Top 5: the Wedding Edition

Top 5: the Wedding Edition

Well, we wandered up into the mountains to get my sister married off. The top 5 things I enjoyed:

5. Three words: Bar. Be. Cue.

I had to eat three sandwiches, and another half a plateful just to make sure that I was right the first three times about how wonderful the barbecue was.

It was good. I might even say "Hellagood."

I'd imagine the barbecue we ate for dinner last night is similar to what God eats up in heaven.

Best part? There's much left over.

4. The cabin we stayed in was a treat. Out in the woods in Townsend. Even more forestbound than where I live. Nice. Quiet. It'd be a great place to spend a bit of time bothered by no one, getting a bit of writing done.

I slept out on the screened-in porch last night, listening to the katydids and, later in the night, the rain. Been running myself ragged here lately. I can't think of a better night's sleep I've gotten than the one I got last night, out in the fresh air.

Also? Ping Pong Table.

I whipped ass.

It was a fluke.

Sad to think it might have been the one time in my life, and it was simply friendly games of ping pong.

3. Talking books with my Aunts Pat and Annette, Walt and my cousin Michelle. Going to send Pat something by Joe Lansdale, and my cousin Michelle something by Ferrols Sams.

Walt recommends Cormac McCarthy, and my Aunt Annette really wants me to read Major Barbara.

Also, let me say that it was an experience having relatives from different sides of the family there. Living in different parts of the country will do that. My aunt Pat is my Mom's sister, and Annette is my Dad's sister.

Part of the fun seemed to be trading embarrassing Tommy stories as they relate to each side of the family.

From Dad's side...the time my Aunt Brenda told the baby/toddler me not to eat a Philodendron leaf, and I cried for hours. Literally. Or so I hear.

From Mom's side...the time the toddler me had a commentary at the beach on the ugliness of a mole on my Uncle Joe's back.

2. Actually seeing my relatives from up North. It'd been at least six years since I've seen my Uncle Joe and Aunt Pat. I can't remember the last time I saw my cousin Michelle, but she figures it's somewhere around 13 years. And there's really no excuse for that, since she's down in Georgia studying to be a veterinarian.

You know how you get a mental imprint of what somebody looks like? My mental imprint of Michelle, as you might expect, was at least a decade out of date. My first reaction when I saw my cousin? Jeebus! She's freakin' tall!

The filter in my brain not working correctly, it's also the first thing that pops out of my mouth when I go to say hello is something along the lines of "Gee! You're tall."

(They call me Big Stupid Tommy for a reason.)

Of course, I hear tell that her brother and my cousin Jeff is something like 6'5" nowadays. Eatin' healthy up there, I guess.

1. The weather and the ceremony itself. It rained Friday Night. It rained Saturday night, and this morning. But all morning Saturday, the weather was cool and sunny.

My sister April got married in Cades Cove, in the Smoky Mountains. She'd picked a spot next to a stream. A nice, shady spot.

Very, very nice day. Lots of family and friends there. It was like all things came into alignment for the wedding. A few deer wandered by. There was no need to flop myself down on the ground as bait to distract any bears wandering into the scene.

The wedding itself. Short. Sweet. Then we went wading in the creek.

Because that's what we do.

Eh. I'm overtired. Can't even think straight. Just want to say congrats to my sister and new brother-in-law. They'll go good together.