November 16, 2000

One year ago: I tell the story of my alleged murdering prom date. Hey, he's supposed to go back on trial in January, I hear.

Ah, the first dance. But I'm getting ahead of myself. The morning of the wedding, I got up and drove up to Brenda's parents' house, where she was getting ready. She had asked me to come up for a while, and I was glad to be included in her day. I took lots of pictures and ran around getting safety pins and such. It was a bit crazy because Brenda is one of six kids and they were all home for the wedding, plus they're kind of a loud family to start out with. Her two sisters were her maid and matron of honor, and then Gretchen was the other bridesmaid. Everyone was fighting for the shower and such. We used to hang out at Brenda's house a lot when we were teenagers, so it was really nostalgic for me. Finally it came time for Brenda to get into her dress, and between me and the three attendants, we managed it. I loved Brenda's dress -- it was very simple, but very beautiful. While her mom and her sisters were trying to figure out the best way to fold up the train so it didn't get dirty while she walked into the church, the photographer arrived. I figured I would just be in the way, so I made my exit. Plus, I had to get ready too!

When I got back to my parents' house, Jim was already there. He drove in that morning, because he had to work on Friday. I showered and then got into my outfit. I had bought this short skirt to wear, but once I put it on, I wasn't really comfortable in it. I felt like it was kind of inappropriate since I was part of the ceremony. Plus, I was self-conscious about my thighs. Hey, I'm just being honest. It was much shorter than I'm used to wearing. So I debated and debated over whether to switch to the long skirt I had brought, and eventually did. I'm glad I did because I was much more comfortable throughout the evening. Jim and I headed up to the church and I got my aisle seat because of the reading I had to do. The church was packed! The ceremony was beautiful. During the vows, Brenda started crying and had to stop to compose herself, and Matt reached over and wiped the tears off her face. It was so sweet. Not a dry eye in the house, I bet. When I went up to do my reading, I couldn't decide whether to genuflect or bow in front of the altar, so I kind of did both. Gretchen, who was sitting in the front row, burst out laughing at me. Thanks, Gretch. When I went up to the lectern, Molly's dad was videotaping and was set up right there! I think I made a face at the camera.

This picture is me, Brenda, Gretchen and Molly. The four of us have been the best of friends forever, and I don't see them all often enough. Soon enough the ceremony was over, and Jim and I hung out at my parents' house for a bit before it was time to head to the reception. We were seated with Molly and Andy, my friend Bola and her husband Jon, and Brenda's college roommate Leah. Leah had lived in Ann Arbor for a while, so Jim and I had a lot to talk about with her! There were so many people there. It was amazing. I saw a lot of people I knew from high school who I haven't seen in a long time. It was more of a "hang out and talk" kind of crowd than a "dance your ass off" kind of crowd. Not that I didn't dance -- it's just that the dance floor wasn't packed throughout the night. I did get the chance to dance with my dad, which was nice. And Jim, too. I mean, Jim danced with me, not Jim danced with my dad. Ha! That would have been funny. The funniest part was near the end of the night when most of the older people had left -- the DJ started playing '80s hard rock type songs: AC/DC, Judas Priest and such. We were all joking that it felt like a roller skating party in the fifth grade. The DJ got the best response to those songs, even though it was mostly a bunch of people standing in a circle on the dance floor singing along, and the boys playing air guitar. It was memorable, anyway. When the mosh pit started, I knew it was time for me to go. Brenda was out on the dance floor telling them all to cut it out when I caught up to her to say goodbye. They are going to Aruba this week, and I hope they have a great time! Tomorrow: catching you up to now.