Back on the 13th, I flew out to Dallas to attend two weddings with Daniel. On the same day. Both brides were named Kathy. The first occurred in Austin, which is about a 3.5 hour drive from Dallas, and was (is) Daniel's best friend Kathy. We arrived in Austin at 1 AM after driving back from DFW, and Kathy had asked us to arrive at the location at 7:30 AM. We decided that was impossible and got there about an hour later to help set up. Her wedding was gigantic by my standards - 150 people in attendance - and her organization was something of which any soldier would be proud. A binder was filled with cross-referenced lists, maps, and images of items, people, locations, and other things needed. The ceremony was blessedly short and thoughtfully punctuated by the groom's sister reading Dr. Seuss' eternal classic, "Oh, The Places You'll Go!".
We left their reception at 2 PM and headed up for Dallas, getting there around 5:30 PM for Daniel's cousin Kathy's wedding. This wedding was a lot smaller, and Daniel's mom officiated the ceremony. I guess I am used to secular and Catholic weddings, because whatever branch of the Christianity umbrella that his mom ministers in likes the word "covenant". Which is fine, it was just not something I'd heard a lot in other weddings. This ceremony was also fairly short, and then we were into the reception. We helped pack up after this wedding, and as a result we had a long day and did not return to our hotel until after 11 PM.
The next morning, we were back off to DFW, and Daniel dropped me off. I flew to Lake Charles and visited my parents for a day, which was wonderful, and both my mom and I were sad that I did not have more time to spend there. My mom is still mourning the loss of Pia, but I think it is getting slightly better as time goes by.
Monday afternoon, I flew from Lake Charles to Florida for a work conference. We were located at Fort Walton Beach, near Eglin AFB. It was two days of sitting in a hotel room with a folded-up Murphy bed, looking at a projector with 10 other engineers and editing a document en masse. Luckily, the hotel was adjacent to the beach, which I took full advantage of the first morning. I was falling asleep during our initial meeting, and as we took a break I ran out, took my shoes off, and waded around in the sand & seawater for a few minutes. This totally invigorated me and I was in fine shape for the rest of the day. I also met some really nice guys from NASA, the FAA, and Transport Canada (the Canadian FAA).
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| Sunset on Fort Walton beach. |
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| Leslie & me at dinner |
On the way home Friday, I finished a sock:
Saturday, Daniel and I were off to the Navy's Submarine Birthday Ball. I was very proud of my dress choice this time. In our official photos, my face looks just like my paternal grandmother. Not a bad thing, just somewhat startling how facial features can skip a generation. Plus the dress did a good job hiding my gut. I think we looked pretty good considering we rushed to get to the ferry. I didn't have time to get hairspray and forgot my jewelry, Daniel forgot his mini-pins, shoulder thingies (I know there's a technical name, but they're the little blue things on shoulders of button-down shirts that you see on pilots and military personnel), and his belt. Luckily the belt was hiding in his car. He said he was blaming me for the disappearance of the pins, but I think he just didn't remember where he stored them when he took the uniform for cleaning.
We had a really nice time and sat with his work group. He also had the foresight to secure an on-base hotel room about 200 feet from the venue, which was quite helpful when my knees succumbed to hurting from my heels.
On the ferry home from the ball Sunday morning, I bound off my Evendim sweater! YAY! The collar was the last part that was taking forever. Now I just have to weave in ends and figure out how to finish the bottom of the split for the collar.
Last night, we had dinner with our good friends J&D, and we grilled prosciutto-wrapped shrimp, salmon, and asparagus, and we made a large salad which I dressed with a vinaigrette made with a delicious apple cider vinegar D had purchased at the farmer's market (and which I am hellbent on splurging on - it is delicious!). We also cracked a bottle of rose, and J ponied up a 6 pack of hard cider. Unfortunately, we had to leave at 8:45 PM as we all had to wake up Monday for work.
In other random news, our tenants in the duplex we live in are moving out. This means we have an available unit for rent, and hopefully we'll find a good candidate soon! Daniel's Craigslist ad generated a lot of interest, and we've had a few walk-up candidates. I would like to paint the unit before the next people move in - we need to cover up the drywall patches from the electrical overhaul, and I think new paint will just brighten up and freshen up the place. "Class up the joint", if you will.
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