I went back to Ohio, and Chrissie Hynde was gone.

Actually, I went for nuptials of my cousin Zackary--yes, Zackary Zaza!--and his better half, Amanda. I hadn't been back to Ohio in almost two years, and boy did I miss my family. I've seen my parents and my sister and brother-in-law regularly, but they too left Ohio, so my face time with aunts, uncles, cousins, etc. has really suffered in recent times.

front row: Matthew, Adrienne, Linda. second row: Mom & Dad, Aunt Palma, Diane, Sarah. back row: me, Stephanie, Joe, Nick

Nothing ever changes--when we all get together, we all get a bit goofy and giddy with laughter.

(click images for larger)

I saw my cousin Lori and her gorgeous girls Sophia and Anita (Lori's actually not my cousin--she's my father's sister's husband's brother's daughter...). We had a lovely visit. We tried to build houses of cards but the decks were too new and too slippery and eventually we gave up and just took pictures of the girls posing as the Statue of Liberty.

But the event we all gathered for was the wedding. It was a blast. Imagine a huge Italian-American affair with top-shelf booze, dinner music of Dean Martin and Lou Monte, and dance music mixed of the tarantella, polkas, and hip-hop. A pleasant time was guaranteed for all. Plus, the bride was gorgeous.

A few more highlights? Well the Zaza siblings--my dad's generation--were reunited once again. Family gatherings like this--even happy ones like weddings--always lead to remembrances of those no longer with us, and I think having my father and all his siblings together put us all in mind of my Aunt Martha. But it's nice to reflect on those we loved, and we drank a toast to her and carried on.

Jerry, Nick, Marco, and Palma

Like most wedding receptions, the dancing began with the bride and groom:

The rest is all food, drink, laughing, visiting, and blur upon blur of dancing.....

Younger couples: Nick and Adrienne, then Josh and Sarah

Groom and Father of the Groom

The Matron of Honor ate the Best Man (I myself had the macaroni).

The dance floor really started to heat up once Aunt Joyce had a couple drinks in her! We all danced till drenched in sweat and smiles. Fun!

__________________________________
ALSO POSTED:
Some other OHIO related pictures now posted in the Photo section. And really, you must head over to the Download section--not only have I posted a funny Ohio Tribute video, but there's a fabulous drunken clip of Zaza Generation One caterwauling "Goodnight, Irene". And that's not even to mention a new song sent to me by Chris Conti and his band. Check it out.

Comments (2)