The Rehearsal Dinner

The rehearsal dinner, which Mom planned, was great. Everyone kept talking about what a good time they had. Dad welcomed everyone and gave the blessing, we ate, then the real fun began. We roasted and toasted Meredith and Ken, which means that we said nice things and also told some really funny (and some embarrassing) stories. Kristen, Meredith's sister, and I blubbered our way through our speeches. All in all, it was very heartfelt and sweet . . . and hilarious.

Jill, helping Michael make a really complicated paper airplane. She looks a lot like my Grandma, especially her eyes.

The Williams/Stute/Snyder side of the family (from left to right):
Jill, Dad's cousin
Dad
Uncle Bill, Grandma Marge's brother
Ken
Me
Michael, Jill's youngest son

It was so neat to spend some time with Jill and Uncle Bill. Grandma died when I was 10, and although I have a lot of memories of her, I don't know a lot about what she was like when she was growing up. I also don't know a lot about Grandpa Ken, who died before I was born. Grandpa Ken played the trumpet professionally, and Jill told me about how the players in swing bands were celebrities of their day, with groupies and everything. I didn't know Grandpa Ken had such a life! Jill told a story about how she planned an event that involved a swing band, and it turned out that they all knew Grandma Marge and Grandpa Ken. They knew them and loved them, talked about them fondly, and talked about what a fine musician Grandpa Ken was. One of the men even reverently said, "This is Kenny Williams' trumpet." It was so good to hear what good people they were and how much they were loved. Later, Jill told Mom how struck Uncle Bill was at how I resemble Grandma--not in looks, but in grace, he said, and I thought that was really special. Mom tells me I am like her, but it's neat to hear it from someone else.

A couple of funny stories told:

Matt Davis told a story from camp one summer after 6th grade. Well, Ken neglected to use sunscreen, and one day he got really, really burnt. Matt said, "Ken, you are so RED!" And Ken turned around and said, "I'm not red, I'm 1/16 Choctaw." Okay, that is hilarious. Mostly because we ARE 1/16 Choctaw Indian.

Jonathan also told the story about how one day he and Ken were misbehaving, and Papa, because they always had too much fun when he punished them, put them in the dark garage and told them they couldn't turn the light on. Well, they just opened the car and sat inside where that light was, and he was so mad.

Eric Weitzel told a story from 6th or 7th grade about how when his mom was driving him, Matt, and Ken home from school one day, Ken announced, "I know what I want to be when I grow up." "Oh really? What?" they all asked. "I want to be a monogrammer." All the boys started to giggle and say, "Ken, oh my gosh, you're dirty." Of course, Mrs. Weitzel was thinking, "My, this is weird. What is he talking about?" Ken went on to say he thought that'd be the best job in the world, and the guys continued to giggle. This went on for a little while until Mrs. Weitzel said, "Oh, Ken, I think you mean you want to be a mammogrammer." Oh my gosh, we all died laughing. I think the funniest part was that Eric and Matt knew exactly what Ken was talking about.

There were a lot of other funny stories that I will have to post later as I remember them.