Dancing Bears and First Dances

First off, a big congrats to M&J for the birth of their 11 pound baby boy. I'm still confirming reports that he immediately signed a contract with the Denver Broncos. And to J & B on their nuptials.

Last week I went to a major hippie wedding (see above!). The better half and I have a friend who is probably around 30 or so. We have known her for many years and is one of the most energetic and positive people I've ever met. So we were very happy to learn that she was to wed to an equally energetic fella. They moved to Michigan about a year ago so we really hadn't seen them or had any idea what to expect with the wedding.

It was scheduled to take place at Starved Rock, which is a state park in north central Illinois. For those of you unfamiliar with Ill (or even those that are), the park is on the bank of the Illinois River and actually has some significant cliffs (at least a couple hundred feet deep). Given the image of flat cornfields that can be found throughout much of Illinois, it can be a bit of a surprise to learn there actually are some hills! The wedding ceremony took place outdoors and was set up overlooking a beautiful bluff - great scenery. The view in the pic above is very similar to the overlook where the ceremony occurred.

So, just an overview of the hippie elements in the wedding. 1 - all the guys were wearing shorts, sandals and a normal button down short sleeve shirt. 2 - Jack Johnson played (on the PA system, not live, although that would have really been cool!) as the bridesmaids and groomsmen came down the aisle. 3 - All the flowers were sunflowers 4 - Bride and her mom made all the dresses, including her own 5 - Grateful Dead music played as the couple exited the ceremony and all throughout the reception dinner 6 - Cake topper was 2 dancing bears with stuff that each person associated with (chef's hat for one, cubs hat for the other!) 7 - The officiant was a minister but he was wearing this sash that he was sure to point out had religious symbols from various faiths meant to demonstrate respect for all people 8 - The honeymoon will be in Sedona, AZ

OK, I'm sure there was other stuff too but I'm old and I forget a lot of things. A great time was had by all. A personal highlight for me was the inclusion of Dr. Seuss in the bride's vows. Never seen that at a wedding before. Unfortunately we didn't last long at the reception as the better half was struggling with a cold so we called it an early night. But all in all, it was fun and a big congrats to the happy couple again.

I'm already halfway done with summer semester. I'm still running as fast as I can to catch up from the missed two weeks but I did manage to get the first paper done with the second one due Monday. Once I finish that, I just have a little more reading to do and some quick summaries of the reading assignments. Not bad! So, four more weeks of nonsense and all finished.

A little bummed that the family's trip to NY has to be rescheduled until August due to class schedule. Sucks but we'll get it done. And looking forward to one, and perhaps two dates to see my favs Seven Mary Three this weekend. Enough for now!

Song lyric of the day: "It's always better when we're together" Jack Johnson

Until next time.

Ace