52 Ancestors Week 32: Reunion

From Amy Johnson Crow: The theme for Week 32 is "Reunion." It's family reunion season, so it's the perfect time to write about a big family get-together. You could also highlight a reunion, such as someone returning from a long trip or from military service. As always, feel free to interpret the theme however you would like!

"Together again. Gee it's good to be together again"

    Reunions are great from what I've been told. I've never gone to a high school reunion since my graduating class has yet to have one and the closest thing to family reunions have always been occassions like birthday parties, Christmas eve parties, Christenings and of course weddings. With that said, let's talk about one of the more memorable events in my family history where we all had a great time and most of the family was present. I say "most" because getting everyone in the same room together is a lot like herding cats. For example, not everyone was there for my grandfather Robert's epic 90th birthday party in 2013. You can read all about the action that day in this blog!

Lookin' good in that enagement pic!

    We still made the most of it whenever someone was not able to make it to an event or two. Not everyone was able to attend my brother's wedding in 2002 and yet we still had a great time. Jim and Kathleen met in the 1990s while they were both attending college at the College of the Holy Cross and were engaged for about three years before they got married.

    Kathleen was like a cool older sister to me and still is to this day. Like me, she majored in political science and whenever some earth-shattering event happened in Washingon or around the world we would talk about it and other random topics here and there. Of course that wasn't the only thing we talked about! Though, she did offer guidance on various papers I wrote. 

    Their wedding was one of the major highlights of 2002 for me because I graduated college that May and their wedding was going to be in that August. When my grandmother Ollie passed away in February 2002, I kept thinking to myself that good times were coming and to focus on them and less on her passing.

     Before the big day arrived, I was tasked with being a groomsman since their friend Mike was going to be my brother's best man. That made sense since he introduced them and all that. I still managed to get a speech or two in, though! To give you a sense of how silly my brother can be, he asked me to do the infamous "Godfather wedding speech" at the rehersal dinner. Kathleen is also half-Italian and so the family really appreciated me saying "On this....the day of your daughter's wedding" during the speech. I even did a decent Marlon Brando impression! I'm just gonna say right now that that was totally Jim's idea!! (Yeah, right. You know the truth. That was all me.)

Gotta admit....I make this look good.

   Months before the actual ceremony we had a sort of "bachelor party" in Boston and no it wasn't what you think. We went to a sports bar/arcade called "Billiards" after a Red Sox game. I remember trying and failing to operate a driving game that night. But, what I remember most was what happened earlier that week at the rehersal.

    The wedding was at the college where they met, and the venue's coordinator was a very ummmm....shall we say STRICT nun?  I forget her name so for the sake of argument let's call her "Sister Mary Whatshername".

    The day of the rehersal she made sure that all participants in the wedding were up to speed on etiquette, posture and proper dress. Let's just say I'm glad we weren't all in tophats and coattails by the end of the experience.  

Grandparents and aunts!

    The day of the wedding finally arrived and the ceremony was very beautiful. My grandparents, Robert and Natalie, were there along with my aunts, great-aunts and cousins. A few family friends were also present on our side of the family as well and I got to meet the bride's family. I had met Kat's parents before the wedding. I'm not sure when, though.

   Michael Jackson's "Don’t Stop 'Til You Get Enough" played as the DJ introduced the bridal party and of course Jim and Kathleen. To say we had a great time was a bit of an understatement.

    In between dancing with my sister-in-law's friend, Dana, I talked with my aunts and my grandparents who were both having a great time. Though, I was never sure if my grandfather appreciated my brother's taste in music. He was always all about J. Philip Sousa and less about  pop music. He definitely never understood rap or any other style of music. But, he never let it bother him.

    I think my grandparents were just happy to be there watching their first grandchild get married and be with their family. You never know how much time you have and so it was a very precious moment for the both of them. I did tell them what happened with Sister Mary Whatshername earlier and believe it or not they actually got a good chuckle out of it.     

Now with little old Italian ladies (TM).

    By the end of the night everyone heard that story about Sister Mary Whatshername. I don't think she was even at the reception so it was definitely okay to talk about her. That lady was something else. At least she gave us an interesting story to tell. Let that be her legacy!

    All in all, I had a great time at the wedding and so did everyone attending the event. It was great seeing my grandma Ollie's sisters, my grandparents, cousins and everyone else. We still saw each other that Christmas. However, this was one of those special moments that won't come again unless you happen to have a Tardis. Memories of those no longer with us were shared and new memories were forged.

    Like I said before, you never really know how much time you have left and these events really become more precious to you as time goes on. Does a wedding count as a reunion? Absolutely! Why wouldn't 

it?

    Reunions can be anything you want it to be as long as you have a great time being with friends and family. Parties may not be meant to last, but, the memories you share at these events will certainly last a lifetime. Jim and Kat's wedding will forever be one of the greatest parties I've ever been to because I had the opportunity to be with friends and family and that's what reunions are really all about! Sure sometimes they can stink. But, it's really about the company you keep on those special occasions!

See ya next time! And don't stop til you get enough!