Take a Breath

Last Thursday, many of Dave's family members had already arrived, so Lee and I invited them over to our house for drinks and appetizers before going to the Crab Shack for some good old Tybee Island seafood. It was fun entertaining in our home again - it had been awhile. Everyone was very kind - including my wonderful mother who did dishes so I didn't have to.

Friday, the rest of the bridal party arrived, and Friday night was Erin's bachelorette party. We ate dinner, then headed to Club One - home of The Lady Chablis. The Lady wasn't performing that night, but plenty of other drag queens were. We laughed at their outfits, we laughed at ourselves, and had quite a good time. Here's a picture of Erin right after she'd stuffed a dollar in this guy/girl's top:

Saturday, we had the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner in Monterey Square. The weather was stormy Friday night, but cleared beautifully for the weekend. Though it was windy, it was cloudless and bright as we shared a picnic amid Savannah's historic beauty.

Our good friends Anna and Jason arrived in Savannah that day, and I was so excited to see them. It had been two years - way too long - but the time and distance hadn't eroded our friendships at all.

Sunday was another beautiful day, and we began the wedding-day festivities with a brunch at Suzabelle's. Then, Erin and I left for her 12:30 hair appointment at my hair salon. We spent the next hour and a half sitting on the cement steps outside the hair salon waiting for the stylist to show. Which she did not.

I was proud of Erin. Instead of royally freaking out, she called one of the other bridesmaids, who plugged in the hot rollers at the hotel. We were definitely angry about the stylist no-show, but determined that it wouldn't ruin the day. I did, however, snap this fabulous photo in the hotel's bathroom and have been trying to get up the nerve to send it to the hair salon:

So we were a little rushed to get ready, but everything worked out well. The bride was beautiful, hair and all.

The wedding was great - Savannah's river and flowers an amazing backdrop for a stunning couple so clearly in love. The reception was a lot of fun too, with good food and dancing and time to be with so many family and friends.

Monday, Anna and Jason moved from their hotel to our home, then we headed to Bonaventure cemetery where the azaleas were peaking. It was a sea of pink blossoms - so much color mixed with the cold, gray granite of the tombstones and statuary:

We all had lunch with Dave, Erin, and Dave's brother Andrew, then went to Best Buy to get an extremely large television. All the better for video games - a nasty habit we have when Anna and Jason come over. Okay, it's a nasty habit even when they're not here, but also a lot of fun when they are here.

Monday and Tuesday we ate some bad food (Uncle Bubba's) and some good food (Lady and Sons), walked the beach and City Market. But mostly, we spent time together, we laughed, and reconnected. That only made it harder when they left Wednesday morning.

We love Savannah, we really do. I'm just sad that so many of the people we've known here don't live here anymore. They are part of what has made Savannah fun, and we're definitely missing something without them here.

It was an exhausting two weeks. But, it was so great to have everyone back here in our town, and I miss them all already.