Sneakering Down the Aisle

So, just in case you fear, after reading my previous post, that I went stark, raving mad - let me just reassure you that I had no such luck. Still doing the hanging on to the edge business, which unlike going totally bonkers, doesn't afford one much relief from the day to day humdrum goings on of life.

Sorry for the infrequent posting. When people on my blogroll post this sparcely, I dump them! Don't dump me, though. Really. I'll do better right after the conference is finally over. I promise!

I'm still planning the conference - we are 2 weeks away. My house is still a mess. The kids are still horribly unschooled (or wonderfully unschooled - depending on how you look at it). I am still writing (something like 25,000 words on the 2nd novel) instead of doing Other Important Things.

A stray dog showed up and promptly pooped out five puppies (this is jasper's description). Yay for me! I NEEDED five stray puppies at this point in my life.

We had 53 people over for 4th of July - where the boys once again sacrificed a Lego Man on a rocket. I asked if the Lego Man was a virgin - because virgins are usually the preferred sacrificial victim. A long discussion ensued among party guests as to whether or not the Lego Man was a virgin. Joel said he was not - as it would be just plain sad to be both sacrificed and be a virgin on top of it.....and I suggested releasing Lego Man and maybe he could go have a good time first, at least, but the boys told me they have no Lego Women, which led me back to the whole Lego Man As Virgin theory that I'd begun with. Anyway, he was sacrificed.

Let's see... what else? I have 9 turkeys in the coop. Because I don't have enough to do what with the ailing wiener dog and the stray with the five puppies and the 2 cats and the guinea pig and Ranger the Cow Dog. Oh, and the cows. We have those, too.

Oh and here's the Big News and the Title of the Post:

Sneakering Down the Aisle......Because it was a Wedding, Dude!

One of Ellie's best friends got married. She is an original kind of girl and she had an original kind of wedding. That is Ellie, second from the left, and for sure, Camille was Flower Girl Extraordinarre.

And Camille was an original kind of flower girl.

But did I say Hannah is an original kind of girl? And a Black Belt. As is Juliana.

It wasn't that long ago that Ellie and Hannah were volunteering at the library, that they went to Odyssey of the Mind World Finals together for the FIRST TIME. Or that they were playing their electric guitars on the couch, learning the tabs for Arctic Monkeys and Franz Ferdinand. When Ellie was in 8th grade, Hannah said she'd take her to the prom. Then Hannah got a boyfriend and said, "Uh, Ellie? Yeah, so, um, I kinda want to go with Allen now......soooo......." And the dang boyfriend stuck around....just walked her down the aisle today - Converse sneakers and all. Good choice dumping Ellie, Hannah. Allen makes cheesecake...tiramasu...pineapple upside down cake....Ellie officially makes None Of Those Things.

Jeff said to me, "So does this mean we're not going to hear Hannah laughing in our den at 4:00 a.m. while we're trying to sleep? Like ever again?" And I was like, "God - stop it, you're making me cry!!" And he was like, "RIGHT??" Man, watching these kids grow up is freaking hard. And lovely. Here are the 3 Muskateers, Ellie, Hannah, and Juliana.

There was a reception. With fun things on the table.

And here's Joel. He got a haircut for the wedding. At least I paid for a haircut. I saw hair on the ground and everything. But here he is. Like a ninja.

The wedding was in a beautiful Catholic church. The same one we used to attend. The music was awesome - Hannah comes from a family of musicians and they run the show at the church. When it came time to share peace with each other, Joel turned to my Jewish father and said, "May the force be with you." Disrespectful? Not if you know Joel. He meant it. My dad probably said, "And also with you." It was a spiritual moment.

There were lots of spiritual moments - it was a beautiful wedding and it was Hannah and Allen through and through. On the program, they had written to their friends, "We love our friends not because they are all the same, but because they are different. The many colors we wear today represent the differences that make us love you so much."

We had a GREAT night. Of course I cried. A lot. I hate the changes. And I love the changes. I both love and hate the changes.

Be happy, sweet Hannah. We love you. And the boy there, he's not so bad, either. Your wedding was perfect. It was a happy, sincere, colorful, and holy event. It was You. And I totally got the shoes, by the way. Yes, you were getting married. Yes, two people were "becoming one" as they say. But the shoes said, "And Hannah is Still Hannah...Yo!"

Congratulations to a wonderful young couple. And thanks for having graced our lives thus far.