You know you’ve had a busy weekend when your return to work on Monday morning feels like a much-needed respite. Of course, my “daily grind” is pretty cushy compared to what most of humanity has to deal with – it’s indoor work, no heavy lifting, lots of amiable companions, and a 401K (more or less). But work is work, indoors or out.
My nephew got married in Greenville, SC, all of our kids showed up with their respective spouses/companions/partners, and/or pets, and we made a full weekend of it. There was the rehearsal (some of us played and sang in the wedding), the rehearsal dinner, practicing some more on Saturday, the wedding proper Saturday evening, the reception, an impromptu after-after party in our hotel room, and a family brunch Sunday morning. We narrowly made airplane connections, burned gallons of fossil fuel on I-85, made our way through the beautifully contorted streets of Greenville and its surrounding areas (in some ways, Chicago is easier to navigate for me), shot gigapixels of digital photos, ate tons of food, and danced until our limbs would barely function.
Pursuant to the dancing comment, I would like to acknowledge the skill, enthusiasm, and musicianship of The Wes Loper Band, who played the reception. The night started with Wes playing and singing solo as the guests gathered, and the band steadily picked up steam from there. They made their way through an impressive set list (from classic Allman Brothers to Prince to Zac Brown), and their accurate covers were enhanced by a couple of really clever and unexpected segues, such as Dixieland Delight to Country Roads to I Want You To Want Me. I don’t think they took a break the whole night, and they were in full swing with a packed dance floor when they brought the reception in for a smooth landing, dispatching all of us out into the night to wave sparklers as the happy couple leapt in to a waiting limo and cruised off in pursuit of their future.
As my brother-in law observed, weddings and funerals are about the only times we do these really big events, and weddings are much more fun. We great time visiting family members new and old, and making new friends.
I wish happiness and success not only to the happy couple, but to all of us that are cruising off in pursuit of our futures.