Wedding bells

Time slows down for major life events such as Joe and Leonor's marriage this week.  So much was packed in, in such a short period of time, so many important moments that I will undoubtedly leave one or two, even more out.  

What was obvious was that everyone present wanted to share Leonor's and Joe's happiness beyond the small circle that was there.  I think the phrase heard the most after "congratulations" was "see you in Portugal."

So, in the sharing as much as possible vein, there were three events: a rehearsal-type dinner the night before where the Fontouras met the Dicksons; the civil ceremony in the DC courthouse; and a reception/dinner at Old Ebbet's Grill.

The first dinner at the Lebanese Taverna started out noisy, but pretty soon, I think our party was making the most noise.  We eventually drove everyone out of the place, and were the last to leave.  It's remarkable how everyone from Portugal spoke English, and how they were even speaking English to each other.  None of them had been to Washington, and the first to arrive were caught up in the snow storm on Sunday.  They had beautiful pictures.  The next group from Portugal arrived in the bad weather, but were able to enjoy rather quickly the beautiful spring-like weather that followed.  They did what everyone in Washington does: they walked, the length of the mall, taking in museums and all.  I should mention that when Joe arrived, he handed his work-phone to Leonor who kept it out of his grasp for the next 48 hours.

The ceremony at the courthouse took place the following day in the afternoon.  Mary and I picked up Joe at his house, and we made a mad dash through the traffic and arrived there after everyone else, but still on time.  There's a small cute chapel tucked away in the corridors of a large bureaucratic building.  The judge (or presiding official) was very nice, saying at the outset that her instructions would be longer than the actual ceremony.  But the language was familiar, and moved more than a few of us to teary eyes.  Leonor's friend took some photos that we will see soon.  The photo on the below, though, I believe was the only one of the happy couple on their way out of the courthouse.  If you look closely you can spot the wedding bands on their left hands!!

We went from their right to the Old Ebbet's Grill across the street from the White House, or the Treasury Department, and we had to restrain Joe from going over to check in to see if they needed him.  Not really.  Proseco, steak and crab cakes were on the menu, but so were some very heartfelt remarks from nearly everyone present.  We learned a few things about Joe, we remembered the first time we met Leonor (setting up a tent in the pouring rain at Assateague,) we heard how they met and met the young woman who introduced them. In his remarks, Andrew made note of the exclusive in-law club that Leonor had joined. Leonor's brothers spoke, one in Portuguese, with Leonor translating, but the other in flawless English.  It was all really special, with many moments that Leonor and Joe would revisit for many years to come.  And, of course, when we broke up, we were all talking up a Portugal visit.

We did get together at Joe and Leonor's house Friday evening for pizza dinner (along with Gerry and Dennis, our hosts). We picked up Annie at Margaret and Andrew's the next morning and headed home.  Margaret and Andrew were on their way to Lancaster for the weekend before heading to Mexico for a week.  The wedding couple looked exhausted, ready for a rest.

On the way back, we stopped in Princeton for a brunch with Peter, Janet and Sean where we caught up on their news.  Sean is living in West Orange with his high school friend, Clint, and working at Rutgers; Janet had just returned from a week of school trips to NYC with Princeton Day students, and Peter is taking a class on African-American literature in the 20th century.

We got home late on Saturday and played host to our friend Charlie from North Carolina who was up here visiting his son who goes to Williams.

This week, we're off to Gabon, but with fresh memories of a great week, and a wonderful wedding.  Congratulations to Joe and Leonor, and see you in Portugal.

Love from up here.    

   

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February is for Valentines

Happy day of love to everyone!  We need it to survive the arctic blast of cold, not just here but apparently wherever you are.  I do think we here in western Mass may have outdone everyone else as the high temps for the day reached 1 degree.  That is not a typo.  As a result, for the first time, we have kept our wood-stove going for 24 hours straight.

We had a memorable week up here.  A Super Bowl party, followed by a Super Boss party.  Annie, Margaret and Andrew came up over the weekend (and D).  It was nice to be able to watch a Super Bowl where we weren't really invested in either of the teams.  We could just eat our chili and once-a-year Fritos and relax.  Even the half time show was good, though none of us were really sure why Coldplay was there.  

Anyway, Annie got up early the next morning to head back to Stamford CT for work and Margaret and Andrew both worked from home.  Until..... it was time to get in the car and go to Albany to see Bruce, better known as Springsteen, in concert.  My first, after having listened to and been inspired by him for my entire adult life.  It was wonderful.  I know from Peter and Janet and Jeff and Melodie and many others that he gives us a great show, and he did not disappoint.  It's easy to philosophize about this appeal, especially when you have people from all generations belting out the lines to Hungry Heart, or why some lines about fighting or racing in the streets appeal to someone who has never done either.  But it works, and we love his music.  

There was another concert Super Bowl weekend, this one at Hope College, and the photo here is of Claire and her roommates who are also musicians.  Andrew and Lur went to Michigan to watch the inaugural concert for a new music center at Hope.  The entire program was organized by the students, featuring jazz and classical ensembles.  And Claire.  Congrats.  

Yesterday was bachelor and bachelorette parties in Washington, for Joe and Leonor.  Sounds like they had some fun, extended activities planned.  Hope the weather didn't intrude too badly.  We are heading down there tomorrow, for the big day, this coming Thursday.  Exciting.

Other news, includes Annie moving to Boston.  She is now officially looking for apartments and will transfer there by first of April.  And, Margaret has a new job, working on a large exchange program for Africans.  It's an Obama legacy program, and she may end up traveling to Africa to recruit and select participants.  Can I come?  Joe too has been busy at work, as the New York Times implied this morning with worries about the Chinese economy.   Hopefully, he can fix their issues in time for his wedding!!

Big news from Florida as well.  John and Marilyn have a new house, in the same town.  The photos and descriptions sound great.  What we zoomed right in on was the number of bedrooms.  Looks like they have guest room(s)!  It is near a golf course, tennis courts and swimming pool.  Hard to even imagine swimming when it's 1 degree outside.  But congratulations. Other news includes a nice dinner with Colleen and Pauline who are now in NY at the Westminster dog show.

We've seen some good movies - The Revenant (though Mary covered her face so much I am not sure she can really say she saw it) and Spotlight, as well as the Martian, Brooklyn and The Big Short.  We were going to go out tonight to watch the Oscar nominated shorts, but it's too cold.  

Primary season has started, so we see a lot of family comments, on Facebook, and in conversations.  Looks like we're a little all over the map, though, I think we can all agree it was nice to see Chris Christie head back to New Jersey.  Although I am not sure the New Jersey Dicksons want him back.  

And, we started packing for Gabon today.  Our portable "loo," donated shoes, flashlights, medicines, etc.  Not sure we have much room for clothing.  Departure is Feb 25, less than 2 weeks away.  Yikes.  

Did someone mention birthday?  No?  Well, it was spectacular.  

Happy Valentines Day everyone, We love you!