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jenepelSo I got home from the wedding a week ago, but I’m also a sucker for completeness, so I’m gonna write this third entry detailing the rest of the trip despite the time lapse. Most people on this side of the ocean have already heard the story, but hey, LJ is for the telling right? I mean it’s all about getting the words out there, and journaling for yourself. Or something.
So anyways. As previously explained, he was booked on a flight Thursday morning that got canceled in the great AA scandal of ’08. (Yes, that’s what they’re calling it – hadn’t you heard?) Right. So the groom had gotten him re-booked on a flight Thursday night going through Evansville (our response – “where the hell is Evansville?” and the answer – it’s in Indiana, duh) and leaving just in time for him to book it to the airport. Unfortunately, then (on top of the whole AA thing) Chicago decided to have crap weather. And his second flight got canceled. So it’s Thursday night and he’s stuck in Podunk Indiana (no offence to anyone who may live in Indiana – I’ve actually never been there) and nowhere near Chicago. A look at Google maps though, tells us where it is near – Nashville! Which wouldn’t be that exciting except for the fact that our friend and her husband are driving to the wedding from where? You guessed it! Nashville. And not only is this someone driving, but it’s the person my bro knows best out of all the wedding guests, and the only one who was in his graduating class. (Most of the other people there from our highschool are my grade or higher, since the groom was a few years above me. And my bro is two years behind me, so there you go.) A few hurried calls later it is determined that they are already driving and currently about one hour away (ONE HOUR AWAY PEOPLE) from Evansville. Seriously, the world is tiny sometimes. Problem solved. They pick him up, and spend the night with her husbands parents in even more Podunk, Indiana then drive five more hours the next morning. An amusing anecdote is born. But hey, he got there, and only a day late. And even better, the hotel was insanely understanding and let him cancel our room that night, so I stayed another one free with the bride and groom.
So what was I doing while he was roadtripping? Well, basically a whole bunch of wedding related stuff. As I said to the bride when asked if I minded helping out, “I kinda figure if you are within 25 feet of a bride or groom the few days before their wedding then you automatically will help with wedding stuff. It’s compulsory.” And hey, they were letting me stay with them! I’m going to refuse to wrap some gifts and make some phone calls? So there was all that, and it’s generally pretty fun, except for when you have to huddle on the other side of the room during the inevitable arguments. But at least I had the best man to talk with while we waited them out! And Thursday night we all went out to meet with a bunch of the wedding guests who were already in town (remember that the rehearsal dinner was supposed to be then) and get a little bit drunk. Just a little bit though, because there was stuff to be done on Friday.
Friday I went in the morning to the spa-y thing with the bridesmaids, but only because there was no way for me to get to the hotel and I was needed to help carry stuff. I basically would rather avoid being the non-bridesmaid in a situation like that, because it can’t help but be awkward! Luckily my bro and friends got into town soon after, so they came to pick me up and we stashed our stuff in their parents’ room (checked in the night before) then went to lunch downtown to meet another friend from highschool (not invited to the wedding). (I’m gonna call him JC, which are the initials to his first and middle name – his first name which he went by in highschool and his middle name which he goes by now.) Yadda, yadda, yadda – Chicago style pizza, architectural cruise, wandering around downtown, dinner and drinks. Around 11, my bro and I finally managed to check into our hotel room and then ran around a bit greeting all the people we knew who were staying there. (“And how are your parents…” etc.)
Saturday there was a slight conflict since JC was throwing this huge party for his boyfriend’s birthday. He really wanted us to come and we were pretty much like “um, WEDDING dude, reception, etc” and he was like “it can’t last all night” so we promised we would come afterwards. Of course then the wedding went on forever, but never let it be said that my bro and I don’t keep a promise, especially when it includes staying out late! It was a great wedding though; even the ceremony part was insane. The priest was their family one, and he was all familiar with the bride and her family and just basically cracked a bunch of jokes and was really proud of her and all. Really sweet. And all the music was done by her family (big theatre family) and they even had a whole family choir (well about 15 of them) rush to the front in the end and sing “oh happy day” as they walked back down the aisle. I loved it. It was the least boring mass I have ever been to, that’s for sure. And the reception was pretty awesome too. The people at our table were a bit boring, but we amused ourselves. And the dancing part was great, although it skeeves my bro to dance with for a long time with just me so I was forced to insert myself into other dancing groups once the roadtripfriends got tired of dancing. Then my bro kind of followed and joined in sometimes, so that worked out okay. It’s not really the best way to go to a wedding date-wise, but it is at least a reliable way to have fun since we get along, so I don’t really mind too much. We were some of the few single people there though – very couple heavy wedding. Three out of four of the bridesmaids were pregnant! And the other one was engaged. Barney would have been so disappointed!
Okay I feel like I’m getting off-track. This is how I tell a story in real life too, meandering and tangenting til I drive everyone crazy. So yes, great wedding, great reception – tons of dancing, food was good, everyone liked the baked goods we made earlier in the week. It went on until about 12:30 though, and JC was calling like crazy asking where we were. Some people (including roadtripfriends) went home. But we’re hardcore! We don’t leave til the party is over! Actually, I really don’t. I always stay until the very end of a wedding reception. And it was open bar. But I would stay even if I wasn’t drinking – I get happier the later is it, basically. It’s possible I’m a vampire. Or in training to become one. (Case in point? It’s almost 5AM right now and I am up for no reason.) Okay so where was I? Damn the tangents! Yes, good party. When it finally wound down, we had JC on the phone going “you’re calling to say you’re not coming, aren’t you? You guys suck!” but of course we were coming. So we cabbed it and got there around 1AM, party still going on, albeit in smaller form.
Here’s a little more background: JC wasn’t out in highschool, but he came out to us years ago. He and his boyfriend have been living together for about five years, but he’s only really properly been out to his family really recently. (Military dad, conservative, etc) This was the first time his brother had visited him since knowing, and he had brought his girlfriend for moral support (I guess). So anyways, we are chatting to everyone at the party, meeting people, drinking more. And around 3 or so people start to get tired. People are leaving, and the people from out of town are starting to go to sleep. But of course you have us die-hards still raring to go. So six of us (me, bro, JC, JCbro, JCbroGF, JCBF) go to some gay club they know nearby. Which is all well and fine until about an hour later when I come out of the bathroom and JC and JCbro are nowhere to be found. Turns out they had a kind of fight with some guy (at a gay club, like OMG) and got kicked out. Night ends there! We head home and sit down, which is the last thing I remember before waking up the next morning to my bro’s cell phone ring. It’s roadtripfriends, asking if we are about ready to meet for the breakfast that the wedding people are all going to. We freak, and hightail it back to the hotel, hoping to get back to our room to change before seeing anyone. No such luck. First we see the groom outside, which would have been no big deal. But then? In the hotel lobby, his mom, my old highschool English teacher. Fabulous! It took her a minute, but she figured out that we had just gotten in. And found it hilarious. And (we found out when we went to breakfast) proceeded to tell the story to practically everyone. Not exactly the thing you want half your highschool teachers to know. But I guess we looked like we party like rockstars? Or something. I’m holding onto that thought.
Everything else was (mostly) uneventful. We ate breakfast, checked out, and took the Underground (what’s it called in Chicago?) to the airport because we were too cheap for a cab. That took like two hours. Seriously. Then I hung out after his flight had taken off. There were no seats in first class so I only got business on the way back. HAH! ONLY BUSINESS! Woe is me. I got in around 8AM, but then found out my luggage had gotten left in Chicago, so that (and immigration) took another hour and a half or so to sort out. I had said I would go in to work, so I got there around 11. I totally should have taken the day off though, because I was exhausted and it threw off my whole week, sleep wise. Plus work was insane because Tues was, you know, the 15th of April, which is kinda important, tax-wise. Also, I spent both Monday and Tuesday night staying up and waiting for my luggage, which got delivered around 10PM on Tues. And also on Tues the whole landlord situation blew up again. We still don’t have a new signed contract. He’s threatening to withhold our bond as if we are in breach of it all (£2130!!!) etc. It’s crap basically. I really really hope we don’t end up in small claims court.
Ridiculous. As I told![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
basilm and iamseb when we were out on Friday night, I sometimes think I exist in a constant state of drama. I must be really annoying to put up with! But that’s just in real life. As for LJ, isn’t that kind of what this place is made for? Maybe I need an icon that just says "unnecessary drama!" to use like, all the time?
ETA: I just reread this entry, and it's really stream-of-consciousness sounding. But I can't really be bothered to edit. So read it if you dare, or care.
So anyways. As previously explained, he was booked on a flight Thursday morning that got canceled in the great AA scandal of ’08. (Yes, that’s what they’re calling it – hadn’t you heard?) Right. So the groom had gotten him re-booked on a flight Thursday night going through Evansville (our response – “where the hell is Evansville?” and the answer – it’s in Indiana, duh) and leaving just in time for him to book it to the airport. Unfortunately, then (on top of the whole AA thing) Chicago decided to have crap weather. And his second flight got canceled. So it’s Thursday night and he’s stuck in Podunk Indiana (no offence to anyone who may live in Indiana – I’ve actually never been there) and nowhere near Chicago. A look at Google maps though, tells us where it is near – Nashville! Which wouldn’t be that exciting except for the fact that our friend and her husband are driving to the wedding from where? You guessed it! Nashville. And not only is this someone driving, but it’s the person my bro knows best out of all the wedding guests, and the only one who was in his graduating class. (Most of the other people there from our highschool are my grade or higher, since the groom was a few years above me. And my bro is two years behind me, so there you go.) A few hurried calls later it is determined that they are already driving and currently about one hour away (ONE HOUR AWAY PEOPLE) from Evansville. Seriously, the world is tiny sometimes. Problem solved. They pick him up, and spend the night with her husbands parents in even more Podunk, Indiana then drive five more hours the next morning. An amusing anecdote is born. But hey, he got there, and only a day late. And even better, the hotel was insanely understanding and let him cancel our room that night, so I stayed another one free with the bride and groom.
So what was I doing while he was roadtripping? Well, basically a whole bunch of wedding related stuff. As I said to the bride when asked if I minded helping out, “I kinda figure if you are within 25 feet of a bride or groom the few days before their wedding then you automatically will help with wedding stuff. It’s compulsory.” And hey, they were letting me stay with them! I’m going to refuse to wrap some gifts and make some phone calls? So there was all that, and it’s generally pretty fun, except for when you have to huddle on the other side of the room during the inevitable arguments. But at least I had the best man to talk with while we waited them out! And Thursday night we all went out to meet with a bunch of the wedding guests who were already in town (remember that the rehearsal dinner was supposed to be then) and get a little bit drunk. Just a little bit though, because there was stuff to be done on Friday.
Friday I went in the morning to the spa-y thing with the bridesmaids, but only because there was no way for me to get to the hotel and I was needed to help carry stuff. I basically would rather avoid being the non-bridesmaid in a situation like that, because it can’t help but be awkward! Luckily my bro and friends got into town soon after, so they came to pick me up and we stashed our stuff in their parents’ room (checked in the night before) then went to lunch downtown to meet another friend from highschool (not invited to the wedding). (I’m gonna call him JC, which are the initials to his first and middle name – his first name which he went by in highschool and his middle name which he goes by now.) Yadda, yadda, yadda – Chicago style pizza, architectural cruise, wandering around downtown, dinner and drinks. Around 11, my bro and I finally managed to check into our hotel room and then ran around a bit greeting all the people we knew who were staying there. (“And how are your parents…” etc.)
Saturday there was a slight conflict since JC was throwing this huge party for his boyfriend’s birthday. He really wanted us to come and we were pretty much like “um, WEDDING dude, reception, etc” and he was like “it can’t last all night” so we promised we would come afterwards. Of course then the wedding went on forever, but never let it be said that my bro and I don’t keep a promise, especially when it includes staying out late! It was a great wedding though; even the ceremony part was insane. The priest was their family one, and he was all familiar with the bride and her family and just basically cracked a bunch of jokes and was really proud of her and all. Really sweet. And all the music was done by her family (big theatre family) and they even had a whole family choir (well about 15 of them) rush to the front in the end and sing “oh happy day” as they walked back down the aisle. I loved it. It was the least boring mass I have ever been to, that’s for sure. And the reception was pretty awesome too. The people at our table were a bit boring, but we amused ourselves. And the dancing part was great, although it skeeves my bro to dance with for a long time with just me so I was forced to insert myself into other dancing groups once the roadtripfriends got tired of dancing. Then my bro kind of followed and joined in sometimes, so that worked out okay. It’s not really the best way to go to a wedding date-wise, but it is at least a reliable way to have fun since we get along, so I don’t really mind too much. We were some of the few single people there though – very couple heavy wedding. Three out of four of the bridesmaids were pregnant! And the other one was engaged. Barney would have been so disappointed!
Okay I feel like I’m getting off-track. This is how I tell a story in real life too, meandering and tangenting til I drive everyone crazy. So yes, great wedding, great reception – tons of dancing, food was good, everyone liked the baked goods we made earlier in the week. It went on until about 12:30 though, and JC was calling like crazy asking where we were. Some people (including roadtripfriends) went home. But we’re hardcore! We don’t leave til the party is over! Actually, I really don’t. I always stay until the very end of a wedding reception. And it was open bar. But I would stay even if I wasn’t drinking – I get happier the later is it, basically. It’s possible I’m a vampire. Or in training to become one. (Case in point? It’s almost 5AM right now and I am up for no reason.) Okay so where was I? Damn the tangents! Yes, good party. When it finally wound down, we had JC on the phone going “you’re calling to say you’re not coming, aren’t you? You guys suck!” but of course we were coming. So we cabbed it and got there around 1AM, party still going on, albeit in smaller form.
Here’s a little more background: JC wasn’t out in highschool, but he came out to us years ago. He and his boyfriend have been living together for about five years, but he’s only really properly been out to his family really recently. (Military dad, conservative, etc) This was the first time his brother had visited him since knowing, and he had brought his girlfriend for moral support (I guess). So anyways, we are chatting to everyone at the party, meeting people, drinking more. And around 3 or so people start to get tired. People are leaving, and the people from out of town are starting to go to sleep. But of course you have us die-hards still raring to go. So six of us (me, bro, JC, JCbro, JCbroGF, JCBF) go to some gay club they know nearby. Which is all well and fine until about an hour later when I come out of the bathroom and JC and JCbro are nowhere to be found. Turns out they had a kind of fight with some guy (at a gay club, like OMG) and got kicked out. Night ends there! We head home and sit down, which is the last thing I remember before waking up the next morning to my bro’s cell phone ring. It’s roadtripfriends, asking if we are about ready to meet for the breakfast that the wedding people are all going to. We freak, and hightail it back to the hotel, hoping to get back to our room to change before seeing anyone. No such luck. First we see the groom outside, which would have been no big deal. But then? In the hotel lobby, his mom, my old highschool English teacher. Fabulous! It took her a minute, but she figured out that we had just gotten in. And found it hilarious. And (we found out when we went to breakfast) proceeded to tell the story to practically everyone. Not exactly the thing you want half your highschool teachers to know. But I guess we looked like we party like rockstars? Or something. I’m holding onto that thought.
Everything else was (mostly) uneventful. We ate breakfast, checked out, and took the Underground (what’s it called in Chicago?) to the airport because we were too cheap for a cab. That took like two hours. Seriously. Then I hung out after his flight had taken off. There were no seats in first class so I only got business on the way back. HAH! ONLY BUSINESS! Woe is me. I got in around 8AM, but then found out my luggage had gotten left in Chicago, so that (and immigration) took another hour and a half or so to sort out. I had said I would go in to work, so I got there around 11. I totally should have taken the day off though, because I was exhausted and it threw off my whole week, sleep wise. Plus work was insane because Tues was, you know, the 15th of April, which is kinda important, tax-wise. Also, I spent both Monday and Tuesday night staying up and waiting for my luggage, which got delivered around 10PM on Tues. And also on Tues the whole landlord situation blew up again. We still don’t have a new signed contract. He’s threatening to withhold our bond as if we are in breach of it all (£2130!!!) etc. It’s crap basically. I really really hope we don’t end up in small claims court.
Ridiculous. As I told
basilm and iamseb when we were out on Friday night, I sometimes think I exist in a constant state of drama. I must be really annoying to put up with! But that’s just in real life. As for LJ, isn’t that kind of what this place is made for? Maybe I need an icon that just says "unnecessary drama!" to use like, all the time?ETA: I just reread this entry, and it's really stream-of-consciousness sounding. But I can't really be bothered to edit. So read it if you dare, or care.
