NOT ENOUGH SHEEP, I NEED A SERTA

It’s 10 minutes to 1AM and I’m still up. I think some of the stuff going on at work right now has me pretty wound up. Hopefully the weekend will be a nice change, relaxing and refreshing.

Linda returned to Memphis on July 4th. No sooner had she left than I realized that both internet and cable were out of order. A quick call to COX yielded no outages in our area, and no technician available for a WEEK!!! OUCH! Fortunately there is an unrestricted wireless network that I was able to tap into until I can get mine going again. I know that they're going to try and say whatever is wrong is not their fault, so it’ll cost me more $$. At least now I'm watching all those episodes of "Alias" that Kenneth and Gisselle (I didn't realize that she doesn't like to be called Ellie) gave me.

July 5th was our 37th wedding anniversary. I celebrated by putting into the freezer my frozen dinner that I’d taken for lunch, and going instead to Subway for a Subway Club. I ate it back at my desk, but I did call Linda several times to wish her a Happy Anniversary. Golly, life after Katrina is such a joy!

K&G are in Orlando enjoying the parks and restaurants and, hopefully, the weather, ‘cause it’s rained every day this week so far, with no end in sight.

The wedding went off without a hitch. The bride was absolutely gorgeous in her gown. The bridesmaids and maid of honor were one of the loveliest group of young women I’ve seen at any of the weddings I’ve had the pleasure of performing. And the groomsmen weren’t too shabby either, especially H1, H2 and SIL.

The wedding reception was very, VERY nice. The food prepared by the Royal Sonesta was excellent, especially the oysters Rockefeller and the pasta bar. Speaking of bar, the bourbon wasn’t too bad, either. Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves, but Linda and I didn’t get around to everyone as much as we would have liked. I really want to thank everyone who attended and made it such a special night for K&G.

Gisselle’s cousin flew in from California for the wedding. She sang the Ave Maria during the wedding. What a beautiful voice! And what a whirling dervish she was on the dance floor. So much energy and talent! Her energy was rivaled only, I think, by H2’s friend, Joel, who was like the Energizer rabbit. He kept going, and going, and going, and… you get the picture.

H1, H2, SIL, DIL and Angelica went out partying after the reception. While H2 was in around 2AM, the rest didn’t get back until 4:30 or 5AM. Whew! Oh, to be young again. Or, maybe not. I’ve grown fond of a good night’s sleep with no hang-over in the morning. Still Angelica was up and out the door with us by 10AM to go to Café DuMonde for some café au lait and beignets, and some shopping at the French Market.

Linda was home for a full 12 days for the wedding, which was really nice. She came home on June 22nd and left on July 4th. It made life seem almost normal again, until she began packing to leave. I think it’s going to be a long 5 ½ months.

Now it’s 10 minutes AFTER 1AM, so I guess I should wrap this up and try to get some sleep. I’d like to ask for special prayers that God will bless the marriage of Kenneth and Gisselle in a special way. I wish for them the joy and happiness that I’ve enjoyed for the past 37 years. Please pray also for my friend and fellow deacon, Rodney. He is very ill and needs the peace that only God’s mercy and love can bring. May God continue to bless you all.