"That Thar Gal Has On Green Toenail Polish!"

I was privileged to attend the wedding yesterday in North Carolina of my beautiful namesake, daughter of my best friend at university.

I was to sit with the family, and Karyn's youngest brother escorted me down the aisle with great aplomb. I was seated next to an older gentleman and his wife, who were chatting to another older couple next to them.

I never got to talk with them at all as the ceremony was about to begin. And then after the service itself, I drove the mother of the bride to the reception and sat with some of the aunts and had a swell time.

After the festivities were over and everyone had waved goodbye to the bride and groom, I ended up talking to the two older couples who were lingering outside, enjoying the evening and the romance of it all. 

How our conversation started was because I wanted to take a picture of one of the couple's hands, clasped together so lovingly. As I was doing that, the other gentleman exclaimed, "You were the gal sitting next to me at the wedding! I know because of your toenails!"

"WHATTTT?!" I asked, startled but already warming up to the dear old man. 

"When you sat down next to me, I said to my wife, 'Honey, look: That thar gal has on green toenail polish!' I never did see anything like that in my life in church before!"

The five of us laughed (the man's bride of a couple of months a little bit more nervously than the rest of us at first ...). And we went on to talk about their courtships and marriages, and how they had found each other after each of their spouses had passed away. The gentleman who had spoken to me about my toenails is brother to the lady of the other couple, and they are both siblings of my dear JoMama, my friend Michelle's mother who took me in for summers and Christmas when I was going to college.

It made my night, and it made me four new friends. And I got an invitation to the apple-butter-making family reunion come the fall!