A Night to Remember
So this weekend Steph and I took a little trip to Kansas. I know what you're thinking. Why on earth would you take the time and spend the money to spend the weekend in such a miserable place? Trust me, I understand your shock. It would take a very good reason for me to go to such a place, and as it happens, I had a very good reason; that is, the wedding of one Sasha Ann.
Some of you may know who I am talking about. Others, however, might be quite in the dark as to who this Sasha character is and why I would be attending her wedding. Well let me tell you all, Sasha and I go way back. And when I say way back I mean Junior year of high school (remember folks, I'm a military brat. If I know someone for more than three years it's considered 'way back'. (For those who are looking at the picture below and thinking "This Sasha sure is weird..." you're right. But, it was I who gave her the idea of dressing as a cowboy and riding the carosel.)
So the question that must be running through your head right now is something like this: If you went to high school in Virginia Beach, VA, and the wedding is in Kansas...how exactly did you get to know Sasha. This is in fact a question presented to me quite frequently at the wedding. And it always proved rather awkward to answer. The conversation would go something like this...
Someone: "Hi! I don't think I've met you before. I'm *****."
Me: "Nice to meet you! I'm Kevin!"
Someone: "Oh! Are you THE Kevin?"
Me: "Uuummm..."
Someone: "I've heard so much about you!"
Me: "Oh boy..."
You see, Sasha and I are Internet friends. Kinda weird I know...but really it was all her fault. Allow me to explain. It all started, as I said, my Junior year of high school when I got a computer. One of my favorite bands is a Christian band called Stavesacre. So, I joined the message board on their website (now defunct). Kinda weird as it is the only message board I ever joined. Not really sure what made me join this one. So one of the many characters on this board is some girl that calls herself Sasha Ann. I don't really pay much attention until one day she instant messages me (that's how it's her fault...she started it all). Well, we started chatting...quite a bit. Then about a year and a half or two years after we started talking I find out that I'm moving from Va Beach to California. Sasha jokingly suggest we stop in Kansas along the way (again...her fault). I say something along these lines to my dad: "Hey Dad, want to visit my Internet friend on the way to Cali?" And to my utter shock he takes me seriously, and to my even greater shock he says its fine. A few scanned forms of ID to Sasha's mother later, and it's all planned out. Sasha and I joked afterwards that the only weird thing about seeing each other in person for the first time is that it wasn't weird at all. This picture is actually from the second time Sasha and I met. We have no photographic documentation of the first encounter.
Anyway, after that we saw each other in person every year or so, and I now consider her one of my best friends. I actually really wanted her to stand up for me in my wedding, but we decided that would be too weird (there was banter of me wearing a purple tux and being a bridesmaid for hers, but that one fell through for better or for worse). So, for this wedding I was an 'usher' (read: "slave labor"). This is a picture of the me and the other ushers.
So the wedding. Let me start by saying I don't like weddings. Partially because I am not a big fan of formal events, but also because it is inevitable that your good friend you are going to see get married is so busy that you don't really get to spend any quality time with them. Also there are always a ton of people that you don't know and then you feel obliged to meet them.
That being said, Sasha's wedding was not much of an exception (no offense Sasha...). Besides Sasha there were only a very few people that I had even met before, much less knew. But it was still well worth the trip because seeing Sasha all girly was a once in a life time experience, and I suppose also because it was a momentous event in her life.
Two people I really enjoyed getting to know was Sasha's brother, Brian. He was basically our chauffeur for the weekend, and I am very very grateful for the good care he took of us. Also, much to my shame I cannot remember his name, but one of Brian's housemates was a pretty darn cool guy. When I first walked into the Brian's place (we were staying at his place with all his roommates) the guy was wearing a kilt. Awesome. But he was fun to talk to, and a cool guy in general.
One funny story I must share took place after the reception. When we were leaving, we ran into another of the housemates, Jason I believe, who is Sasha's cousin. Anyway, he comes up to me and in your typical drunken slur says "I don't even know you, but I love you man." And proceeds to hug me. After he is done hugging me, he turns to Steph "The only person I love more than you is your boyfriend!" And gives her a hug. I found this vastly amusing, as my experience with drunks is quite limited. Steph and I got back to the house at about 1:00 a.m. and went to bed. About an hour after I fell asleep, I was woken by some people talking rather loudly. The conversation went something like this:
Kilt guy: "Jesus, will you walk on your own two feet?!"
Other Roommate: "He is going to break his neck falling down these stairs."
Jason the Drunk: "If you touch me one more time I am going to ****** punch you in the face."
Kilt guy: "Yeah Jason, punch me and see what happens..."
Jason: "**** you! **** your mom too!"
Other Roommate: "How are we going to haul his fat *** up these stairs?"
Kilt guy: "Grab his other arm and just pull."
Jason: "Don't touch me! **** you! But I love you man...I really do."
Kilt Guy: "Alright, just four more stairs to go. I don't think we're going to make it."
Other Roommate: "Just leave him here and let him sleep on the landing."
Kilt Guy: "He'll fall and kill himself."
Other Roommate: "What he deserves."
Jason: "I AM THE ******* MASTER OF ZELDA!!!"
Kilt Guy: "Yeah Jason, you're the master of Zelda...c'mon"
Jason: "THE MASTER! Let go or I'll punch you in the face!"
Other Roommate: "Shut up and get up these **** stairs!"
Jason: "**** you! If you touch me again I'll **** your sister and punch you! But I do love you."
After a bit more of this they finally get him into his bed. Shortly after which he gets out and tries to traverse the stairs. They haul him back up one more time and this time post a guard outside of his door, saying that if he even pokes his head out of the door, they're going to punch him in the face. All in all, this ranks as one of the greatest events of the weekend...except for maybe Saturday when I actually got to hang out with Sasha for a bit...but it's a close call.
Then Monday we spent most of the morning helping to clean up the reception hall, which by the way was a pretty cool place. It was called The Arts Incubator. Its pretty hard to describe, but it was a huge open room on the third (top) floor of some building that I would guess was built in the 1920's. It rented spaces out to artists, and I can see why. It had these unfinished wooden floors, plain brick walls, and a plaster ceiling where some of the plaster had fallen away revealing the wood ribbing of the ceiling. Authentic old building loft. Pretty cool.
Anyway, that is enough for one post (probably too much, in fact). So I will close by wishing Sasha and Tyler Logan all the happiness and joy married life has to offer. I'm looking forward to seeing both of you again when we can spend more time together!
And to quote the Drunkard "I love you guys!"
CONGRATS SASHA AND TYLER!!
Some of you may know who I am talking about. Others, however, might be quite in the dark as to who this Sasha character is and why I would be attending her wedding. Well let me tell you all, Sasha and I go way back. And when I say way back I mean Junior year of high school (remember folks, I'm a military brat. If I know someone for more than three years it's considered 'way back'. (For those who are looking at the picture below and thinking "This Sasha sure is weird..." you're right. But, it was I who gave her the idea of dressing as a cowboy and riding the carosel.)
So the question that must be running through your head right now is something like this: If you went to high school in Virginia Beach, VA, and the wedding is in Kansas...how exactly did you get to know Sasha. This is in fact a question presented to me quite frequently at the wedding. And it always proved rather awkward to answer. The conversation would go something like this...
Someone: "Hi! I don't think I've met you before. I'm *****."
Me: "Nice to meet you! I'm Kevin!"
Someone: "Oh! Are you THE Kevin?"
Me: "Uuummm..."
Someone: "I've heard so much about you!"
Me: "Oh boy..."
You see, Sasha and I are Internet friends. Kinda weird I know...but really it was all her fault. Allow me to explain. It all started, as I said, my Junior year of high school when I got a computer. One of my favorite bands is a Christian band called Stavesacre. So, I joined the message board on their website (now defunct). Kinda weird as it is the only message board I ever joined. Not really sure what made me join this one. So one of the many characters on this board is some girl that calls herself Sasha Ann. I don't really pay much attention until one day she instant messages me (that's how it's her fault...she started it all). Well, we started chatting...quite a bit. Then about a year and a half or two years after we started talking I find out that I'm moving from Va Beach to California. Sasha jokingly suggest we stop in Kansas along the way (again...her fault). I say something along these lines to my dad: "Hey Dad, want to visit my Internet friend on the way to Cali?" And to my utter shock he takes me seriously, and to my even greater shock he says its fine. A few scanned forms of ID to Sasha's mother later, and it's all planned out. Sasha and I joked afterwards that the only weird thing about seeing each other in person for the first time is that it wasn't weird at all. This picture is actually from the second time Sasha and I met. We have no photographic documentation of the first encounter.
Anyway, after that we saw each other in person every year or so, and I now consider her one of my best friends. I actually really wanted her to stand up for me in my wedding, but we decided that would be too weird (there was banter of me wearing a purple tux and being a bridesmaid for hers, but that one fell through for better or for worse). So, for this wedding I was an 'usher' (read: "slave labor"). This is a picture of the me and the other ushers.
So the wedding. Let me start by saying I don't like weddings. Partially because I am not a big fan of formal events, but also because it is inevitable that your good friend you are going to see get married is so busy that you don't really get to spend any quality time with them. Also there are always a ton of people that you don't know and then you feel obliged to meet them.
That being said, Sasha's wedding was not much of an exception (no offense Sasha...). Besides Sasha there were only a very few people that I had even met before, much less knew. But it was still well worth the trip because seeing Sasha all girly was a once in a life time experience, and I suppose also because it was a momentous event in her life.
Two people I really enjoyed getting to know was Sasha's brother, Brian. He was basically our chauffeur for the weekend, and I am very very grateful for the good care he took of us. Also, much to my shame I cannot remember his name, but one of Brian's housemates was a pretty darn cool guy. When I first walked into the Brian's place (we were staying at his place with all his roommates) the guy was wearing a kilt. Awesome. But he was fun to talk to, and a cool guy in general.
One funny story I must share took place after the reception. When we were leaving, we ran into another of the housemates, Jason I believe, who is Sasha's cousin. Anyway, he comes up to me and in your typical drunken slur says "I don't even know you, but I love you man." And proceeds to hug me. After he is done hugging me, he turns to Steph "The only person I love more than you is your boyfriend!" And gives her a hug. I found this vastly amusing, as my experience with drunks is quite limited. Steph and I got back to the house at about 1:00 a.m. and went to bed. About an hour after I fell asleep, I was woken by some people talking rather loudly. The conversation went something like this:
Kilt guy: "Jesus, will you walk on your own two feet?!"
Other Roommate: "He is going to break his neck falling down these stairs."
Jason the Drunk: "If you touch me one more time I am going to ****** punch you in the face."
Kilt guy: "Yeah Jason, punch me and see what happens..."
Jason: "**** you! **** your mom too!"
Other Roommate: "How are we going to haul his fat *** up these stairs?"
Kilt guy: "Grab his other arm and just pull."
Jason: "Don't touch me! **** you! But I love you man...I really do."
Kilt Guy: "Alright, just four more stairs to go. I don't think we're going to make it."
Other Roommate: "Just leave him here and let him sleep on the landing."
Kilt Guy: "He'll fall and kill himself."
Other Roommate: "What he deserves."
Jason: "I AM THE ******* MASTER OF ZELDA!!!"
Kilt Guy: "Yeah Jason, you're the master of Zelda...c'mon"
Jason: "THE MASTER! Let go or I'll punch you in the face!"
Other Roommate: "Shut up and get up these **** stairs!"
Jason: "**** you! If you touch me again I'll **** your sister and punch you! But I do love you."
After a bit more of this they finally get him into his bed. Shortly after which he gets out and tries to traverse the stairs. They haul him back up one more time and this time post a guard outside of his door, saying that if he even pokes his head out of the door, they're going to punch him in the face. All in all, this ranks as one of the greatest events of the weekend...except for maybe Saturday when I actually got to hang out with Sasha for a bit...but it's a close call.
Then Monday we spent most of the morning helping to clean up the reception hall, which by the way was a pretty cool place. It was called The Arts Incubator. Its pretty hard to describe, but it was a huge open room on the third (top) floor of some building that I would guess was built in the 1920's. It rented spaces out to artists, and I can see why. It had these unfinished wooden floors, plain brick walls, and a plaster ceiling where some of the plaster had fallen away revealing the wood ribbing of the ceiling. Authentic old building loft. Pretty cool.
Anyway, that is enough for one post (probably too much, in fact). So I will close by wishing Sasha and Tyler Logan all the happiness and joy married life has to offer. I'm looking forward to seeing both of you again when we can spend more time together!
And to quote the Drunkard "I love you guys!"
CONGRATS SASHA AND TYLER!!
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