Last weekend was a time of celebration, with Mer’s and my going to four parties in three days. We started on Friday with the first graduation party I had been to in over four weeks (because of the Italy vacation we took). It was a joint party, meaning there were two graduates at the same party – Ben and Josh. Ben is the younger brother of Tom and Laura, both of whom were members of my improv group, the Royal Fools, so I knew the family fairly well, and Ben well enough to say hi to him in the hallways of CVCA. Josh was a member of the Fools this year, and he was in my Connections group at school as well; he is a funny guy, and I was very pleased to be able to make his party. We ate too much good food (burritos), and we spent most of the party talking to the Lyons family (the father works at CVCA in the science department).
On Saturday, we started the afternoon with a grad party of a girl that was in Mer’s class, but I did not know her well. It was a pleasant party, and the backyard of her house was envy-inducing in size and trees.
The big event of the weekend was the wedding of a colleague – a teacher in the English Department, in fact. Matt got married to his fiancee, Elizabeth, late Saturday afternoon, and the reception went on for some time. The wedding was officiated by two pastors – Elizabeth’s pastor was the host pastor, and Matt’s father officiated. The ceremony was very much focused on Biblical principles for a husband and wife, and it was personable, since Matt’s dad knew both the bride and the groom pretty well. Matt is a talented musician, and he knows several good musicians, so the pre-ceremony music was excellent.
The reception was at a golf course clubhouse, and it was pretty packed. Mer and I got to sit at a table with two other CVCA couples and a couple we did not know from Matt’s church. We were also next to a table of CVCA staff members, so we had a good time visiting. The dinner was buffet-style and was quite good, and then the music started. Slightly oddly, the twenty-somethings did not hit the dance floor for some time; it was mostly the above-thirty set, including me and Mer. After about an hour, the DJ played some line dances, and that got the young folks out on the floor, where they stayed for the rest of the evening that we saw, when we left at 10:00. I’m looking forward to getting to know Matt and Elizabeth as a couple.
On Sunday, we went to the party of a girl whom both Mer and I know quite well. Audrey was in Ceili Club for two years until it shut down, and then she joined Fools, so I have known her for four years. She took Mer’s Honors English and AP English, so Mer had her in class for two full years. Audrey is a wonderful girl – funny and upbeat. Her party reflected some of that, as hers was the first grad party I had ever been to with a dunking booth, and Audrey even was the target for awhile. Mer and I are pretty close to many of Audrey’s friends, so we had a good time interacting with them as well. We stayed for about two hours, and then I felt we had to go, because I wanted to swing by the house of Matt and Lis (another Matt and Lis – not the newlyweds).
I am extremely fond of Matt and Lis. They both taught Latin at CVCA at separate times, and they are intelligent and funny people. We got to their house around 8:00, just as Matt and the kids were going out for a walk with the dog. I joined Matt, and Mer went in the house to visit with Lis. Matt is a towering intellect, and I admire him for that. We chatted about church history, as one does, before joining Mer and Lis back at the house. We visited with them until Mer reminded me of the time, at about 10:00. Time always flies with them!
It was a social weekend, and I had a rather good time.