FRIENDS and FAMILY

On the evening of August 18th, people from from all over the country :) begun to arrive at my home to attend the wedding of Norman (our new member in our translation team). The Luyks (Ninong Huub and Ninang Becky) arrived first with an Indian lady (as in a girl from India) who came to know a little bit about translation. While I was trying to impress Ninang Becky in the kitchen (well, just trying to dislodge the impression that I know nothing but talk to my pc... that I have come a long way from the girl who eats noodles right out of the packet:), Ninong Dalmas arrived from Manila. Thankfully, I only needed to stir fry some veges for dinner because the Luyks bought chicken lechon and grilled fish, so that's what we feasted on at supper. Yummy!!!

Saturday, August 19th was the big day. We prayed for a sunny day but it seemed that the sun forgot to wake up early and so the day dawned with overcast sky and rain showers. At around 6AM, three more guests came in the persons of Ninang Anita, and my sisters Daphne and Jean. But before the flurry of wedding morning activities started, everybody was up to enjoy a big breakfast, so we crowded around my very small dining table and enjoyed some pancakes with a choice between strawberry jam, guava jelly, or maple syrup, sausages, cheese, bread and of course the ever aromatic arabica coffee. :)

Over all, the wedding was a success except for a few blunders. Well, I have yet to see a perfect wedding! Since I was the coordinator, I was tasked to arrange everybody for the procession. And one of the blunders was that, while I was 'commanding' the principal sponsors to fall in line and get ready to march, I turned my head and there was the bride standing at the back of everyone else! "What in the world is she doing here!?" I asked an usher. I ordered her back inside the house. :) Another major blunder was when the minister Rev. Movel Velasco asked to see the marriage license and everyone was turning their heads as if saying, Whose got it? But of course they have a marriage license; it's just that it's one of the important little details that gets left out when everybody is trying not to be late. :) Anyway, somebody ran to get it from somewhere and showed it to the minister. So far those are the only things that kinda made me squirm in my seat.

Here comes my favorite part. When it was time for the bridal march, the groom took the mic and sang I WILL BE HERE by Steven Curtis Chapman. It was really beautiful. The bride stopped halfway down the aisle and listened as her groom sang his heart out. I was trying to catch my husband's eye but he was too busy taking pictures! Anyway, that episode was really really lovely and witnessing it was a tearjerking experience.

Another crowd favorite was during the exchanging of I DOs. The minister did away with the traditional repeat-after-me stuff, rather he told the groom and the bride to come up with their own vows. Right at that moment the electric company in town decided to turn the power off, and so we cannot hear what the bride and groom were saying to each other but since I was at the sides taking pictures, I heard them very clearly. Norman said, "Hehmeken taka inggatod ngapoh, inggatod dipoh!" It simply meant 'I will love you until the end' but the poetry of it is beautiful. 'Ngapoh' is a verb denoting the process of fire burning a firewood while 'dipoh' describes the very last moment that you see something or someone (idiomatically means 'dying.') Now you pretty much get the idea of the statement. :) Anyway, I think it's really a unique way to promise one's faithfulness.

Lastly, NORMAN and HILDA, WELCOME TO THE 'DOUBLES' CLUB!

Check out their pictures at www.ironheart.multiply.com and www.ironheart2.multiply.com