My favorite pasttime...

Actually isn't derby - it's weddings. Seriously. I probably go to more weddings than I ever imagined I would. I've thrown bachealor parties, hosted showers, held hands, helped pick registries, dried tears, cried some myself. I LOVE weddings. They're two of my favorite things -cake and dancing. They're love and idealism. They're promise and hope. They're good friend marrying their other good friends. (They're pretty damn expensive.) And I've been happy to play a role in so many of them!

This week I head off to James and Heather's wedding in Hawaii (where James grew up.) Tough I know. However, I think this like wedding #21 or something - seriously. So just for fun, I played a memoryl game and went thru them...


Deb & Mike - I was a guest and spent a lot of time comforting the bride who had planned a wedding on December 31st in Iowa. Can we all say blizzard.

Christophe & Michele - guest - in Dababakala, Cote d'Ivoire -the French guy married the Salad lady. It would happen again. She was beautiful - he was stubborn. They were a perfect couple and though the wedding was cursed with bad magic, they're still together almost 10 years later.

Salimata & Bakery - guest - in Kaffardougou, Cote d'Ivoire - they had been together for years, had two childen but didn't have the money until later for the wedding. I spent the night in a socery ridden village, where the bride might have possibly been cursed but it was a good time.

Jen & Joel - bridesmaid - I was back from the Peace Corps all of two weeks. Her original bridesmaid turned into bridesmaidzilla... I came to the rescue and drink way too much having been my first exposure to hard alcohol in 2 years. Opps.

Kathy & Don - maid of honor - my best childhood friend got married! I gave a speed (when I wasn't scheduled) that made people cry, including me. It was a great time, including dancing with red devil horns.

Denise & Tom - guest - my other childhood friend gets married. A very creative wedding and was a great time - in Chicago.


Mimi & ? - guest - honestly, all I can remember from this wedding is that the bestman's toast was all about himself. Oy.

Jeremie & Fatou - guest - I went back to Cote d'Ivoire with my site partner from the Peace Corps less than a year after having left. I played hostess to the groom's French family, chased fermes (fire ants) out of the house with soap (caustic), took care of my sitepartner who go malaria and got stuck in Morocco for a week becase of September 11th.

Mark & Margie - sister - I didn't play a role in this wedding. It was a nice wedding but my mother broke her hip at the reception. Oy. That was terrible.

Robin & Marc - guest - they had a cermony for their 30th year anniversary. Marc told the "clueless bus story" which I had told him on the stairs at Susan's party (basically talking about the level of cluessness of men from passangers on the bus who can hop on and off, to drivers who think they have a clue and drive with pride... up to CEOs of Cluelessness.) It was a wonderful cermony. They're a couple I aspire to be like.


Susan & Christian - jack of all trades - I ended up helping set up for the wedding having arrived early and found a friend completely overwhelmed. Great vows, beautiful music.

Stephanie & Jonah - guest, wedding savior - She was the daughter of my supervisor. They had forgotten the veil for the Jewish ceremony and me and the medical director (also a guest) drove like bats out of hell to the house and back in a blink of an eye. We made record time and no one noticed that the bride was ever without her veil. It was a very, very fun wedding.


Katie & Clark - guest - they had a private cermony and a very fun reception at one of my favorite bars. She was a former Peace Corps volunteer and a friend of a friend with who I never felt like I spend enough time.

Holly & Martin - guest - they got married in Florida and had a party back in Cleveland. Super fun - I made myself the tour guide on the bus that took all the guest to the side - holy crap -too much fun. Really. The party was a great time too!

Shannon & Lyman - bridesmaid - one of my favorite weedings. I had a reading I didn't know about until the rehearsal dinner. They were the most inlove couple ever. They were my roommaters, they are two of my favorite people.

Megan & Jarett - bridesmaid - my site partner in the Peace Corps. We had been through more than most sisters had and were like sisters (in all the positive and negative ways.) Their wedding was beautiful with many, many touches of West Africa where they had met each other - plus great contra dancing the night before. Wonderful.

Deb & Mike - guest, wedding savior - She's a wonderful artist friend whose "minister" had baled at the last minute. My friend Meredith hooked me up with another minister who could help them out as well as a musician. It was a super fun wedding with people I had met at other events. It felt like I was sewn into the Cleveland art scene fabric.

Heidi & John - maid of honor - truly my best friend. It was an honor to be a part of the ceremony and super fun. I was so happy for her, in all of this ornate India and American ceremonies, she managed to just shine.

Meredith and Scott - guest - Meredith was my early morning walker and art opening pal in Cleveland. (Her brother is Martin.) She is so creative and brilliant. Her wedding invitation requested that everyone where black or white to their wedding. Funny how I missed that part and showed up in brown. Lyman did too - but he did it on purpose.

Jenny & Ethan - guest - a BEAUTIFUL Christmas time wedding with a great band, theatre (and some) derby people. A great time dancing to the live band. A very wonderful couple.

Claudia & Justin - guest - took me to Mexico for the first time, this year. I was probably the most glamerous and beautiful wedding ever. It was magical and it was a great reason to travel to Mexico - to see two of my favorite people get married.

I'm sure there are a couple I have forgotten but I think I have most of them. And I'm sure they'll keep going... and I'll be glad to be a part of each and every one.