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Alas, The Wedding Weekend Extravaganza is over! Congratulations to Tamara and JJ, and Evan & Stacey. (Smith) Note to JJ: Feel more than free to introduce me more formally to your cousin Brooke. Ahem. [You know nothing at all about her.--ed.] True. And it was only a few dances. But there should be warning labels that come with beauty like that. I hate when that happens. She also stated at the end of the evening that I was "Rock Chalk", which, note well, is a high compliment from a member of a family that is loyal to the University of Kansas. [Kansas?! You've gone mad!--ed.] All I'm saying is, if I ran into her again, I wouldn't mind. Added bonus if the words "church" or "Jesus" don't make her vomit. In any case, the second wedding was like going to a party with friends. The Smith/Meek wedding, by contrast, felt like a family reunion. In the best and purest sense. The Smith patriarch (let the reader understand) said to me, "You're part of the family, you know that?" Funny, that, since I didn't marry anyone! But well taken. "Rabbi Tbone" is just like that. I feel I've been adopted. We shared many other things that I can't talk about here. Just know that,--if you didn't know it before--"swimming the Tiber" seems like the dumbest thing I could ever do, in the face of all this love. I was also honored to spend some time with 'Tbone's eldest, Martyn, and his wife, Zoe. I share in Thom's sadness that we won't see them again probably for eighteen months. Martyn and Zoe help the "least of these" in the UK; Zoe is British; Martyn just sounds like he is! But I promise I'll stay in touch, Martyn, and I won't call you 'Marty'! [You forgot to ask him what he thinks of David Cameron.--ed.] He can't vote for him, anyway. And good for you, Martyn; I couldn't renounce the USA, either. But it was also good to chat up some old friends, and some of the attendees prettier than Martyn. [I'm sure he's hurt and disappointed.--ed.] Sure he is. But congrats to Evan & Stacey (and Tamara & JJ). May each family have 17 children, for the good of the world, and in defiance of certain haughty US presidents.

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