A Grandson’s Wedding
Connor is the first of our grandsons to get married and we have a new grandaughter-in-law joining the family, so this was a time for celebration. We rose at 4,00am and kind neighbours drove us to the airport! Thank goodness for a new neck cushion to sleep onJudy met us at the airport and we had our first of many experiences of Uber journeying through Winnipeg. It has an intriguing number of little single houses, a surprising shortage of main roads and an impressive number of immigrant restaurants. The Residence Inn was nearby and Susan, mother of the groom, certainly made a good choice. We had a refrigerator and cooking facilities in the suite. There was a pool and a gym and a choice of about a hundred items for buffet breakfast. I induged in making my own hot waffles, with maple syrup and fruit compote.The wedding at 3.30pm next day was outside by the remains of St Norbert’s Monastery. We grandparents, Tim and I and a new friend Pauline Ibach, got front row seats and enjoyed the violin music by bride Cheyenne’s uncle. When the parade started he played a different tune for each couple including “Stories of Love” for Cheyenne in her beautiful cream gown with a long train and a piece from “The Lord of the Rings” for Cheyenne’s parents. Her father is an ex Mountie but unfortunately did not wear that uniform, or his current one as Brandon Chief of Police. Bestman Carter and his colleague ended the parade scattering rose petals on the fifty or so guests. There was a pastor to conduct the ceremony that was Christian but not clearly Catholic for Connor or Protestant for Cheyenne’s family.The Bates. Bride and the Ibach Groom are both keen actors so all was clear and moving, including their brief speeches on love for each other and their chosen vows. These included “To Love and to Cherish till death do us part”. Connor” To never make a deliberate mistake so you win a board game”,Cheyenne “To never complain when you stop and use your Merlin to identify a bird song”, Connor”To get excited about the song with you even if it is a bird we’ve just heard five times”. Susan had arranged a place for a rest for old folks between wedding and 6.00pm dinner. I used it. Redoutable Pauline did not. Dinner was inside with salad, chicken, vegetables, gravy, mashed potatoes, creme brule and coffee! Servings kept arriving. There was wine to toast the bride and groom and much tapping of glasses, so Cheyenne and Connor kissed each other dramatically many many times. Susan was chair and ruled no more taps as the limit was one tap per table. There was still a tap or ten! She introduced the speakers who were brief and good. Susan had already got together family trees and stories to welcome Cheyenne to the family and we now have one for the Bates, Cheyenne’s Metis family, who gave her a special Metis scarf during dinner.Then Judy and Robin and I went for a much needed walk and looked down on a film being shot in the nineteeth century remains of the original monastery. There was plenty of drama!- There was some drama and more fun at the dance celebrating the wedding at 8,00pm. We started with a surprise performance of the Engineers Dance Susan had secretly emailed to guests – much handpushing and shifting, rolling and turning! Cheyenne and Connor did a lovely opening waltz. Then we all did YMCA .Her brothers and some of their university friends did a great job of that and all dances. Tim and I managed some slow trots. Carter asked me if I would do him the honour of sharing a dance with him and we speeded up a bit. There was no Rock and Roll but plenty of chances to join in and before 10.00pm I was ready for bed! Redoubtable Pauline stayed until the last dance at 11.00pm!Even the airport trip from Saskatchewan had some fun as the wheelchair for Tim only needed the right buttons pressed to speed it to the departure gate and back. The helper said I needed one too so I could keep up with Tim. We paraded along together, and when we got to the gate, the wheelchairs turned around on their own and went back to the start. Robin meanwhile was still struggling with security for another hour.
muffinandbagels 
Thanks for sharing
Sometimes it’s good to be old
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