Raise a glass

So, what with the lack of blogging lately, one major life event sort of slid under the radar here:

A couple of weeks ago, my sister, Tracy, and her boyfriend took a vacation to Italy. And he proposed. In Venice, of all places.

(I would like to note for the record that Dave proposed to me at our kitchen table when we lived in Washington. Not that there was anything wrong with it – I mean, hey, I tend to be more practical and get uncomfortable with overly romantic gestures anyway. I’m just saying. Kind of a stark contrast there.)

Her fiance, Everett, is a good guy and she seems really happy, so we’re all excited for them.

Tracy & Everett

And, she asked me to be maid of honor at her wedding. I happily agreed, on the condition that nobody call me “matron of honor.” (Seriously, if ANYONE says the word “matron” in my general direction, they’re gonna get a swift kick in the shins.)

They’re getting married next November in Texas. Everett lives in Austin and Tracy will be moving there.

The plan is for Catie and Lucy to both be flower girls at the wedding. Since Lucy will be 2 1/2 at the time, we’re guessing she can handle it. Catie has already said that she is absolutely not doing it because she doesn’t want all those people looking at her, but… eh. She has a year to get used to the idea, and there’s a big difference between 5 1/2 and 6 1/2. I kind of haven’t pushed the idea too much, because I can’t force anything with Catie. She has to come around to it in her own time.

And honestly, this whole thing has been pretty rough on Catie. When I first told her that Tracy and Everett were getting married, she was happy, because she really likes Everett. But when she found out that Tracy was moving from Charlotte (where we can hop in the car and see her in 2.5 hours) to Texas (where we’ll have to take a plane to see her), she got really upset. I’m not sure how much of it specifically has to do with Tracy – because they do have a very special relationship, the two of them. I think it also has a lot to do with her dad moving away, and now she feels like she’s losing more of “her people.”

Tracy came to visit this past weekend, and she and Catie had a long talk about how this is going to be ok, because she’s going to come visit just as often as she does now, so the only thing that’s going to change will be that we’ll pick her up at the airport instead of her driving up in her car. Catie cried and cried and said that she doesn’t want Tracy to get married and move away. Sigh.

What can you do? Change is hard for adults, and it’s hard for kids. I feel bad for her, but she’ll adapt to it, just like she’s adapted to everything else that life has thrown at her.

Totally unrelated side note just so this post doesn’t sound completely depressing: when I told The Guy that I’m going to be my sister’s maid of honor and that the wedding is in Texas, he said, “Hmm, I just had a mental image of you in a bridesmaid dress with cowboy boots. That’s kinda hot.”

For the record, I do not currently, nor have I ever, owned cowboy boots. And I’m pretty sure my sister will not allow them to be worn at her wedding. Although this past weekend she was joking about getting a mechanical bull for the reception, so who the hell knows.

Yee-freaking-haw.

Anyway: my sister is getting married! YAY! Weddings! Sparkly diamond rings! Shopping! Love and happiness and all of those things that I refuse to be bitter about just because of my own personal tragedy! (It will NOT affect my ability to do good hair!)

This is all really good stuff. I am so, so happy for my sister. She is so awesome and she’s waited so long to find the right guy, she deserves every happiness in the world.

Congratulations to Tracy and Everett.

P.S. Yes, I am pre-emptively worried about making a toast. Public speaking is not my thing. But I’d bet my sister knows enough musical people that I can throw together a choreographed dance number in no time flat.

5 thoughts on “Raise a glass

  1. thanks, y’all! appreciate the toast. and yes, catie will get used to the idea, and i figure as long as she sees i’m still coming around as much as usual, the less she’ll care that i’m no longer in charlotte. fingers crossed. . .

  2. Wonderful news! Congrats to Tracy! Don’t worry, Catie will warm up to the idea, plus, it’s her Tracy, she’ll do it for her. 🙂

  3. Congrats to them! Beautiful couple. 🙂 I could NEVER do a toast. The last time I did public speaking was 11th grade. I gave the opening statement for the defense in mock trial honors law. My hands & legs were shaking spastically, very visibly. It was seriously like I was having a seizure. It was like a fool body eternal, as well as internal, panic attack. That never happened before. I used to read in church in grace school all the time from memory. I did all the readings from memory at my communion. It got worse as I grew up. I don’t know what happened to me. Good luck to you though! Make it short & sweet. 🙂

  4. * sorry, damn autocorrect on my iPad. They should’ve said: it was like a FULL body panic attack that was internal, as well as EXTERNAL. Haha. 🙂

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