As dreary Iowa gave way to dreary Minnesota today on US Highway 52, my traveling companion noted to me that of all her many friends, she could not quite match up one specified group to the group she witnessed this weekend. Yes folks, my three good friends from Luther and I, the "manboys" of prose and lore (and apparently, the most apt descriptor for the father of the groom to use in introductions to family), reunited once again - this time in Cedar Falls for the first marriage of the batch. Much congratulations are in order for Klein and Amy, who were married on Saturday in a beautiful ceremony.
Despite a few close calls with the sizing of our tuxedos, all was well, and much merriment ensued. I think Klein was sent off aptly into married life with a Friday night bachelor party that may or may not have slightly exceeded the low key vibe originally envisioned for the evening. Perhaps "slightly exceeded" is putting it mildly, but as this is a family friendly blog, details will not be rendered with specificity. However we were all present and accounted for (3/4 of us anyway) for coffee in the morning, and when the father of the bride asked me if the line had been crossed in terms of celebration, I bravely and accurately informed him that the line had been appropriately reached, yet not crossed. Needless to say, after a quick enchilada stop for lunch, everyone was in peak performance for the big show.
The ceremony was beautiful, with one of the highlights being a rendering of the delightfully tacky Lutheran hymn "Earth and All Stars," featuring this gem of a verse:
5. Classrooms and labs, loud boiling test tubes,
sing to the Lord a new song!
Athlete and band, loud cheering people,
sing to the Lord a new song! Refrain
Appropriate enough for the bride and groom, I suppose, but hilarious nonetheless. As the best man had made a slight error in copying music, the three groomsmen were forced into an impromptu trio, and we went to great lengths to drown out some of the less polished singing voices that joined us on the altar. We also had to drown out my laughter when the aforementioned verse came up - I'm sorry, but how can you sing that with a straight face?
Another highlight was undoubtedly the vows, in which Amy promised to build Klein a shelf for his books. Good luck with that one sister - I'll believe it when that stack of New Yorkers disappears from the floor. I was somewhat hopeful that Amy would have knit a celebratory wedding squid, but I suppose we'll have to just make a visit to Iowa City for that one...
In finality, it was a great weekend, and hopefully just the start of a fall wedding season that in a fortnight will conclude with Mr. Yates' nuptials in rural Michigan. Again at that time, four friends will gather, this time devoid of the coterie of girlfriends, fiances, and wives to keep them in check and simultaneously shake their heads at the antics that ensue.
I'm thankful for the weekend, I'm thankful for safe travels. I'm thankful that K2 could come, despite my (apparent) incessant blathering during Friday's festivities. I'm thankful that the two K's have formed a friendship of their own, and that they were able to get to know everyone else throughout the weekend. I'm thankful for my friends from Luther. But most of all, this weekend, I'm thankful for Klein and Amy, and all that is to come.
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