August 17, 2014

There was a wedding in the family yesterday. I didn't blog then because I was really busy all day and well into the evening. Adam, my son, buddy, friend and sometime protector married his beautiful girl friend, Ying. The wedding was planned for the Rose Garden at the Arboretum, but a storm came through and forced it inside to the Tea Room. The Buddhist ceremony went off as planned and it was interesting and touching to watch, especially when they recited their vows. They chose the words themselves and they were meaningful and genuine. They made a beautiful couple as they posed for their photos for the professional photographer later. I took some shots myself.

The wedding party went outside after the ceremony for some photos. Adam and Ying are the bride and groom in the center of the photo. Drew, also known by PP as Secondary Bro, is wiping the moisture from the top of Adam's head.

One of my favorite shots of the day shows PP testing out the costumes for the photo booth at the place where the reception took place while she was helping decorating for the event. It clearly shows a sense of adventure in this young woman, I think.

Another favorite is the photo of the groom and his cousin, Nancy, and her daughter, Nikki, doing some decorating for the reception at Pinstripes in Edina.  They were clearly having a great time.

The reception itself went off well. The friends and family were treated to fine food and some entertaining games, and indeed some speeches by some friends and family. I spoke first, followed by Ying's mom, Laibin, (in Chinese), then a good friend of Ying's. I was a bit nervous about the talk in advance, worrying about being too emotional. But it went off well, and I didn't have to resort to my phony Norwegian accent to stay in a stable state. I talked about Adam and his childhood and welcomed Ying to my family, calling her my new daughter, and telling her that she has a new sister and a couple of new moms, too. I guess my favorite part was the end of the talk. I quoted from a poem that Adam wrote at age 10, one that was included in my 1990 Christmas letter and I include it here.  It contains, I think, a certain amount of foreshadowing.

Feeling the Wonders of Life

I am healed by flying through the clouds.
I am healed by playing with the stars that shine in the night sky.
I am healed by my Mom and Dad that help me through life.
I am healed by the sun in the sky.
I am healed by sleeping close to a Tiger.

And then I said:

I think and I hope that he's found his tiger.  Because Ying was born in the year of the tiger, she may very well be that tiger.

 Two memorable parts of the evening were the first dance of Adam and Ying, an event that they practiced for quite a bit and which turned out to be a graceful piece of choreography; and the salsa dance that Takeshi and Kelsey did in the middle of the evening, an athletic and graceful performance that was magical to watch.

So Adam is a married guy now. He and his wife are off to honeymoon in Hawaii, while the rest of the old people take this opportunity for a few days of recuperation.