I’m sitting at the house that Kevin and Emily have been staying at, taking advantage of a momentary lull in the activities of the day to check in for a few minutes.
So far, things have been fairly expectedly hectic. I arrived in Memphis yesterday evening about 7:30pm local time, and Kevin met me at the airport. Mom and Dad were arriving just an hour later, so Kev and I just hung out there for a while, gathered mom and dad when they came off of their plane, and we all found our way back to our hotel.
A late dinner followed at a local restaurant, where the four of us met up with Emily and her parents, Ted and Sally. Lots of good conversation there, as everyone got to know each other (since mom, dad and I had yet to meet any of the rest of Em’s family), until travel caught up with us all and we headed back to the hotel.
Today started really early, with a 9:30am breakfast gathering at Em’s grandparents farm just across the border in Mississippi (so I’m actually adding two states to my “where I’ve been” list than just one on this trip). Lots of people there that I’m having a hard time keeping them all seperate in my head. Myself, mom, dad, Kev, Em, Em’s brothers Ted and Wes and her sister Elizabeth, her parents Ted and Sally, her grandparents, a friend of Em’s from the Peace Corps, and a few other assorted cousins (?) and other relations that I’m losing track of.
More people are coming in over the course of the day today, including my dad’s sister Susan and her son Eric; dad’s brother Doug and his wife Pam, and their daughters Kayt and Hannah; my great-uncle (?) Bob Wills and possibly some of his clan; another of Em’s friends from Peace Corps just showed up; Kev’s currently off attempting to rescue his friend Stuart and his wife Sara from a hotel that apparently overbooked and left them without a room; and I’m sure there are more appearing (or already here) that I’ve forgotten. Considering that Kev and Em were originally just going to “elope” until Em’s aunt convinced them to have a “small wedding” here, the list of names and people involved just seems to get longer and longer every time I turn around!
Right now, with Kev off playing the gallant hero, mom and dad resting at the hotel, much of Em’s family invovled in prearations for tonight’s barbecue gathering (and possibly mini-rehearsal, though we keep being assured that a rehearsal hasn’t been planned), and Em holed up in a room here with her sister and friends working on her dress (or hair, or something…I’m male, I’m not expected to know what’s going on, I think), I’ve ended up without any responsibilities for a few minutes.
And so I’m here.
Now there’s a surprise. ;)
Kev just showed up with Sara (though Stu is still missing in action), so I think I’m expected to interact with people again…