the blessed war begins.

This past weekend I had some very lovely late night chats with my father.  We somehow managed to be the only ones up in the wee hours and, as usual, found much to talk about.  He is brilliant.  Much of our weekend centered around Jason and Alex being married.  My father and mother have always made it quite clear in their many "discussions" over the years that married people argue.  If there isn't arguing happening than there is probably a greater overarching issue with the relationship.  Being they are just shy of their thirtieth wedding anniversary I believe them.  My father calls marriage the bless-ed war.  The couple are in it together and all sorts of things will be thrown at them to handle.  In as much as couples argue they are fighting their war together.  They are meant to be having one another's back.

My brother married his best friend on Saturday.  Truly.

Alex and Jason are so strong together and I am so glad to witness their love for one another.  It sure was a whirlwind weekend!

On Friday, the humans of our household were at the airport for our 6am flight to Chicago.

A couple thousand miles later, we managed to buzz into St. Mary's exactly in time for the 4:30pm rehearsal.

 A great bunch gathered in the third floor chapel of Le Mons hall.  It was beautiful and, thankfully, air conditioned.  Will, George, Matt Herr, Jeanise, Matt Lee, Lewis & Rachel, Samuel & Laura.

 Zachary and Sara at the rehearsal dinner, which involved copious amounts of Chinese food.  Sara is an incredibly talented pianist and performed all of the music for the ceremony.  She has been preparing since April.

It was a quite evening of rest for the bridesmaids.  Sam and Laura were right down the hall of our hotel.  It was so nice to get to visit with them.  We called it an early evening and I had no issues with jet lag keeping me awake.  

 My momma having her hair styled.  She was beautiful, as usual.

 Laura and myself in a little pre-ceremony self portraiture.

Zachary and I walked down the isle together.  It was so much fun to see all of those dear faces.  I didn't manage to snap any ceremony shots...no pockets.  It was very sweet and my big brother was the happiest I've ever seen him.

 The 86ers were reunited for the occasion!  It's always a good time with these two.

 The three amigos showing off their lovely camera angles.  They looked so handsome.

 Photo shooting instructions from the new Mr & Mrs.  We took photos on the Saint Mary's campus before heading over the the Riverwalk in Mishawaka.  That was the location for J and Alex's first date and engagement.  Of course we took some photos there.

 Jason gave each of the groomsmen a sword for their present.  He inscribed each man's name and the sword's name into the metal.

The swords were not allowed in the ceremony, though we did made a bouquet and sword tunnel for the grand entrance into the reception.

 Mom and Jason had a dance.  It was Niagara Falls.

 Jason got to taste the cake, nasally.

My aunt and cousins are professional bakers and made the cake.  They also made a special vegan version which reminded me of the cake I used to eat when I as a kid in the bakery.  

 Sam and Laura were looking mighty cute.

 All these great groomsmen and ladies made for quite the crew.

We all danced the night away.  Dad and Mom were busting moves all over that dance floor.  Mom made sure the dj added a few epic rock ballads that kept the dance floor hot.  

We kept on dancing...

 ...until we couldn't hardly stand.

 Josiah had a renewed sense of energy after the bride and groom were sent away.  They departed out into the stormy night under a sword and bouquet tunnel to the sounds of a spontaneous a cappella rendition of "Only Fools Rush In".   We had to scrap the sparkler plans on account of the downpour.

 The next morning there was a celebratory brunch at Alex's grandparents' home to see everyone off.

An impromptu pool party called at Rachel's parents' house and here are a few of the cousins in attendance.  We are all looking forward to our next gathering this coming October were Holly and Stephen will be bride and groom.

 Momma's veggies were looking mighty fine in the humid summer sun.

 As was her incredible flower garden.

I was able to run around town on errands with mom all Monday morning and get to spend some time with Sara, her mom and sister.  It is always a treat to spend time with those sweet Balogh ladies.

 This young man came along to see me off at the airport in Chicago.

 I hopped a flight and rode off into the sunset.  Seriously, it was dusk for two hours up there until finally the evening ceded to night.

After all that whirlwind, the bride and groom are off recovering in Ireland and I am back to the grad school grindstone.  We have quite the array of guests set to visit us here in Portland in the coming weeks.  I also have two weeks of practicum during that time.  Then I get a five week break during which my folks are coming for a week-long visit.  It was be such a blast to show them around the city of roses.  Yay!