"A Wedding Weekend, and Two Pretty Girls"

Well, I'm back. My younger sister is now a wife, my Jenny has returned to Tennessee, and it's back to the grindstone for me. But it was a good wedding, a good weekend, and a pleasant time spent with family, my beautiful Love, and a whole bunch of people I don't know. :)

Here's a recap of the last few days:

On Wednesday evening, Scott played chauffeur, and he and I drove out to the airport to pick up Jenny. She was already there waiting when we arrived, and was as stunning to me -- in the first moment I saw her there -- as ever. But, you probably don't want to hear about all that "blushy romantic stuff", so... I'll move on. ... [wink]

When we got back to my apartment, Scott and I had dinner waiting (tasty scalloped potatoes! Mmmm!), we finished that off, talked for a bit, and then everyone went to bed.

When we awoke on Thursday, Jenny and I decided to go shopping at one of the local malls. She was looking for a few things of her own, but she had also decided to be my personal fashion consultant. Her goal: to pick out some dressy clothes for me to wear to my sister's wedding. And let me tell you, she has an awesome fashion sense! I left the mall with a classy new long-sleeved button-front collared dress shirt ("steel blue" with a slightly reflective lighter-colored grid-like pattern), and a beautiful blue neck tie. Worn with my black slacks and dress shoes, I think I looked pretty good! ... And I owe it all to Jenny! She can dress me anyday! :)

We also looked through the women's dresses, but very few of them jumped out at her. Jenny had already brought along an outfit to wear to the wedding, but I think she was hoping to find something even better. She tried on a dress or two (I think she looks great in dresses and skirts, by the way!), but they weren't what she was looking for, so we moved on. We had lunch at Applebee's, explored a few more stores, and then hopped a bus back home.

On the way back, we visited Blockbuster for a movie and the grocery store for some baking supplies, then returned to my apartment. Upon arrival, we met up with my dad and brother Joel, just arriving from their day-long drive down from Minneapolis. The plan was for them to arrive here in Milwaukee, spend the night, and then all four of us (Jenny and myself included) would head up to the wedding in Manitowoc -- a Wisconsin city north of Milwaukee.

But, I digress. Back to Thursday night...

My dad and Joel hung out and talked for a while, I helped Jenny combine those baking supplies into an extraordinarily tasty butterscotch dessert, my dad went off to bed (I gave him my bed for the visit), Joel found a comfy spot on the living room floor, and then Jenny and I sat down to watch our movie -- "Facing the Giants". For those that don't know, it's a great movie with a strong Christian theme about faith, perseverance, and trust in the face of struggle, disappointment, and fear. Well worth checking out!

After the movie ended, and our eyes were dried, Jenny curled up on the couch, and I grabbed a comfy spot near her on the living room floor.

In the morning, the four of us awoke, grabbed our travel bags, and set off for Manitowoc 1-2 hours north of Milwaukee. Manitowoc is a moderately-sized Wisconsin city right on the shore of Lake Michigan -- a city which still has it's old downtown main street charm. This is also the city in which my sister Rachel (the one getting married) owns her former church -- now converted into a theatre. Her wedding was being held in this building.

The rest of Friday was a bit uncomfortable, though -- for both Jenny and myself. People were rushing around setting things up, and the two of us just seemed to be in the way. It was great to see my family, but Jenny was uncomfortable around these strangers, so we stepped out for a walk. We were given walking directions to a quaint little coffee shop, but never actually found it.

Despite the bad directions, though, Jenny and I did get to talk heart-to-heart as we wandered, which was nice, and much appreciated. She and I are still working on a few things, and since the geographic distance (her in Tennessee, me in Wisconsin) usually makes it hard to spend time together in person... walking, talking, and sharing matters of the heart/spirit are something we both needed. The walking part was hard on our feet, but the in-person part was a special treat.

Later, after we returned from our walk, there was a small buffet-like dinner for everyone present, the wedding rehearsal took place, and then Jenny and I went off to bed.

The next morning (aka, Saturday), Jenny and I obtained better directions to that little coffee shop, and set out again on foot hoping to find a quiet breakfast/brunch. We still got a bit lost, and never actually found the coffee shop, but we did end up at a cute little cafe/candy shop instead. We had a tasty lunch, talked matters of the the heart some more, bought some chocolate (Jenny and I both LOVE chocolate!), and then set out on foot back to the theatre.

We returned, I got dressed in my snazzy new shirt and tie, Jenny put on her attire (which I, personally, found to be rather attractive on her!), and we went upstairs to the former church sactuary for the wedding. I watched my younger sister become Mrs. Joseph Thuermer, and then it was all over. Rachel had officially become the first of us six Baas siblings to tie the knot.

After the ceremony, the wedding chairs were cleared, dinner tables were set up, and Jenny and I sat together and watched. There was a small reception downstairs in the church basement (basically a large carpeted "living room"), and then the big catered dinner. Jenny got to be a VIP at both: in the wedding (front row seats with my family, minus my two brothers who were ushers), and at the table with the bride's family during dinner. She got lots of hugs from my relatives, got to hang out with the three silly Baas boys (Joel, me, and Ben the Marine -- yes, he was in full dress uniform!), and even had a request for her autograph from a few young girls. :)

After the delicious pork roast dinner (yes, there was a whole pig on a grill outside!), some of the tables were cleared, and music and dancing followed. Jenny has never been one for dancing, but she relented, we danced a few slow songs, and had a great time. In fact, along with our Thursday shopping and movie, the wedding dinner and dance was my favorite part of the whole weekend. (Oh, and I should add, just because I was so impressed... Jenny is an awesome dancer!)

Late that evening, my dad, Joel, Jenny, and myself gathered up our gear, loaded the car, and drove back down here to Milwaukee. Everyone slept the night at my apartment again, and then early Sunday, my dad dropped Jenny and I off at the airport, and set out on the long drive back across Wisconsin to Minneapolis. My mom and Becca (sister, and Maid of Honor) drove back to Minneapolis later by another route. Ben caught a local flight back to his San Diego Marine base.

At the airport, Jenny and I had breakfast, talked some more, and I waited with her until she had to go through security. I must have looked rather sad as I watched her go though, because one of the TSA agents decided to tease me a bit. .... It went something like this:

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"Excuse me, sir?"

I didn't hear the woman. My eyes were probably glazed over, deep in thought as I watched my Love and best friend going through the security checkpoint, leaving once again for Tennessee.

"Sir?"

Snapping back to reality, I realized that the uniformed woman was actually talking in my direction. Instinctively I did the whole, 'who, me?' thing, and looked around to see who else she might be talking to. I was the only person there.

"Umm... yeah?" I responded, probably looking like a deer caught in the headlights.

"Are you with that young woman?" She pointed to Jenny, one of the only passengers going through the checkpoint. "Are you her husband?"

"Uh, no," I smiled, still looking rather dazed.

"Her friend?" I nodded.

The TSA woman turned toward Jenny, who was dutifully collecting her carry-on luggage from the other end of the security machine conveyor belt. She was entirely focused on collecting her bag, and in putting her flip-flops back on her feet.

"Miss?"

Jenny didn't seem to hear at first.

The TSA woman repeated her address... "Excuse me, Miss?" Jenny looked up, doing the whole 'who me' routine I had just finished. "Miss, that gentleman over there would like you to wave."

Huh? What? Wave?... Sure. I like waving. I smiled slightly embarrassed.

Jenny seemed to gain a strange, surprised, and slightly bemused expression all rolled into one. She looked my way for a moment, and then raised her hand and waved.

The TSA woman, as well as her grinning co-workers nearby seemed to be enjoying the moment. "Oh, I'm just being a third wheel," she responded with a chuckle. "He didn't *really* ask me to ask you to wave. I just thought I'd lighten the mood." She grinned, glancing at her co-workers.

Jenny waved. I waved back. Jenny waved again, and I waved back more lovingly this time. The TSA woman, still chuckling, wished us both a safe and happy day, and then turned to her co-workers to comment further on the preceeding moment. Jenny -- still smiling -- turned with her luggage, walked down the corridor until she reached her concourse... and was gone.

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It was a cute little moment, and one that I look back on with a smile. I hate watching Jenny go, yet I love *watching* her go. She might not always agree with me, but I find her to be extraordinarily beautiful, and in cute little moments like that, she really shines.

I miss my Jenny. I wish I could be closer to her and able to spend more time together -- in person. I'm saving up for a trip down to see her in Tennessee -- hopefully for her graduation from Nursing School in mid December -- but that's always easier said than done. I know she and I are working on a few things, but despite all that, she's still the most attractive and beautiful woman that I have ever known. And no matter what happens, my heart is hers. Completely.

Even when things were sad or frustrating over the weekend, just being with Jenny warmed my heart. Here's hoping I can get down to visit her sooner than later. I really love that girl. And I just want to be there for her, love her unconditionally, support her in all she does, and see her pretty smile. She's an amazing woman. I've never met anyone like her.

Yep. I'm a very lucky man. This was a wedding weekend featuring two pretty girls -- my newly-wed sister, and the Love of my life. I wish Rachel all the best as she embarks on her new life with Joe... and I pray that I can continue to love and cherish Jenny as deeply as I do. Both girls are remarkable women. They deserve nothing less than the best a man can give.

-Jon
posted by Jon at 11:39 PM  I   I  0 comments