October 15 – “In spite of Google Siri”

I officiated another wedding yesterday.  This one was for one of the fire fighters and his fiancé (Hey, I just typed in that last word and spell check put an accent mark on it.  But is it supposed to have two “e’s” at the end?  I never took French).  The ceremony was at the gazebo of the Green Events Center in Friendswood.  When I typed that into my Google maps app, I got a rather rude message.  It said somethings along the lines of, “This venue is closed today, so you would be wasting your time trying to find it.”  Huh.  I actually had to bypass the message and force it to tell me where I wanted to go.  I think Google Siri is getting a little too feisty, a little too independent for her own good.

The venue was a very pretty one, once I was allowed to find it.  The wedding was a very small one.  Maybe fifty people.  They asked me to add something to the ceremony that I have never done in a ceremony before.  They wanted to repeat the handfasting experience I had them undergo during their pre-marriage counseling.  It worked out pretty well, I guess.  We just tied their hands together before starting the vows.  Then I added the explanation of the rope before continuing on to the rings.  They seemed happy enough with how it turned out. 

The reception was inside the events center.  There was one other fire fighter and his wife there.  Fortunately I knew them, and they let me join them at their table.  The food was good.  Interesting, but really good.  Some kind of vegetable looking things on shish-ki-bob sticks (or however you spell that).  Fried apples. I recognized the little baby barbeque sandwiches.  What do they call those nowadays?  Sliders?  Never could figure out where that name came from, unless it refers to how the food tends to slide out from between the tiny slices of roll.  I didn’t go for the pepper poppers.  Another strange name.  I did get some of the macaroni and cheese, though.  How could I not?  It had some crumbly stuff on top, accompanied by … bacon.  Very good stuff. 

I’m sure they took some pictures at the gazebo, but the majority were taken inside the reception room.  After everyone had a chance to eat, the photographer began calling up people by name who he wanted in each picture.  After all the family photos were done, they did an “everyone else who showed up” picture.  I got dragged into that one, and then they added one with just me right before I headed home.  Sweet couple.  They are headed to Maui for a honeymoon. 

I managed to get home moments before the first pitch of the Astros game.  And that’s how I spent the rest of the afternoon, glued to the TV, watching an amazing pitching performance by Verlander and an exciting walk-off victory.  Gotta love those Astros.

1 John 3:23 says, “And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us.”

Father, be with Adam and Allison as they begin the new part of the journey.  Amen.