« i heart rochester.. truly | Main | battle royale »
October 05, 2005
a wedding and a funeral
doo dah. obviously i haven't improved much with blogging. at least a monthly blog is better than nothing, eh? *ducking a tomato* okay, okay.. i'll work on it. jeez, barbara.
two weekends ago, jaybird and i drove to richmond, virginia (with my stick-shifting help) for his childhood friend's wedding. we hoped to arrive at the hotel before the wedding ritual, but there wasn't any time. hence the chaos. the ceremony was quite nice and the reception afterwards was even nicer! why, you may ask.. two words -open bar-. yup, yup. surprisingly, i kept myself in control. this type of wedding was my first.. it being only appetizers and drinks. there weren't any dinners nor sit-down tables. it's apparently common enough since some other guests say they had the same style of wedding. jaybird and i had a good time, along with his hometown buddies. a side note, richmond somewhat reminded me of rochester. maybe richmond deserves another visit?
sadly, on the same day, i learned of a death in the family. a funeral was to happen several days later. i was to borrow my roommate's car and drive up to pennsylvania, where the rest of my family were mourning. however, 45 minutes away from dc, i opted to get some gas and afterwards, the car wouldn't start. eep! luckily, the gas station was willing to look into it but required an overnight stay. *groans* luck stayed by my side, tho. across the street, a car rental popped out of the blue. i hurried over and grabbed the very last car available, which was a ford expedition. for those who don't know cars, like i do, it's a very. big. car.
as i was leaving the border of maryland and still trying to get comfy with this mack truck, scott replied to my page about the car's misfortune.. i forgot to press the button in order to start the car. *rolls eyes* d'oh!! it was just as well. i was glad to have rented the suv because i didn't want to use up my roomie's mileage nor have created worse problems with the car in the middle of nowhere. plus, my ford expedition was proved to be helpful for funeral transportation. my grandma called it "the red limo". *smile*
my uncle had chosen to end his life. and i'm sure right now he's looking down at everyone who has loved him and missed him. just you know, he's kicking himself in the ass. if you ever feel frustrated or hopeless, don't be afraid to reach out. the helping hand can come from family, friends, or a therapist. who knows? even a stranger could be of some comfort. it just would be a mistake that cannot be repaired.
rest in peace, uncle rodney.
Posted by jeremy at October 5, 2005 01:44 PM
Comments
Sorry to hear about your Uncle Rodney. Weird, I just blogged today about the movie, Sylvia (Plath). I even wrote a poem about suicide, etc etc.
Again, bless his heart.
Posted by: tate at October 6, 2005 12:57 AM
I enjoyed your story and pictures more than the Hugh Grant movie *smile*
So sorry about your uncle, he'll be in my thoughts.
Posted by: Lisa at October 6, 2005 10:00 AM
i'm happy to report jj's stick shifting skills are immensely improving! the novice driver only had 2 horns honked at him and only stalled once at an intersection (then become frustrated and exited the driver's seat in the middle of a green light!). BUT the lad DID navigate through d.c. traffic without incident *claps claps*. that's a feat even for a seasoned 5-speed driver.
thanks for accompanying me to the wedding celebration you *smile*. and i'm sure your uncle is kicking himself right now too. he obviously had many people who cared about him...i mean 4 wakes after all!
Posted by: jaybird at October 6, 2005 11:21 AM
I am sorry about your uncle. I kind of do know what you are going through because Oliver's (boyfriend/pseudo fian-fian) brother tried to commit suicide 2 wks ago.
Posted by: Lindsey at October 6, 2005 09:04 PM
What is your definition of "control" when it comes to an open bar? :-D
Uncle Rodney - I am so sorry and I hope your family is holding up as best as they can under the circumstances. Your statement "if you ever feel frustrated or hopeless, don't be afraid to reach out" is SO true. There is always help available.
((((hugs))))
Posted by: Carrie at October 7, 2005 08:44 AM
:( Hope you're feeling better today.
Posted by: lore at October 7, 2005 06:13 PM
I'm sorry to hear about your Uncle...it would be better if he was physically on earth, but he will still always be alive in spirit.
*hugs*
Posted by: Becca at October 7, 2005 10:44 PM
thank you, everyone, for your sympathies. i appreciate it. :)
*group hug*
Posted by: jeremy at October 9, 2005 02:21 PM
im so sorry to hear about your uncle. *hugs*
this seems unimportant in light of what your uncle must have been going through, but i wanted to tell you I enjoyed your pictures in here :)
Posted by: amanda at October 13, 2005 11:38 PM
Hey bro! I felt better after reading the part about Uncle Rodney. hehe you made me laugh about him kicking himself in the ass! Wink.
Love you!
xoxoxo
Posted by: Dopeylee at October 15, 2005 09:51 PM