What’s on the iPod: Glorious by MaMuse (just an audio clip)
What a week. What a wedding.
We arrived in Maine last Sunday to glorious weather — warmish, sunny, and beautiful. We were staying in a house in Boothbay Harbor with his daughter, her fiance, her future in-laws, his ex-wife and her husband, and we were lucky enough to be the first to arrive. We were given the tour of the farmhouse and grounds, a gorgeous home built to look like it had been there centuries instead of just a few decades. Because we were the early birds, we got dibs on any room we wanted.
The others arrived and the fun commenced. I spent an afternoon working, which seemed to be the only afternoon in which the WiFi worked for an hour, and I finished my article. There wasn’t much time for fun, but we did get to go on a puffin excursion. I’ve been wanting to see a puffin for years. This cruise didn’t disappoint — we saw scores of puffins! The cruise was narrated by the Audubon Society, and it was fantastic.
Then down to work the rest of the week. If I had any post-surgery issues, they were worked out of me by Saturday. Friday I was on my feet all day, and had a chance to actually eat something at the rehearsal picnic (love the originality of these guys). Saturday I cleaned up the kitchen (after the party, and it was a huge mess) so the caterer would have somewhere to work. I wiped the last countertop as the catering truck was pulling up.
Then off to get ready for the wedding.
I’ve been to plenty of weddings, as we all have, and they’re all lovely for one reason or another. This one was in a chapel inches from the ocean, set among the pines. But that wasn’t the most beautiful part.
There’s just something about these two — my stepdaughter and her new husband. Other couples fall in love and get married and everyone’s happy. With these guys, you feel it. It seeps right into your soul and you can feel what they’re feeling for each other. It was in how she radiated joy the whole week despite the chaos and stress all around her. It was in how he fought back tears when he saw her at the entrance of the church. It was in how she was so fixated on him that she forgot to speak her lines. That love is real and palpable. And every person in that chapel felt it, saw it. What a gift they gave all of us.
Then there was the party. What a party! The food was different — empanadas and make-your-own tacos, along with lots of sides and cookies. The band was fantastic. The dancing was exhausting and a boatload of fun. None of us wanted it to end. It was a blending and a celebration of families and people and love. That’s what weddings should be.
We arrived back here just before midnight, and here I am a few hours later. Back at my post, and there’s work to be done. But even with the Internet problems and the odd, completely passive-aggressive nature of the house owner (and her f*cking sunshine-and-kittens perkiness as she’s telling you yet another rule you must follow), it was a glorious week and an even more glorious union. We should all be so lucky to witness and experience such things.
How was your week?
So glad it was such a great experience! Welcome back.
Thanks, toots. You nearly got a surprise visit yesterday. 🙂