Reports from the Wedding, etc.
The trip back home was interesting. The week started off quite innocently but ended with a bang. I left Calgary on Friday night and ended up in Saskatoon around 11:30. Tara was home and let me in, however Grant was out partying and didn't get home until 2:30. He had to work in the morning so he went to bed. I didn't hear him get up, however I left before Tara got up. I tried to exchange my rental at Avis at the S'toon Airport but it was too much of a hassle so I continued my trek east. Next stop, Kamsack.
I got to Mark and Tracy's mid-afternoon. Tracy and I sat in the living room and talked all afternoon. Mark got home from class in S'toon around 5:30. We began cooking a meal. They made a great BBQ with spiced chicken and pork, etc. We ended up the evening in their kickass hottub.
In the morning I got up had coffee with them and their neighbor. I got the bike together and rode from Kamsack to the Manitoba border and back (approx 65km). Once I got back and cleaned up I headed to Childs Lake. Mom/Dad had called in the morning and asked that I meet them at Britton's cabin for a fish fry. Got there around 8pm. Followed each other back to Grandview around 10pm.
The next few days are a blur. Monday night I went over to Lance and Buffy's. The Wilson's had a b-day party for the October Pulock's in the loft on the farm on Tuesday(?). I ran to town from the farm that afternoon and met up with Tannis and boys in the minivan and Dave and Ryan in the car on their way out to Wilson's - they both invited me. Run was approx 9 miles - 15km. Visited with Grandma for a few minutes before mom showed up and brought me home.
The next day I went to Dauphin. I had dinner plans at Liwiski's so showed up early to do some banking (Owen & Chloe's present), tried on my tux, and put the bike together again, this time riding from the north Park border road to the north shore of Clear Lake and back, approx. 100km.
Had a great visit with Dave, Nic, Andrew and Mark and their boarder, Marie-Eve from QC. Lots of laughs, etc.
I also worked out with the weights in the barn on Monday and Thursday. There was enough isolation that I wore my M.Stevens unitard on Monday and the grey M.Steven tights and UnderArmour shirt on Thursday. Marvelous.
By Thursday all of the relatives were showing up. This was also the morning Keith Dalgleish got into his anhydrous accident out in the field. Everything got really busy after this. Thursday night after getting home from wherever, Clinton, Kent, and Shalon showed up with the deep fryer for chicken wings on Friday. They sat in the shed with Dad and I until 2:30. After that Dad and I got into a deep drunken conversation about homosexuality and gay marriage that lasted until 5:30. I was angry about it initially, but now I see that both him and mom are making an effort to understand what's going on. Considering where they live, this may be all I can hope for. I was still very hurt by Dad's comments that he hated Joe for who he was (I still don't know whether they like him as a person or not), and the fact that he flat-out refused to come to my wedding someday if I ever decided to have one. Maybe in time this attitude will change as well.
The rehearsal was on Friday. The rehearsal party went back to the barn loft on the farm afterwards. Most people left in a reasonable time, but the hardcore people stayed up and got drunker until Eddie Wilson rolled into the yard with his truck and fifth wheel. Crap, I can't even remember who was all there - there was Lance, Owen, Cam, and who else????
Anyways, Saturday was the big day. The wedding went without a hitch; everything was perfect except for a bit of rain when we left the church, however everyone maintained their cool and Chloe looked like a princess, so that was all that mattered.
The wedding party were a bunch of boozepigs. Between the 12 of us and a few extra glasses of wine & champagne to the parents and Owen and Chloe, we managed to finish off 35 bottles of alcohol in the four hours between the ceremony and cocktails at the hall.
Michelle Wilson was my 'buddy' for the day. She was in the bathroom when the bridal party made their way into the hall. I had to wait for her and we walked in late, by ourselves. How embarrassing (funny)!
The dance flew by. I was feeling quite ill on Sunday because of the three-day boozefest beforehand, so in a way I was glad the week ended with a long drive to Saskatoon with Grant in tow. Very glad to be getting home, however sad now that holidays are over for 2003.
What else has been happening since then? I'm still trying to get back into full fall training mode - it's been a challenge....The weekend after the wedding was the Banff Ekiden Race. We had a lot of fun there and then spent some time at the Sulphur Mountain Hot Springs.
Last weekend was the "Midsummer Night's Dream" ballet at the Jubilee which may have been one of my favorites because of the humour in it and the flow of the storyline. Right after that we got home and got ready to go to Doug's Hallowe'en party. Fuck, it was a C-train ride to the end of the south line and still a $15 cab ride after that! Ridiculous. I can't really see going to another party down there again in the near future especially when we get there so late, all the food's eaten and most of the party's already left.
The "Ralph Klein Sux" curling team also had their debut on Saturday. We unfortunately lost 9-4.
This weekend coming up is Hallowe'en on Friday, and the Synergy Hootenany on Saturday. It's going to be a nightmare! I'm wearing a devil costume again on Friday with the red skinsuit, Joe is going as Dracula. Should be fun. I'm really looking forward to Saturday though. I've invited a shitload of people again, however it's hard to say who'll show up considering there are still a lot of Hallowe'en parties going on that night. The weather has also turned for the worse. We got 10cm of snow last night and the original weather forecast claimed a low of -24^C on Sat. night, although that's now been downplayed to a balmy -10 in comparison.
I'll update with the critique of the parties later.