I Have Returned!

GoodMorrow Friends and Neigbors,

Let me apologize in brief for the terrible dryspell here at the Blog. What with the Florida trip and finals fast approaching, things have been chaotic to say the very least, but not a day has gone by without my wishing I were posting. If only I could be a professional journaler!

Second on my ever-growing bullet list of items we need to discuss is my Sister's Wedding. I know alot of you were unable to attend, understandably, so let me fill you in (again, in brief. When pictures are available I swear I'll do a full-out report, pulling out the stops and giving you the best society column I can manage, but for now, I'll cut to the chase!). The flight down was lovely. After the 5 hour greyhound bus ride to and from Boston a couple of weeks back, this seemed like a jaunt on a commuter train (except for the pressure related ear-popping and the beverage cart)! I tell you, in all honesty that it felt as if I had just begun to settle in when the Captain announced we would be beginning our descent into the Ft. Lauderdale Area. It was somehwat late at night Friday when we arrived at the Miami Holiday Inn, and as chance would have it, Mum was in the Lobby to greet us! It seemed we were the last to arrive, as i couldn't leave until after my afternoon acting class, but I'm told Danny and Rachel WORKED on friday, thus they take the prize for last across the finish line.
Saturday morning dawned beautifully, and I finally got to see those palm trees I had glimpsed in the dark of Friday evening. What a fun and exotic location! It felt so very differsnt from all the places I've been, even L.A. and Virginia Beach, which are both warm\beachy climates. Some people had a view of the port from their windows and we could see thw HUGE Royal Carribbean Cruise Ship that we would all be boarding in a few short hours to attend the ceremony and reception.
Many members of the Fam had a scattered Breakfast Buffet at the Holiday Inn dining room, but not the Bride! She was having her Hair done in a very princess-ly fashion (again, you'll see pictures soon I hope.)and at 9:45 AM we all boarded a small fleet of shuttle vans and were taken to the Cruise Ship! After a seemingly interminable length of time spent standing around like so many herded cattle we finally. . . (skipping over some real tedium here) . . . boarded the ship.
What an exciting thing! It was like being in an indoor-city! Shops, restaurants, attractions! It was lovely. I'm told the boat boasts a mini=golf course, a cinema, bowling alleys, arcades, casinos, an Ice-skating rink and more than several swimming pools. What a luxury! I'm sure the fam is finding plenty of things to do out there on the open ocean!
The wedding took place in a fun lounge\banquet hall with big cushy couches and armcairs. Quite the most Comfortable wedding ceremony I've ever attended, and very well orchestrated too. Not a hitch, not a moment of stress (well, none that i could see, but then I wasn't a featured player :)). All the Wedding party (and guests too now that I think of it) Looked Very Lovely. -Possibly my favorite ensemble of the day was my cousin Sean's "Tux"- which was actually a t-shirt with a picture of a tuxedo torso printed on it- compete with a carnation boutineer!
Sharon was radiant, I shed a tear or two and then was wrangled into pictures and then (gulp) singing! I sang a wedding song by wedding singer Glenn Navis called Take My Hand. I probably should have taken my brother's advice and finished my drink before I got up there- it may have eased my nerves! But, The happy couple were pleased with it, and that's the important thing. I sincerely hope it was a gift they will hold in their hearts as I cherish the giving of it.
Then, in the very same room (very large mind you and multi-functional) the reception was held. The food spread was very impressive, and even with my picky tastes I found plenty to enjoy. I tell you, I even tried Salmon, which I have always wanted to sample, but have never been willing to shell out the money on something with such slim chances of being palatable. This salmon, however, was FREE! It was not bad folks. I'm not a seafood eater (much to the chagrin of my New-England blood), and while this was fishy, it was much more tasty than any other fish I've ever sampled- with the exception of Shark (which, whenever I eat it is always quite thoroughly covered in alot of teriaki sauce, so who really knows if shark is yummy?). Only one person could find nothing to eat, but pizza was ordered and all was well!
The whole affair was lovely, and my one wish is that more family could have had the chance to attend. All in all it was a rather small wedding- and I missed the Reardons! Then, those-who-were-not-sailing were asked to leave the boat and none have been heard from since!
I can't wait to hear about the rest of the adventure!

~~Well, Unfortunately, this post was not as brief as I had wanted and now I'm afraid i'll have to wrap it up! i have plenty of schoolwork to be getting on with here and with a sigh, I must say goodnight for now. Stay tuned for the next items on the agenda: Extolling the virtues of the New York Public Library System, and Miami's Sunny Seaquarium! ~~


Distractedly yours,
Beth!