Is it over yet?

The weekend that is? Nope one more day, tomorrow, and then it will be over with. What a freakin busy day! Started with picking up P's basketball uniform. He's going to look so dang cute in purple and gold, lets just hope he learns to dribble and not slap the ball. Lets hope he learns what direction to run, and all sorts of cool teamwork type stuff. It'll be good for him.....I think. We then went to walgreens and began our Christmas shopping....well I did begin, day after thanksgiving, but had only purchased gifts for Ron and P, but had nothing for anyone else, so we got some filler gifts at the Walgreens, which I'd highly reccomend for one of kind inexpensive yet appealing gifts. Ok now time to attempt to blog about todays festivities. Honestly you'd have to be there to get the full experience, but I will make an attempt at doing it justice. It was almost as if my husband and I were attempting to "one-up" each other at who could come up with the most "out of my comfort zone experience", and guess what I WON!

Ron: "Honey would you call that a non-traditional wedding?"
Yes dear I believe you would. Rewind 2 weeks ago, on a thursday evening around 8pm, I answer the phone to an unfamiliar number on the caller ID, and was greeted with an unfamiliar voice on the other end. He tells me his name...and still I'm like "who?" Then he said your husbands brother, still nothing is registering, because you see, yes my husband has a brother, however we've not seen or heard from him in over 4 years. I then apologized and we began to talk. He tells me he's getting married.......IN TWO WEEKS.......right no better time than the PRESENT! I suppose there was a bit of prior planning and we were just an afterthought after all he hadn't talked to us in 4 years. Theres not an actual wedding though, just a reception. Apparently something about friends and a justice of the peace, then a fancy to-do at STORMIN NORMINS SPORTS BAR. Ok when I read sports bar, I think of a place with big screen TV's, chicken wings and those cool tall glass's they fill with beer. Usually a large facility, with your typical smoking and NON-SMOKING areas. Commonly they'll have sports on the big screen TV's. I mean map-quest went so far as to give Stormin Normin's 5 stars, and we felt safe. Until we walked in through the steel backdoor with a sign directing us to the reception we were about to attend. Do you ever have one of those surreal moments where you feel like you've just entered a dream sequence.....like Wayne and Garth in Waynes World? That was us, after we walked through the door. Me in my nice festive green argyle cardign, cords, and sketcher hiking boots. Ron who had changed into some cargo pants from jeans, because he felt he might be too casual in jeans and a plaid long sleeve button up abercrombie shirt. Most of the guest appeared to be dressed in usual bar attire, mostly black, many in LEATHER. We felt a bit out of place to say the least. The only thing that would have made me feel more uncomfortable is if the music had come to a screeching halt when we walked through the door. Thank God it didn't. Because you see it was blaring as loud as it possibly could the whole hour we were there. Apparently they don't really like to talk to each other in these places, and if they need to they like to be as close to your ear as possible so you can hear them. Everyone appeared to be looking at us, almost the entire time we were there, I don't think they had seen anything like us. I felt like the humans on planet of the apes. And yes we did take the small human with us. He at least was some comic releaf that eliminated a tiny bit of the fact that we wanted to run right back out the door. He had a blast dancing, and talking to folks. At one point Ron was asked to dance by the bride, and he respectfully declined. I was then asked to dance by the best man, who happened to be a man in his 40's with long hair, and he happened to be wearing leather, pants and I believe a studded belt. Far be it for me to decline a dance with this nice gentlemen when Lionel Richey was playing.....so I danced.....for just a moment, since apparently another lady, who was intoxicated wanted him more than I, so I had my out. I don't think I am a snob by any means. I can go to a bar and have a beer or a glass of wine and feel perfectly comfortable. But this was a very small bar, with lots of smoke, and quite a few people I had never encountered before. It was what one would refer to as a "dive", "hole in the wall" bar. I guess his brother was very comfortable there, since these people have become his family at the absense of his own family, which is great. This was one of those weddings where the party was for the people who got married, not for the guests. And I am sure they had the time of their lives. We however were rather smelly upon our escape from the dream sequence. We both got in the car, first let out a good theraputic yell for what we had just encountered and then were like ewwwww...you smell really bad, like an ashtray soaked in beer. We both but all our clothes in the wash when we got home along with our coats. And then showered, and still feel like I smell. I am sure the party goers had a good laugh at our expence once we left.
Once we left there, I was really looking forward to the FANCY ARMY CHRISTMAS DINING OUT. This event I usually either avoid and have some lame excuse why I can't go, or I go and dread it. But after the "reception", this Fancy to-do felt like it could be a day at the beach! And it was. We had a lovely time, a few of the guys I've known and "dined out" with many times over 12 years. I've been to their weddings, got to know some of the wives, so much of the uncomfortable feel is tolerable. Completely tolerable after what I forced my husband to endure this afternoon. I wore my Austin Powers/ George Washington fancy outfit and was completely comfortable. Even though most of the ladies were wearing as I expected, dresses with no sleeves, or spaghetti strapped sequenced dress's. Barf.....it's dang cold out, aren't you people freezin? I think that tomorrows play will be rather uneventful compared to todays festivities, tough to top any of that. I am just happy to be the big winner of the "OUT OF YOU COMFORT ZONE" challenge. I challenge all of you to top me!