My Baby Cousin got Married

September 20. The big day!

Wife, the children, and I went to Maine last week. My cousin was getting married. Marriage and weddings are special occasions to celebrate, and it was quite a sight to see my little cousin tie the knot.

My cousin's name is Dara. My uncle called him "Daronald". This led to my nicknames of "Damented", "Dalerious", and my favorite, "Daronalerious". As Dara grew up, I would play wiffle ball with him. My aunt and uncle have a pond on their land. We would go to the pond and try to catch frogs. Sometimes we got lucky and caught one.

Video Games with my Cousin

We also played video games. We played "High Heat 2004". I liked this game and I thought it was just as good as what EA Games had to offer. I was in the minority. Anyway, Dara and I would play "High Heat". Because he was a child, I usually threw the ball down the middle for him. He would hit it, but I had good defense behind my pitcher, so I was able to recover from what would otherwise be the worst thing to do on the pitcher's mound. After his turn at bat, and maybe a couple of runs, it would be my turn to bat. I would get one hit, and we would have to start over and he would bat again. Charming little boy.

We played board games and card games, too. We would play at his house up in Maine or we would play at our grandparents' house in Florida. It's always a great time when I get to see him.

The Baby Grows Up

Time marched on and the little guy who was toddling around the house, telling everyone to "Go," soon started motoring around the house and yard, moving on to school, friends' houses, and his own sporting events. Dara went to school and grew up physically and intellectually. Somewhere in one of my stash of boxes is a picture of him in his baseball uniform sponsored by "Kim's Hair Salon". Our conversations shifted from what was on television to school, his life, my life. He went to school, graduated to the next level. Now the baby is a young man who is taking on the challenges of adulthood.

Big Day and Good Times

Sitting down to dinner.

My family got word of his upcoming wedding and we immediately made plans for the big day. We rented a hotel room nearby and we made sure everyone, especially The Boy, had clothes suitable for a wedding. Sometimes The Boy's fashion choices could be a little lax and tend to take the word "informal" to a new level.

The setup was great. There was a large tent outside. We ate and danced. It was good seeing family we hadn't seen in a while and catching up with everybody. My aunt and uncle had a display in the tent of relatives who are no longer with us. It was nice to have their memories and spirits with us for this special day.

One of the pictures set up by my aunt and uncle to remember family no longer with us. My grandmother is holding my sister, Laura. My grandfather is holding Joey, Dara's brother who passed away in 2010. Standing in front (L to R) is Cousin Jen, Brother Mike, Cousin Bradley, and me.

Wife, The Miracles of Christ, and I were able to chat with the host and hostess of the function. My aunt and uncle put on a great celebration. Their home has always been a place where great memories are made. We've celebrated holidays, especially New Year's at their home, we've gotten together at random times during the summer. I got to talk to Dara and the new Missus. It was another great celebration in Maine, and the chance to celebrate a new milestone.

Dara and Abby are starting their new life together. It was nice to have a small part in that first step. For me, the best part will be when he has children of his own and they start hanging on him, maybe playing games and possibly starting that game over when he makes the smallest amount of progress. A lot of people showed up for this occasion, and some people were looking down smiling upon it all. Congratulations Dara and Abby!

On the dance floor.

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