Gatlinburg Vacation Contest
Winner
Short Story and Picture Essay - Becker's
It had been three years since we were
all together. Three years of missed birthdays,
anniversaries, new babies and a wedding. I was bound and
determined to make sure we remembered this Thanksgiving
celebration. Family came from North and South Carolina,
Ohio and Kentucky to meet for four days of laugher and
fun and great fellowship; three generations of Becker's
together under one roof.
There was great noise, lots of photos and lots of food.
We hugged and held new babies in between football games
and hiking but one occasion was celebrated more than any
other. My nephew Nathan was married in April with no
fanfare. No family was present and as his only Aunt I
could not let this reunion pass without some festive
acknowledgement. With the help of my own family, a “mock
wedding” was planned. This old traditional fun meant
males and females switching roles and reciting vows just
like it "might have been" if we would have attended the
real thing.
My son-in-law played the wedding coordinator while
dressed in flamboyant colors of yellow and lavender. He
distributed programs, welcomed guests and flitted from
camera to candles to flowers and back again. I was the
proud Father of the Groom and my bearded husband played
the weeping Mother of the Groom, his sister. The beard
color didn’t quite match his lovely blonde tresses but
the dress and tight shoes filled the bill.
My daughter-in-law was our spiritual intermediary and
kept the group going between hysterical laughter and
snapshots. Her moving words inspired us all to giggle
even more. There were words of wisdom from Disney among
others.
The men in my family were great sports as we dressed
them in drag, especially my son the bride. A chemistry
teacher by day, he sported a red bra, white suit, long
black flowing hair and a veil complete with Mickey Mouse
Ears. I thought he would draw the line at the fake
lashes and nails but he rode the wave of craziness with
us and abided me. His walk down the aisle on platform
flip-flops was something out of an animated cartoon.
Most of us didn’t hear the music "White Wedding" for the
laughter. He swayed and flirted and batted his eyes and
was wed to his sister the groom.
My daughter wrote a romantic song to his/her beloved
sung to the tune of “Put me in Coach” complete with back
up singers. Had our bride not fainted at the thought of
keeping his shoes on much longer that moving rendition
would have brought us all to tears. A bouquet was
thrown, a wedding certificate signed and enough video
was taken to fill an hour of "America's Funniest."
Rather than run off to a honeymoon anywhere else in the
world, our lovely couple chose to stay with family and
play the "Not so Newlywed" game before we called it a
night that we will not long forget.
I am enclosing with this submission a photo of our very
special family at the wedding for your enjoyment or you
might not really believe we could be so foolish. The
Gatlinburg accommodations were fun, perfectly nestled in the middle
of where we wanted to be. The Packers won, the weather
cooperated, everyone got home safe and sound and all is
right with the world. Thanks for having us.
This group rented the
Aaron's Lodge Cabin
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