Getting married ?!?!?

This weekend's trip to Canada was OUTSTANDING. I had a blast. Let me recap:

Friday
I left work and headed with all due haste to the Air Canada counter at O'Hare. I breezed though the check-in process(apparently no one was going to Canada Friday night). My flight was quick. I reread the Hithchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. I got to customs and basically walked right through- it was surprisingly easy. As I left customs I met up with Joey's friend E(who I can't remember if he blogs or not, but if he does, to let me know your URL) who was giving me a ride to Joey's house because he and Wendy were at the big dinner, where his parents met her parents and the ring(which is absolutely beautiful) was presented. After they were done with that we went to Smokeless Joe's for food(I highly recommend the salami sandwich) and a couple drinks before hitting the sack.

Saturday
I woke up early and got my bearings, took a shower and got ready for breakfast with Wendy's parents, whom I hadn't seen in probably 6 years. We had a nice time walking around Toronto together, and over breakfast they discussed the menu for the wedding while I read the sports page. After that, Wendy, Joey and I headed to "the Markets" where we picked up various supplies for the party and even a new shirt for me. We headed back to Joey's to get everything set up. Joey's roommate P and I did the lighting for the backyard, and it was amazing. After that, I headed to the Hockey Hall of Fame and only left because they were closing. I also spent a fair amount of my paycheck in their gift store- something my checking account is complaining about endlessly today. Pictures will be posted after I get them developed(my digital is on the fritz, so I bought a disposable) including me standing next to Lord Stanley's Cup(the current one) and a couple shots I took of the original(that I managed to snap in between quiet sobs of overexcitement). As I left a couple from Ohio asked me for directions to King Street, something I was actually able to do(I did a lot of walking in Toronto). To answer that burning question that I'm sure is on a democrat or two's mind, I did not ask them how they voted. I headed back to Joey's to help out with the last minute party details and to get some dinner before the actual party.

The Party(Or: Call me Dutch.)
The shirt I bought was an experiment in a new fashon statement for me- the "party guy" shirt. It is a grey "vintage" bowling shirt with the name Dutch stitched on it- and I looked damn good in it. I got to meet a lot of bloggers who I will be adding to my blog roll as soon as I get around to finding their URLs. Everyone was nice. Everyone was fun. I kept myself primarily to the living room- because that was where the karaoke was- and did a couple really fun songs, including a duet with Wendy singing A-ha's Take On Me. It was great. There was revelry. There was a trip to the Secret Swing. There was two bathtubs full of beer. There was dancing. It was a blast.

Sunday
It was instahangover in the morning- which faded nicely after a long hot shower. I caught the shuttle bus from downtown to the airport, dehydrated and hungry. I was surprised at the lines for U.S. Customs- it took about 40 minutes to get through the line- a far cry from the 7 minutes I was in line at Canadian Customs. Eventually, I got home, and my cat was so desperate for attention I was amazed. She's better now, though. I headed to pub quiz and saw M and S, a couple I haven't seen in ages, and got to talk to them. They're good people.

So, the question I'm sure is burning on many people's minds is whether or not I am actually marrying a Canadian woman and fleeing the Bush regime: I'm not. Although I did meet wonderful people(you know who you are) I would have far too much explaining to do to far too many people when I got back here, so no, I did not propose, nor was I proposed to(in all fairness, the temptation was there). I did have a great time, and I'm itching for another chance to head up to the Great White North, next time on a weekend when there's not engagements and birthdays to celebrate, and I can really get a feel for Toronto.