Day Three - Saturday September 27th - Part Four
So, Scott and I rushed back to the Boardwalk Villas. Once there, he stopped to deal with bell services and get our bags and suits up to our room while I ran off to see what needed to be done at the Hospitality Suite before people started showing up.
When I got to the Hospitality Suite, I found Randy, Jodie, Kyle, Rande, and Joe relaxing and sipping on drinks. They had already done everything. More than I would have done, actually. They had put chips into bowls, put dips into small bowls (I was just planning on leaving the dips in the jars . . .) They'd set up a bar in the kitchen area of the suite, rearranged furniture to help make it easier to be social, and even moved the DVD player from the living room into the far bedroom so the kids would be able to watch the Disney movies I'd packed for them.
Did I mention how awesome our friends are? Sometimes I think I realize just how lucky we are to have them, and then they do something like this which just proves to me that we're even luckier than I thought. They rock! Randy & Kyle also played "bartender" all night long. They took the responsibility of not having Scott or me stress on this party VERY seriously.
Shortly after my arrival, the other people in the wedding party arrived. Dennis went right to the bar and Kyle & Randy helped him fill his new flask with bourbon. Remember the fact that Kyle, Randy, & Dennis discussed his new flask and bourbon. That fact (which I wasn't aware of at the time) will play a roll later in the weekend.
Here's a picture of the suite
And here's the view from the balcony
From then on, I just relaxed and enjoyed the party. Various friends and family members were in and out all evening. It was a lot of fun. Reconnecting with people we hadn't seen in a while. Introducing people from various parts of our life to each other. Not stressing about anything other than being together for a happy occasion. It was great.
Glen & Pippa showed up after staying for a while at the Adventurers Club, but they didn't want to miss our party either, so they split their time. Sharon had stayed at the club (as we knew she would). Her goal was to tape the final Hoopla. She did, and she's graciously shared it with the rest of us. I haven't found the strength to watch it yet, but I will soon.
Here are some pictures:
This is Daya. Her mom is my cousin Dana. I'm very close to Dana, and Daya knows us as "Uncle Rob" and "Uncle Scott". They've visited our house and been to WDW a couple times before. In the background you can see Rande and Jodie (who is married to Randy. We've got WAY too many Randies to keep track of this weekend.
) in the kitchen.
The lady in the middle is a dear friend of mine. Her name is Adina, she's a month older than me, and her mom is my mother's best friend dating back to kindergarten. Adina and I have been friends since before we were born. On the left, in the brown shirt is her partner, Jackie. On the right is my cousin Kelly (who you've already heard about). I walked up to them and asked them if somebody told them that all the lesbians had to sit huddled together, or if they were just talking about softball. The laughed, even though I wasn't funny. It's great when it's your party and people indulge you.
In this picture, my sister, Sofia, is in the middle talking to Uncle Kevin (standing) and Kelly. The lady in red on the right, is Adina's mother, Rose. She's sitting next to my mom, who isn't in the photo. Shortly after this picture was taken, Kevin left to pick up his partner, Randy (ANOTHER RANDY!
) at the airport.
In this photo, Kyle (Rande's husband) shows Pippa that even though she's English and he's American, he's still just as pale as she is.
And the evening progressed on in this fashion. At 9pm, I let everyone know that Illuminations would be starting soon, and most everyone went outside to see the fireworks.
Eventually, it was getting late, and the crowd began to thin. Our friend Joe was just a bit tipsy, and he still had to head over to Pleasure Island to pick up his wife Sharon from the Adventurers Club. I learned later that Randy, Jodie, Rande, Kyle, Tyler, Pippa, & Glen all went with him to make sure he was okay. They were together and watching the final Hoopla outside the club on the big screen TVs that had been set up to broadcast the final night.
Meanwhile, Scott and I went to bed, and talked about all the amazing people who had come for our Big Fat Gay Disney Wedding before we went to sleep. It had been a busy day, and neither of us had any trouble sleeping.
And that's the end of Saturday the 27th.
Next up will be the first part of the BIG DAY, Sunday, September 28th!