The time has come.  I can officially say wedding season is over.  Last night was the last “hoorah” with a night celebrating Sarah and Adam and it was, once again, a night to remember. There’s just no better way to start a marriage out than with great food, drinks, and dancing with your favorite people in life.  That’s what they did. I wore leopard, which, as it turns out, was a large theme of the night.  I was glad to fit in.

I have the sexiest friends, ever. And yes, I’m showing way to much panty-hosed leg here

The bestest of the best.

My go-to wedding date and I.

The church. It’s radical, but pretty.

The organ player busted out some serious phantom of the opera-like music while guests were being seated.  We were wondering if perhaps the groom would fly in from the the balcony, or maybe, instead of using rice or bubbles to bid them farewell, we would release bats? Neither happened, she switched to far more appropriate wedding music shortly after.

I have the best people in my life.

Subject change!

Now, if you remember, I love fall.  I think I proclaimed that I would date fall, if it were a man.  (I still stand behind that)

This season fulfilled all of my hopes.  Fall made my heart smile more warmly than it has in a long time. It made me believe in a lot of things.  And it feels really great to find hope in those things again.

I know, that’s vague.

(She’s being dark and depressing, right?)

No! This is bright and happy, very much so!

(insert cute dog picture that is inapplicable to subject here:)

I believe in Grand Rapids again. Which, yes, is one of the things I was referring to.  I had a strong dislike for the city for quite some time.  It took 2 1/2 years and 1,200 miles of separation to remember my appreciation for it. The relationship is still young, still blossoming, but it feels good to fall back in love with the place I came from.

Oh, and I love fall.

The funny thing is, I’m aware that Fall is the space of time when things die.  The leaves and green things of summer are dying in their vibrance.  It just doesn’t seem right though.

It’s similar to our own lives, where it happens too quickly.  Life is beautiful and magical and before we can whisper how it’s stolen our breath-it’s gone.

It makes me wonder-this season where everything is colorful and cozy, with the smell of burning leaves and cinnamon and crustaceans (crustaceans?) can be the time where the earth around us is literally dying.  If I (or, perhaps we?) looked at death a little more like this – with bold shades of the most romantic colors and with the smell of cinnamon – would it be a lot easier to grasp; to cope; to appreciate?

Is death one really magical season of a much bigger picture with a lot more seasons?

If it is- then we must have something amazing waiting for us – like Spring or Christmas.

I think it’s why I have a really hard time believing in Limbo, or just being done when we die.  I think that’s why it’s so easy to believe in Heaven.  Not just because I was raised in a home that believes wholly in it, but because it just seems like a logical next step.  Perhaps this entire life is just a really beautiful Autumn death before an intense Spring of rebirth.  Without all the placenta. Yeah?

Did I mention I saw a really dashing young man today at the dog park?

To Fall, the happy newlyweds, and to that cute guy,

Cheers!

As I drove home from work late last night, I started to notice random shoots of fog climbing from the side of the road.  It took my tired mind a few moments before realizing that the warm air creating the fog-like mist was creeping out of each sewer I passed.

It grossed me out so badly, I most certainly let out a verbal “that’s sick.”

It got me thinking, who came up with the whole “let’s set up a system wear all our piss and shit goes underground and then maybe we can clean it up or something and reuse it?”

Whoever that was, (it was actually an evolutionary development that happened over thousands of years to become what is now our modern day sewage system) is brilliant, and I think highly of them for thinking there may be a better way than throwing the entire family’s collection of shit into a nearby river.

I was still entirely grossed out.  Nothing like ending the night by passing beams of warm, foul air emerging in to the night sky. Yum.

“Is she really coming back from her two week blogging hiatus with a post on poop?”

Are you really that surprised?

The events of late were, to put it simply, the bomb. 

BS and AK were supposed to marry one another outdoors way out in the countryside.  Then the weather decided to be -94 degrees and rainy, so we moved it into a phenomenally decorated old barn.  We’re talking lanterns hanging from beams, extravagent branch table decorations, soft white linens covering everything, and it turned out, the dark and gloomy weather only added to the romantic feel of the day/night.  It was sexy.

It’s really great they got married, because they’re that perfect for each other.  No better thing to do than to make a forever situation. My heart is once again overflowing with happiness for more of my great friends.  It rocks that they found “that” person. 

Life might be getting back to normal for this girl now! (I know, I know, the actual definition is far from normal over here)

What’s up next in the life of Hannah in her twenties?  Probably more super exciting things like thinking about sewage systems….

Cheers!

P.S. when you opened this up you totally thought it wasn’t going to be about sewage systems at all, didn’t you?

This weekend was one for the books (or blogs).

The skies were clear, the sun was out, and the fall colors were so, so perfect.

The bride looked knock out sexy and the groom cleaned up pretty well too!  Her natural calm tendencies that I wrote about previously, however, did not kick in, and before she walked down the aisle she was praying she would not pass out or barf everywhere.

She did not do either of those things.  The ceremony was rad, beautiful and touching and alas, it was time for the trolley ride.  We took a quick stop at a colorful field, frolicked through it and snapped a couple photos before heading downtown to drive through the massive crowds flooding the streets of Grand Rapids for Art Prize. We literally spent a good chunk of time driving through the masses shouting things like, “Hurray for marriage!”  “They got married today! Cheer for them!” “Hurray for love! Makeout!”  We were so annoying, but dang, it was fun.

Even the speeches went smoothly and finally we could all throw a few back and dance our little booties off, which we definitely did.

When the reception was over, the bride wanted to visit one of her favorite little hole in the wall bars, so even though most of us did not need a tall beer, we headed over that way.  I was walking with a couple of friends when an SUV pulled up beside us and the driver asked, “Need a ride?”

Unaware and a bit caught off guard I yelled, “F off mother f-er!” (I am not one to be messed with, apparantly).

Yes, it was the groom’s very kind, generous, conservative, good Christian father, offering us a ride to the bar to ensure we arrived safely.

We all clamored in and I apologized probably way too many times.

He replied with (thank the heavens above), “I hope my girls respond like that if a random car tries to pick them up!”

I am guessing that most people would just run away or something.  My best friend is certain that some day my lack of filter will get me shot.

It was a really great night, and now my best friend is married to a fantastic man that has my approval. 

Time to don the bow tie, yet again.

To not cursing out people who are really nice,

Cheers!