#Carrindiewedding Part 3

My eyes opened and I looked to my left. For the weekend, I was sharing a bed with my roommate Evan. He was lightly snoring and looked peaceful as always. Jeremy and Joe were my other two hotelmates. Joe was showering, and Jeremy was reading in the corner. I woke up Evan, and got dressed. My other hotel mates got ready for the day and went downstairs for a quick breakfast before the day began.

The rested travelers boarded the charter bus and then Dr. Stuever got on. He promised us a day that we would never forget, seeing the sights and hearing the sounds of the most interesting city on earth: Lawrence, Kansas.

Although I'm unsure if Dr. S has ever been a tour guide, if saving people's lives ever falls through, he has a back up. The bus took us on a tour of Lawrence, focusing primarily on KU. As we drove, the good doctor regaled us with stories of the history of KU basketball and why everyone hates Missouri (if you don't you probably should). The tour ended with a quick rundown of the main street in Lawrence, before we disembarked by the post office. We were told we had three hours to shop, eat and explore and then the mob of us set off to explore the commerce and fine dining that Kansas had to offer.

Time seems to move slower in Lawrence. The city itself is a hipster paradise filled with chic clothing and buildings that seem straight out of the late 70's. Even the weather appeared to be more hip than the average Virginia day.

We looked in shops, saw a lot of hipsters and families, and eventually ate lunch at a pizza place. It was good, and I bought a shirt from the only surf shop within hundreds of miles.

Sooner than seemed possible, the group headed back to the bus, it was time to prepare for the wedding.

Once back at the Best Western, everyone put on their finest Kansas apparel. Boys in their ties and girls in their dresses, we were prepared for the best wedding Kansas had ever and probably will ever see.

Upon arriving at the location, we walked up a trail to the clearing which contained the chairs and other things needed for an occasion such as this. Taking my seat, voices around me murmured with excited anticipation for the ceremony to begin. I could see John through the woods. Wearing his skinny tie and suspenders, he looked like a modern day Walt Whitman, ready to burst into poetry at any second,

Soon enough, the single guitarist started ripping off a steady beat, and Stef materialized out of the woods. Enchanting in her dress, and nimble as a wood elf, she made her way up the aisle, with onlookers speechless at her beauty and grace. A single tear appeared at Johns eye, almost invisible because of the vast smile encompassing his face.

Ryder preceded over the wedding, and it was filled with Scripture, God's promises for marriage and laughter about how cold it was. The I do's were said, the bride and groom kissed, and then it was off to the reception on the other side of the pond.

Dinner is one of my favorite times of the day, and the Carr wedding was no exception. The catering was wonderful, my favorite was the mashed potatoes, which were scrum-diddily-umptious.

After the food, toasts were given and received, Mezz's mike didn't work, and then it was onto the rest of the evening: dancing.

We danced and danced. Liquid courage was apparent in some as they approached that special girl and guy and asked for a slow dance. Kansasians and Virginians united in square dancing and the wobble and the fairy tale continued.

Sadly, fairy tales have to come to an end. The wedding and reception was over. Sparklers were lit and John and Stef drove away in their carriage (Ford Taurus) and onto the rest of their lives. The bus was loaded up again, and the giddy wedding guests were driven back to the Best Western.

Once home, some went to bed. Others decided to venture out again into the cold Kansas night to a local restaurant called "The Phoggy Dog." This family friendly venue provided a setting for laughter and reminiscing  between friends old and new.

Morning came all too soon and the bus departed back to Virginia. The ride seemed longer this time as spirits were heavy with the impending work week. After a few close calls where we almost stopped at Denny's again, we arrived back at the Wal-Mart in Richmond around 6 a.m. on Monday morning. The weekend was over, but it will always be remembered.

He Said: TV Shows

Before this past year, I never would have considered myself a big TV guy. For the first 20 or so years of my life, I had always enjoyed reading and movies much more than television show, which you have to watch week in and week out to make sure you don’t miss any major happenings. That phase of my life ended when I started watching the show Dexter.

I was gripped by its dark humor and plot twists. Soon came Game of Thrones, followed by Sons of Anarchy and now Grimm. I was pleasantly surprised by the number of great stories that were so readily available at the click of a button.

I’ve got to admit, though, it is exhausting watching all those shows. Trying to keep up with that many characters on a personal level is tough. Because of Hulu, I usually just wait and watch my shows in a one day stretch on Friday, back to back to back. I laugh, I cry. It’s an emotional roller coaster. But it’s a good emotional roller coaster because all of those shows are intriguing and (somewhat) thought provoking.

At this point I like to consider myself as something of a TV aficionado. Hopefully, my familiarity will spare you having to experience miserable 30-minute segments of your life whenever you want to try a new show.

Alas, with good comes evil, and along with my discovery of great television, I’ve also discovered some shows that are less than satisfactory. This summer, my roommates got in the habit of watching “House Hunters” and “Property Brothers” on HGTV. I don’t know what drove grown men  to watch young couples visit different houses along the East Coast, but I hope it never affects me.

Every time HGTV comes on, I feel like I’m at my grandmas house, because that was literally the only channel she ever watched. I’m not sure if the shows are bad, or if it is still a negative connotation from when I was seven, but if HGTV is on I have to leave the room.

I’m going to go ahead and be judgmental and say that both Pretty Little Liars and Gossip Girl are bad. I’ve never seen either (thankfully), and I’m sure my esteemed she said counterpart will probably write an expose on how watching these two shows should be mandatory and I’m a sexist pig, but I stand by my comment. If the commercials are annoying, the show is bound to be (i.e. the recent Presidential election).

That’s really all I’ve got. All shows are still stories, and stories aren’t automatically bad if they aren’t Harry Potter; they’re just mediocre. The same is true with television; not every show is going to be a Sons of Anarchy, but that doesn’t make it a Gossip Girl. But now, armed with the knowledge of the very best and worst shows on television, grab the remote, kickback and watch a story unfold before your very eyes.

Who knows, you may end up being pleasantly surprised.

He Said: Preparing for Sandy

I scanned my food shelf and this is what I saw: croutons, extra virgin olive oil and an empty McDonald’s cup. Things were looking grim. With Hurricane Sandy threatening Blacksburg with 1/2 an inch of snow and 29 mile-an-hour winds, preparation was key; with those kinds of conditions, who knew what could happen? I needed food.

Kroger was a mad house. Everyone was frantically attacking the bottled water, canned veggies, and 24-packs of Natty Light with a fervor rarely seen. I quickly made my way to the scented candles. Rumors were abounding that power was out already in The Village and Terrace View, and I knew my house might very well be next. Light was needed, as well as the lilac scent to make my house smell all flowery and less like the body odor of grown men who can’t shower because there isn’t hot water.

I got home and quickly made my house look like a seance was about to be performed with candles everywhere. I had food on my shelf and water bottles hidden beneath my bed. I then went into the bathroom and filled the bathtub with hot water in case the storm turned into an apocalypse. I was almost ready for the impending doom of Sandy.

Weeks ago, my roommates and I had decided being frugal was more important than things like warmth and comfort. So we had vowed not to turn on the heat until at least halfway into November. The blizzard was trying to speed up our schedule and we couldn’t let this happen. I ran into the yard and hastily started chopping wood for our fireplace. It may have been the last line of defense.

Once wood chopping was finished, I returned inside and went to wash my face. I walked into my bathroom and saw something that will stick with me for the rest of my life. My roommate Evan was whistling a merry tune and taking a bath in the tub I had just cleaned and filled with hot water. I don’t know where he got the bubble mix from and didn’t think to ask either. I released a howl of despair and ran from the bathroom, desperate to get away from the image now burned into my retinas.

Even without the bathtub full of water, I calmed myself down, telling myself that we would be ok. I had to be strong for my roommates, who were bordering near hysteria. Frankenstorm wouldn’t get the best of me.

In all honesty though, the storm was pretty serious, and as images came rolling in from around the country, it was a bit scary. Although Sandy didn’t hit Blacksburg very hard, we’re sure to face some big snows come winter. Before every blizzard, be sure to prepare yourself for the worst. As the old saying goes, better safe than sorry.