So to start of the retelling of this past weekend I will recant in chronological order.
Before we left the house Tyler informed me he would not wait any longer for a haircut like Daddy’s. So out came the scissors & clippers.
Now just to refresh your memory here is a picture of Tyler before the haircut (he had his head hanging out the window while we drove home from school so it’s all windswept but look how much there is!)
Now the new & I suppose improved (I am not happy about him not having his ‘surfer dude’ haircut anymore) hair.
And of course Tyler & Daddy together with their matching haircuts!
Now for the pile of hair that came off his head. If you are squeamish at such things scroll down for the fun wedding stuff.
Now onto the fun weekend stuff!!
We arrived at the Anderson house and John, Tracy’s dad, had our beds all set up for us.
Now with our little adjustments, our blankies & pillows. It’s a little creepy that Tracy & I are so much alike that we have the same blankets (little differences in color choices) and the same pillows (hers with extra pillowcase, mine without).
On to the wedding! Yay!
The ceremony itself was the most amazing, perfect, appropriate ceremony I have ever been to. The blending of the two families belief systems was seamless & that is a bit of a feat when you are blending spiritual Californians with Jewish New Jersey-ans. The two families couldn’t be more alike, oddly the Gimpel’s are the east coast version of the Wilfords. I know most of you reading this don’t know Ali or our connection so quickly here it is.
We met in the 7th grade & were instantly attached at the hip. We found it rather perfect that we were opposite in some ways, I had black hair and she has blonde, but we were so the same in most other ways! Our love of what was really ‘wierd’ music such as The Dead Milkmen (a little more on that later) and the love of black clothing. Now, I don’t mind aging myself so I will tell you that this was in 1988 when most people didn’t wear black at all. It is really very sad to me that the only way I have to describe what we looked like is to compare us to ‘goth’ kids. Lots of loud punk rock moments in those years!
Now we are grown adults, boring in all our normalcy.
Back to the wedding & reception. It was held at a gorgeous winery in the the Sierra Foothills about 30 miles east of Sacramento in Shingle Springs, CA. Towering oaks, pines and willows that were blowing in the afternoon breeze in 90 degree weather. It wasn’t too hot and the wind was just cool enough to make it rather comfortable to sit out in it. They were married in a gazebo with the vineyards around and behind for a beautiful view. The farmhouse setting of the reception was perfect with a deck for dancing.
Once inside the farmhouse reception room there were our tables, named after different wines. Ali’s mom, Cindy, made all of the invitations, name cards, wedding programs, centerpieces (olive trees with moss around their bases in pots) and table settings. Absolutely amazing woman!
Alison & Ross both had toasts made to their honor by the closest people to them. Words have such a way of conveying feelings beyond what is being said. This is one occasion that the feelings were overwhelming, love and respect namely. Ross’ brother, the best man, wrote and played a song for them, humorous & loving, while the man of honor held the microphone.
Then the dancing began!!
As a special honor to ‘us’, Ali had the dj play Punk Rock Girl by The Dead Milkmen and we danced together! It’s nice she is so much taller than me, I can twirl under her arms. She is a great dance leader!
It was so hot I had to go barefoot, heels off so I didn’t slip out of them! You do notice, don’t you, that there is noone else dancing?? The ‘floor’ cleared out for us, we were a bit scary I think!
Overall it was a fantastic wedding & I am so VERY glad that we took the time to go! Congratulations to Mr. & Mrs. Ross and Alison Gimpel!
Tracy, thank you so much for being my date! I am sure there are better pictures of us but here is the one on my camera! I suppose I really should have checked to see if Angel took a decent one! Oh well!
