Chapter 19 – Photographs and VowsFrom: LadyM @sunsetvalley.sim.net
To: EMorel @champs.sim.fr
Subj: Lexie's Wedding
Dearest Edith,
It was a pleasure talking with you on the phone last night. It may have been over three years since last we spoke, but it hardly felt as if any time had passed at all. I am glad that you and Gerard are doing well and wish you both all the best in your retirement!
As promised, here are a few snapshots from the wedding this past weekend. We don't have the official pictures from the photographer yet, but Leighton managed to capture some pretty good shots of his own. That is...when he wasn't busy crying. He really is a softie, especially when it comes to our children. All the more reason why I love the man so much. :-)
I'm not sure why Leighton snapped this one. One of Lexie's teammates had just called her and asked why she wasn't at the stadium today. Her response: “Because it's hard to kick a soccer ball in sandals and I'd rather not get grass stains on my wedding dress.”
Ah yes, the dress. You heard me complain about it a bit on the phone yesterday. Perhaps I should explain it a little bit more. We purchased Alexia's wedding gown two months after she and Simon were engaged and when she went to try it on again a few days before the wedding we noticed that one of the seams had inexplicably come apart. Now mind you, the wedding was set to begin in less than forty-eight hours, the seamstress was out of town on vacation, and no one in either family is particularly crafty when it comes to sewing.
So who did the task fall upon? The surgeon, of course. Let me tell you beyond a shadow of a doubt that taffeta and chiffon are far more fiddly than anything I've ever sutured in the operating room. My seam was definitely not the prettiest thing in the world, but it got the job done, and no one seemed to be the wiser for it...
...least of all the groom. :-)
Simon's eyes were glued to her from the moment that she walked up the aisle. Just seeing the expression of sheer joy on his face when he took her hand was enough to bring tears to my eyes. He adores her, plain and simple.
But, like all weddings, this one did hit a little bit of a snag.
One thing that no one could have planned for was the pollen count. Both Alexia and Leighton were sneezing like crazy today. I think that the cottonwoods are blooming. Or it could have been the massive amounts of fresh flowers that Simon's mother ordered for the occasion.
I like Nancy, don't get me wrong, but sometimes she
is a bit over-the-top. I'll never forget a conversation that Lexie and I had about two months ago, right after we sent off the invitations: “She’s already hacked that we opted for a short engagement, she’s gotten on Simon’s back more than once about the rings we picked out, she doesn’t like that it’s an outdoor wedding, doesn’t like the dress we picked out for the flower girl, doesn’t like the fact that our guest list only includes close friends and family...shall I continue?”
I had only one response for her: “Try going into labor during the reception and needing emergency surgery.”
Alexia fell silent after that. :-P From what Geoffrey tells me, it's more or less par for the course wherever his wife is concerned. Apparently Nancy was even worse when their older son tied the knot. I shudder to even think.
Speaking of my former boss...
Geoffrey has always been like a second father to me, and it tickles him to no end that his son and my daughter wound up together. In his mind, nothing could be more perfect. He really is a hopeless romantic at heart.
And then came the vows. There was the traditional “I promise to honor and love you, in sickness and in health, 'til death do us part”, but also a few more personal touches. Alexia spoke of her ill-fated prom night when she first began to realize her feelings for him, and Simon made mention of the car accident that ultimately brought them together.
Both Winter and Justin were bawling at this point.
And I wasn't too far behind them.
Finally, their rings and vows exchanged, the newlyweds shared their first kiss. Now presenting Mr. and Mrs. Simon and Alexia Landgraab. :-)
We opened the reception with the traditional cutting of the wedding cake. As much as Alexia complained about her mother-in-law through this whole process, this was one thing that they agreed upon. The specialty bakery that Nancy suggested was expensive, but the result was oh, so worth it. I could have just stuffed myself with cake, forget the rest of the meal. Leighton and I have some of the leftovers in our refrigerator and the boys had
better not abscond with it like they do with my cupcakes. :-P
Lexie and Simon's first dance as husband and wife. I don't remember the name of the song exactly, but part of the lyrics were “
I've loved you for so long. After all is said and done, you're still you.”
Oh, so fitting. Apparently Simon chose the song and kept it a secret from Alexia until the reception. The moment it started to play I could see the tears in her eyes.
Sigh...even just looking at these pictures again is making
me tear up. My baby girl is a married woman now. As soon as they return from their honeymoon they will be moving into a new home up near the beach. That's not to say that the house will feel empty without her...but it will certainly feel different.
Winter has already claimed dibs on her old bedroom. We agreed to the idea, since hers is the smallest bedroom in the house at the moment...though Leighton and I nixed the notion of letting her get a second rat with the added space.
How exactly her Ruby is still living after more than six years is beyond my knowledge. Perhaps I should ask Gobias what exactly they feed those things at the lab.
Which reminds me...
Do you remember Gobias's daughter Hannah? She is just slightly older than the twins and spent most of the reception dancing with Jeremy. The two of them have been been friends since middle school, and up until recently I was fairly sure that was all that was going on between them.
...this snapshot that Winter took at the festival the other day seems to suggest otherwise. :-)
(And no, I don't condone her spying on her older brother...but I have to admit it tickles me to no end that Jeremy is finally seeing someone.)
I have to brag on Jeremy for a bit. He just got his SUAT results back and he passed the exam with flying colors, which means a full scholarship to Sims University when he enrolls in the fall! Right now he's still debating whether to major in Science and Medicine or Technology. Both Leighton and I have told him to follow his heart, though it
would be absolutely wonderful if Jeremy decided to follow in my footsteps.
Justin has made the decision not to go to University, and while I'm not all that thrilled about the idea, I can understand and respect his choice. Both he and his girlfriend have instead applied to a dance academy in Starlight Shores. From what I have heard only a small percentage of applicants manage to make it in, and everything will hinge on an intensive round of auditions starting at the end of next week.
It should probably go without saying that Justin has been spending every spare moment rehearsing. Alexia's wedding was the first time I've really seen him in...what, nine days or something? If he's not at school or asleep he and Lesley are at the fitness center.
As little as I know about the world of classical dance, I do know that Justin is hard-working, dedicated, and his dancing is fluid and simply breathtaking to watch. Even though his chances are statistically slim...I have a feeling that he might just make it. My hope is that either both of them are accepted, or neither of them. Not that I think that their relationship would suffer if one made it and the other didn't, but it's still not something that I want them to have to deal with.
But I digress.
As the evening wound down Sam broke out his guitar and serenaded the dance floor with his own brand of sweet music. He's quite the talented musician. Leighton and I are very proud of him...though we
do wish that he had the same dedication to family as he did his chosen career. He and Sandi have been married for nearly seven years now and neither of them seem to be in any hurry for children.
I keep trying to tell Leighton that it's none of our business, that the subject of children is their decision and theirs alone...but that didn't stop him from bringing up the subject yet again the other night. This time, he had the added ammunition that Alexia was now married and may just beat him in the grandchildren department. All that my husband got was a non-committal shrug and the words “We're thinking about it...and why are you worried about us on Lexie's wedding day, anyway?”
The reception began to wind down shortly afterward, and by the time Leighton and the children and I returned home it was nearly midnight. Winter, ever the hopeless romantic, decided to test out the old tradition of sleeping with a slice of wedding cake under her pillow in hopes of dreaming of the man she would eventually marry. I asked her the next morning if she had dreamed of anyone in particular, and she said that she had...but she wouldn't say anything more. Winter ate the slice for breakfast and shared a little bit of the frosting with her rat.
I just hope that whomever she
does end up with doesn't mind sharing her with an unnaturally long-lived rodent.
Right now Lexie and Simon are in Egypt for two weeks for their honeymoon. While I question their logic in heading to a desert in the dead of summer, it was something that both of them really wanted to do.
Here's hoping that grandchildren will be forthcoming. :-)
Anyhow, I wish you and Gerard all the best in your retirement, and please give my best to Pascal, Eveline, and your new granddaughter the next time you see them.
Love always,
Morgana---
Author's Note: I'm finally back on track, and I'm happy to say that I've started a new job and am getting back into a routine again! Thank you all so much for your patience and your well-wishes through all of this.
For the record, the lyrics that Morgana mentioned for Simon and Lexie's song are in fact real lyrics. The song is
You're Still You, sung by Josh Groban. I just happened to be listening to it earlier today and it fit Simon's devotion to Lexie all too well.
