Being on this side of vacation has made me realize just how little time I have left in my residency. I feel like I'm mourning its loss, and it's not over yet! It's just been such a miraculous blessing to be able to focus on creating art for the last five months! Unfortunately, there have been some big distractions (camps, the Celtic Festival, etc) that have kept me from the studio and taken away from the time I have. I'm grateful to have a few more weeks, and know how hard I'll have to work to prepare myself for whatever comes next. I have no idea what that will be, by the way. Any ideas, anyone??? I think that, unfortunately, it will come down to substitute teaching again while I work on finishing up the book and trying to get it published. (A process I haven't really begun to think about...yikes! If you know anything about that process and want to enlighten me I'd be glad of your help!)
Last weekend I headed to Grand Rapids where I was a bridesmaid in my friend Cori's wedding. It was a busy but fun weekend! Friday night was the rehearsal at the Grand Rapids Art Museum (GRAM), where the ceremony and reception would be held, and then yummy pizza at Big O's. Saturday started in the early afternoon with make-up and preparations at the museum, and then photos in front of the museum and by the Grand River. (My poor feet...stupid high heels!)
The ceremony started at 6 and was really nice! It was HOT out in the sun and my toes fell asleep in my tall yellow heels, but no one passed out! (We were genuinely worried about that...the pastor told us during rehearsal that if someone started to get dizzy and signaled him, he'd throw in an extra prayer so we could sneak off and sit down rather than pass out...!)
The guests all went into the museum for drinks and mingling while family photos were taken, and then the wedding party went through the basement and up to the second floor for the big entrance. We came down the long, zig-zag staircase into the main entrance area, where the tables were set up. We found out later from one of the bridesmaid's spouses that those seated just below the staircase could see up the bridesmaids' dresses as we walked down the glass-sided stairs!!!!! Humiliation number one of the evening...
Number two for me came later when there was dancing. They did the traditional dances - bride/groom, bride/father of bride, etc - and then they invited the wedding party onto the dance floor. I sadly didn't escape fast enough, and was forced out into the middle of the room. One of the groomsmen asked if significant others should be out there, too, and the DJ said yes. I despise that DJ...
I'm never really bothered by being single, but at weddings sometimes one's single status feels like it's on display as much as the new bride and groom's happiness is. Part of the problem for me this time was that the wedding was on the other side of the state, so asking a date would have been complicated, and then being in the wedding party and making said date sit at a table with people he didn't know seemed slightly cruel. The other part of the problem was that I only really knew the bride & groom and a few members of the bridal party, so I felt fairly isolated.
So, there I was, on the dance floor, the only single one, with the wedding party and their spouses/fiances/boyfriends, etc. all around me. A song came on, one of those horrible ones that starts out all slow, and the couples all paired off and started dancing. Tears sprang to my eyes as every single guest stared at us and I tried to think of the most graceful way to flee while holding my dress down so they didn't get a second free show. Thankfully the maid of honor, Taylor, and her boyfriend came and started breaking it down right by me until the song picked up and everyone started dancing. The bride also went out of her way to come and dance with me, and I was very grateful for the way they went out of their way to help me feel less...solo.
I ended up having a lot of fun, and enjoyed being able to hang out at an art museum after hours! We weren't allowed to wander through the whole museum, but it was still cool. It was also wonderful to see my dear friend get married and see how happy she and her new hubby are!! What a blessing to be a part of their big day.
I also got to spend time with a very good friend from when I lived in Grand Rapids with whom I stayed Friday and Saturday nights. I went to church there on Sunday and saw many more wonderful friends from my years there - friends are such a blessing!
This week I'm teaching a couple of camps at the school where I used to be the art teacher, and they are reminding me of how many naps I used to take when I was teaching art full-time...!!! It's been fun, though, and I'll share some of our experiences later this week.
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