Idyll

It was a beautiful few days in Montebello. I was worried it would rain, but we had three days of sun, and the weather was perfect for our evening outdoor wedding. We were a little late arriving because we went out the wrong side of the hotel, but we soon joined our officiant at the gazebo and began our intimate little family wedding. I tried to focus on every part, to listen to the kids play their various musical pieces, to hold E with my eyes, to appreciate the river and the view, to clearly express my own love. There was the little issue of E's best friend running out of film when A was singing, the blaring rock music from the marina during E's daughter's violin solo, E's son dropping his ring, and my stumbling over my self-penned vows, but these aren't the things we'll remember. The post-wedding photo session was a little long, but we finally arrived at the dining room to prime seating, great wine, and a leisurely extended meal. The girls were begging for bed by 9:30 pm, so I took them back to the room while the "boys" drank whiskey. By the time E rolled in a while later, I was crashing. Needless to say, the wedding wasn't consumated, because with three kids in our hotel room, and our plan to pass them off to a supervised movie at 7:30 pm thwarted, we just gave in and attempted sleep, even though it was slow to arrive.

A had her meltdown today after we returned home. I haven't seen E since we parted at the parking lot this afternoon. But despite the frustration of managing the kids and the witnesses (thank God they were the only people we had to worry about), it was fun. We'll always have a special place in our hearts for this lovely summer idyll.