Growing up in the south, Football is king. That’s all we did on the playground. We played football. So much that I didn’t really know about any other sport. I remember playing basketball for the first time in 2nd grade PE and I thought a double dribble was when you dribbled too fast. One day during recess something magical happened. Our Vice Principal, Mr. Pratt walked on to the kickball field with something in his hand. It was a bat. He then asked, “Who wants to play BASEBALL!!??”. All the kids cheered….except for me because I didn’t really know what that was. I stand back and wait for a bit, watching kids bat. Then it’s my turn. 1st pitch, strike (whatever that was). 2nd pitch (ball, whatever that was). 3rd pitch, contact. I went nuts….I did it, I did the base hit….except no one told me to run and I was out at 1st. I was hooked and went home and started watching baseball. Now…back in “those” days I could only watch two teams. I could watch the Atlanta Braves or the Chicago Cubs. Now…if you live in Louisiana, you would never cheer for anything related to Atlanta…you just don’t do that. My choice was made up for me. I was now a fanatic of the Chicago Cubs. I remember watching Andrew Dawson who to me was the perfect representation of a baseball player because he had a mustache and to me just looked like a baseball player. Now, this is not all about me, I’m going to connect the dots I swear. So…my teams were, in 1987, the New Orleans Saints and the Chicago Cubs. Some may say that I didn’t pick my teams wisely and to them I say, I was 9. One thing I learned about being a maligned sports fan is that misery loves company and there’s a certain kinship within the fans. We all collectively had tough times. The connection is there in misery and in triumph. Nora and Sean started their wedding day among blue skies and sunshine. It was in essence, the perfect Northwest summer day. Walking into the Benson is always a treat for me. The whole place looks like it smells of rich mahogany and Old English. The huge fireplace, the exquisite chandelier and the majestic stairways. After setting up in the ballroom, I quickly went up to Sean’s room to see what he was up to. There was just two guys in the room. Sean and one of his friends. They were talking and trying to figure out how to tie a bow tie which is actually a lot harder than you would think. Like really hard and there’s a couple of ways to do it. You would think Youtube which is pretty much the answer to everything would have the answer, but by personal experience, the instructions on how to tie a bow tie are definitely lacking. Can someone get someone to fix that? Taking detail shots of the room I notice something peeking out of Sean’s bag. I spied a blue hat with a little red “C”. That’s right, “Hooollllyyyy Coww”. I knew it was going to be a great night at that point. I mean I had an inkling when I met with Nora and Sean a couple weeks prior but this solidified it. Looking around when the guests were filing in, I noticed something. Yes they were saying hi to Sean at the doorway but as they continued in they were also hugging each other. A lot of people were happy to see each other. I love to see that because there’s no tension, there’s no issues, there’s just people there ready to celebrate two people who love each other with other people that they love. Sean walks down with his mom, Cindy and takes his place and awaits Nora’s entrance. The music changes, all eyes move towards the back of the ballroom. Sean is also looking at the back and then around the corner, Nora walks in with her brother. I don’t know if Sean was nervous or not but as soon as he saw Nora, I saw that his face changed. There was a slight look of excitement as Nora elegantly walked down the aisle. Oh, that dress. That dress was made for Nora. It kind fit her personality, it was very elegant and sophisticated with beautiful details and fit her perfectly. Nora was radiantly smiling as her brother led her to get to her future husband. They sat down as the ceremony commenced. I noticed Nora’s shoes as she sat. They were perfection. As the ceremony was winding down, Sean’s dad Robert got up to read and irish blessing. Then just as quickly it began, it was over and Sean was now a husband and Nora was now a wife. We took full advantage of the beautiful mirror at the bottom of the staircase. We also headed out to do some exploring and took some photos at the famous doors. Once we were done it was time to party. For their reception, Nora and Sean hired a band to get the party going and I can honestly say it was a really good decision. Sean and Nora thanked the guests for coming, some from a long way some from nearer by. There were people that hailed from Chicago, Seattle and of course Portland. When the music started going everyone started to flock to the dance floor because it was a celebration and damnit they were going to celebrate. Nora and Sean had some slick moves on the dance floor. They seemed easy going and reserved but they cut loose. I don’t know who’s idea it was to bring in pizza and donuts later but that person deserves a trophy. So much fun. We even got to get a photo with a couple folks sporting their tried and true Cubs hats who happened to be the World Champions. Remember that whole thing about the Cubs at the beginning this thing. You share the misery of losing but you also share in triumph. I was so happy for them and I wish them nothing for the best. It was an awesome year for this couple. The Cubs finally, finally win the World Series and Nora and Sean win the series of life.
