I have stated in various places around Daily Kos that my partner of 19 years and I got married in August of last year, and I have promised a diary on the topic. This is it, a mere 5 months after the event. I was going to entitle this diary "My Big Fat Gay Wedding," but it was neither big nor fat. It was, however, thoroughly enjoyable.
Please proceed over the tasteful orange wedding reception favor for more...
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We got married at the Torrey Pines State Reserve north of San Diego on Sunday, August 17 of last year. My husband's family is from that area, and his parents have difficulty traveling, so it seemed best to have the wedding in a place that was easy for them to get to. Friends of ours, a straight married couple, came to San Diego to help us out, as did ">our friend Katie, the renegade American Baptist minister, who officiated. We all had a couple of days before the wedding to hang out and enjoy ourselves in various places around the city.
One of the things we did beforehand was, of course, obtain the marriage license, which was something of an adventure. We got lost looking for the correct government office and missed our appointment. However, when we finally did arrive, they had no problem fitting us in. The clerk was genial and full of stories. What started out being a very frustrating experience ended up being quite pleasant.
On the day of the wedding, this being California in the summer, the weather was beautiful! We and our 20 odd guests gathered near an overlook where the Pacific Ocean was visible.
But first, of course, came the helicopter rescue. (I don't know if this is traditional to all same-sex weddings, or just to those that take place near cliffs in California.) As the last of the guests were arriving, so did a passel of emergency vehicles, and police, park rangers and paramedics went rushing off down the trail away from where we were located. It turned out that a nearby hiker had fallen down a cliff and was in need of rescue. So then came the helicopter, which lowered someone on a boom to a location behind a cliff where we could not see. The helicopter flew away, wheeled around, and then lowered the boom again, picking up two people. It then flew away to leave us in sufficient quiet to proceed with the ceremony.
So we stood before our guests and spoke our vows, and exchanged rings. By the way, my ring was my father's wedding ring (which had to be reduced in size), and my husband's was my paternal grandfather's wedding ring (which had to be increased in size). And the Reverend declared us married, and that was that. (I'm the one on the right.)
After taking lots of photos, we all went to Casa Guadalajara in Old Town San Diego for the reception. Then we returned home more or less immediately because our classes were due to start the following week. No honeymoon for us, at least not until the academic year is over.
My husband's father had been feeling ill for some time before the wedding, and there was some doubt as to whether he would feel well enough to make it to the wedding. He did manage to make it, but about a week later, he was diagnosed with terminal cancer. He passed away in early October. The wedding is the last time I saw him.
However, everyone was happy on that August day. We all had a good time. If we can get our act together, maybe we can plan a proper honeymoon this coming summer. (Italy maybe?) I'm now gathering tax documents to send to my brother-in-law (the accountant) so that we can file our taxes jointly for the first time ever. This will definitely result in our getting a larger refund than usual. Marriage has its benefits!
We haven't lived happily ever after quite yet, but it's been pretty nice so far. Now if I could just get my hair under control...
And now, on to the comments!
TOP COMMENTS
January 31, 2015
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From gooderservice:
theKgirls makes a suggestion by in Old Redneck's recommended post $8.9 million in two days.
From bastrop:
In DarkSyde's diary A brief word about good cops, Thinking Fella posted this real life anecdote about what can go wrong when a public servant "does the right thing" in an effort to change what's wrong with the system.
From GreyHawk:
bastrop's reply to the comment he nominated (above) is itself nominated here.
From Village Vet:
In the recommended post by La Feminista entitled Why I Get So Annoyed With Antivaxers, I submit the entire comment thread for consideration in Top Comments.
The entire comment section is filled with the stories of people who witnessed those around them struck by disease before vaccines were widely available (including my own parents), and those who have been struck by diseases once thought on the ropes.
They poignantly describe the damage wrought by diseases once thought on the ropes, and how real people are affected (including members of Daily Kos and their families) by the disregard and entitlement of those who think they know better than millions of man-hours of expert research conducted over centuries, thanks to the University of Google.
From your humble diarist:
I nominate two comments from DarkSyde's front page post This week in science: ring around the rosy planet, both of which refute Dr. Ben Carson's claims against the theory of evolution as the method by which the diversity of life now found on the planet came to be: There's this comment by scott5js, and this comment by funningforrest
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TOP PHOTOS
January 30, 2015
Enjoy jotter's wonderful PictureQuilt™ below. Just click on the picture and it will magically take you to the comment that features that photo. Have fun, Kossacks!
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