T-minus two weeks…give or take a few hours

MIKE TOBIAS
The Port Arthur News

PORT ARTHUR May 13, 2008 07:31 pm

— Going to the chapel and, well, I suppose I’m going to get married. At least that’s what Paige and I have been preparing for since November 2006.
I was just telling her the other day how crazy it is that we’ve been together engaged longer than we were together not engaged.
2006 was a long time ago. Let’s see, we met a little less than four months after Hurricane Rita…and now our 18-month engagement will soon be over and we’ll be married.
And let me tell you not a moment too soon.
At this point in the game, we’re both under the mantra that if we’ve forgotten to do something it ain’t happening.
All the tuxes have been ordered. All the dresses ordered…I believe they’ve been received. I know Paige’s has, though she’s constantly telling me that it’s pink, with a lime green bow on the butt. I think she’s lying.
The pictures have all been taken, much thanks to Mr. Keffer of Keffer’s Photography. He took our engagement photos at both his studio and out and about in Galveston. He took Paige’s bridal portraits…well, I really don’t know where. Apparently I’m not supposed to see or know anything about them. All I know is she told me she wanted my guitar the day before she went.
That gave me an excuse to buy some very expensive, clean, new strings and a brand new strap. I told her, my baby had to look good. She smiled, though not long after I told her that I was talking about my guitar.
Oh well, she said, black and white goes well with pink and lime green.
I still think she’s lying.
The cake’s have been ordered, the musicians have been picked. I’m happy to report that I will be playing my guitar during the ceremony. Very awesome, I’ll let y’all know how that goes.
Last weekend, another wedding milestone came and went. Bachelor party.
And Bachelorette party; Paige and the girls had theirs as well, though theirs began Friday night up near Spring. They did whatever girls do for Bachelorette party’s, and from what I hear they had fun.
I was actually looking forward to mine for reasons other than the obvious…there’s friends of mine in the wedding, and coming to the wedding, that I hadn’t really had the chance to hang out with in a long time.
And about half of those in attendance I see at work, so it was also a chance to meet up without work on the brains.
We had a blast…apparently I had a blast, too. At least that’s what the pictures have revealed to me.
So, now, the big day is fast approaching. Two weeks from this Saturday. I’m excited; She’s excited, and right now we’re really both just ready to it to get here.
I haven’t really seen the fabled “bridezilla” appear, but then again she does teach in Manvel, for the time being. I can hear the stress in her voice on the phone from time to time. Each time, I feel a little helpless that I can’t reach out and calm her down. I just have to let her know it will all be over, without a hitch, soon and everything will be just fine.
Excited and anxious. I can’t wait to see my family all together, celebrating with hers as we all join together. It should be a heck of a party.
And when it’s all over, we’ll be married. She’ll still be in teaching in Manvel for two weeks directly after the ceremony, but there’s definitely a pot of gold at the end of that rainbow.
It’s called Disneyworld.
I’ve never been, but she has. My best friend Mandy went all the time, and when we play Disney Trivia she always wins because the darn red questions require knowledge of the park.
So the countdown has begun. Our days are numbered. The invitations have been sent. The engagement announcement ran in paper. There’s no turning back. As they say in poker, we’re “chip committed.” Soon, the church bells will be ringing, my guitar will be playing, the flower girls will be flowering and both our families will be watching as Paige apparently walks down the aisle in her pink dress, with the lime green bow on the butt.
She has to be lying.
But if she isn't, at least she’ll fit right in at Disneyworld.
Mike Tobias is a photographer and writer for The Port Arthur News.

Copyright © 1999-2008 cnhi, inc.