The Big Wedding

Saturday, July 29th, 2006

Wedding Day, James & Ashlee. It was a beautiful day out by the lake, and I have to admit that Melanie looked like a little angel. She wore this little blue sundress with blue sandals (both about 2 sizes too big, but Grammy wanted them to be able to be grown into). She carried a little basket with her flower petals in it, and had her hair braided. She did look really sweet. I was the photographer for the wedding, and it was fun to do that…but I was distracted at times by my daughter. The other two flower girls, Ashlee’s nieces, pranced their way down the path, and threw petals along the way. Literally MINUTES later comes along Miss Melanie. She will not drop any flowers. Her Uncle James actually walked up the isle to meet her about half way so that she would mosey on down there. Everyone of course is ooooohing and aahhhhing all the way down, and the cameras were just snapping away. Where am I (the wedding photographer?) Down front, with the high powered camera in my hand, trying not to glare at my daughter in front of all those people. It was actually pretty funny, but I just didn’t want her holding things up. We had practiced our “chant” the entire day. “Keep walking. No stopping. Drop flowers.” I mean, we could have had a sandwich board with that printed on it, for as many times as we said it!

She and her Uncle James finally got to the front. She went to stand by the other flower girls, looking cute in her little blue dress, turns around, sees me, and asks (loudly!), “Mommy, can I have my PEZ now?” I’ll admit it. I bribed her. I’m not ashamed. Everyone laughed. I mean, this is the child who wouldn’t say boo to most people all day. Admittedly, there were a LOT of people there – 99% of whom she did not know – so I don’t blame her for being a little bit shy. But that pez comment was neither shy nor quiet. Goofy.

Brian’s cousins were there (most of the 42 of them) – but specifically, the cousins he was closest to growing up, and the ones I know and like very much. Derek & Kyle are brothers, and their sister Maria. Derek has a new wife, a very pretty Corey. Melanie met her and said “Wow – her hair is so pretty!” She is oriental, and just stunning, to be frank. Maria was there with her boys, Sam and Jack, and they and Melanie played for a bit too. Kyle was there with his girlfriend, Megan, and she was just a sweetie too – she and I got along very well for the several days that we were there. Anyway, Melanie took quite a liking to Kyle. She would play with him, and one really hot part of Friday, he had taken her for a ride in his car, because they were both bright red from the heat. They drove around in a circle about 2 miles per hour, with the AC blasting, and she thought she was big stuff, buddy! Well, Friday night she was talking to me and asked me if Kyle “mooed”. I was a little confused at first, until I figured out what she was saying. In the south, the name Kyle sounds exactly like COW. And that’s how she was saying his name. Cow. Let me tell you what, I laughed a LOT about that! Kyle was such a good sport about it; he laughed with her, and mooed for the rest of the weekend with her too. It was cute.