This is actually kind of embarrassing. With all the adventure reports I haven't written yet, I feel like a print journalist giving you yesterday's news in this Internet media-dominated world of ours. And yet I insist on writing them, in order to preserve the happy last days of my life before I leave you all. Yes, I will still be writing about youth conference, Texas, and even the Fifty-miler (which took place clear at the end of June!). And yes, I hope to also finish that little autobiographical project I started more than a year-and-a-half ago, should time permit it.
But my most important report is that of Ryan and Megan's wedding, not for my own reasons, but for yours. Without saying what is out of my liberty to say, various things have come up for which this post will bring certain people peace of mind. I've really never heard of so much need for one of my blog posts than this one, so today I'm taking the time to bring it to you. It was a joyous weekend, and I'm pleased to have the opportunity to relive it through the keyboard.
As far as I was concerned, everything started at 12:30 on Saturday the 16th. We gathered at the Old Meeting House on Highland Drive for the wedding rehearsal, and for the next half-hour or so we were educated in what everyone needed to do during the ceremony. The procession was organized, the stage set, and everything was looking good. We all stuck around for a few minutes afterward to admire the beautiful old building and become acquainted with the rooms we'd be using, then it was off to lunch.
The majority of those at the rehearsal came to Cafe Rio, and Ryan's dad paid for all of us, I think. It was a delicious meal; we left quite full. Thankfully I'd brought my own car, so Ryan and I split off and decided to hang out for a bit before the bachelor party.
Apparently he and Steve had played a game of Brikwars the night before, because Ryan was still excited about it and called Steve up for another game that afternoon (I think they'd planned to play again anyway; I was new to the whole organization). Of course, I was stoked to get in on it; the last time I'd played Brikwars was with my family, and I couldn't use my whole army because the people I was playing with didn't have minifigs of their own.
But this time, I could pull out all the stops and show my true power. Before the game, Ryan and I stopped by my house so I could grab the arsenal: my whole army that had been sorted into the collection (about ninety-five percent of my minifigs, I reckon), various deadly creatures, and all the weapons and armor I could ever want for a fight against the boys. Oh, yeah--I felt powerful.
Steve showed up shortly after we got back to Ryan's place, and around 4:30 we began to assemble our forces. I spent most of my time on a formidable cavalry, outfitting my knights with the maximum amount of armor possible (in geek terms, each of them would receive +6 to their defense roll). For a leader, I created a fully-armored Lego version of myself and set him high upon a mount. Thus was the beginning of little Nathan and his riders. . . .
In order to even survive against my vast array, Ryan and Steve formed an alliance of more unique characters. I'm not lying; they were quite the eclectic bunch. Included in their ranks were a gnome, a gladiator, and Fishman:
Well, we were expecting a quick game that would occupy just a couple hours in the afternoon. But before we knew it, 4:30 became 6:30, and we were still building! I called Dave to let him know I was already at the bachelor party (we figured we might as well get it started with the game of Brikwars, since it had eaten so much time anyway), and he arrived shortly after seven. He didn't miss much, though; we'd still just barely gotten started, and I employed him as my defense roller.
Indeed, sometime around 6:45 we agreed to limit my army to forty men (forty-three including heroes) and each of theirs to twenty, in an attempt to create a smaller but even battle. It was still just a small part of the full army I could have built, but I wanted to battle
sometime that night, so I cooperated. ;-) In the end, the lineup I chose consisted of fourteen armored riders, three undead horsemen, seven Shadow Knights, nine swordsmen, ten pirates, five cannons, four dragons (forgive us, Spencer, but for our purposes we called my raptor a "ground dragon" :-P), and a Cerberus. As for my opponents, they had an elephant, two-ish dragons, a few horsemen (and guys riding alligators), a troll, machine gunners, and some cannons on a boat, among other things. Pretty intense.
The first casualty of the battle was Chewbacca. I got a clean shot at him with one of my cannons, and he fell right off the elephant. Woot!
That dang elephant wouldn't die, though. I killed everyone riding it, but even with my dragons and cannons going at it, it just wasn't going down! The center of the battle was there, which would become so crowded that we could barely see into it.
A bloodbath was inevitable. I sent a few horsemen into the fray, and Steve dropped a suicide bomber onto my biggest dragon and killed it. He also summoned an elemental (R2-D2, no less) and wiped out my undead riders and a number of my Shadow Knights. Long story short, things got pretty ugly.
Near the end of the battle (we never finished, but we'd already spent hours on the game and wanted to go do something else), I finally sent a number of my cavalry on a charge against Ryan's forces. In one fell swoop, his crusader, gladiator, gnome, and Fishman were dead. . . . But little did I know, Ryan was a big fan of vengeance.
It was like
The Last Samurai. Ryan pulled out a bunch of machine guns, and in a tragic turn they tore through my knights' armor like it was nothing. Meanwhile at my own front line, a dragon or another horseman or something had killed little Nathan, and two of my cannons were put out of commission. Things just were not looking good.
We ended it at the close of the round, and counted up all our survivors. Steve and Ryan were declared the victors by just a few men! Bragging rights were officially theirs, and Ryan's flamethrower guy posed for a picture kicking little Nathan's butt.
By then it was 10:30; we'd spent
six hours on Brikwars! Our original plan was to hit Chili's for dinner, but because of the battle we were left with few options that were open so late. Laser tag was planned for after the meal, and the arena closed at midnight; thus, we not only needed something that was open, but also quick.
If there's one truly unique thing Ryan can say about his bachelor party (and believe me, there are plenty), my pick would be that we went to McDonald's for dinner. Yep. Ronald McDonald hosted Ryan's bachelor party. I just
dare you to share that with your kids, buddy.
Actually it wasn't so bad. All of us ordered chicken nuggets but Steve, and we spent our entire time there swapping stories from our carefree high school days. With two Warriors and two Spartans who, in the grand scheme of things, had only met recently, there was plenty of fresh material to keep everyone interested.
We made it to Laser Quest just in time for their last game of the night: an "Ironman" round lasting thirty minutes for only a few dollars more than usual admission. Something like thirty-five people took part in this game--the most we'd ever encountered in the arena--but it wasn't as enjoyable as a smaller group. Everything was just too crowded; it was impossible to turn in any direction without seeing a target or becoming one.
What's more, we were playing with jerks. No, seriously, they were total dirt bags: they blocked their sensors, jumped around feverishly, and often did not have anything respectful--or even sportsmanlike--to say. There were a precious few who did choose to play by the rules and just act decently, but the bunch was ruined by a majority of bad apples.
The four of us stuck together as best we could, and in the end Dave had the highest score among us, followed by Ryan, then me, and finally Steve. But even our best player proved not to be a difficult match for the cheaters; quite simply, we were slaughtered.
But we still had a good time. Our frustration with everyone else in the arena unified us, and to celebrate we did what any Utahn would do for entertainment at midnight: we hit Walmart. By this point we had already done everything that had been planned for the party, so now it was all impromptu.
When Dave and I are on the town late at night, it's just a rule that we have Martinelli's. We introduced this to the bachelor party, buying a bottle for each of us. Then with drinks in hand, we naturally made our way toward the Lego aisle, where we would spend at least ten minutes analyzing sets to draft.
For those of you unfamiliar with the practice, drafting a Lego set involves all participants paying an equal share for it, then sorting the pieces and taking turns claiming the piles. With this in mind, we eventually settled on 7627 Temple of the Crystal Skull. It had the most useful pieces for our purposes, and at twenty bucks a share, we couldn't pass up such a bargain.
Now, being at such a late hour it was impossible for us to draft at Ryan's house, so we drove around town for a bit and decided on a park by the Jordan River to continue our activities. Of all the times and places to do what we were doing, I believe our experience was the most unique; after all, how many LUGs have you heard of who meet for a draft out in a park after midnight?
The Murray City police drove by often, but never bothered us. I still think back and wonder what they might have said about what we were doing. . . . How many cops have really encountered it? The crime that would have most closely resembled our draft might have been a drug deal, but I think even from a distance it was clear that we were just being geeks. We covered an entire picnic table with our beloved ABS! And after sorting and examining every piece, the real fun began. 8-)
Turn by turn, we all took the piles of pieces that interested us. Surprisingly, things stayed really tame. Because of our different building practices, everyone wanted different pieces, so everyone left happy; Ryan focused on building pieces, Steve on minifigs and accessories, and myself on detail elements. Dave sat out on the draft, contributing his turn to Ryan. Everyone had a good time, and by the time we were done, more than three hours had passed.
In total, we spent nine hours playing with Lego before we were done that night. We called it a little before 3:30 (or was it 4:30? I forget.), and parted happily at the end of our festivities. It had been a night to remember, full of battle, food, and Lego. If you ask me, that's a winning combination, and I envy Ryan for getting such an awesome bachelor party.
Needless to say, we were all tired the next day, but such would be the remainder of the weekend. A luncheon was held for the wedding party at the park by Megan's house, and we had a good time. It was like a little hangout with awesome food; other than Ryan, Megan, and myself, Sarah also came, as did Megan's mom, brother, sister-in-law, and a couple other relatives. It was a pretty tight group.
And before we knew it, the wedding day had arrived. Everyone was busy with whatever preparation involved them, and things moved quickly. I showed up to the Old Meeting House around 5:40 and joined the rest of the groom's attendants in the dressing room, watching
Family Guy as we donned our tuxedos. There was an air of excitement as we finished and waited in the hall; guests were arriving, everyone was dressed up, and the whole thing finally began to sink in. This was it!
And then the piano began to play. The parents of the bride and groom proceeded to their seats, and Ryan took his place on the stage. Then one pair at a time, the groom's attendants escorted the bridesmaids to the front, last of all being myself and Sarah--the maid of honor. We posed for a picture at the entrance to the chapel, then continued our walk down the aisle arm-in-arm as the crowd watched us from either side. It was very much like something out of a movie . . . dreamlike, unreal, even.
Then with everyone in place, the bride finally entered, radiant with a beautiful white gown trailing behind her. Adoration flowed from the audience as Meg came down the aisle, her arm in the arm of her brother Kris. The groom and the brother met on the stage, escorting the young woman they each loved from one life into the next. With his little sister in the hands of her groom, Kris found a seat next to his mother, and the transaction was nearly complete.
Ryan and Megan glowed as the bishop spake to them. The bridesmaids wept happily as the groom's attendants looked on in approval. The occasional camera flash went unnoticed, and the crowd was still. I reminisced as I watched the happy couple; they had both been some of my closest friends, and had especially supported me through the year since high school. I was so happy for such a union of friends, and grateful to know they would always be there.
And now it was my turn to present the rings! Of all the honors ever bestowed upon me, this may have been one of the greatest: to guard my friends' rings until they needed them, and to offer them up when the time came for their union. At the bishop's signal, I reached into my coat pocket--the one nearest my heart, and most protected--and stepped forward ceremoniously with the velvet box. Ryan took the rings one at a time until the box was empty, and as the bride and groom exchanged them I returned to my place with the guys.
One kiss later, the procession began once more, the bride and groom leaving together this time. Following them were the bridesmaids and groom's attendants, of whom Sarah and I were the very last to go. Ryan and Megan were officially married, which left us with just one more thing to do. . . . Party! :-D
The hall was crowded with wedding guests who wished to congratulate the happy couple on their way to the dining room. There weren't a lot of familiar faces, but it was a nice excuse to chill in a corner with the guys while we waited to be able to eat. Dinner was fairly fragmented for us, but not as impossible as it was for the bride and groom. We needed only to appear for a photo session, then we were given nearly free reign.
This freedom came in handy, too. After a delicious dinner of fruit, teriyaki chicken, spinach dip, and various sweets, as well as only a few minutes of standing in line and greeting guests, the rest of the night was devoted to adventure.
Perhaps the greatest adventure involved decorating the newlyweds' car. We didn't have a lot to work with, but Sarah, Emily, and I still did pretty well with it. The occasional passerby would give us more ideas, and by the end we had a work of art.
I was especially proud of my window:
Hehe. ;-)
When we got back in, Ryan and Megan were just about to cut the cake. Perfect timing! Don't they just look so happy? ;-D
The nice thing about this reception was that it kept moving. Within minutes, Megan had tossed the bouquet, and now it was the guys' turn to fight over the garter! It was pretty intense; Steve, Kenn, and I were the only single guys there (or at least visible), so it was just the three of us. Ryan tossed the garter my way, and I had it!
. . . Except my fingers weren't quite firm around it yet, and Steve lunged and took it from my hand. Oh snap! :-P
So close, so close. You have to get married now, Steve! ;-D
With everything pretty much done for the night, I finally took some time to truly relax, and with cake in hand I joined Steve and two lovely ladies at their table. These girls were new to me, but everything came back once I heard their names: Cindy and Rachel. As it turned out, I'd met them at the start of senior year, but never saw them since! Yep, you too, Rach--behold the wonders of
my record keeping! Crazy, huh? I didn't realize it at the wedding!
We had a grand time at that table; in fact, the best picture of me from that night was taken there. Rachel, I hope you don't mind, but I totally stole your pic. I heart it. ^_^
Sarah got some cool pictures of me, too, during the few moments we got to hang out after I left the table. I miss that tux. ^_^
And that's pretty much how we spent the rest of the party--just hanging around and enjoying the company, snapping the occasional picture. I followed Steve and the girls outside when they had to go, so I could show them the decorated car. After that, I spent most of the remainder of the evening there; the night was cool and everyone was heading out anyway.
As the bride and groom got ready to leave, all of us waited outside to ambush them with bubbles. Denny reminded me of a scene from
King of the Hill, but only one other person understood the reference I made: a girl standing a short distance to my right, who I hadn't really noticed until then. As it turned out, however, I had also met Allison at
the start of senior year, and in the time surrounding the ambush of Ryan and Megan, we struck up a good conversation starting with that favorite TV show of ours to which I had referred. Eventually a group of friends joined us--Kenn, Denny, Meisha, and Preston--and we talked the rest of the night . . . at least till everyone had to leave, anyway.
I was the first to separate from the group, but only because I was the last of the wedding party still dressed. Gee, how time gets away from me! I dashed back up to the dressing room and jumped out of my tux, but by the time I got back down, everybody was already gone. Nevertheless, it was the perfect evening. I went home happy, and am pleased to say I've maintained contact with the friends I made at the wedding, as well as those who I knew before but became closer to that night.
And truthfully, my record of the wedding and reception is imperfect, at best. It was a big party, and to document it all would be impossible for me--especially with the time I have. But the night was perfect, and for those who were there, it will live on forever in memory.
Today is Ryan and Megan's two-week anniversary. I'm glad to have been a part of their wedding, and couldn't be happier with the bond I still share with them. Congratulations again, you two; I look forward to seeing what the coming years bring, for I truly will be there to see. That's one of the greatest blessings that come with having friends like you, and I know you'll do great. Happy anniversary!
