Thin White Dress Alert!

Last week on Wednesday I performed 5 wedding ceremonies.  And as always,  every wedding had something different to remember.

The first couple were older, the groom was 65 and the bride was 59.  It started  off well.  The couple was sweet, very tender toward each other and then it went nutso.  During the ceremony the groom starting rolling his eyes until only the whites showed.  He was swaying.  I thought he was going to pass out.  No, she wasn’t concerned, she kept smiling at him.  he smiled at her.  Then the whites of the eyes were back.  He was flat out weird and scary looking.  He would totally shut his eyes and then they would pop open, to all white.  Zombie??

The next couple were in there 50s.  This is not PC, but he looked like a gypsy.  He was from Eastern Europe.  He was swarthy and had long dark hair in a ponytail. He was dressed well in a black suit and a lavender rose in the lapel.  She wore a gorgeous dark burgundy lace dress that matched the color of her hair.  She carried lavender roses and had roses in her hair.  This couple was very emotional, they both cried during the ceremony.


The third couple was strange.  I did not think they even wanted to be in the same room.  They seemed so unhappy and they stood way far apart.  No smiles, no touching, no happiness.   The Marriage Desk Clerk told me later they were smiling and seemed happy.  I hope so.


Group four, and it was a group, close to 30 people.  It was like herding cats.  They had taken over the lobby and were having a loud fun party as they waited.  I kept trying to give instructions of where to go for the ones waiting for the next elevator.  They just kept talking.  Eventually everyone showed up in the Wedding Room. 


Then I totally lost control, all the women suddenly had to go to the bathroom.  The men were making phone calls, and the groom was posing for pictures.  When I finally got all of them in the room again, I used that stern school teacher loud voice of mine.  I told them, “From now on only I am allowed to talk.  So listen and I will tell you what we are going to do”.  And they all got quiet and listened.

I looked at the groom, he is still posing for pictures as I talked. Then I really looked at the bride and had to bite my cheek.  Thin white dress, no slip and her underpants’ seams showed.  Such a thin dress.  But none of that mattered.  This couple was in love, they had their families with them, and we had a wedding.


My last couple were in there late 60s.  Very tender with each other.  Their witness asked if she could read something before the ceremony.  I said yes and she began to read.  It was a legend about a Native American woman and the Coyote.  The woman was a weaver and made beautiful clothes.  Everyone wanted to win her for his wife.  She didn’t want anyone.  Then the coyote courted her and won her heart.  The legend told of their coyotes babies and then he takes her to his den and shows her his wonderful home.  And they lived happily ever after.  It was such a sweet loving story and a great beginning to the wedding ceremony. 

I only wished I had asked the name of the book.  I would love to read the legends.  I will have to do some research and find Native American legends.

School

Tuesday the children were just going to their group workshop tables when I arrived.  I worked with a group making Thanksgiving baskets.  They were to take the construction paper square, cut into the marked lines, and fold the cut areas to make the bottom of the square basket and then glue the corners.  Oh how my first graders love glue.  We could have earthquake retro fitted The Golden Gate Bridge with the glue they squeezed out.  Those baskets may never dry. 

They were to then make a handle from a pattern and cut it out.  I was to staple it to the basket for them.  They didn't trust those tiny staples, they glued before I got there with my stapler.  The students then wrote three sentences about what they are thankful for, read them to an adult, and placed them in the basket.

We are not finished with glue.  They now can decorate the baskets.  Did you know there is "Sticky Glue"? This is not a glue to put things together, it is to decorate.  It comes in many vivid colors.  The children drew designs with it and it doesn't run, it stays humped up. 

Tuesday was also an assembly day.  This is Native American month, and the school had two men from a Native Pride Dance team come to perform. One of the dances they did was the hoop dance, absolutely wonderful.  As they position the hoops, different animals are shown. Our dancer did an eagle from an egg to flight,  butterflies, riding a horse, and many others.

Amazing skill. Some you might have to use your imagination as you watch the video.  I so wished I had taken my phone to record some of the show.  But alas it was back in the class room.  Very glad for You Tube.

Then it was back to work.  I finished testing students on the Dolch List.  They either fly through it with little or no errors, or it is painful watching them try to sound out words that are sight words.  It was very clear many of the children are not getting any help at home with the list.

 Several of the children have just turned six, and should not be in first  grade.Think about it, they started Kindergarten when they were only four.  They don't have the muscle skills to use scissors nor  pencils.  They are not ready to work all day at the level of the other children. Their lack of ability to follow directions is a handicap.  This is not to say they are not very smart children.  They just are not ready to learn at the level the rest of the class is learning.  They should have been held back.  This could be problem for them for the rest of their school years.

Next week is Thanksgiving break, so no school.