Well, we survived Jen’s wedding.  Weeks of pre-wedding jitters which included the dreaded plane ride, fear of leaving my dogs and sheep, worrying about my drawers being too messy for scrutiny by my ultra organized cousin, and the coup de grace….  having to put a bathing suit on while vacationing in the Caribbean, are put to rest.  None of those things ended up having any power over me.  The plane ride was fine, my cousins didn’t care about my drawers being messy and took wonderful care of the sheep, the dogs did fine at the kennel, and the topless babes on the beach kept anyone from looking at me!  The trip was all about Jeni.

She planned everything, and a fine job she did!  Dreams Palm Beach is an all-inclusive resort in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic.  The beaches are fabulous, the rooms spacious, the service great.  Jen and Carlos, and Andy and Janeen both had suites. Jim and I had a regular room.  All of our rooms faced the ocean.  We had a little rain and some clouds, but the day of the wedding was clear.  It was windy, which wasn’t good for my hair, but no one was looking at me anyway.

Jen choose a quote by Laura Hendricks read by her lifetime friend, Samantha, called ‘Love Is Friendship Caught Fire’.

“Love is friendship caught fire; it is quiet, mutual confidence, sharing and forgiving. It is loyalty through good and bad times. It settles for less than perfection, and makes allowances for human weaknesses. Love is content with the present, hopes for the future, and does not brood over the past. It is the day-in and day-out chronicles of irritations, problems, compromises, small disappointments, big victories, and working toward common goals. If you have love in your life, it can make up for a great many things you lack. If you do not have it, no matter what else there is, it is not enough.”

That pretty much summed the whole day up.  It was about love.  She had a bevy of friends, nurses she works with from Jefferson, some with significant others in tow and even a few children, showered her with attention.  Her friend Sam, a beautiful young woman who remained close after we left California over 25 years ago, attended with her husband, newly transplanted from Albania to Washington, DC.  Debbie, former owner of Cafe Noel, and Jen’s boss 15 years ago, came from Rehoboth Beach.  Andy and Janeen, temporarily living in Maryland, and Carlos’ mom and dad from San Antonio flew in Saturday.  Carlos’ friends from the courthouse were there.  It was a lovely mix of people.  I think one of the best things about the trip was having all of those people to talk to.  There was always someone to go to the beach with, have breakfast, or go out to dinner.  We went to the disco, I gambled, (won $100), watched our new son in law do Karaoke.  I don’t remember the song, but it was a riot!

Now I just have to be vigilant to watch for pictures of me dancing so I can remove them pronto.