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May 30, 2006
The Fairy Tale
My baby brother got married to a wonderful woman this weekend. It was the most amazing thing. My favorite moments:
1) Watching Jeff pace the garden at The Hastings House, memorizing his vows.2) When my sister and I both realized simultaneously that the second song they played was from Pretty Woman (Lauren Wood's Fallen), the scene where they get on the plane to head to the SF opera house.
3) Watching my mom and dad cut some serious rug on the dance floor. Never seen either one of them dance before.
4) Hearing Jeff's wife(!) Jen use the words, "like" and "awesome" in her vows. She rocks.
5) Knowing that whatever life brings them, they'll face it with love.
It's funny. I've lost my innocence about marriage. Part of it might be watching Laurie go through the last few years of hell. Part of it might be watching my own ill-begotten hopes at matrimony fall apart. I've stopped thinking it will definitely happen for me mainly because I know I won't let it happen unless it's with someone I know is in it for the long haul. And that's hard to come by. Usually you can weed them out by the second date, really. Sometimes even the first.
Not many people have staying power.
But watching my brother and Jen stand up there in front of everyone, seeing their eyes full of love, knowing they'll make it. Then watching my parents and Jen's parents get their groove on. Made me think, well, maybe.
Maybe. I'm not ready to get googly-eyed and 22 again. And I definitely don't want the fairy tale. I don't even really think I'm ready to get married. But maybe I'm ready to stop being such a cynic and get out there again and hope for the best. Not for the fairy tale, but for something warm and comfortable, and, as Jen says, for something awesome.
Posted by jen at May 30, 2006 09:43 PM
Comments
I have been waiting to hear details of the wedding. I knew it would be wonderful.
As far as marriage goes, then my belief is that if it happens, it happens. If it doesn't, then I'll still be OK.
Posted by: Dagny at May 31, 2006 12:06 AM
you're so sweet. :)
Posted by: carolyn at May 31, 2006 06:11 AM
What dress did you end up wearing?
Everyone in my medical school class is either engaged or married. It's rather galling.
Posted by: Gloria at May 31, 2006 09:35 AM
I kind of want to read about the engagement! I looked on your brother's 2 sites and his fiancee's not-updated-since-July site and couldn't find anything about it in any of those places.
Posted by: Star Firstbaseman at June 1, 2006 05:50 AM
Gloria, I ended up wearing the brown one from Barrister's Ball. I'll post a photo gallery evenutally.
Dagny, you'll get the details in the photo gallery. It WAS wonderful.
Carolyn, I am not sweet most of the time, most of the time a bitter old hag in fact. But it was sweet to see my family so happy.
Star Firstbaseman, theit engagement story is fairly ordinary, but not the story of how they met. They met in Venice! Which is where they're now honeymooning.
Posted by: jen at June 4, 2006 11:19 PM
You know, the best part of that picture is that you can see your brother's wedding ring, glinting on his finger. How cool and they look so beautiful.
Posted by: Noelle at June 5, 2006 04:34 PM