Wedding

Martin and I got married on Sunday! Though rain had been imminent all week (I know, a rainy wedding is supposed to be lucky, but...) it was a dry, if chilly, morning. Martin's parents and brother had driven down from Montreal the previous day and our two families had met over dinner at the Bond Grill, an Asian fusion restaurant.

On Sunday morning, we did the customary scurrying. My mom made boutonnieres, corsages, and my bouquet from miniature red roses and baby's breath, Melissa did my hair and make-up, Susan graciously came to pick up Sasha so she wouldn't be in the way that afternoon, and only then could Martin put on his black suit without subjecting the pants to a generous coating of white fur!

Nevertheless, we arrived at the green early. In fact, a homeless man was still occupying the bench in the gazebo. Martin explained our situation (in Spanish) and the man readily agreed to go elsewhere. He even congratulated us (in English) on our upcoming nuptials.

Once Martin and Mary (our JP) returned from my apartment with the marriage license I had forgotten to bring along, everyone was present. All nine of us, that is: Martin's parents and brother, my sister, mother, grandmother, and Richard, Martin and I. Many pictures were taken, followed by a simple ceremony, erstwhile unrehearsed, followed by many more pictures and a delicious lunch at the Norwalk Inn.

Back at my mom's house we enjoyed wedding cake, butter cream fudge, and sparkling fruit juice. Presents were opened and more pictures were taken. Martin and I rushed out to meet our JP at Starbucks where she notarized a form I needed for immigration, and then it was off to Dingmans Ferry, PA for our honeymoon.

Because Martin and I both had to return to work on Thursday, we took two cars. It felt a little like one of our trips to upstate New York or Vermont, but we also knew that subsequent trips would be made in a single car. En route, I called my mom to thank everyone for being part of our special day, and she informed me that the families were still enjoying each other's company as of 9:15 at night, which made me very happy.

After two and a half hours, several missed turns, and an unlit dirt road that ended abruptly four miles in (despite being nine miles long, according to my GPS), we arrived at our B&B, which was run by a lovely Swedish family. Johanna prepared delicious breakfasts of eggs and cheese with fresh herbs, chocolate crêpes, berries, decadent brownies, etc. and her daughter Luisa kindly offered us her board games as entertainment. Johanna and her husband recommended local eateries, waterfalls, and historic attractions and even made reservations for us to go horseback riding at a nearby YMCA camp. I am very happy to report that this time I stayed on the horse!

Three days passed all too quickly and soon it was time to return home. Martin had nine weeks of Reserves training to attend and I had a week of school to finish and lots of loose ends to tie up in Norwalk. We're eagerly awaiting a weekend together in Halifax at the end of June and, better yet, the ultimate homecoming on July 28.