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| Not so little "King"...2 months. |
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| Two Nieces and an Uncle |
Every time I attend a wedding, besides getting my dance "ON", I usually set aside time to reflect on the idea and institution of marriage. Don't worry this isn't a political diatribe into who can and who can't enter the institution. That's above my pay grade. Speaking of pay grade, now is the time for YOU all to utilize your resources to help me accomplish getting a pay grade. I figure 50 or so blogs is worth a phone call or at least a "I know this smart, witty, handsome young man that would love to talk to you about collecting some Benjis" from your professional network...sorry I had to pause to laugh at my self. An update...things are going ok on the job front, nothing solid but some strong leads and great feedback. That doesn't mean you can't help though! I digress...ah yes, weddings...institutions...yes...being married nearly two years now, my mind usually gets fixated on family. It's a union of two people, two souls, two different thoughts and two separate families. For better or worse and in many ways the families become one family. And family IS what you make it. Family can be friends, family can be blood relatives, and family can be distant crazy uncles or aunts that do the most ridiculous things but are important because they taught you life lessons like slamming your head into a street pole while playing a game of basketball and shouting "No Blood, no foul!" and when you say "I am bleeding!" they say, "Well some times life isn't fair, check ball"
So the two week period I spent in the States, visiting family and friends, and attending two weddings only reinforced this idea. So those that are ready to embark on this rewarding, amazing and tough journey, know that Family is what you make it. Same/different last names, races, religion, or whatever it's all about you and the success or failure rest with you and your partner's decisions.
The week after the wedding at Cape Cod, the wife and I flew back to Chicago and were happy to be reunited after spending two weeks on different continents. We were happy to be home, well kind of. The thing about living somewhere else for quite a long time is that Chicago is home but it doesn't have that "lived in homie feeling" There is a sense of familiarity with Chicago but there is so much that is unfamiliar or that we took for granted. For example, the smells in Chicago are quite different than Zurich. Dare I say dirty and smelly. The 110 degree heat didn't help nor does the fact that we live in a highly populated area with more than 20 restaurants in an eight block radius. Also the sounds are different. And yes, transportation is definitely different. Different as in late or overcrowded. One day I had to wait on four trains before I could enter a train. I guess it's better that they're crammed on the trains rather driving. I stopped by our local cleaners and the first thing the owner said was "Is your wife pregnant yet!?" Well hello to you too ma'am. She also gave me a big hug and asked if we were permanently back in Chicago. I also ran into our neighbor JC, who owns an Italian restaurant a few blocks from our house. He was excited for our return as well. It's pretty funny how our life in Chicago is pretty similar to Zurich...our neighborhood businesses know us on sight, we live in close proximity to the Lake, and our local friends come from all over the world: Singapore, Germay, South Korea, Italy, and Libya to name a few.
But being home meant we also were obligated to my family. This is usually how it goes down. I call my mom or dad and say we're thinking about coming over for a bit. My mom will call her sisters and they call three people, then they call three people and then next thing you know we have a 20 people BBQ on a Wednesday night. Seriously, it becomes an event. I'm not taking my serious too seriously, it's not just my visits, it can be any family member. They all become events.
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| Everyone's smile except Mrs. Mean mug |
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| Hanging with the Big Little Man. |
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| "I'll tell you all about Walter Payton after I tell you about Michael Jordan" |
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| Don't be fooled by Jazzy's smile |
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| A Sunny place for shady people |
As you can see, we spent a great deal of time in between meals spending time with the kids. So off to wedding #2...in the Great North of Michigan, Glen Harbor, Michigan. We took the most expensive 30 minute flight I've ever taken in my life but it was actually a beautiful flight. Although I lived in Michigan for a little over a year, I always forget how beautiful the state is, especially outside of the friendly confines of Detroit. This time of year, it was a green wonderland surrounded by hundreds of Lakes looking down from our plane. Quite unfortunate it's wasted on Red Wings, Lions, Wolverines, Spartans, and Pistons! But the wedding was beautiful and on a grand resort about two hours outside of Traverse City. Landing at TVC, (Traverse City Airport) was like landing outside a lodge or wooden cabin. The inside of the airport literally looked like a cabin, deer and moose and all! In standard fashion, I pretty much danced the entire wedding. I argued with a fellow guest when he said the priest told someone who told someone who told us that the priest had married 6,000 couples. Seemed like an exaggeration to me, so I did the math in my head accounting for 52 weekends a year, the priests age, and potentially 3 weddings a weekend landed me at "No way, maybe 3,000-4000" We heard from someone else who heard from someone else who heard directly from him that the # was around 3,500. The father of the bride approached me at the reception and the first thing I thought was "Uh oh, I danced too much or drank the bar out of beer and sangria and didn't leave any for the other guests" But he just wanted to thank me for opening my home to his daughter during her european trip. Turns out Er Sprecht sie Deutsch (just like me) as he spent a few years in Germany en route to the U.S from Lithuania. I kept thinking that if he had stayed in Lithuania or Germany that this event might not have happened. Like I said before, family is what you make it.
Please take a look at my pictures...please notice that Mrs. Abroad is the only bridesmaid not crying. There's no crying in bridesmaiding, I'm from Jersey!
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| One Johnson |
Next up...Cinque Terre and Tuscany....
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