My little sister got married on Saturday. We had some interesting dynamics and a lot of drama, but even more love and compassion for family this weekend. Everyone pulled together and we got it done. The top ten important things about this weekend:
1. NaniBen is a brilliant copy editor. Menus and programs. Oh yeah!
2. LittleM is a brilliant errand runner. Thanks for picking up said menus and programs.
3. Suka got the programs folded, ribbons cut, and bows tied. I helped, but I mostly drank champagne. :)
4. People drove the Bride-To-Be around. Mostly. Except for the time they didn't, and The Bride walked home...an hour before the rehearsal. Um. Oops. (To be fair - it was an accident!)
5. The Groom's mom made an incredible video tribute for the bride and groom. It rocked.
6. Pink bow ties were acquired, lost, and re-acquired in record time - with minutes to spare.
7. The Bride's ride forgot to pick her up - but we got her there and down the aisle only 5 minutes late!
8. The Bride and Groom got married! Yay!
9. I found the fucking card box.
10. The Bride's Mom, my mama extraordinare, threw a killer brunch.
I have a ton more that I could say about the weekend, and maybe someday, I will. But for now, I want to at least share the toast I wrote for JHo and Swati. I didn't deliver quite these words, but I meant them all. To JHo and Swati - Cheers!
I'm Nish, Sara's oldest sister. Sara, or as I call her, Bear, and I have always had normal sibling rivalry. I even stole her first handmade baby blanket from her before the poor kid was born! I wasn't all that impressed with that tiny, pinchy, loud, bald, demanding little baby.
Outside of the normal sibling rivalry though, Bear and I have always been great friends. We started bonding over music when we were young - we liked Dave Matthews Band, Live, Counting Crows, Pearl Jam. We had summer long Rummy games that we started as soon as school let out. I think Grandi (and Lara!) probably remembers those epic games. On the last day of Summer, we'd drag the cards and pens out to play out the game. I think one summer, we even go to like 500,000. And then we had a really unique experience at CSC. Sometimes we were campers together and sometimes I had to take Sara's snack away when she didn't listen. Hey Jeff, I urge you, let no man stand in the way of Bear and her Ice cream. You're welcome.
Bear is smart, and passed through school easily. She is an incredible athlete. She drew, and she did crafts effortlessly. She's amazingly motivated, and dedicated to her family, friends, and work. She is easily the most compassionate person I have ever met in ways no one else can remotely match.
I am so proud of the person she has become in her life, and you can't imagine out how happy I am to see her with Jeff. I see the two of them work through life together, as a team. If you walk into a room with them, it's immediately clean how much he adores her - and she him. I've never seen her laugh the way she laughs with Jeff. I've never seen her smile so much.
