Start Spreading the News . . . Part II (a.k.a. Cara and Garry get hitched!)

Our trip to New York did have one overriding purpose -- to be there for Cara and Garry's wedding! Cara is one of Dr. J's stepsisters (the other being Ro, her identical twin, who will be getting married in November). Garry, her new husband, is from Ireland, and has that adorable accent you'd imagine he would. Their wedding weekend began with the rehearsal dinner at the Three Village Inn in Stony Brook. It was there that Dr. J and I got to see his Dad and stepmother Phyllis for the first time since our Long Island visit in November (during said visit the horrid SUV accident occurred -- I still shudder just thinking about how damn scary that was). We also got to see our nephew, 3-year-old Tyler, and his parents (Dr. J's brother and sister-in-law).

The next day we drove from John McEnroe's old house in Queens back out to Port Jefferson (where Dr. J grew up) to attend the wedding mass at Infant Jesus Church as St. Charles Hospital. The ceremony was performed by Father Vinnie, who came over from Ireland with Garry's parents just for the occasion. Father Vinnie, with his charming Irish accent, remarked during the ceremony that "I had two other weddings back in Ireland that I was asked to perform on this very same day . . . but I wasn't about to turn down an excuse to come back to New York for a visit!"

The wedding was progressing as normal until Tyler decided he had to have gum, and he had to have it now! Of course, the gum was in the car, and both of Tyler's parents were had parts in the ceremony, so Uncle-Dr. J was dispatched to get the gum. Dr. J had to haul himself over a banister at the one end of our pew in order to do so. This is an important fact to keep in mind, and it would come back to haunt us later.

With the gum retrieved, and Cara and Garry now officially married, there were 2+ hours to kill between the wedding ceremony and the reception. So I insisted that Dr. J and I swing by his favorite hometown pizza place for "a slice" (this is what New Yahkers call it, while those in 'Da Burgh tend to call them "cuts"). So off to Renzo's we drove, our stomachs grumbling and our mouths watering at the yummy food that awaited us.

Dr. J decided to leave his suit jacket in the car. So as we walked into Renzo's I noticed that he had a 6-inch rip in the back of his pants, next to the left pants pocket! Even worse, it was NOT on a seam!!! How did this happen? (Hmmm, maybe when he left church to get Tyler's must-have gum?) We decided to go ahead and have a slice while we pondered what to do next.

I calmly said aloud "I'll just sew it while we're at your Dad & Phyl's" (who were hosting people at their home in between the ceremoney and reception). I'm not sure if Dr. J was aware that the last time I had sewed was an ill-fated surfboard-pillow project in 8th-grade home ec (which has remained a longtime private joke between my Mom and I ever since). But I think my air of confidence faked him out enough to relax about the situation.

At Fred & Phyl's we found a needle and thread that matched his suit, and I proceeded to spend the next 35 minutes in an upstairs bedroom sewing this huge rip back together. In Dr. J's defense, the pants were not tight on him -- in fact he has lost weight since he bought this suit years ago. As for my sewing, let's just say that the first half of the job was touch and go, but halfway through I found my way and my stitches markedly improved! (Hey, it held for the entire night, and so long as Dr. J kept a coat on, nobody knew differently). Somehow I put a dart in his pants in the process . . . but hey, they didn't re-rip!!! [Photos available upon request -- just ask me and I'll send 'em to you.]

After a few pre-reception cocktails, we headed for Lombardi's on the Sound at the Port Jefferson Country Club. The cocktail hour, in true Long Island fashion, lasted a couple of hours, and featured so much food and booze that my family would have thought it was the reception and left satisfied! But as I have learned through previous Long Island weddings, there is even more splendor awaiting guests during the reception. And so was the case for Cara & Garry's wedding.

During a scrumptious, Italian, multiple course meal (the entree was served at 11 p.m.!), we had the opportunity to catch up with some folks from Dr. J's family we hadn't seen in a while. This included Joanie, Uncle Bob, and a rare appearence by Uncle Bob's friend Wayne!!! We had never met Wayne before, nor even seen a photo! Wayne was a very nice guy, even handsome (he reminded me of a British newscaster, with his blonde hair). Quite frankly, Dr. J and I agreed that since Uncle Bob isn't much to look at, we're not sure how he ever snagged Wayne?!?!

All in all, it was a beautiful wedding, and it didn't even begin to wind down until after 1 a.m. Cara & Garry had a beautiful day (no rain, and not too warm), an awesome priest, and great grub for the guests. WELL DONE!