Ildiko's Wedding
Oddly enough, I've gone through 30+ years of my life without attending a friend's wedding. Somehow, the few good friends who have gotten married have all done either family-only ceremonies or eloped. But finally I was invited to attend my friend Ildiko's wedding this past Saturday.
She was the one person on the swim team during my Freshman year of college who was swimming at about the same speed as me. We would feed off of each others' energy, and push each other to new levels. We also took a mountaineering class together, and climbed a few times outdoors. Even after that, we kept in touch via phone calls and postcards. After she moved to Seattle, I lost track of her, yet always wondered what was going on.
Fast forward to early 2006, when I discovered the wonder that is MySpace. Naturally, she was one of the first few people I searched for. So we start up again with the occasional messages. And then one day, I received a letter in the mail that was a wedding invitiation. Of course I was honored, and wouldn't miss it for the world.
So on Saturday morning, I left home for the drive up to Colfax (about 40 miles east of Sacramento on Highway 80). Traffic was bad enough in places that I was beginning to wonder whether I would get there on time. But I made in on time, to find out that the time had been pushed back an hour. So I hung around, not really knowing any of the people there.
Once the time came to go outside for the wedding, the anticipation in the crowd was noticeable. I guess when two people are engaged for a few years, their friends and family just want to see them married. When the ceremony began, I recognized Nina's two sisters and then the crowd is all quiet. There was a bit of a delay, but then someone said. "Here she comes!" We could see her, through the fence, running while holding the dress up. Typical I suppose...
While repeating the vows, both traditional and self-written, Ildiko and Ron both seemed excited, and perhaps a little nervous since the both had to be prompted to continue. Ildiko's father was there to give her away, and Ron's parents just said," We're not giving him away, just gaining a daughter." And of course, to be more non-traditional; the ring-bearer was their dog, Billie; who did an outstanding job.
After the wedding the fun began, of course. The barbeque was excellent, and the toasts went well, with only a few embarassing stories told. I caught up with old friends, and met plenty of new ones. I even caught up with another old swimming teammate from West Valley, and we may try to psyche each other up for morning workouts over at the International Swim Center. Plans were made for running races and trips. We'll have to make sure that those happen. Hearing the message that Bruce (our swim coach from West Valley) left to say he was sorry he couldn't make it was cool. I'm going to have to drop by and say hello to him.
A large group of us sat around the fire until the wee hours of the morning, reminiscing and telling stories. It was nice to get to know a lot of wonderful people, and the kegs of Sierra Nevada and Widmer didn't hurt either.
Sunday afternoon, Ildiko and I went for a walk (and picked up trash as a way of doing our part to keep the place nice, and say thanks for the great weekend) and soaked in Bear River until it was too cold. And of course talked about shared experiences back in school, and the future. Yes, I will know you forever. After that, the hot tub was the place to be...
In the morning, we said our farewells, and I was off. And now I have to make plans to drive up to Seattle this winter so I can hang out and go skiing with their friends...
She was the one person on the swim team during my Freshman year of college who was swimming at about the same speed as me. We would feed off of each others' energy, and push each other to new levels. We also took a mountaineering class together, and climbed a few times outdoors. Even after that, we kept in touch via phone calls and postcards. After she moved to Seattle, I lost track of her, yet always wondered what was going on.
Fast forward to early 2006, when I discovered the wonder that is MySpace. Naturally, she was one of the first few people I searched for. So we start up again with the occasional messages. And then one day, I received a letter in the mail that was a wedding invitiation. Of course I was honored, and wouldn't miss it for the world.
So on Saturday morning, I left home for the drive up to Colfax (about 40 miles east of Sacramento on Highway 80). Traffic was bad enough in places that I was beginning to wonder whether I would get there on time. But I made in on time, to find out that the time had been pushed back an hour. So I hung around, not really knowing any of the people there.
Once the time came to go outside for the wedding, the anticipation in the crowd was noticeable. I guess when two people are engaged for a few years, their friends and family just want to see them married. When the ceremony began, I recognized Nina's two sisters and then the crowd is all quiet. There was a bit of a delay, but then someone said. "Here she comes!" We could see her, through the fence, running while holding the dress up. Typical I suppose...
While repeating the vows, both traditional and self-written, Ildiko and Ron both seemed excited, and perhaps a little nervous since the both had to be prompted to continue. Ildiko's father was there to give her away, and Ron's parents just said," We're not giving him away, just gaining a daughter." And of course, to be more non-traditional; the ring-bearer was their dog, Billie; who did an outstanding job.
After the wedding the fun began, of course. The barbeque was excellent, and the toasts went well, with only a few embarassing stories told. I caught up with old friends, and met plenty of new ones. I even caught up with another old swimming teammate from West Valley, and we may try to psyche each other up for morning workouts over at the International Swim Center. Plans were made for running races and trips. We'll have to make sure that those happen. Hearing the message that Bruce (our swim coach from West Valley) left to say he was sorry he couldn't make it was cool. I'm going to have to drop by and say hello to him.
A large group of us sat around the fire until the wee hours of the morning, reminiscing and telling stories. It was nice to get to know a lot of wonderful people, and the kegs of Sierra Nevada and Widmer didn't hurt either.
Sunday afternoon, Ildiko and I went for a walk (and picked up trash as a way of doing our part to keep the place nice, and say thanks for the great weekend) and soaked in Bear River until it was too cold. And of course talked about shared experiences back in school, and the future. Yes, I will know you forever. After that, the hot tub was the place to be...
In the morning, we said our farewells, and I was off. And now I have to make plans to drive up to Seattle this winter so I can hang out and go skiing with their friends...
posted by Mike Deitchman at
12:44 PM
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