Wedding Saga Part I

Thursday, June 22

We get on the road much later than I would have liked, but we had to pick up the tux, drop off the animals (the majority of time spent on that was spent trapping Pandora and forcing her hissing self into the carrier), eat something, load the car... Needless to say, my quiet down time with the family was a fleeting thought.

Little did I know that almost everyone would be caught in situations beyond their control. As Pros and I dodged hailstorms that lined Rte 70, my parents, grandfather and MOH (Laurali) were trapped on the PA Turnpike. An oil truck decided to slam into the wall of a tunnel and leak gas everywhere. Sheesh! They stopped at a conveniently located rest stop for a snack and listened for news with the truckers. Only Pros' father and company arrived in Somerset on time.

We arrived at our hotel around 7pm and found that the change in ownership of the hotel had killed the few things about it (besides locale near the wedding venue) that I liked. No phone or television, not even an alarm clock. Pros had to repair the air conditioning and the bathroom light fixture. We weren't even allowed to park on the same side of the street as the hotel because the preference was given to people eating in the cafe that had bought out the location. This was shrugged off as we joined my family for dinner.

I had thought to call Ruby Tuesday's to warn them a party of six was enroute, but there was a major BIKER RALLY in town, so it was really crowded. To make matters worse, there was a tour bus that arrived before any of us did. Who takes a tour bus to a biker rally?!? It took about 20 mintues, but the six of us were finally seated. Another ten minutes, the server was actually informed that she had people about to attack the salad bar, so we got said salad for free. My grandfather was also in the group, unfortunately alone due to the Alzheimer's which had taken full hold of my dear grandmother. He was having a ball with us, fortunately. The camera was already cranking out the pictures and the flashes, blinding everyone around us. I kept telling myself that I'd appreciate the photos later, and that I could always throw him in the lake at the wedding venue if he didn't behave.

Pros' father, stepmother and stepsister joined us for coffee and conversation. My father was floored at how much Pros' stepsister resembled Alicia Witt, so I'll just call her Alicia for blogging purposes. My brother and his wife? They were still stuck in the middle of two flights, thanks to a mess of weather. My father promised to pick them up so Pros and I could attempt some sleep. This was not an easy feat, considering the door to the hotel was locked in two places and was swollen shut on top of that. Pros managed to kick the door open in a studly manner. The air conditioning was starting to work, and I had moved the annoyingly fragrant candles to another part of the "suite" (two bedrooms connected by a bathroom).

We were dead asleep within minutes, but my eyes soon snapped open with the one horror I should have seen coming. No hair dryer in the room! My hair is rather wavy, and my bangs have a double widow's peak that resembles Ruth Buzzi in "Laugh In" unless they are dried straight. This had me stewing much of the night until I was able to force myself to the reasonable solution of a Walmart run in the morning.

To be continued!