This past weekend, Sarah and I went to a wedding of our close friends, Bart and Anne-Marie. As we’re fans of acronyms, we abbreviated them down to BAM.

The weekend was fun, but went very fast. We were hoping for some relaxation time, but between the driving and the wedding stuff, it was pretty packed.

The drive down

The drive to Jacksonville was pretty easy. Sarah drove pretty much the whole way, as I hate driving, and she says it gives her something to do. We followed the directions of our GPS unit, and it took us on some strange roads. Still, getting off the interstate was nice, as we saw some nice Georgia countryside. Plus, we saw several tree farms. It’s strange to see trees lined up in rows like that. Passing by is somewhat hypnotic.

Beach day

On Saturday, we focused on going to the beach. We don’t have any pictures because it’s a real pain to try and juggle the camera when we’re playing in the sand or in the water.

The water was really cold, so we avoided it for the most part. However, at one point, I said “Let’s do it!” and we ran headlong into the waves. Jumping right in was the key, as it wasn’t so bad once you were completely soaked. So, we played in the waves for about 10 minutes, then went and laid in the sun (with sunscreen…)

The bet

There were two college girls throwing a football on the beach, and I commented that their form was all wrong. Sarah said I should go show them how. Then, she bet me $15 that I couldn’t get the football from them. I’d get $20 if they both slapped me.

So, I walked right up and said, “Hi! My wife bet me $15 that you girls wouldn’t play football with me.” Without a thought, they tossed me the football, and we played catch for a minute. Sarah said I cheated by giving away the bet, but that wasn’t specified in the rules, and she agreed.

Afer the beach, we stopped off at the Hot Dog Hut, and it was pretty disappointing. I’m always in search of a good Chicago Dog, and they managed to screw it up. On the bright side, Sarah put her wedding makeup on in the Hot Dog Hut bathroom. Nothing like getting ready for a wedding in a seedy dive’s bathroom.

The wedding

BAM’s wedding was our real reason for being there, and it was great. It was completely non-religious, and Anne-Marie’s brother was the officiant. We’re guessing that they did a judge wedding for the legal aspect and then did the ceremony with a non-legal officiant. That’s a great idea that I’ve been telling people for a long time.


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Us outside the wedding place

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Anne-Marie looked like she was having fun the whole time.

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The happy couple – post matrimony

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A random dude in the wedding

The ceremony was quick, and then the rest of the night was spent dancing. Sarah and I had been taking group dance lessons in preparation for the wedding, but to our dismay, it was a “dance like you’re in an 80s bar” type affair. The Electric Slide, You Make Me Want to Shout, and Livin on a Prayer were just a few of the numbers. Despite having a great time with the 80s hits, we thought all our lessons were for naught, until the final song, where they played something we could show off to. We did a few of the turns and steps we had learned, and earned some applause from the bride and groom. So, we ended the night on a high note!

Following the wedding, we went to a late-night Philly Cheesesteak place and ordered some calzones. It was a nice small place, and Sarah paid the tab, thereby covering her $15 bet as promised.


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Us at the late-night Philly restaurant

On the way back to the hotel, our car turned over 70,000 miles, and I managed to get a picture. Take note: the car was stopped (as you can see from the speedometer), so no danger there.


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70001 miles…middle age for a Toyota

The way back

We headed home on Sunday, and Sarah got some nice pictures of a funky 60’s looking building in Alma, GA.


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Looks funky, eh?

If you want to see more pictures, you can head over to BAM’s wedding site.