On the Up and Up

My mood is still a little strange overall, but the only thing I can really complain about is the fact that the wind kept stealing my veil. Quickly. I can't say for sure, but I'd imagine that I looked like a royal idiot running after that thing in my dress all day.

The dress is really starting to get yucky, but today I managed to eat indian food and soup and a fairly ketchup-y burger without any spillage. For anyone who has seen me consume anything ever, you know how big a deal that is. Go me!

Despite (or perhaps because of) the filth, this outfit is turning out to be a pretty reliable conversation starter. I love it!

This evening my friend Kristen was walking around the quad with some guy I didn't recognize, and as I passed by them he asked me to marry him. Again, this guy was a complete stranger, so I was pretty impressed. I love people who do gutsy stuff like that; whether you're on the giving or receiving end, it's a great reminder that we're all just people and we may as well enjoy it together while we can. And after we were formally introduced he proposed to me again, so I'm supposed to call him this weekend. We'll see.

It's pretty astounding that the last 50-something hours in the dress have basically gotten me as much romantic intrigue as the rest of the entire academic year. Maybe I should always wear a wedding dress.

...

Just kidding.

***

Okay, so I'm finally ready to talk about how undeniably stupendous my wedding was! There's a ton to talk about though, and if I go through it all in one sitting, it'll be so long that nobody will read it besides my mother. So. Here's part one. Where to begin?

After a day full of last-minute madness including picking up the cake and my bouquet, and finding a reading for Kelsy which I'll put in here tomorrow, and setting up chairs, and finalizing plans for the ceremony, and WRITING MY VOWS, I ran home to collect myself at about 5:30. I got on the phone with my mother and we cried for a little bit, and then I jumped in the shower, did my hair and make-up, and got back to the art building (where the madness took place) at about 6:10. I gave my wedding party a quick and not very clear explanation of what to do, and then ran off to hide from arriving guests.

I got dressed in the main classroom in the photo building, which is tucked around the corner from the courtyard where the wedding was. I was incredibly nervous, and I spilled orange juice on my dress (5 minutes before the wedding started!) because I was drinking it straight out of the carton. It tastes better that way, I swear... Okay, it was kind of a dumb idea. Kim kept me company, and answered my phone for me while I was putting myself together. I'll talk more about Kim in a minute; she deserves her own paragraph.

My beloved roommate Jonnie was out in the courtyard taking care of business. She called me on the phone at 6:30 and in a panic I asked if anyone had shown up yet. Silly me. We had set up 36 chairs, and they were all full, and people were sitting around the sides and standing in the back. In total, I'd say 60 guests is a pretty fair estimate. That's HUGE, as far as most College of Santa Fe events go. People love me! (And cake. People also love cake.)

For the procession, Alysha Shaw and Stacey McMullen sang a beautiful song. It was such a gift to have these two beautiful, talented ladies performing at my wedding. I highly recommend that you go check out the all-women's Balkan a cappella group that they're part of, Rusalki. The recordings on the myspace page are worth listening to, however they do not do them justice. For now, seeing them live is the only way to really get it, so if you're in New Mexico keep your eyes open for them. Anyway, I requested that they sing this amazing song called "Hija Mia Mi Querida" or "My Daughter My Dear." As Alysha informed me, the song is in Ladino, which was the language of the Sephardic Jews of Spain. It's nearly identical to Spanish. Alysha was kind enough to send me the words, as well as a translation:

actual text:

hija mia mi querida
aman, aman, aman
no te eches a la mar
que la mar esta enfortuna
mira que te va llevar

que me lleve que me traiga
aman, aman, aman
siete funtas de ondor
que m'engluta pexe preto
para salvar de l'mor

translation:

my daughter, my dear
aman, aman, aman
don't throw yourself into the sea
for the sea is stormy
it is going to carry you away

may it take me, may it pull me down
aman, aman, aman
seven fathoms deep
may a black fish swallow me up
to save me from love

Okay, call me cynical, but I know I'm not the only person who gets a major kick out of that.

Anyway, my wedding party kept growing and changing, but ultimately I ended up with eight beautiful Bridespeople - Anthony, Carina, Emily, Leslie, Mateo, Matty, Nellie, and Sarah, each of whom has been an unspeakably wonderful part of my life here in Santa Fe. Kelsy was my Flower Person. KC was my Best Person, and Jonnie was my Person of Honor. It is an honor to have each of these people in my life, so having them all together at once was nothing short of magnificent.

Okay, here's Kim's paragraph. If there is anyone to blame for my shenanigans besides myself and my close relatives, it's Kim Russo. Kim is my professor and my academic advisor, but more than that, she's been my mentor and my friend. She is forever challenging me be the best version of myself, but she is also always the first one to remind me that I'm only human, which I forget sometimes. More than anything, Kim is constantly reminding me to love myself. So without Kim, this project probably wouldn't be happening right now. With all of this in mind, it's easy to see why I didn't even consider asking anybody but Kim to walk me down the aisle. Luckily she agreed. Kim has been such a gift in my life, partly as an artist, but mostly as a really really decent human being. I am infinitely grateful for her generous and whole-hearted participation in my life... even if it does get me into sticky situations like this thirty-day conjugal freakshow.

Tomorrow: PICTURES!