Ordinarily I am a very promp person. I like to be on time for things but for this event I was a few days late arriving. The wedding ceremony was on Saturday, July 23, 2011 at 5 PM. The actual festivities began on Sunday July 16. I arrived on Wednesday, July 20th. very late in the evening so my fun began on Thursday.
If you've never been to Seattle, you should put it on your bucket list of places to see before you die. It is a picturesque, quaint, beautiful, city overflowing with lush flora and I'm sure fauna even though I didn't see any. (Other than Harley Rose and the resident cat, whose name escapes me.)The hills remind me of Cincinnati but the homes perched on those hills are of a distinct architectural style that blends in with the natural landscape. The view from Carrie and Gabe's deck/porch is spectacular. It reminded me of a view that I had from the balcony of my room in Delphi, Greece. The majestic mountains in the distance and the cloud formation above them was breath taking. We were fortunate enough to get the full view because the clouds were high above the mountains. Imagine getting up each day and being able to step out your front door to such beauty.
On my first full day there, Thursday, we visited the Aquarium. We drove there and parked near Pike's Market, a tourist attraction in itself, and walked over to the Aquarium. Some of our group took the bus almost there and then got off and walked the rest of the way. Seattle is a great city to walk in if you are not in the burbs where you might need one of those tools that the mountain climbers use. The ones with the big hook on the end? It is a very good aquarium, the kids could pet(?) the star fish and feel the skin of a shark, a dead one, and watch the otters play. They had both river otters and ocean otters. One otter floated on his back using his chest as a table with his food fish on it. He floated and ate and looked so relaxed that we were amused. There is an arch over one of the paths filled with jelly fish, fun to walk under that and see the jelly fish overhead.
After the Aquarium we went to lunch at a Seafood Resturant, Ivars I think. We ate on the patio overlooking the water and watched the pelicans cavorting about. We moved on to our next activity after lunch.
I'll digress here for a minute to relay some information that had an affect on the next activity. When Gabe awakened that morning he became aware of the fact that the tooth that had been giving him some trouble had suddenly become pretty unbearable. It was Thursday, he was to be married on Saturday and leave for Hawaii on Monday! Get thee to the dentist!!
We carried on without him.He went to the Doc-tor and we went on the "Duck-Tour" Reservations had been made for all of us. (24) During WWII there was a need for vehicles that could operate both on land and in the water. (Amphibians) These vehicles are still operable and are used as tour vehicles.We toured around Seattle and saw many of the tourist attractions on land and then went into the water and sailed around the inlet and saw a whole community of houseboat homes. It was remarkable. We had enough life jackets overhead to accommodate us if we needed them! It does give you pause for thought to realize that this vehicle was built about 65 or 70 years ago.
The tour guide was a comedian. He was actually very funny. He found out that Carrie was being married and we were all celebrating the event so he directed most of his comedic spiel to Carrie's wedding. He asked where the groom-to-be was and when told he was dealing with a dental immergency, that really gave him fodder for his act. We did a lot of laughing at Gabe's expence. He, the guide, had a bubble machine and a vast selection of hats. He changed his persona each time he changed his hat and fired bubbles out the window at random. When we arrived at a very busy intersection, he had us all shout, "Hello Seattle, Carrie's getting married!" Meanwhile he is shouting through his mike and shooting bubbles out the window.It sounds very juvenile but it was actually very amusing.He insisted that Carrie come to the front of the bus, she looked so cute and did in fact become a true 'blushing bride"-to-be.
Thursday night was Kareoke(sic) night. It was so much fun! We went in with so many people saying they would be listeners, not participants, but before the evening was over, after a few libations and exhibitions almost every one joined in.
Friday, we went to Carrie's and Gabe's and helped with some last minute preparations for the up-coming rehearsal dinner. Some of us worked on completing the decorative flags for the wedding and we all ate KFC on the deck. Good fun, lots of laughs, camaraderie, and bonding. All Gabe's family and Carrie's family had the chance to meet and share life stories! That was a good thing!
The rehearsal dinner was at the Gas Works Park and we were joined there by all the friends and the rest of the family for excellent food and drink. The tention is building for the main event!! Tomorrow at 5PM we're all good to go.
Early on Saturday morning as we had pretty much taken over the breakfast room in the hotel, Karen's phone rang, she shouted out, "Gabe, that's not funny!" The question? " Have you seen Carrie?" Actually, we all laughed, it was funny.
Some of us headed to Carrie's with wedding garb in hand and others headed to Martha Washington Park where the ceremony would take place later in the day. Last minute glitches took over for awhile, the music "thing" somehow or other fell or was dropped and distroyed and Carrie's phone fell into the bath tub and the back-up music met with the same fate as the first or something. I was a little confused by the music disaster and am not sure of all the details but I do know that before long
Gabe was talking about Bridezilla which aptly discribes Carrie's reaction. Gabe's mom was out shopping for solutions for some of the glitches. Pretty soon, Carrie showed up smiling and her usual ebullient self and we knew that ALL WAS WELL! A few of the boys worked on making a blue satin bow and blue ribbons on Harley Rose's collar and Harley was overjoyed to be an integral part of the wedding!
The wedding ceremony went off without a glitch. Alex escorted me down the pathway to the chairs. We were followed by two of Gabe's grandmas then, Karen and Paul, Gabe's mother, his step-mother and his father. The music was provided by a really cool group of musicians that had the look of a Blue Grass band. They played while the guests gathered. The band stood to the right of the area where the actual vows were made. Gabe's friend played and sang a song that I think he composed, and then his dad sang and a friend of Carrie's read a reading. The bride and groom each had composed their own vows. The vows were beautiful and heart felt and sincere. Carrie, cried a little and needed a hankerchief provided by Gabe who later told us that someone had ask him beforehand if he had a handkerchief and when he said,no she provided him with one. How wise of her! Both sets of vows were very touching, very revealing and words to remember. Abbey was the junior brides maid and Gus was the ring bearer. Emotional!
The ceremony took place,as I said, at Martha Washington Park. They chose a spot between two huge oak trees, Carrie had asked that we make flags to string between the trees. They were in keeping with the color theme of the day, turquoise, red and blue. There was a soft breeze that kept the flags moving, the sun was shining, it was about 77 degrees and the clouds were white and puffy, and the mountains were clearly visible beyond the Martha Washing Lake. Blue skies smiling at us on a picture perfect day! Flawless!
We moved on to the reception site. The band came along for that too. Good food, good music and a happy crowd made for a marvelous evening. Carrie and Gabe started off the dancing by dancing together, then Carrie and Paul, Gabe and his mom and finally everyone joined in. We could never have pulled it all off without Neil Diamond's "Sweet Caroline" and Carrie being Carrie came prepared with shorts on under her sensational wedding dress so she could do the splits and wow the crowd with a cart wheel!! Gabe, are you ready for lots of surprises in your future? A good time was had by all!!!!! Aloha.
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