Happy Thanksgiving (in Canada)

Not too much news this week... although some happy news for once! Monday is Canadian Thanksgiving, which meant that I was able to take a short trip down to the US to see a kindergarten friend married on Saturday. It's pretty incredible to have known someone that long (about 80% of our lives) and to be able to share in those milestones.

K (who of course looked stunning) and C (who also looked quite dapper) tied the knot in a picturesque little chapel in Aspen, CO and then threw a raucous reception (complete with Backstreet Boys dance music... K's grandmother can seriously bust a move, and not like a granny move; I mean legitimately shaking her thang).

The most touching part was that the wedding was nearly free; family friends provided everything from the catering to the venue to the serving and decor -- a real community event (not something you'd think about happening in Aspen, huh? Well, rethink rethinking stereotypes). K's little sister also performed, and is a very talented singer/violin player; she was the break-out performance of the evening! Fabulous people, perfect couple. I'm just delighted for them. Thanks also to my parents who let me use a mileage ticket to make the trip and a welcoming Canadian expat who put us up for the evening!

I've been to a handful of weddings now, and I'm ashamed to say that I think I may be a wedding weepy. It's awfully unexpected because I'm not at all a wedding person, but I just get chills thinking about the "to have and to hold" bit, and I just can't keep it together. It's such a profound pledge between any two people... So know this now: if you invite me to your wedding, I will sob and make your photos all red-faced and puffy-eyed. Hot.

Things got hairy Sunday morning as I was trying to fly out, though; I got to see the other side of Aspen -- mountain escape as entitled elite enclave! As the airport sound system played (I kid you not) "Don't Worry, Be Happy," we were told that our flight would not be leaving and in fact that as the bad weather closed in -- combined with an equipment malfunction -- no one would be arriving or leaving.

"Oh God. Oh God," moaned the man next to me, "How could they...? How--?! What about Bob and Jenny... can we call them? They're going to Denver today... if they're driving to Denver maybe... but WHY WON'T THEY PICK UP THEIR PHONES?! Hey, hey, pick up your phone! We need to talk to you! Who doesn't have their phone on them?!" (Look of extreme disgust.)

"You can't re-route me through Kansas City!? But I need to make those connections in order to get my United Premier status!" (Empathetic murmuring.)

"Why wasn't there an ad about this?! Why weren't we informed?! Someone should have said something."

So these are the decision-makers. The privileged elite. The best and brightest. No wonder the economy is still in the dumps and almost none of today's pressing issues have been positively addressed. I mean, God forbid they encounter a canceled flight!

...Although we have built up incredible stress around flying: the lines, the shoe ritual, the humorless officials, the looped recording reminding us all that "the threat level is orange" -- or a "high risk of terrorist attacks." (By the way, as long as we have a scale rating our daily probability of being blown up, it's never going to be "blue.")

I ended up hitching a ride with other stranded members of the wedding party down to Denver, and I'm currently posting from DIA (thank goodness for free WiFi) while I wait for my 7 pm flight. Don't worry, be happy!