Countdown to Lockdown!

The Big Day was almost upon us, but two days before that was our rehearsal dinner.



Our rehearsal was scheduled for Friday afternoon, but for some reason the church lady thought it was scheduled for Saturday afternoon. With tensions already running high, thank goodness Frosty arrived early and "reminded" the church lady that the rehearsal was happening that day, scheduled or not. Good job, Frosty.



Glady arrived on time and clearly came dressed for the occasion, wearing his best t-shirt (of the three he owns).



Good ol' Evelyn flew in all the way from Spain to be there for the wedding. She surprised Ingrid by getting to the church before we did. They hadn't seen each other in over a year.



My friends have been referring to the impending wedding as the "Countdown to Lockdown!" Only two more days until I'll be locked down for life! Whoa.



You already know all about the lockdown, don't you Ernie?... except your warden is all the way in the Philippines, far, far away.



Once everyone arrived, we began the rehearsal. Practice makes perfect and Ingrid's mom and my mom needed a lot of practice. We'll see how they do on the actual wedding day.



Being one of the two ring boys (Sebastian being the other), handsome little Vincent needed practice too before the Big Day.



This was about the time where Ingrid's father practiced bringing her down the aisle. His role was to escort her to where I was standing, and then place her hand in mine. We had to practice it a few times because I don't think he was ready to let her go. On the second or third attempt, we all laughed when Belinda yelled out, "Look, he doesn't want to let her go!" I don't blame him.



It was readily apparent that night that women, in general, are simply more well-mannered and poised than men. Here are the bridesmaids all standing nicely with their hands in front of them, focused on the rehearsal. Now compare that with the next picture...



The groomsmen can't stand straight, can't pay attention and can't stay quiet. Maybe it has nothing to do with men versus women, and perhaps just Ingrid's friends versus my friends.



After a smooth rehearsal we all gathered at Murano restaurant on Melrose.



The place is called Murano because of the stunning Murano glass light fixtures that adorn the interior.



As far back as the 7th century, Murano glass has been a famous import from the Venetian island of Murano, located off the shore of Venice Italy. Very classy.



Only slightly less classy were my buddies, who had all worked up an appetite and were parched by the time they got there. With an open bar and all, we wisely put them off in the corner, as isolated as possible... a place where they could eat, drink and be merry and belligerent... which they did.



Ingrid and her son, Vincent, and Belinda and her son, Sebastian, came prepared with books, toys, snacks and various other forms of entertainment...



... and Ernie, Andy, Frosty, (me,) and Darren ordered our favorite form of liquid entertainment.



Hutch, (me,) Shawn and Glady also enjoyed some liquid entertainment. As an added bonus, we entertained ourselves further by replaying video from Vegas on my camera, including the Gladburglar's hysterical (and now historic) antics.



Christine, Annie, Angelo and Maria (and Ingrid) caught up with each other over dinner. Angelo and Maria (newlyweds themselves) made the trip all the way out from New York to attend our wedding.



Sandra, (Ingrid,) Nelson and Evelyn hung out together over drinks and dinner after presenting Ingrid with one of the many presents she'd be receiving over the next few days.



Of course, Ingrid's family (on the right) and my family (on the left) all got to know each other a little better, and we all learned that Granny loves to enjoy a vodka gimlet with her meal.



Eventually, it came time to eat. As a starter, I ordered this delicious salad with figs and pecans.



And for my main course I had this scruptious lamb dish. Delish!



Later in the evening, I got to pose with the two other beautiful ladies in my life.



Mmmmmmwah! I love you, Granny.



Ingrid's mother comes from a huge family and has six sisters. Here are three of them. From the left, there's Tia Audelina, Tia Jovita and Tia Paula Elena, or better known to me as Tia Totita, Tia Jovis and Tia Pali. Tia Totita made the flight all the way from Guatemala to be there with us that weekend.



Here I am with four of my favorite people in the world... Damn we look good!



After dinner, Elyssa, (Ingrid,) Yeniseth, Fidel, Belinda, (me,) and Sebastian unwound as we waited for dessert.



Something tells me that soon we'll have a son to love and care for like Fidel and Belinda do.



By the end of the night, my slightly inebriated friends were hanging out with Sebastian, and gave him the nickname, Sea Bass. Great.



The food that night was fantastic and the company was even better. I'm so glad Granny could make it out to meet my closest friends and my new family. Too bad she didn't get to say goodbye to Glady, who had a premature evacuation.



Thanks to everyone for coming out and celebrating with us. I hope you all enjoyed yourselves. Let the Countdown to Lockdown continue. By my estimate, it's T minus 41 hours and counting!!