Collisions

Today we continued sifting through the paper trail of our life.  Piles for 'nativedave', 'personal', 'art box', 'garage sale', 'donate' and the now teeny 'trash' are forming small molehills all over our living room rug.  This and boxes of family documents were excavated from that burial ground otherwise known as "the office."  Both David and I have dreaded that dig for months, but actually we have plowed through decades and generations of memories in a very short time.  Almost all of it goes to storage, and the boxes are neatly stacked by the front door, ready to go.  A little more work to do, but not much.

It was odd to me, sifting through photos and papers and paid bills -- relics of the past.  And then sorting and packing and stacking them up to be stored so we can get on with our adventure -- the hope for our future.  Past collided with future, and present seemed to be the negotiator.  I'll let you know how it's settled.

We have all sorts of media, from the all-digital iPod and satellite Sirius radio, to VHS and DVD, CD and cassette.  Heaps of vinyl, too.  A few years ago we finally parted with our 8-tracks, but only because we could not find a player.  Again, remnants from the past rest cosy alongside today's technology.  As we organized these items we discovered a small collection of unmarked VHS tapes.  Before we recycle or reuse them, we knew we needed to view them to see what was there.  A few were filled with medical television shows and programs about supervolcanoes.  Immediately I knew these had once belonged to David's brother Brandon.  Then I found one marked "Autumn and Jack's Wedding Reception."  Autumn is David's mom and Jack is his step-father.  I popped in the tape and was amazed that there was so much footage of the pizza party the night before the wedding.  We were all so young, and it thrilled me -- and amused Sage -- to see everybody laughing and enjoying each other's company.  Quite a happy occasion.

The next segment was of the actual wedding.  It was outdoors so you can't hear the ceremony very well.  However, after that formal part is over, you can understand what is going on by watching the crowd.  Gestures, facial expressions, even body language tell a very funny story.  I remember so well the delight in Autumn and Jack's eyes the next day or so when they left for their honeymoon; it was heartwarming, as Brandon likes to say.  The best part of the tape, though, is the reception.  Everybody was dancing, and not everybody danced to the same music.  When "Livin' La Vida Loca" was played, David and I cleared the dancefloor.  We tried to recreate the video -- and neither of us are latino lovers.  That might very well be some of the funniest video evidence of our silliness in action.  Sage loved it, and even tried to emulate our dance moves, crazy as they are.  Hilarious. 

The next video was our wedding video.  Everything about it makes me laugh out loud.  From the steel drum version of the wedding march to the monk-looking dude officiating over the ceremony, we put a very modern, very eccentric twist on wedding traditions.  My favorite part is when I am getting ready to toss my bouquet.  First I had to put my Shiner (in a bottle!) down...and of course I placed it lovingly next to David's Shiner...ha ha ha.  I think I was so happy about my day I spent the entire 6-hour reception drinking and dancing, and completely forgot to thank my guests for sharing our special day with us.  If you were there and are reading this, I sincerely apologize for that faux pas.  I *was* and still am greatly appreciative for everything and everyone who participated in that absolutely magical day.

Sage really enjoyed watching and dancing to these videos.  Even more, I enjoyed sharing these moments with her, especially as we are preparing for another adventure in the immediate future.  Tomorrow we will pack away our memories and move on to the next room.  Soon, we will take off chasing new dreams, new memories.