The Wedding Weekend
My youngest son’s wedding was this past Saturday and what a weekend it turned out to be.
It all started about three weeks ago when we called my medical supply company and order oxygen for the weekend. Even though the wedding was in Chicago about 1 ½ hour drive from where we live, we decided to stay in a hotel in downtown Chicago. Staying there would allow me to be driven to the hotel and rest up from that drive. Also all of my siblings were staying at that hotel giving me the opportunity to visit with them. Then on Saturday afternoon, I would be driven to the church, about a half hour of city traffic.
Earlier in the week of the wedding my wife called the medical supply company to check that everything was ordered and that the oxygen would be at the hotel when we arrive. That was when we began to be worried. The office that normally would deliver the oxygen to the hotel was being closed and it deliveries were being done by another office of the supply company. So Friday morning P once again called the medical supply company to make certain the oxygen would be there when we arrived. She was told that it would not be there when we arrived but would be there within an hour of our arrival. So P filled two portable oxygen tanks and we left home and drove to the hotel.
When we had arrived and check into our Handicapped assessable room we discovered that I couldn’t get into the bathroom. So P called the desk and they found another handicapped assessable room, one that I could get into the bathroom. However, this move almost made P late for the wedding rehearsal, so she left me in the care of our nephew T. Because the oxygen had still not arrived, I asked T to call the medical supply company to make certain that the delivery was on the way. After lengthy phone calls with the company T told me that our local office had contacted the Illinois office and assured me that it would be delivered. However as a precaution I turned down the amount of oxygen to a setting below what I need, thus extending the length I would have oxygen. When P returned from the rehearsal the oxygen still had not arrive, so she called the company's after hour’s number. Finally when the delivery person called back he basically told P that it was late and he really didn’t intend to make the delivery. After many phone calls to the after hour’s number and to the delivery person he consented to making the oxygen delivery. However, by this time I was out of oxygen and was beginning to feel the effects of not having enough oxygen. Finally at 12:30 in the morning he showed up with the tank of oxygen. It had taken over eight hours of phone calls and arguing to get the oxygen delivered.
That morning, the morning of the wedding we woke up to beautiful weather, the sky was clear and you could see for miles. P and daughter K left for a breakfast with the bride and the ladies of her family. I spent the entire morning in bed resting. We left for the church early that afternoon. I must say the wedding was just wonderful. The minister had a homily about the meaning of marriage. She mentioned how impressed she was with how the young couple K and C had become involved with the church and the various activities of the church. It was a short ceremony but a nice one. After the ceremony the newlywed couple climbed aboard the tandem bicycle they had bought used and cleaned up and repaired for use in the wedding. As they rode away from the church to start married life, people across the street from the church stop and took pictures and clapped. The reception was at the church and by 6 PM everyone was back at the hotel.
On Sunday morning everyone crowded into our room to visit.
Then slowly everyone started to leave and head back to their homes. We were the last ones to leave for home. I was exhausted by the time we arrived home and spent the rest of the day in bed resting and recovering.
What started out as a disastrous weekend, ended up as a wonderful weekend with wonderful weather for the wedding, allowing the tandem bike ride. I liked the symbolism of the tandem bike because a marriage is like riding a tandem bike. For it to work well both people have to work at it.
It all started about three weeks ago when we called my medical supply company and order oxygen for the weekend. Even though the wedding was in Chicago about 1 ½ hour drive from where we live, we decided to stay in a hotel in downtown Chicago. Staying there would allow me to be driven to the hotel and rest up from that drive. Also all of my siblings were staying at that hotel giving me the opportunity to visit with them. Then on Saturday afternoon, I would be driven to the church, about a half hour of city traffic.
Earlier in the week of the wedding my wife called the medical supply company to check that everything was ordered and that the oxygen would be at the hotel when we arrive. That was when we began to be worried. The office that normally would deliver the oxygen to the hotel was being closed and it deliveries were being done by another office of the supply company. So Friday morning P once again called the medical supply company to make certain the oxygen would be there when we arrived. She was told that it would not be there when we arrived but would be there within an hour of our arrival. So P filled two portable oxygen tanks and we left home and drove to the hotel.
When we had arrived and check into our Handicapped assessable room we discovered that I couldn’t get into the bathroom. So P called the desk and they found another handicapped assessable room, one that I could get into the bathroom. However, this move almost made P late for the wedding rehearsal, so she left me in the care of our nephew T. Because the oxygen had still not arrived, I asked T to call the medical supply company to make certain that the delivery was on the way. After lengthy phone calls with the company T told me that our local office had contacted the Illinois office and assured me that it would be delivered. However as a precaution I turned down the amount of oxygen to a setting below what I need, thus extending the length I would have oxygen. When P returned from the rehearsal the oxygen still had not arrive, so she called the company's after hour’s number. Finally when the delivery person called back he basically told P that it was late and he really didn’t intend to make the delivery. After many phone calls to the after hour’s number and to the delivery person he consented to making the oxygen delivery. However, by this time I was out of oxygen and was beginning to feel the effects of not having enough oxygen. Finally at 12:30 in the morning he showed up with the tank of oxygen. It had taken over eight hours of phone calls and arguing to get the oxygen delivered.
That morning, the morning of the wedding we woke up to beautiful weather, the sky was clear and you could see for miles. P and daughter K left for a breakfast with the bride and the ladies of her family. I spent the entire morning in bed resting. We left for the church early that afternoon. I must say the wedding was just wonderful. The minister had a homily about the meaning of marriage. She mentioned how impressed she was with how the young couple K and C had become involved with the church and the various activities of the church. It was a short ceremony but a nice one. After the ceremony the newlywed couple climbed aboard the tandem bicycle they had bought used and cleaned up and repaired for use in the wedding. As they rode away from the church to start married life, people across the street from the church stop and took pictures and clapped. The reception was at the church and by 6 PM everyone was back at the hotel.
On Sunday morning everyone crowded into our room to visit.
Then slowly everyone started to leave and head back to their homes. We were the last ones to leave for home. I was exhausted by the time we arrived home and spent the rest of the day in bed resting and recovering.
What started out as a disastrous weekend, ended up as a wonderful weekend with wonderful weather for the wedding, allowing the tandem bike ride. I liked the symbolism of the tandem bike because a marriage is like riding a tandem bike. For it to work well both people have to work at it.
posted by UP at 6:53 AM
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