This weekend was a busy one, followed by a hectic week which hasn't allowed me to really think or write very much until now. My midterms are over. After insane study, I think I did well.
Lindsey and I went house looking again on Saturday. There is a quaint little house in Albemarle that is also very cheap. We may rent it. The last place we viewed was a dump and made the modest first house seem like a palace. The first house sits among several homes owned by various members of the Burris family. That makes for a nice, quiet neighborhood. The road divides a fairly rural landscape also, dotted by cows and lined with old wooden fences. But it's only a couple of miles from downtown Albemarle (if you'd like to call it that). It isn't our dream house, but it will be our first, and so I'm accepting and happy about it.
Other than the Oscars, we watched Duke fumble at home against Carolina. That's always a treat. And to think of the preseason projections made about the "new team." We lost 91% of our scoring force, and sport a light bench full of freshmen. "Fifteen wins will be a great accomplishment for this young team." I have no idea how they'll do in the ACC Tournament or the NCAA, but I'm very happy with the year so far. It was great to see J.J. Redick virtually scoreless for half an hour. I'm heartless.
Saturday evening my family and James' met at Joel's Seafood in Ansonville. Grampa was there, as was Justin, Alexis, Nathan, Josh, and Jodi. It had been a while since we were together like that. It was a great time as usual. I asked Justin if Alexis would want to be our flower girl. I'd forgotten about her taking on that job at Josh & Jodi's wedding. He said she would. Josh, Nathan, and Justin all again confirmed their roles as groomsmen. Apparently, according to Lindsey, we're suppose to be fitted this coming weekend. I need to call Jeremy and ask if he can make it. He's the wildcard—his choice decides the fate of the rest. If he can come and is willing to be a groomsman, then Nathan will probably fall back to an usher, along with Eric and David. I asked Grampa if he'd be my best man, but the trip to Virginia is a journey for the ol' guy, and he might not feel up to it. I hope he's able to, though, because it would be great to have my last grandparent in one of the most honored positions. Not only that, but I love him and I've looked up to him throughout my life. He's one of the rare few I admit to admiring.
Who knew that a wedding would be so easy to organize? I mean, really—this is a breeze. All you have to do is search through photographers, caterers, and the like, and choose the best ones for the job. Then rent out a place for the rehearsal dinner, the wedding, and the reception. The bridesmaids dresses have to be picked out, sized, and altered. Then do the same for the guys. And make sure they match. Wait, before all that you have to spend 3 months in indecision about colors for the wedding. Then, decide on what type of flowers and decorations will highlight the church. Unity candle? Someone to sing in the wedding? Who? What time will the wedding begin? Then you have to make list after list of who to invite from each side of the deal. Choose invitations. Fill out invitations. Mail invitations. Make arrangements for showers and parties. Spend nightmarish afternoons registering at different stores. Find a place to live. Choose where to go for the honeymoon and arrange all that. Select the food to be served at the reception. Pick out dozens of songs for it, the order they go in, and the DJ to take care of it all. Are we going to have games during the reception? What, when? You have to choose a cake and the person to make it. Find the perfect cake topper. You need to call Jeremy! How is the reception hall going to be decorated? Are we video taping it? I forgot how many hours the photographer is working for us. I think we should change this, I think we should do that. We need to get a marriage license. We need to buy wedding bands. Oh yeah, we have to meet with the officiant so he can confirm our sanity and expel any demons. When are we going to move all my crap from home and school to the new house? I have to get new glasses! Did you say something about a PowerPoint presentation? I hate the way I smile. Are we having our teeth whitened? Will birth control be affected by the other medicines you take? How long can we stay in Nags Head? I have class beginning on the 22nd, so I can't stay too long. Can I stay there for a while longer and meet you back home later?
All of this, and money is a part of nearly everything, too. Plus, Lindsey tells me the above is only half of it—as the boy, there are lots of things I don't even know about.
I wish we could skip all the flowers, decorations, and other frills. Part of me thinks of it as selfish. Why spend a couple thousand dollars on things dedicated to a single day? Sure, it's our wedding day, but there so many things of greater importance. What's important to me is the actual act of marriage and the gathering of friends and family. The reception/party is important to me for those reasons. We don't need to spend several thousands, however.
"Maybe you should consider what girls like. What's important to her. A wedding is different for girls."
Maybe girls need to straighten out their priorities.
Yeah, I said it.
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