The wedding party...

DAVID'S SIDE OF IT:
Much of today involved telling people important to us about our decision to get married. It's very exciting to share this kind of happy moment with people.

I'd like to talk a little bit about how we selected our wedding parties. I know many people just select their family members, which is fine and dandy. In my case, though, I stole a page out of my friend Jeff Sentell's playbook and picked people who've been there for me in different periods of my life. They're all still near and dear to me, which is how great friends should be.

Jeremy Yohe, heretofore known as "the best man," has been there for me since about the time I started working in Lima the first time around. He may be the only man to ever see me cry, when my apartment in Lima had its first burglary and I didn't know who to call. He came over to help settle me down. Most of our memories are a lot happier than that, but the best of best friends are there for you in good times and bad. He's that guy.

Adam Van Brimmer, AKA runner-up to best man (in the event best man cannot live up to his duties, Adam shall wear the crown), has been a good buddy since back in college. Truth be told, I think I like post-college Adam even more than I liked college Adam. His wife settled him down, which caused all of us to learn he's much more than just a fun drunk. He helped me get to Savannah and made the time working down there nearly enjoyable and the time not working there absolutely a joy.

John Glick, the high school buddy, is honestly the only person I went to high school with who I still talk to. John and I came from very different worlds. He's an only child, while I'm one of seven. Despite some vague memories of not liking each other in kindergarten, he and I have been buddies for ages. We discovered girls together... and we discovered how complicated they could be. We both know how lucky we are to have great gals in our lives.

Tom Lucente, the short guy, is the only guy in my wedding party shorter than I am. I'm about 5-10, so it's not like I'm a shrimp. It's all these freaky 6-foot-plus friends I've had over the years, you know? Anyway, aside from height, Tom offers perspective on life and hearty conversation about what being a good Libertarian is all about. He's probably the best part about working in Lima again, getting a chase to razz him every time I call the office.

Jacob Ritzler, the junior groomsman, is technically shorter than Tom. But he's only 7, so he's supposed to be. He's a cool nephew. Allegedly, the night we asked him to be in the wedding party, he pulled his dress clothes out of his closet and placed them over a chair. When his parents asked why, he said he wanted to keep them out for the wedding. Good kid.

R.J. Brumbaugh, the ring-bearer, has the honor of smacking me between the legs more than 25 times yet still being in my good graces. He and Lissie have become very cute together. They each ask about the other, yet when they're together they ignore one another. Both of them will be good teenagers some day.

JESSICA'S SIDE OF IT:

I never thought that I would be the one looking for "volunteers" to be part of my wedding. I always said that I would be the girl who would have a small ceremony, most likely in a remote location. But when you find your "soul mate" you want to be able to celebrate the occasion with all of your family and friends. I guess I never had the feeling that I wanted to proclaim my love for one person to a large group of people, but now I know what it feels like to be in love and I want to share this joyous occasion with all.

My group of ladies is a combination of family and friends. Some veterans and some new additions, they're all very important people to me.

Kelli Kieper, the matron of honor, this was a pretty easy decision for me. Kell has been there with me through so many things. As children, let's just say we did not have the best of relationships. There were multiple occasions of sibling abuse, mostly on my part. As we grew older and matured, we realized that it was pretty neat to have a sister who is also your best friend.

Melinda Deleruyelle, the fun friend who always knows when it is time for a "girls' night out". Even though she stole the title of "Ms. Putnam Acres" from me me, we have so much fun together and have made a name for ourselves at the local establishments here in the great county of Putnam. Look for Melinda to surprise and amaze at the reception at her gyrations to Warrant's "Cherry Pie."

Jill Jorolemon, the life-long friend. Jill and I met on the playground in kindergarten. Even though she was a year older in school, we remained close. After both of our families moved out of state due to job transfers, we have remained close friends. We have been with each other as we have experienced some interesting events in our lives. Jill is quite the woman. Over the past 18 months she has had to deal with being diagnosed and treated for breast cancer. She has remained strong through all of these events and I respect her courage and perseverence.

Katie Trinko, R.J's big sister and David's niece. Katie has a spark about her. From the moment that I met her, I knew that she was a special individual in David's life and I immediately could tell why. Even though it takes her 30 minutes to tell a 1 minute story, her enthusiasm for life is remarkable. Katie was one of the first people to acknowlege that she saw the connection between David and I.

Emma Kieper, the junior bridesmaid. Even though she is only 7, Emma has had a huge impact on my life. As my first niece and my first expereice as a caregiver, Emma and her "Gigi" are best buds. Emma is so excited about being part of the festivities and also excited about meeting Jacob.

Elisabeth Purk, AKA Lissie. The most beautiful flower girl ever! The first gift from God that changed my life. The pride and joy (most of the time) of our lives. She has matured so much over the past couple of months. Even though she can be stubborn and difficult at times, she is an intelligent, determined and joyful child.

After shopping around for the better part of 30 years, I’ve finally found what I was looking for.
Her name’s Jessica. She’s wonderful, and she knows it. I had to come up with a way to remind her that’s how I felt, too.
So I bought her a ring.
It’s a big, honkin’ ring, which can cut glass or a frisky fiancé’s left temple. And I’ve never been happier in my life.
At the risk of sounding sentimental, I’d like to share our story about Jan. 14, 2006.
Jessica and I headed to Holmes County, home of the Amish and little else, for a well-earned weekend getaway. Lissie, her 4-year-old daughter, stayed with Jess’s sister, and all was set for a nice weekend. Her employees chipped in for a gift certificate for most of our stay.
It would’ve been nice, but it needed to be perfect. I upgraded from a regular room to an “executive suite,” which was really quite sweet, with a fireplace, Jacuzzi and a 32-inch TV we didn’t watch all that much.
Saturday itself was nice. We went to a woodcutting museum, where it was warm, and enough sweets shops to give someone a cavity. Then we went out for a simple enough dinner at Der Fuhrer, err, Der Dutchman, restaurant where we exchanged pleasantries.
Here’s a little insight I have after the fact. I was nervous all day long, knowing what was going to happen, so I channeled that nervous energy into humor. Apparently I was pissing Jess off, but she was good enough to never tell me that.
After dinner, we returned to our oasis, the room. She wanted to check in with her sister to see how Lissie was doing. I wanted her to not do that. She won. I’ll get used to that.
Once she sat down to relax by the fire finally, I turned on the ol’ CD player to crank out a few tunes I’d put together.
First song… Billy Joel’s “Tell Her About It.”
Second song… James Taylor’s “How Sweet It Is.”
At this point, I went to a cupboard in the room and pulled out a box of chocolates from county-renowned chocolatier Christie Tabler, who’d delighted us with fudge in the past.
Jessica opened the box of chocolates. She saw the somewhat large white box in the center. She uttered the words every man wants to hear… “What is THIS?”
I told her to open it. She figured out what it was when she took off the top and saw a beautiful Mohogany jewelry box. Ring size, in fact.
She started crying. Whether or not I did is not terribly relevant to this story. (But I’m enough of a man to admit I did, for about 10 seconds or 10 minutes, depending on who you ask.)
I read her a little ditty I’d scribbled down to describe how I felt about her and Lissie in my life:

BEAUTIFUL
Jessica, you’re a beautiful person.
Your beauty isn’t just what people see from the outside. Sure, you have a radiant smile, dazzling eyes and immaculately soft curves.
That’s not why I love you, though. I see a beauty inside you that changed my life.
It’s evident as you calmly dress Lissie in the mornings despite her cries for more sleep.
It’s obvious in your reverence as I look down the pew at the two of you in church.
It’s apparent in your work, as you use compassion and determination to do the right thing.
You have a beautiful way of thinking about the world that’s clinical, cynical and cheerful, all in one.
I see that beauty in you, and I’m grateful God put us together.
I have little to offer you, yet it’s everything to me. I offer you my heart. I offer you my love. I offer you a beautiful life together.
Will you marry me?

She didn’t really answer. Maybe she did. It was hard to make anything out through all the blubbering, half hers, half mine. I just know that before the end of the song, “How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You),” she stuck her hand out for me to place the ring on the appropriate finger.
Being a stickler for tradition, and understanding the legality that if it’s a “gift” instead of a “proposal” I can never get it back, even if she says no, I said, “I don’t want to be a stickler, but I’m going to need to an answer.”
She said yes. She got the ring, and I got the best thing to ever happen in my life.
Third song… “You Say It Best (When You Say Nothing At All)” by Allison Kraus
That’s our song. We slow danced to it, and there was a magic there that even a man of many words such as myself can’t describe.
Fourth song… “Amazed” by Lonestar.
Fifth song… “Make You Feel My Love” by Garth Brooks.
Sixth song… “Thank You” by Dido.
That one would’ve been embarrassing to hear if she said no. “I want to thank you for giving me the best day of my life”…
Seventh song… “Ice Cream” by Sarah McLachlan.
What can I say, “Your love is better than ice cream” just seemed appropriate.
Eighth song… “Lucky One” by Amy Grant.
Ninth song… “Wonderful Tonight” by Eric Clapton.
I just can’t burn a CD without Clapton.
Tenth song: “Open Arms” by Journey.
She’s got a thing for Journey. Sensitive men pick up on things like that.
Final song: “Unanswered Prayers” by Garth Brooks.
I’m not the biggest Garth fan in the world, but I can appreciate meaningful lyrics when I hear them. When I hear the line toward the end that says, “As we walked away, I looked at my wife, and then and there I thanked the good Lord for the things in my life,” my eyes tear up at realizing I have something that good.

I could tell you about the rest of the night, but then I’d have to start taking credit card numbers and verifying ages, and that’s not what this blog’s about. [Just kidding, Mom. We sat around and read the Bible.]
The date’s set for July 29 at a location already determined, but I’d hate to publicize it here because we’re already trying to figure out how to pay for 300 people we barely can stand to eat and drink at our expense.
Just kidding; we’ll be happy to have everyone there, so long as they give us at least $17 worth of gifts per person who will be eating and drinking on our dime.
Jessica wanted to chip in. She said we’ll have the most beautiful, amazing wedding that’s ever been pulled off in six months. She’s almost as good at qualifying things as I am, which is obviously part of the charm for me.

All kidding aside, for the time being at least, I’m happy to share my happiness with friends and strangers alike. For the last 10 years or so, I wondered if that perfect love was something you only find in sappy movies and catchy songs. Now I don’t have to wonder anymore. I can understand the pain and disappointment I’ve felt earlier in my dating years… they merely set me up for extreme joy I’m experiencing, waiting for the perfect woman for me.

The happy couple
This is David and Jessica. They're happy. See the smiles?
They're getting married July 29. In case you've never been through it before, a marriage can be a terribly trying, terribly frustrating and occasionally mind-boggling experience.
It can also be joyous and rewarding... but we're still waiting for that part.
It's also occasionally amusing what people say and do in the time before your marriage, and that's what we hope to share with you. So prepare to be entertained and informed, not necessarily in that order.