Wedding Day Details

Written on 6-15-19.

     It’s wedding day!

Written on 6-23-19.

      That was all I had time to write that day, because I quickly realized I had better get dressed and ready to go preside over that ceremony/celebration.  Did not want to be late for that! Thankfully, I wasn’t.  

     And, there was much rejoicing.  That was one of the best wedding celebrations I have ever attended, and I am including Belinda’s and mine in that evaluation as well.  I’m not just saying that because I was the officiant either, something I had never done before.  It was just super fun, and it was made even better because it was our little Swoperton family’s first wedding.  The pressure was off, too, because they had already been married for a year.  This was the public celebration of their love, and what a celebration it was.

     The Edgerton property had never looked better, and the water was high and flowing right behind me as I spoke.  I even joked that if I said something Becca (or Matt) didn’t like, she had full permission to push me into the river.  She didn’t.  They didn’t.  Phew.  

     *I’m watching the final round of the Travelers Championship as I write, and it’s becoming a two-man battle between Chez Reavie and Keegan Bradley.  Bradley is now just one stroke behind Chez after the 15th hole.

     Many special moments popped up on the evening of the wedding, but here are some of the most memorable ones to me.  Tommy from Phoenix, a flaming redhead and proud homosexual, grabbed Belinda and danced with her like a maniac, whipping her around and smiling through every step.  A terrible song followed, however, so they both turned their backs in protest.  

Kyle and James took turns...

My 8th Birthday!

      I am eight years old today, and this birthday is more special than all the others.  For this birthday, I have truly come full circle.  When we first discovered I had a brain tumor and would require surgery back in 2011, I was in the middle of co-directing the Bisti Writing Project’s Summer Institute with my dear friend, Dr. Frances Vitali.

     Today, I am enjoying my Clancy’s leftovers during the lunch break as I type this at the Child and Family Development Center at San Juan College as the co-director once more, and I am incredibly blessed to be able to do it again with my buddy, Frances.  She is like a sister to me.  This group, by the way, is an incredible family of educators, as diverse as they are creative and professional.  It’s been an honor to meet them and get to know them these past two weeks.  

     Instead of the middle this time, however, today is the last day.  Hooray!  Heaven forbid I drop dead due to an aneurism before 4:00. If I do survive to the end of this day, the closure will truly be complete.
     I must honestly write that I consciously and sub-consciously avoided Bisti Writing Project and summer institutes, because they conjured up such dreadful memories and emotions from that summer for many years after.  I was fearful.  The bond between the two, our Bisti Writing Project and the brain surgery, will not go away.  However, after surviving eight years and the conclusion of this seminar, it will forever be reframed in my mind.

     From here on out, this connection will only be a great one.  I have no fear as of this writing (especially because this is the last day), and life continues to be fulfilling and wonderful.  In this past year, I was there for my wife when her dear father, Dale, died suddenly of a heart attack, I witnessed my daughter, Danielle, graduate from NMSU, and as a teacher no less, and I officiated Becca and Matt’s wedding celebration.  Those are just a few of the many beautiful gifts I have received as I continue to wake up every day, grateful for all that I have, and as I strive to make the best of my time (and my extra time) here on earth.  

     As I had written here at this site years before, long live the Bisti Writing Project!  Death to tumors!

Activities Abound for Becca and Matt's Wedding

Written on 6-14-19.

     Lots of things are happening and have happened since I last wrote.  First, Becca and Matt are getting married tomorrow (again), so we have had a lot of activity associated with that, of course, especially because this is the first Swoperton wedding.  It has been the Edgertons who have done the majority of the work (they are the hosts and their home will be the site of the ceremony down by the river), but we are pitching in as well.  She’s our daughter in many ways, too.  James is here, so he and Kyle will be making a speech together tomorrow.  That should be hilarious and entertaining.  Danielle is hosting a Wed Talk instead of a Ted Talk.  She made the banner for that today, and that will be really fun to hear and watch, also.  I will be the Master of Ceremonies, so I have been practicing what I will be saying off an on between all of the visiting and the errands.  I bought some new cuff links for my suit just this afternoon.

     We went up to Lakewood last weekend to pick up James from DIA, and we had a fabulous together at Hangar 101, Mom and Dad’s recommendation for a venue.

6-15-19

     It’s wedding day!

56th Wedding Anniversary and How That Game Turned Out

Written on 6-1-19.

     It’s my parents’ 56th wedding anniversary today.  We just finished a FaceTime chat with them, and it was great.  Gee whiz!  56!  Belinda and I are coming up on 29 this November, but 56?!  That’s incredible.  When I was talking with Dad on the phone yesterday, he mentioned that fewer and fewer people are staying married, especially for that long.  I agreed.  He said that 50% or so of the population either doesn’t believe in marriage, or their marriages don’t last or work out.  I said that I feel sad for that 50%.  I am thankful for my parents and their long-lasting and continued marriage.  Thank you, folks, for your great example.

On to golf…

     I wrote that I would tell about how that game worked out last, so here’s how it went.  

     Bruce wanted to play the game similar to match play, but it’s just a tad different.  Winning a hole gives you a point, and if there are ties, the points push.  In that respect, it’s similar to skins.  Each hole is worth one skin.

     He started out by winning the first hole, and then the points were pushed for the next three holes, and he won four more points on #5.  He and I then pushed the next point to #7 with pars on the downhill, picturesque par three #6.  I got the only par on #7, so I earned my first two points of the game there.  Then he got the only bogey on #6 to add to his total.  I finished well by getting the only birdie of the round on the tough #9 (see above).  Looking at the scorecard, I see it’s the most difficult hole on the entire course.  Sweet!  

     At the end of the front nine, Bruce was leading...