Wedding fun and Jersey sun

For the third anniversary week in a row, JG and I attended a wedding. We got married on the last Saturday of June, and it has always been a treat to go to someone else’s wedding around the same time. We dress up, dance, and have fun with our friends in exchange for a gift. Not bad, eh? This year, we drove about an hour to go to Jess and Jay’s wedding last Saturday, which was to be held completely outdoors. I did not relish the prospect of not having a retreat from the ninety-degree heat, but the 6pm ceremony was short, and cocktail hour was climate-controlled. Jess is a fellow math teacher with JG, so we chatted with the regular group of game-night teachers while intermittently stalking down the more desirable passed appetizers, namely the coconut shrimp, miniature burgers, and bite-sized crab cakes.

Once the sun went down, the reception in the outdoor tent was really lovely. To my surprise, the DJ had “More Today than Yesterday” in his files, which is my favorite song to request at weddings, and JG and I had a fun trot around the dance floor. Against my better judgment, I joined in on a few girls-only numbers, like “Like a Prayer,” and ended up being accosted by one particularly intoxicated bridesmaid. As this girl — with whom I was not acquainted, thank you very much — got all, uh, up in my face, I threw a panicked look over at JG, who merely laughed at me. Oh, my! That was my cue to sit back down at the teacher table. At the end of the night, my feet were aching, we were all at various degrees of sweaty, but it was such a good time.

The next day, at 5:30 in the morning, JG and I headed out to the annual family vacation in Ocean City, New Jersey. If it had not been for the wedding, we would have been there on Saturday, but leaving before the crack of dawn the next day was the next best thing. Unlike last year, we had gorgeous weather for our entire time, so JG enjoyed four good beach days for playing quoits and body surfing. Despite myself, I went into the ocean once, albeit with JG and on piggyback, but it counts! Mostly, I sat in my beach chair, read, and napped. I did manage to get up early, twice, to do my C25K workout, which I figured would justify my two-donut breakfast. Ahem. I didn’t take nearly as many pictures as I have in other years, but when you see the same lifeguard stand and rescue boat and eat at the same places, I didn’t see the point in replicating shots I already had. It was rather nice to simply be at the beach rather than trying to document it.

I came away from the vacation with a slight sunburn on my lips and a strange rash on my thighs (they call it “Ocean City crud” — lovely), and I am now, as my former co-worker worded it, “as brown as a Brazil nut.” Being away from home and work was a much-deserved lapse in the routine, but I don’t particularly enjoy the beach itself. However, JG loves it, and I’m glad that he can get his fix. I most looked forward to seeing Mimi and having a break from the routine, but I’m glad to be home again. Tonight, we’ll spend the 4th of July at home, watching the Wimbledon coverage and then grilling up some dinner. It should be a quiet night, that is, until the inevitable pops and bangs from neighborhood fireworks ring out. It’s the sound of freedom, I suppose.