Nick was annoying, he had no sense of humor and was ornery all of the time. (I'm imagining his face if he ever reads this ha ha :).
I'm sure I wasn't all that great to be around then either. I imagine I was prone to create drama in my teenage years. Maybe I still do, but I certainly try not to.
Things change. People change. Nick was my rock when I needed him. I grew a bond with him that will last a life time. I never laugh so hard as I do with him. He gets me. He's protective of me. He wants nothing but the best for me. And I feel the same for him.
How happy I am that he found Sheri. She and Nick are a perfect fit for each other. To watch them interact with each other makes me smile. It makes Nick smile. I'm grateful to Sheri for that.
Nick deserves her.
We left Orlando on Saturday night to meet up with the family in Ft. Lauderdale for dinner the night before the wedding.
We headed to Flaningan's, an Irish pub and restaurant that specialized in sea food and was ready for the upcoming St. Patrick's day. Maybe a little too ready?
The wait was long but the food was oh so worth it. We threw Sheri into an "animal rights" tizzy when we discovered that dolphin was on the menu. Be rest assured that it was not dolphin, as in dolphin the mammal, but dolphin, as in the mahi mahi dolphin fish. It was a sea food eating rookie mistake :).
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| Sheri |
The night was warm with a slight breeze and we ate outside on the water (pond, not ocean) where fountains and lights played. We (as in, not me, but West and Julie-mom and others) ate garlic clams while we waited for our food.
I got to sit by my cute new nephew, Christian. That boy is a fountain of random knowledge. He would spout random facts about mythology to me, but I was okay with that. I was vying for my place of "favorite aunt".
The next morning Sheri finally hit her bridezilla groove (she'd been far too relaxed through out the process so far) and was scattered and had nerves.
Tums. Give the woman some Tums already!
I got to do her hair which I felt was an honor to have been asked, I was so happy to help.
And after 25 runs back and forth from hotel room to hotel room for things forgotten... jewelry, shaving legs, bra... Sheri, West and I finally hit the road to the restaurant where the ceremony and lunch would take place.
I had the privilege of escorting Nick out of the main room and to the bar upstairs to get him out of Sheri's way so she could finish getting ready with out being seen by the groom to be. He was as calm as could be, a perfect contrast to Sheri.
Back in our pool playing days, Nick and I were often mistaken as twins. We still refer to each other as "my twin" or caller each other simply "twinner".
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| Picture by my bro in law Fred |
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| Pic by my bro in law Fred |
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| Pic by my bro in law Fred |
My brother in law Fred is as sarcastic as they come. When I first walked into the lunch area before the wedding started he put his finger to his mouth and "shushed" me. When I looked at him he replied, "your dress is too loud." This coming from the man who wore a swim suit to the wedding... I'm not too worried about taking fashion advice from him :).
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| Pic by my bro in law Fred |
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| Pic by my bro in law Fred... my "loud" dress |
Had I given the toast, I would have said
To the brother who has been there for me. You have been through so much, and wanted to find that "someone" so badly. That "someone" who would get you and not want to change you, but who would love you as you are. You found her. I can see it in your smile, I can see it in your eyes, and I can hear it when you talk about her.
Cherish each other. This is the type of love everyone dreams of.
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| mine, West's, and my dad's hands |
