Congratulations Doug and Agata

Today was Doug and Agata's wedding. The day didn't start off well for me. I fucked up on setting my alarm clock for 11PM instead of 11AM! I was up all night playing BF2 so I didn't pass out till 5:30AM! Needless to say I woke up on the wrong side of the bed. My mother came in room around 12:30PM to tell me my buddy Alok was on the phone. He was calling to make sure I was Awake. The reason I had intended on getting up at 11, was so I could drop off my car at the reception area and pick up a card to put Dougs wedding gift in. I needed to be at Dougs mom's house by 1PM so I was in "holy shit I got to get dressed double time mode!" I was mad at myself for waking up late and started to blame everyone else for my own fuck up. It wasn't just that, in the past couple of days I have been having real resentment about even being in this wedding. I swear, this is the last one I am ever standing up in and baring one of my brothers getting married any time soon, attending!

Being in a rush sent me into anxiety mode, that coupled with all the fucken people I don't know being there and a certain girl who I can't get out of my fucken head! Becky had gone to some weird country fest in Wisconsin for the week. She said she was going to make it back in time for the whole shibang, but her return from her trip took longer then expected. So she would be AWAL from the ceremony. No biggiy but I was in a strange mood and had taken one of brothers anti-anxio pills, which being a mild sedative subdued me for the time being. Doug's mom thought I was high.

The cruise over to the chapel was in style. We rode in a stretched Hummer! Very nice, Unfortunately for me it only came stocked with Miller Light, which my cohorts quickly consumed. It has been very strange being the only sober person involved in a wedding. Last night at the rehearsal dinner Doug gave all the groomsmen Flask's with our names engraved on them. They even came filled with liquor, all except for mine which came with Coke in it. I't was really nice of Doug to be respectful of my choice. Back in the Hummer though the boys were all having a good time toasting to Doug. Theres this huge part of me that wants to be able to join in again and have a good time, but I know I can't and I'm not going to lie to myself and say "I can control my drinking," 6 years of drinking has taught me otherwise. Thankfully I was mildly subdued but still in a funk, so this situation was adding to it. To the point where I just wanted to go home.

We arrived at the Church a bit early and just hung around for a wile. For some odd reason when I think I'm not going to be able to pee, I got to go pee every five minutes. Usually this is one of my pre-sex nervous habits. But I was as calm and as cool as a cucumber. Doug was particularly nervous pacing sweating the hole shibang. I thought the three beers he consumed in the limo on the ride over would have settled his nerves.

We, the groomsmen, were all ushered to the back of the church in some waiting area where the priest gets dressed. For some odd reason this room smelled like the inside of an abandoned RV camper, don't ask how I know that smell. Finely it was time to get this show on the road and after a brief prayer with the padre, (I call him a padre because he was a Mexican priest) we went to our positions. Now this was a bit confusing because at the wedding rehearsal the guy who went over everything with us.......For lack of a better word, just plain sucked. He was a 70 something old man low talker. He couldn't keep things strait. He was all, do this, no wait I mean you guys come over here.....No you stay there I want you to........You should have all come over here after, well I meant to have you. Needless to say the guy was all over the place. So I just sat there and cracked dirty jokes to James in the house of God, no offense meant but I think God likes a good joke, he did after all create us.

So mass confusion ensued or so it appeared to me, but I could really care less. I have never been to a wedding where things went smoothly, except for my cousins the rands. All their weddings went off with out a hitch, but were talking my unlce Vall here. I think the biggest confusion came from the fact that instead of having an organ play everyone in, Doug had a traditional Irish bag piper play! This guy had the hole get up from the kilt socks and bag that hangs in front of your swanson ( code word for penis). The bag pipes were a very pleasant surprise, its not every day, or for that matter wedding that you get to experience bag pipe music.

The ceremony was then a traditional catholic wedding/mass. I hate mass, its so long and boring. I must say though, the padre did an outstanding job. He had a great sermon that related well to not only Doug and Agitas union, but to life itself. He even made me feel like I should start going to church again. Its funny how much you forget when you haven't been to mass in years. Judging from the lack of enthusiasm from those in attendance, I would say most hadn't been to church in quit some time. I opted out of comunion, my mother says you shouldn't take it unless you are serious about the hole body of Christ thing. Instead I bowed my head and it was blessed, so God, do your thing. After all the yadda yadda yadda, "I do's" "bless this bless that" Doug became man and wife!

After mass I was surprised by another new twist on the wedding thing. Doug and Agata released doves from the front of the church. It was really neet and I had never seen this done before. Now it was time for the barage of photos.