2010 ended a very eventful year for Pam and me—two hospitalizations (pneumonia and heart problems); a trip to Seattle; my college reunion in North Carolina; a trip to deliver our second car to David; and, best of all, a trip back to Madison for our son, David’s, wedding. I had met his new wife, Johanna (Schultz) when I took the car up to him in September but only saw her for an hour, or so at that time. Pam had never met her.
We flew out of Tampa Wednesday afternoon and arrived in Milwaukee after a three hour flight. Renting a car, we proceeded on to Madison where we stayed at the Hilton Monona Terrace in a $599 per night room which looked out on the state capitol dome. Fortunately, David got the wedding guests a special deal and the room rate was only 20% of the usual daily charge—a charge which, I assume, is for business people with nice expense accounts. Pam’s sister, Beth Kashner and her husband, Lennie, had already arrived and were in the room next door. We enjoyed each other’s company over an expense account priced dinner.
The following day Pam had plans to have lunch with her former workmate, Marilyn Kozak, which left Beth, Lennie, and me on our own. We decided to go to one of Len’s favorite local restaurants, Noodles & Co, for a nice sit down lunch. I had made arrangements to meet David for my final tux fitting on the far west side of Madison, so I left the two of them at the restaurant while I made my way west. David and his son, Matthew Farr, arrived shortly after I did and I was so amazed at Matty’s growth since we last saw him, some four plus years ago. Then, he came up to my chin. Now, I have to look up to him at about six feet tall. My brother, Gene, arrived from Panama City in the afternoon and was in the room on the other side of us. That evening was the rehearsal at Grace Episcopal Church on the Capitol Square. It was there that Pam met Johanna for the first time. After about an hour, we all adjourned to Gino’s Italian Restaurant, a staple of State Street in Madison. There were about fifty people at the dinner, for which Pam and I footed the bill and which was not as expensive as we had expected. I’m just thanking goodness I have a healthy credit limit on my card.
Friday was the big day. It started out with my having to drive out to David’s place in Lake Mills, about 25 miles east of Madison, to retrieve a fleece-lined hoodie I had bought in September but had no room for it in my carry-on bag, so I left it at David’s. Trouble was that David kept forgetting to bring it into town so I could get it, knowing I would probably need it when leaving Madison. Gene and Lennie accompanied me out to his place. Not having had breakfast, the three of us stopped at a restaurant near David’s place and had something to eat. It was then back to Mad City for The Event. After showering and resting for a while, it was time to get to the church, about a three block walk from the hotel.
As we arrived at the church we saw David’s two other children, Lynnea and Evan (whom Pam and I never had met) along with their mother Angelica. We were able to visit with them for about 45 minutes before the ceremony started. David, knowing of my love for classical music and especially Johannes Sebastian Bach, had told me they had selected a piece of music with me in mind, but would not tell me what it was. I was so pleased to hear one of my favorites, “Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring”, as the processional. Johanna’s parents led the parade down the aisle, followed by Pam and me, with David, Evan, and Lynnea behind us and then the rest of the wedding party. The kids sat with Pam and me throughout the ceremony. Evan, becoming a bit bored with the proceedings, became a bit restless. The poor kid was so disappointed to discover that hymnals don’t have pictures in them.
The ceremony, itself, was grand. It was a non-denominational service performed by a co-worker of David’s half-sister, Christy Jackson. To say that Johanna was a beautiful bride is an understatement. She was simply a knockout and both she and David were beaming all throughout the ceremony. There were probably 100-150 people in attendance. After pictures following the ceremony, we adjourned to The Madison Club, the club in Madison, for the reception and dinner. All had a great time and the meal was delicious—filet mignon with veggies and a great salad. All danced and drank the night away and, in the end, celebrated New Years twice—once for us Easterners with the Times Square ball drop and an hour later for the Midwesterners.
Besides meeting David’s new in-laws, Pam and I were able to meet his two half-sisters: Christy and Misty Jackson. Christy is a realtor in Madison and she and David have developed a great sibling relationship. We are so happy he has been able to meet and become friends with his siblings. Misty is in the Army and, consequently, he has not been able to see her all that often. Both women along with their mother, Christine Doud, are great people and we were so happy that all three were able to attend.
It was very foggy the whole time we were in Madison. However, when we woke up on Saturday the fog was gone and it looked to be clear as a bell. At the same time, the temperature had dropped markedly and, as we were driving through our former town, Sun Prairie, we spotted a bank time/temperature sign which told us it was 11 degrees. It felt so great to hear the temperature in Tampa was 74 degrees when we landed. Now, it’s a matter of recouping and get back to somewhat of a normal life, once again.
