Cold Spaghetti

Will helps unwrap wedding presents

Will helps out by taking pictures with Mommy’s camera while Emily and Skip open their wedding presents!

Friday
– Arrived in JAX. Direct flight from NOLA. A very stressed out Boy met us at the airport and brought us to the house my family rented for the week in Sawgrass Club Community.
– Rehearsal and rehearsal dinner at Queen’s Harbor
– Will runs around the grounds and gazebo during the rehearsal (including in between my legs while I was doing the actual rehearsal with the bridal party)
– We got to meet Emily’s fun family and Skip and Emily’s friends in the bridal party!
– Mom, Aunt Fran, and I disappear during the dinner to scoop up the leftovers into tupperware we brought in the car and smuggle it out

Saturday
– Stormy beach morning with Will. (very rough surf, windy, and overcast)
– Afternoon rain showers were fitting for quiet afternoon
– My uncle showed true family grit by walking out to the nearby inlet(s) and fishing
– A very pregnant Gwen (officially qualifying into the world’s cutest pregnant woman category) and husband Mario came down from their beach place on St. Simon’s Island for afternoon fun. It was great to see them, although I can’t believe that we didn’t take any pictures!!
– Will had about 4 poopie diapers in under 2 hours and freaked out the soon-to-be new parents
– My family hosted a dinner at the house with 30 friends and family who were in town for the wedding

Sunday
– We all slept in after a late night.
– Wedding! It was inside due to the weather.
– Paul and I remembered enough swing moves to be dangerous on the floor. The band was great!
– We actually enjoyed ourselves due to the great help we got from my Uncle Bill and Aunt Sherry (my Dad’s brother), Aunt Deb and Uncle Gary (my Dad’s cousin), Aunt Fran and Uncle Gus (my Mom’s uncle), my parents, and lots of family friends who all were ready and willing to help out with photographs, keeping Will occupied, and generally watching out for him! Even Skip and Emily’s friends and family had moments of picking Will up and playing or dancing with him! This was really helpful and made the night super for us.

Monday
– Paul left in the afternoon
– We had a great afternoon of patchy sun at the pool, worked on puzzles, and read

Tuesday
– Will and I took a long walk through the neighborhood and bonded with the many yard care personel at work in the neighborhood
– More pool time!
– Skip and Emily came over for present opening, games, and dinner
– We played “girls versus guys” Pictionary and kicked some serious guy-butt (much to my father’s dismay!) and laughed a lot!

Wednesday
– Morning at the beach! Skip and Emily joined us to watch Will get buried in the sand by PapPap.
– Will dug in the sand and “helped” PapPap by destroying all the castles he built
– I found a shark’s tooth
– Will and I flew home in the afternoon. Will is getting pretty darn big to be a lap kid — 90 minutes is about all I can take of him on my lap!

Out in the Gazebo (where the wedding was intended) in the gusts of Hurricane Dennis. Even 400 miles away from the eye, bands of rain and wind still had an impact!

Emily and Skip with Granna and PapPap 

Skip, putting the wedding ring on Emily’s hand. They had some problems with this when it came to Skip’s hand. I didn’t say anything when Skip gave Emily his right hand, rather than his left, for the exchange of rings. I thought that maybe Skip had an issue (injury, size problem, etc.) with the left and so they had decided to just put it on the right hand for the ceremony. Then, after putting the ring on the left hand, Skip turned to me and said, “Was that wrong?” I paused. ‘What the heck?’ I thought, ‘Weddings are always more fun when folks can laugh.’

“Yes.” I answered, “The rings go on the left hand.”

A quick fix and a few laughs later, they were married!

I had a great time officiating Emily and Skip’s wedding… despite not being able to see a darn thing behind the wall of those taller than me (ie: everyone).

I think my face here is saying to Emily, “are you SURE you want to be a part of OUR family?”