Mom flew in from Minnesota to travel with Dale and I to New York for my cousin’s wedding.
Two days prior to leaving for the wedding, I went to get my hair done. A woman from Long Island was waiting in the salon. When I mentioned my upcoming travels to New York, she asked where exactly I was going.
“Somewhere near Ossining,” I replied.
“Oh, Upstate,” she said.
“Ossining is not upstate,” I thought to myself, “It’s only 30+ miles north of the city.”
“There are only three parts of New York,” she told me, “The City, Long Island, and Upstate.”
New York City encompasses 6,720 square miles. Long Island encompasses 1,377 square miles. The remaining state of New York encompasses 46,459 square miles.
It’s a New York state of mind.
My Aunt Kim and Uncle Joe have three daughters and one son. Over the span of the last two years, all three daughters have married.
As a result, I suspect Uncle Joe is now broke and will in the future subsist on tea and toast.
Being Irish, this is not a difficult task for him.
The positive side of three weddings in two years is grandbabies. Aunt Kim is busy doting on her beautiful (The child is beautiful. I’m not making it up.) granddaughter, and waiting eagerly for the second grandbaby who is due to arrive next year.
During the father of the bride speech two years ago, Uncle Joe talked of waking from a nightmare in which he was driving his car and turned around to discover baby car seats in the back. Two years later, his nightmare has come true.
However, I suspect he is growing fond of being a grandpa.
Beth and Kevin’s wedding was lovely. They were married near a breathtaking view over the Hudson River. Beth was stunning as a bride. Her elaborate dress was gorgeous. She looked like a picture in a magazine.
A guitar and an upright base provided the music for the ceremony. It was a clever combination that I enjoyed hearing.
The wedding was contemporary. However, Beth and Kevin added in the traditional sign of peace. This made Dale happy. He loves the part of every service where he has to hug and kiss, and shake hands with the people around him.
After the officiant of the state of New York officially wed Beth and Kevin, guests walked through the receiving line, and admired the view of the setting sun over the river.
Soon, the banquet hall caterers started serving the food. There were stations of fruit, vegetables, and Chinese food, as well as hot appetizers. Lucky for Dale and I, we were standing near the door the servers walked through. When the bruschetta, bacon wrapped scallops, chicken pineapple skewers, and coconut shrimp wandered past, we could grab one if we wanted.
My Aunt Mary, across the patio, was not as fortunate. When the plate arrived at her location, it was empty.
“Coconut Shrimp? What’s this I hear about coconut shrimp?” She came over and asked.
By the time the appetizers were done, she had managed to snag one meager bacon wrapped scallop.
At a party, it’s knowing where to stand.
After the appetizers, the caterers served a meal of several courses followed by cake, coffee, and tea. For party favors, Beth and Kevin set up a candy store table for guests to fill a bag of candy. It was a clever idea. The guests loved it.
There was a bountiful amount of food at this wedding, and just so my Aunt Mary knows, the coconut shrimp was quite good.
Throughout the night there was dancing, and when the DJ called for people to dance with the one they loved, Dale and I danced.
Mom took a video of this rare event.
Dale, knowing technology is not Mom’s forte, is confident this video will be accidentally deleted soon.
When the evening was over and we were walking up the steps out of the reception hall, Mom had some trouble climbing up because of her knee. A young woman in 6 inch heels started to race past us, then stopped, turned to Mom and offered her help.
It’s a New York state of mind.