what kind of crazy are these people?

Saturday we had to go to another wedding. One that was looked forward to for a good 6 months or more by Helio's family. I remember thinking in the freezing winter months that when this wedding actually happened I would no longer have a baby in my stomach and how great that would be. Well, the day turned out to be far from great.

Helio had to work on Saturday morning. I told him in a half asleep state to make sure to have his ass in the car by 11:00 to return home and get ready as the wedding started at 1:00. I got up and started by bathing myself, then Levi, then Dante. I knew it was going to take effort to get everyone and everything in order. I had a plan. 11:00 came, I called Helio, my question was "I need you to honest to God, tell me what you are doing, when are you going to be home"? His response: "we are leaving here at 1:00" There started my anger.

Through some persuasion, he returned home by 12:15. We still didn't have a wedding gift and I really wasn't sure where the wedding was. Finally, we were all in the car, tempers had escalated yet Helio had to make another pit stop at a store to find a card. All I could think of is, this is not the time and tried so hard to just keep all my mean thoughts to myself. After the store, we had to return home to leave a key for friends, then things got out of control. It was 12:45 and we were driving in the direction of a couple churches where it could "possibly" have been at yet he did not know. The invitation that was sent out was printed prior to a family tragedy- the bride's brother hung himself this past spring- therefore, all the plans had changed yet they still handed out the misprinted invitations so I had no idea what information was correct and what had changed. I repeated several times on the way to the church, I am not walking down that aisle as the bride is walking down. We arrived just minutes before 1.

I zoomed into the church in heels, one kid in a car seat, and another in his "chanclas" (sandals) that would not stay on his feet as Helio parked the car. Now, I saw a bunch of Helio's family on the front steps of the church so I was reassured that this was the correct location. However, after I sat down near the front of the church and wiped the dripping sweat off my face and situated my youngest on my right boob, I realized I had no idea who any of these people were around me. Then I looked up again realizing that my sons and I were the only gringos in the group as I saw a long procession behind a young maiden in a bright red dress. It was 1pm, I was at the right church, but I was at the wrong ceremony. I grabbed my phone to check the time and I honestly muttered under my breath, "what kind of crazy are these people"? I soon assimilated that I was witnessing another quince anos ceremony and the wedding would be following.

Now, for two days, I just wanted a cup of coffee. I wanted Helio to come home in ample time for us to stop for a gift and get me some. I had a plan. Instead, I sat in front of fans mounted on the column next to me and tried to blend into the crowd. -Not and easy task to do when you are the only white person in the group, one of my sons is blond, he really stands out in a sea of black hair. I sat there until 1:45, wondering what I was supposed to do. Nobody would come sit by me, I had no idea where Helio was. Regardless, he rarely tells me what is customary, like if I am supposed to not be in the sanctuary or what the regular thing to do is for a Mexican holiday (or even if there is a holiday on a particular day) These things I find out through a system of deduction and his cousins odd looks.

As we were approaching the church Helio kept repeating, "I don't know why you are in such a rush to get there, we are going to sit in the church for two hours". To this, I did not listen. I really thought that because it was a wedding, in the United States, it would just be on time, as it was in print. How wrong could I be? The part that really sucks is HE WAS SO RIGHT. This only fouled my mood even further.

We drove to get coffee after the ceremony. We were to drive to Brooklyn Park for the reception thereafter. I attempted to negotiate that we would need to kill a couple of hours as it was then 3pm and what I had read said the reception was to start at 5. Helio just rolled his eyes. To which I replied "well, that's not what the invitation said"! I had lost all sense of even trying, I made Helio bring me home. I skipped the reception and for two days now I have had terrible guilt. I should have been there. It was a happy time for his family after such a terrible tragedy. Instead, I sat in my bed with my 7 week old baby and read all afternoon in the air conditioning. I have to say though, it was a great afternoon without having to deal with anybody. From now on, I am not going to push these things. I always lose and really, he is usually right, which really sucks.