Saturday

Today our very good friends Ellie and Dan were fabulously married among lanterns and vines in the pretty twilit courtyard of Greensboro's fine O'Henry hotel, completely surrounded by friends and family. The ceremony was low-key and a lot of fun. Because the O'Henry was overbooked, we were unable to stay here last night after driving to town. But we'd been put on a successful waiting list, and eventually we were allowed a room. We checked out of our first hotel and into the proper one before the ceremony. The O'Henry is nice: a wood-paneled and bronze space with leather upholstery and the best bathrooms I've ever seen anywhere. We spent the day pitching in here and there as tasks presented themselves, but for the most part today was very laid back for a wedding day, and between lunch and donning a suit I spent most of my time memorizing the faces that go along with names I've been hearing over the years. It was very nice to come home for one last weekend that had absolutely nothing to do with the fact that I'm leaving. I like being the center of attention as much as the next guy, but I'm tired of saying goodbye--you know? This weekend just wasn't about me. I really enjoyed getting to take part in something else, something important, and spare somewhat less thought to the scarcity of my presence in the lives of these people I love. It was diverting to sit back and relax and have fun and dance and just be happy for Dan and Ellie. Sunshine and I got to sign as official witnesses on the nuptial paperwork, which makes me feel proud. Adjacent to our names on that sheet we wrote our address as Ho Chi Minh City. [Cavin]