Saturday, November 2, 2013

Virginia is for Lovers (and weddings).

So. My brother got married two weeks ago.



Sorry, what? That can't be right. Wasn't it just 1995?


Life catches up with you really fast. Don't worry, folks, that's only the first of many cliches that will be included in this post. I'll be here all night. 

How I was expecting to feel when the time for this stuff would finally arrive? Excited, thrilled, overjoyed. All of those good things, ya feel me?


And then I was packing for the trip, and I freaked the freak out. Except I HAD NO IDEA WHY. My brain really likes to spaz out over everything, and the Cacibaudas aren't big fans of change. (Should I remind everyone that my brother found out he was going to be a big brother, and then later threw a chair at preschool? It's okay, because he likes me a lot more now. I think.)
Layla was the cutest wedding guest.
Three of the best cousins in the world.

And then the actual wedding happened, the world didn't end, and absolutely nothing changed, other than the fact that my brother now has a ring on his left hand. Who knew.



I would jump in front of a bus for these two. So much love in my heart for them.

(Side note: The photographer was awesome. I LOVE the picture she took of me, JT, and Zoe. You can see the rest of the wedding pictures she took here!)

Plus, the reception was SO MUCH FUN. My parents are great at giving parties, and apparently they are really good at giving a wedding too. And because duh, Italian weddings are always fun. We had a blast!

Mother/Son dance
Father/Daughter dance


I think it's just extra weird when you're a younger sibling. It's not really something the oldest child can ever understand. I'm sure it's not as weird when you have already gotten married or started to form your own family, but when you're 20 and absolutely no where near that phase of life (thank God), it's just a weird feeling. You almost feel like you're losing something, even though you're really not. It's like everything familiar is changing when you need it more than ever to stay the same.




Mom and her baby!
Dad & his two sons-- JT and Drew

And maybe it's not a big deal if you aren't slightly obsessed with your siblings. I've adored my brother since I was born, even during the years I was a terribly annoying little sister and he probably hated my existence. I mean, my first word was "JT." I thought my mom was kidding when I had to ask her for a paper I was writing. When I read a book on sibling relationships for a class last year, it said that middle children tend to be more attached to their siblings and family. So really, we can just chalk it up to Middle Child Syndrome like everything else. ;)

I don't really know what year this was, but can I just say that I LOVED that Tinkerbell bathing suit?

I don't know why I put such importance on siblings. Maybe it's because the world always says that sibling relationships outlast everything else--parents, marriages, friends. Or because I've watched my mom and her siblings, and how they're still there for each other in their 50s and 60s. Or because my Nana was constantly reminding me that siblings and cousins are life-long friends, and she was a pretty wise lady. Or maybe it's really because my parents practically beat it into my head that siblings are your best friends, and they're the only ones who stick around forever.

"You'll miss this," they said. "You NEED each other, ya hear me? You'll grow up and when you need something or someone, they'll be the first person you call."


And here I am. Grown up. Missing it. But only a little, because now my little sister, who used to follow me everywhere, is in college doing her own thing. And my big brother, who spent much of my middle school years threatening to throw me over our upstairs balcony, turned out to be a really great friend who never stops helping me go after what I want.

And since what I currently want involves going to the University of Maryland for grad school, JT went with me to Maryland to check it out last week. I met with the lady who is the head of the Reading Education program and we walked around campus. It's very open and spread out like State, and I just absolutely love it.

Good coffee, great campus, & an even greater brother.


After we were done at UMD, one of JT's friends told us we needed to eat at this place called Looneys that's right by campus. And GUYS, my life is forever changed because of what I ate. It's called a crab pretzel, and it's a soft pretzel with crab dip and cheese melted on top of it. It was THE MOST AMAZING THING IN THE WORLD. So, umm, thanks Brian!

I know. I'm obsessing over a pretzel. Ridiculous, you say, but that's just because you've never had the crab pretzel before.

All together, it was a really good trip. Partying it up at the wedding was fun, and I really enjoyed staying a little longer to spend some extra time with JT in DC during the week after the wedding. We took some really good walks around the city, discovered an awesome coffee place, and just had the chance to talk about lots of different things. That kind of stuff is good for a little sister's heart.

I was dreading my return to Mississippi, but I knew I'd be happy once I was back with my kids.

Happy Halloween from Ms. Alexa's babies!

"Ms. Awexa, I want to grow up weally fast and be big wike you," one of them said on my first day back.

"Don't worry, baby, you will grow up faster than you think," I said.

I know I did.

I'm only slightly obsessed with them. I'm so lucky.

2 comments:

  1. I love you. I'm sure you may have noticed that the Zandee girls don't EXACTLY have the same type of sibling relationship as y'all and my heart ACHES for what should have been...but alas. Such is life. I hope my babies are just like ya'll.

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  2. ALEXA!!! TAKE OFF WORD VERIFICATION!!! NOTICE MY ALL CAPS?!?! Nothing screams "I hate comments, NEVER comment on my blog!!!!" like word verification!! It took me FOUR tries to comment!! And it's impossible on my phone. TURN IT OFF!!! So you get a few spam comments, just delete them and move on!!! FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THAT IS GOOD AND HOLY TURN IT OFF!! Turn it off!!!

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