I stayed with my Chicago-era friend The Coffee Goddess in her fantastic two-story house (a real HOUSE!), where we had gluten-free beer (surprisingly delicious) and late-night tea on her back patio as we tried to avoid mosquitos while listening to the sound of laughing water from the nearby river. In a too-short but much-needed reunion, we fell back into our old, comfortable routine of discussing 42 (or, as it's more commonly known, "life, the universe and everything"). My lovely hostess took me on both a driving and walking tour of the streams, rivers and waterfalls, even as the rain drizzled down on our heads. Happiness is...sharing raindrops with an old, dear friend taking a break from studying for the bar exam!
The Pollock and Oxford Comma's wedding was a small gathering of friends and family, and even though I knew no one but the soon-to-be-married couple, I was made to feel welcomed and included by everyone.
Happiness is...seeing two fabulous people who truly love each other come together for what you know will be a contented forever.
After the short, refreshingly non-religious ceremony, we all made our way to the reception for a de-LISH vegetarian dinner. One more reason I love The Pollock and OC: They are sincerely conscientious of the animal kingdom, putting their money where their mouths are and doing all they can to help make the world a better place for all creatures great and small.
Fun Fact: So while I'm not a huge clubber on a nightly basis, we all know how much I love to dance at weddings, dragging anyone and everyone onto the floor with me to keep the party going. There was an interesting moment during the first dance wherein I scared off one of The Pollock's high school friends by asking him to dance. No really, I literally scared him off: When we were all called to join the newlyweds on the floor, I of course dragged the only other single guy at our table into the dancing crowd. After breaking off midstride before the song was even finished, the poor boy left and never came back! Maybe it was my sorcerous French perfume...?
I came prepared to give a speech in case The Pollock needed a stress reliever, and while my anxiety-ridden nerves were slightly relieved that this turned out to be unnecessary, I thought it would serve a bit of closure to use my words in my infinitely more comfortable writing voice:
"From the dull clink of the paper cup 'cheers' at our first liquid lunch I knew Val and I would be lifelong friends. Actually, if you measure how long Val, John and I have known each other in real time it might not seem like very long, but in my heart I feel as if it's already been ages, which is a warm fuzzy feeling I don't have about many people. Although we will be half a world away from each other for the foreseeable future, at least we've already established a pond-hopping habit now that we've celebrated our first of many international (and meatless, natch!) Thanksgivings. (We'll always have Paris! haha!) I love you both so very much...everyone should be so lucky to have such a strong, loving relationship like yours was, is, and always will be! Happy wedding!"
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