Jewwwwwwwws at the Zoooooooooo

Only the most awesome people get married in October in my opinion so it was no surprise to me when my good friend Ashley (the one from Sound of Music) chose October 16th of this year for hers.  Since the wedding was so close to me and Mike's anniversary it seemed a perfect opportunity to get away, even if just for an overnight trip.  Our neighbor, Tom, agreed to watch the kiddos for us which is always a huge help.  The wedding was on Sunday in Washingtonville, New York so Mike took the day off his weekend job and we drove up that morning.  The crappy, gray, damp weather gave way overnight to a gorgeous sunny, cool day.  Sadly the fall colors aren't so vivid this year from the weather we've been having but it was still a nice drive...well until I had a meltdown on Mike for missing a turn and I was stressed about running late to get to the hotel and get ready.  I had taken a couple of Ativan to try not to be a spaz in the car because I tend to flip out in travel but alas there seems to be no pill strong enough.  Somehow Mike didn't kill me and for that he deserves some sort of medal.  We checked in to our room at the Marriott in Mahwah, NJ and I did a speed hair/makeup/dress-up job and we raced up to the venue and made it just in the nick of time.  My friend Alan waved us over and got a couple of chairs moved so we could sit with them on Ashley's side.

The ceremony was outdoors and aside from us ladies sinking spiky heel first into the mud on the grounds it was just warm enough to be comfortable.  Ashley's husband, Davin, is just adorable and Ash looked stunning in a dress that was impeccably tailored to her slim frame and some vintage jewelry.  It was a short, nondenominational ceremony conducted by a friend of theirs and they wrote their own vows, which they read, and I turned into a blubbering mess.  The entire affair was injected with humor and joy and a lot of personality.  It was slightly traditional but with a twist so as to not be cookie-cutter.  The venue was lovely and the food was delicious.

Our friends Paul and Jinay, Robert and Alan, Emilia and the Kingston family, all part of the Ogunquit family, were there and it was great to all be together again.  Emilia did the hair for Ashley and her attendants and it looked beautiful.  Emilia is Ogunquit's hair and wig designer who also works on and off Broadway as well as teaching at Wagner College and Julliard so she knows her stuff!  We all posed for a pic which Robert sent to Gail from his phone as Gail is now too pregnant to fly.  I sent her video of Ashley and Davin as they were announced at the reception.  I sure wish she could have been there.

Paul, Jinay, Mike, me, Ashley, Davin, Alan, Emilia and Robert

Ashley's mother played guitar and sang a song she wrote for the couple and everyone was a crying wreck.  Frankly as soon as Ashley started to cry I was gone and Mike got some dust in his eyes.  The father/daughter dance was to an acoustic version of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" that Ashley recorded and as soon as I realized it was her voice I lost it all over again as I am starting to do now as I type damnit!!  We drank, we ate, we danced, we laughed.  It was a great night.  I even managed to get my handsome, suited-up husband on the dance floor for a bit and that was just awesome.  Hopefully I'll get ahold of some pictures soon and can post them later.

Mike and I had a nice leisurely drive home on Monday.  We went up to Newburgh, NY where Mike grew up and drove around so he could reminisce.  We drove through his old neighborhood and saw his house.  We went to his old church where he was confirmed and remarkably his name was on a list of confirmants they were trying to track down for their 50th anniversary that is coming up.  Mike looked around and chatted with the secretary.  We went and had lunch at the family's old favorite pizza place, ABC Pizza.  We made a quick detour to the Hannaford (my fave grocery store from when I was in Maine) and I bought some spinach quiches for the freezer.  Man I lived on those things in Ogunquit.

So Mike and I wended our way home via the more scenic highway 84 through the Poconos and came across a sign for the Paws n' Claws Animal Park.  With a name that cheesy we knew it would be jenky but had no idea how much.  The grounds were super muddy and really, if you're a zoo in Pennsylvania, there's no need to have deer.   They had badgers which I enjoyed video-ing and sending to Bryden.  I wanted to break in the white tiger enclosure and snuggle with it but for some reason Mike said no.  What a killjoy.  I did pet a bull and Mike thought I was insane but he was in a barn and frankly he loved it.  I scratched just behind his horns and he leaned into my hands for more.  I was also in heaven feeding and petting a giraffe.  Mike wanted no part of it but I thought it was awesome!  This was much closer than I got to get to the one in Florida last summer.  I have an unhealthy lack of fear of animals.  So now to explain the headline to my blog.  Mike and I were the only people at the zoo....that weren't hasidic jews.  And I'm not talking about a few, I mean a couple hundred.  Men with payet, women in sheitels and TONS of children.  Almost every woman was pushing a stroller.  These kids weren't playing either.  They literally shoved me out of the way to see things and no one would make eye contact with us.  It was just odd to be literally the only ones there that were not part of this group.

Mike and I entertained ourselves on the way home as we passed Hazleton, PA and Mike asked what it was.  This prompted a fifteen minute giggling jag in which Mike would ask things like what the main business was there and what the city bird was and I just kept making shit up.  So in case you were wondering, the city bird is the turquoise-throated finchwallow and the primary business and export is cotton candy in a myriad of colors but only one flavor - cotton candy flavor.