Sunday was wedding day! I can't tell you everything that was happening wedding-side, but I can recount some of our story. The family was all gathered in Staunton...including Shane. He had spent the night with Nana and Pop, so that he could be around the cousins.
That should have meant a quiet morning for Carrie and I, but the horses got up to mischief. Nibs has been running around presenting herself and Sam figured out something he might be able to do about it.
He was hopping up to go into action when Carrie opened the kitchen window. "KNOCK IT OFF!"
He actually did! Here was a 1,600 lbs horse up on two legs, ready for action, and he turned and looked sheepish (Maybe it was from having an audience?).
Sam must have been feeling pent up, because he kicked his stall door while waiting for breakfast.
I don't know if it was a full on buck, but he knocked the screws in the hinges loose.
I expected to see Shane running around when I arrived, but he was an electronic zombie. "I just got it, Dad!"
I made Shane change and then I let him get back to it. Honestly? I wanted to talk to everyone and Shane being in one place made it easier.
Megan, her boys, and Shane were the first of my siblings on the scene. All of the cousins had visited the Frontier Museum beforehand. Kathleen, Stu, and crew went to the hotel to change, but Sammy was already wearing a t-shirt with a tie.
Nana, Pop, Jama, and Dot were the next arrivals.
Nana immediately called me out on my shoes.
I knew sneakers weren't overly formal, but in my defense, it was an outdoor wedding in 90+ degree weather at a barn at a frontier culture museum. Sneakers were practical. Shelby's family enjoys the formal, but I'm McRuari through and through.
A limo pulled up with the wedding party and the rest of the cousins arrived afterward.
Shelby rushed up the hill while Patrick worked to figure out where the limo was needed next.
Matt and Andy tried to figure out how to properly don a bow-tie with limited success.
The internet, fumbling around, and divine intervention let things fall into place......after a while!
The "kids' room" was air-conditioned, so everyone who didn't have to pose for photos retreated there after the bow-tie incident.
It was a party! More and more family sauntered in (I think Jim and Shawn were next. The rest of the clan followed soon after).
My love was amongst the arrivals! I caught her trying to walk into the museum and called her over to where we were (The GPS was acting screwy).
The ceremony started right on time (maybe even a shade early!). Shane yelled out to Patrick as everyone was quieting down. It was funny....and then he was shushed down. "Let the focus be on Patrick and Shelby right now. It's their wedding."
Patrick might have preferred some of the focus to shift off of him, but that's not the way weddings work around here. Standard procedure is the groom gets to stand in front of everyone awkwardly until the bride comes to the rescue. Everyone stands and all eyes shift her way. When she reaches the altar it becomes a team effort.
It was a team victory today!
Post-wedding was time for cocktails and socializing. I took some pictures, but I was mostly socializing. I looted a lot of the following pictures from Facebook.
But not this one. I caught Ann here, but never got Jack. The backs of the heads from left to right are Dennis, Shawn, and Jim!
I caught the young horde coming up the hill right after. The boys kept going and climbed another hill. where they went a little nutty wrestling. Shane has perfected his zombie walk.
I didn't talk to many people on Shelby's side of the family, but it wasn't on purpose. There were so many people on our side of things I don't normally see that I had to catch up with!
Aunt Beth was running around with stories of visiting Morocco to see her daughter who's serving in the Peace Corps.
Kevin got put to work pushing a stroller for part of the night.
Jim and Shawn sadly did not bring any brownies (Don't tell Shelby, but I would have preferred that to wedding cake....and it was a good cake, so that's no slight!).
Dinner started almost an hour after the ceremony. Nana posted this picture of Jama and Dot.
And this one of herself and Pop.
Shane and I sat with Marcus and his girlfriend, Lauren. Carrie had left to check on the farm, so Marcus and I came to a gentleman's agreement to eat all her food. Lauren almost let slip to the waiter that Carrie wasn't around, but realized her folly before it was too late.
We ate well.
Shane had snacked on the kid food downstairs, so I got to help polish off his pasta, too.
It was a fun night. Marcus and I called Andrew over to sit with us after dinner. Patrick made Andy, the shyest yet functional guy he knows, give a toast. Andy recalled when he and Patrick were first seated together in school by a teacher hoping they'd balance each other out (Spoiler: It didn't work). I stood up to tap my glass and make the couple kiss......right as Shelby ran out to change into dancing attire.
I sat back down.
Patrick and Shelby's first dance was a fast, Irish jig that Patrick had been singing the night they'd met. Patty was nervous about it, because it was not an easy number. I thought they did rather well (certainly better than I would have). They made it to the first twirl, tangled, and then restarted with a laugh. They danced around a little more and then others stepped forth. I heard that Nana wanted to do the YMCA for the Mother-Son dance, but we left before I ever saw if that was a lark.
Unfortunately, Shane and I had school in the morning or we could have stayed around. We listened to the second book of the How to Train Your Dragon series and started the hour drive home a little after 8:30 PM (Shane, who didn't need to use the bathroom before we left, needed to use the bathroom minutes after leaving at a MacDonald's down the road).
It was a fun night! May God bless, strengthen, and protect the marriage of Shelby and Patrick!
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