Several months ago, my friend and high school classmate (one of only a few that I've kept in touch with), got engaged. It's still unbelievable to me that we're all at the age where those things are not only normal, but kind of expected. Not only that, but this now-man is teaching 4th grade! Surreal. Anyway, he invited me to the wedding. I thought it would be a good chance to get back up to Whiting.
Whiting is a small town in Iowa, inhabited by 800 people, living and farming in and around the town. There are no stop lights, two churches, a bar, hair salon, post office, and corner market gas station (at which gas will always be several cents more expensive), and a K-12 school. My graduating class was 30 kids. We had the biggest class in the school. I haven't seen more than 4 of them since graduation...and since my parents no longer live in Whiting, I don't have much of an excuse to get back there.
I went to Target to buy them a gift. Found a super cute dress on clearance, thereby lessening the amount I got for their gift card (buying a gift the day before the wedding means slim pickings on the registry).
The day of the wedding I was scheduled to work 6:3am-2:30pm. I got ready for the wedding in the bathroom at the coffeeshop, and booked it up to Whiting (an hour+ drive). Now, when going to a wedding by myself, I have no idea of the protocol of how early is too early to arrive. So I did a quick lap around the town, drove by the school and my old house, and noticed that people were already parking down main street for the wedding, and figured it was ok to go in now. The 32oz Diet Dr. Pepper from the Kum-and-Go had hit my bladder, so I decided to use the bathroom before the wedding began. Naturally, in this old church building i hadn't been in since the library was in the basement in the 90's, the bathroom was on the bottom level. Filled with dread, I knew that the wedding party would be congregating down there, watiing for the ceremony to start. I walked past the room containing all the bridesmaids (note: I don't know the bride, only the groom), praying the bathroom was just at the bottom of hte stairs. It wasn't. I could see the sign for the restrooms through the fellowship hall, which I just had a feeling was where the groomsmen were waiting. It was. I walked quickly through, not making eye contact, and made it to the one stall bathroom. Who would happen to be in front of me in line? The bride. Looking beautiful...but not the typical location to get the first glimpse. Awkwardly, I waited for her to finish (which is quite the task in a wedding gown). Walking back through the fellowship hall, I was noticed by the groom. One of the groomsmen also happened to be an old classmate I hadn't seen in over 8 years. We chatted for a bit before I left to find myself a seat in the quickly filling church. Next to an old man I didn't know, in the balcony, where I couldn't see much of the wedding procession. The wedding was beautiful, he choked up on his vows, and they were married.
The thing about small towns is that you know everyone.
The thing about going back to small towns is that you see everyone you SHOULD know, but have no idea of their names or why you know them. And I'm sure many people saw me and thought the same thing.
I was introduced to his wife in the reception line as "that classmate" and to his groomsman's wife as "the friend that travelled the world and wen to all those crazy places." So nice to know people talk about me. :)
Overall, it was a great wedding, good time, I'm glad I went. I ended with dinner at my friends house in Whiting, and a baseball game in Omaha with my roommate. Good day!
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