To Have and To Hold

It is not often that the past returns and we get to celebrate old friendships and relationships. This week Tasha from my old school in Morocco came out for a visit, to see her old roommate, and to come to the wedding of our former co-workers, Adam and Kattie Normand. (Well, now, it's Normand.)

We drove down with Janette, and spent the night with Steve and Julie- which was very meaningful for me, as it marked the first time that I had people from the two most significant parts of my life meeting together- my time at GWA in Morocco, and the commune I grew up in.
Sadly, Blogger only allows 100 MB max for videos- for the rest of the wedding videos I took you'll have to go to my Facebook account.

The wedding was an intimate affair, upstairs in the Crystal Ballroom in Portland. Kattie had a beautiful dress made by her sister, and another sister in this multi-talented family made about 15 different cakes. (The best was the chocolate-mint, imo.)

After the cutting of the cake, Adam and Kattie were off to Bend, capitol of Eastern Oregon. (It's the only community of any size in the vast deserts of Eastern Oregon.) And the rest of us were left with some very hard goodbyes. Although I know this is The Special Day for Kattie and Adam, for me, it was simply getting to see them- and Lillis and Heather and Kristi and Norm and Reta and Ed and Barbara and Amanda and Catie (with whom I had some of my very best travels in Morocco) and Ashton, and some surprises, like Nessa and Jared, and the rest- those I haven't seen for so long, and missed so dearly, that a part of me is removed. I really enjoyed talking with Catie, even if mean Amanda wouldn't let me give Catie any of the Merlot :-( It felt like the reunion was far too short to truly reconnect, before everyone flew off, back to their respective states and countries- Lillis to finishing her BA in music teaching in Florida; Heather and Kristi to teaching at the same school in SoCal; Norm and Reta to Ontario, looking for ways to help overseas and waiting on a kidney transplant; Ed and Barbara to their retirement about ten miles from the wedding; Amanda and Catie back home to Dar Baida; Ashton and her mom and siblings back East to Spokane, WA; and Nessa and Jared to beauty school and music school in Wisconsin. (Let the reader guess which is doing what.) Adam will be working with Americorps in Portland, but sadly and ironically, I know nothing else of the wedding couple's plans, as they were naturally so busy with their special day. I, I returned to Seattle with Janette teaching in Bellevue, and Tasha subbing and teaching ESL in Alabama.