It's been a week now since Meghan and I returned from Mexico, and I must
say that life in Minnesota is welcome. It's always nice to return to
familiar settings, familiar faces. Mexico was wonderful, and the time
we had there relaxing in the sun and swimming in the Pacific will linger
in my memory for many years to come. We didn't do much, but we did have
fun.

Local life is certainly busy. The wedding is fast approaching, and
we'll need to start finalizing the details. For example, I haven't
picked out which Tux rental place to go to yet. We haven't found a
photographer or a baker, and we still need to finalize the guest list.
The bachelor party needs to be planned, so I need to hand off a list of
addresses and phone numbers to my best man. Gifts need to be purchased,
and details about the Groom's dinner need to be settled.

Of course, the church is going to gouge us for things such as weekend
retreats and commit us to spending time with X-ian "mentors" and
"peers". Just my luck that the family I'm marrying into are devout
Irish Catholics and that the priest is a strict Italian Catholic. How
did I get myself into this?

It's all about keeping up appearances then, isn't it? It always has
been. The wedding is far from my or Meghan's control, but that's to be
expected. Weddings never were for the bride and groom in contemporary
society. Weddings are for the family and friends. Keeping up
appearances.

Don't label me ungrateful, for that is not my message. My
message is simple, the setting, the pomp and circumstance, it's all
irrelavent. I'm getting married to the woman I love. I'll be waiting
for my bride at the alter, watching her walk down the isle radiant as
can be. That moment will be ours and ours alone.