The Best of Intentions

Guys, I just...

I just don't understand it.

There are people out there who I'm sure get invitations to their cousin's wedding and in their mind they think "oh lovely. a wedding. what fun this shall be." and they pick out a dress and the dress is stunning and they dance and act merry and end the night wrapped in a blanket of dignity and champagne.

And then there are people like me. I just don't know where I go wrong you guys. I have the best of intentions and yet things just go down the pooper for me. I mean I really do live my life in a sit-com.

Ah-for Example...

This past weekend I went up to New Hampshire for my cousin Emry's wedding. Emry is a McCliment and dammit I love the McCliments so much. I was especially excited because it was a mini family reunion of sorts seeing as all my Uncle Jim's brothers would be there, my cousin Sarah (whom I adore), and even some family I hadn't met! (My dad was the youngest of 14...there are a lot of us out there.) Not to mention the fact that the McCliments know how to drink. Which is why sometimes I secretly think I've got a little more "Climent" than "Murray" in me. So anyway, there was a lot of family and a lot of booze. And Glennis.

Usually when I go to weddings I borrow a dress from a friend (Liz) who has better taste than me (Liz/Kate/Eliza/everyone I know) but THIS time I found a dress. No... I found THE dress. The most awesome dress I'd ever seen and yet simple and elegant and so classy and fun. It was just perfect. And cheap! Yes... it was from H&M (because I hold stock in the store) and it only set me back $50. Pretty sweet deal, eh? But the best part of the outfit was the shoes... patent leather gray high heels. GORG. I was just like...what? Seriously? Someone climbed in my dusty mind and found the perfect shoes for me? Awesome. So the outfit was amazing and I was SO excited to slip into it and be elegant. Dammit I was going to be elegant! (This is foreshadowing...)

The day of the wedding my cousin Sarah (um guys... Sarah is maybe the most awesome chick ever. you don't even know.) and I went over to Emry's fiance's house to get ready with her and her family. I didn't know them at all but they graciously let me use their shower and ride along in the limo with them to the wedding. So lovely. So we're getting ready, we're all beautiful, I'm rushing around trying to stay out of their way, and they head outside to take pictures. Their house was on a sweet little sweet in New Hampshire with neighbors out admiring the super stretch limo sitting out front and the fancy ladies on the lawn. I stood to the side admiring the photo shoot with some other random people - the limo driver, someone's husband, a family friend - when all of the sudden A HUGE GUST OF WIND BLOWS MY DRESS STRAIGHT OVER MY HEAD. OVER. MY. HEAD. Now... here's the thing you guys. This dress didn't have a waste...it was sort of as if I pulled a skirt right up above my boobs and added a sleeveless top. Still can't see what I'm saying? Imagine I'm a picnic table and my dress is a table cloth and the wind is a TORNADO. So yeah...there was really nothing left to the imagination. In fact one of the guys standing by me said, "I'll have that mental picture. Forever." Dude. Your wife is right there. (Also...thank you.) I mean thank god I was wearing underwear but mother of god could I not have kept my waxing appointment before I left town?? Jesus. Soooo...yeah. I pretty much flashed my furry meow meow (oh my god please don't call it that ever again) to the entire wedding party.

After that we get in the limo (where I flashed people again because OF THAT DAMN DRESS) and head to the wedding. The wedding was BEAUTIFUL. The men in the party wore kilts which meant pretty soon I had some company in the flashing department! We all hopped in the limo after the wedding to take a little spin around New Hampshire and it was hilarious watching the boys (sans drawers) try to hide their junk. Oh except when they were hanging their asses out the window of the limo flashing passing drivers. God I love them. Seriously they are so much fun. My cousin Sarah even flashed a passing car with a dad, mom and kid in it and the dad mouthed to her "thank you." It was maybe the best moment ever. So funny.

So you're saying to yourself "your dress blew up? that's it? that's what all this fuss was about?" Oh loyal reader, how little you know me.

The reception of the wedding was awesome. They had a great band and so much dancing and so much wine and so much dancing and twirling (but only a little so as not to flash the small children on the floor) and so much fun. I even sang "The Man I Love" for Emry and Holly (a capella - eeps) because they had asked me to sing for the wedding but we ran out of time. They came over gave me the biggest hug after that...it was seriously such a great time. I can't even get over it. So anyway, yes I had much wine and much fun and I might have been a bit tipsy as we walked out to say good night. And I might have had a huge bag with me. And I might have been saying good-bye to a cute boy I'd been flirting with all weekend. So what?! You're saying YOU wouldn't have stumbled off the curb cutting a huge gash in your shin and bruising both of your legs to bloody hell?? Oh like you're so perfect Mr. Fancy Pants with your walking and your staying erect!

Seriously... I am still in pain you guys. My shin has a HUGE gash in it (that probably should have gotten stitches but instead got some sweet bandaging by my Aunt Jeanne) and I am BUSTED UP. Just in time for Summer! Yay! I honestly look like I got into an accident on a bike or something. And I didn't fall in front of a few family members I hadn't seen in ages...oh no. I fell in front of EVERYONE.

But guys... and this is about to get really sappy so just hold onto your cry-lenol (thanks for that one, Sarah)... I don't know if I've ever been surrounded by so many caring, loving awesome people at one time. The entire family at once made sure I was ok (rushing inside to get my tissues and paper towel) and made SO MUCH FUN OF ME for falling I almost died from over love. Over love? YES. OVER LOVE.

It's not that I haven't felt loved or cared for before in my life. I really can't explain it (I say as I'm sitting here getting teary thinking about this) but the kind of connection you can have with people who haven't seen you in 15-26 YEARS where they can make you feel like the most important person in the world WHILE making fun of you for being a total clutz... it's beyond compare.

I spent the whole rest of my trip dreading coming back to New York. It was the first time that has happened. I always look so forward to coming home. The minute I step off that plane/train I breath in the poopie New York air and smile. This is where I feel safe, happy, loved. But for the rest of the trip and still today all I can do is think about how amazing my family is and how much I wish we all lived on the same block in some town in America. Does that at ALL sound like me? I can tell ya, it don't.

Just before I wrote this my Uncle Jim called me to say the family was sitting on the deck of his pub (he owns J.D. McCliments in Putney, VT...tell them I sent you) wishing I was there. My heart!

I guess this post ended a little differently than I expected it to. I am beyond exhausted (having traveled for 6 hours yesterday, performed in a show, bar tended until 3am, slept for 3 1/2 hours and worked a 10-hour shift. Oh and then did dance dance party party. Beyond.) but I can't pull back on the cheese. Sorry guys. You're just gonna have to deal, bokay?

I'm not really sure how to end this post so I'll just say falling off that curb was the best thing that's happened to me in a while.

Have a great day on that porch, guys.

Love,

Glennis

PS - Seriously. Do not ever use the phrase "furry meow meow" again. I will cut you.