A Love Song

As of this morning, Katrina is officially, according to the government of Germany, married to Marco. The Andreson family drove to the courthouse to sign all the legal documents, however, they will be conducting the official wedding ceremony tomorrow in a church. Today, was the wedding rehearsal and a pre-celebration! While the Andreson family was gone, I decided to go for a run. I had about an hour to run so I followed my usual route but was surprised to find that I could do a loop! Its probably about 3 miles, but as I was running I recognized the field I was running by and suddenly knew how to get back to the Andresons without turning around and retracing my steps! Although a trivial discovery, I was quite proud of myself. :)
I cleaned up just in time to celebrate a toast to the "newlyweds." Marco's family and the Andreson's were all crowded into the kitchen to celebrate this first step in the process of their marriage. Immediately, we all left their house and drove to the church for a quick wedding rehearsal. We only had an hour to practice because another wedding was planned for that evening and we had to be out of the church by 1 pm. Due to the absence of a bridesmaid, I filled in for the rehearsal, which I really enjoyed because it gave me something to do. At one point, there was a lull in the activities so I asked Erich to rehearse the song once through. The church building is very old with high ceilings and echos back any loud noise. The acoustics carried my voice across the church acting as a natural microphone for the higher, louder notes I sang. I wasn't nervous to sing today, but I'll probably get a little nervous tomorrow when there's a big crowd. I realized the other day that this is the first time I will sing a whole song as a solo! No pressure.
After the rehearsal, we walked to a nearby cafe for lunch. There were several of us ordering, but every single time the server brought out something, we were the very last table. When it came time to bring out the food, our table managed to receive our food just as everyone else was finishing. My lunch tasted great! but it was eaten in a hurry since we had to leave as soon as I got it.
The next few hours were spent preparing the "barn" for the evening pre-reception. We decorated the tables and Stephen and I were given the special job of making and pouring the punch. We also polished plates, set tables, and were the designated "servers" to clear dishes when people were done eating. We had both volunteered for this position since we both had previous experience.

Before the "Barn" was decorated:

After the Barn was decorated:

I now know why I haven't gotten married yet. It's because I hadn't discovered how much fun a reception could be!!! Americans have such boring receptions compared to European's! (not to say I've been to a boring reception in America, but this was just so unique that it's novelty caught my attention)
The beginning was a typical reception with drinks and mingling. Then the food arrived. This dinner was no ordinary dinner, but rather consisted of a whole roasted pig!! (head was included!) Two chefs would cut off pieces for people to take, but it was so interesting to grab a piece of meat when the whole pig was sitting right beside it. Yes, I ate some, and yes, it tasted yummy. :)

After dinner, the "show" began. A humorous and entertaining slideshow produced images from Marco's and Katrina's lives starting from babies to being a couple. Then a few people played songs for the couple and others acted out skits! Fortunately, Marco's roommate, Thomas, acted as our personal interpreter because the skits were performed in German. Their friends had come up with clever and funny impersonations of Katrina and Marco depicting their future life or exaggerating their unique mannerisms.  They were so entertaining! Katrina and Marco were also required to perform three "challenges." The first challenge required them to set a breakfast table quickly but aesthetically pleasing. The second challenge had them sew a button onto a shirt and iron the shirt before the other person finished. The third and last challenge was also the funniest. Marco and Katrina had to put a baby(doll) to bed by first bathing it, putting on its diaper and pajamas, then wrapping it in a blanket. We're not so sure Marco's baby survived the ordeal. :)

The Sewing/Ironing Challenge:

Marco has no idea what he's doing :)

The last portion of the reception included Katrina singing a song to Marco, then Marco surprising Katrina by singing a song to her. People had kept telling her he could sing well, but he had never been willing to show her. This was his surprise to her and lead to a very sweet moment.

As they left the barn, everyone lit "torches" (wax on a stick that lit on fire!) and created a pathway for them to walk through. We all had a wonderful time; helping, participating, or just watching.