Musings
an Online Journal of Sorts

By Alyce Wilson

On Friday, The Gryphon took off work so we could take care of a very important wedding related task: going to the county courthouse and getting our marriage license.

In the morning, we drove into the city to get breakfast so I could pick up my mail for Wild Violet.

We drove from there straight to the courthouse, using Mapquest directions.

The Gryphon navigated as I drove, which is what we usually do. I was grateful for that, because we missed one of the turns, and he was able to find a way around it.

When we neared the courthouse, it seemed obvious that it was the place: a big, granite building that looks important, with wide steps and a handicap ramp out front. We parked in the street and put some change in the parking meter. Luckily, we put more in than we thought we'd need, because it took longer than I'd expected.

Inside, we had to go through a metal detector. The guard, who was biracial, had very striking blue-gray eyes, and I told him so. The younger guard behind him muttered something, and the older guard remarked that he was jealous. That's when I looked at the younger guard, who was Caucasian, and noted that he had striking blue eyes, too. Maybe it's a requirement at the courthouse.

They directed us towards the Register of Wills office, which is where you apply for the license. When we walked in, a lot of people were waiting. We checked in at the desk, and they gave us a number then took seats over to the side.

After a couple people had gone through, we took seats on a bench closer to the marriage license counter. I don't know if it was busy because it was a Friday, or if they had fewer people in the office because of Labor Day weekend, but it seemed to take forever. They only had one woman working on the marriage licenses, and she had to type the information from each person into a computer.

When it was our turn, we took a seat at her desk. I handed over my divorce decree, and we both presented our driver's licenses. She asked for vital data, such as our name, where we lived, phone number, date of birth.

Then she asked some things I didn't expect, such as our parents' names and where they had been born. I had a good idea where Mom had been born, because she lived the same place her entire life. But I wasn't sure where Dad had been born, so I had to call him. He moved around a lot when he was younger, and I wasn't sure. Fortunately, I got him on the phone, and he told me.

The court employee assured us that it didn't really matter if we got that information wrong, since it wouldn't appear on the marriage license itself. I guess it's just for the courthouse records.

We had to put our hand on the Bible and swear that we weren't related to each other, and then we paid her $45 and she printed up the marriage license. She handed it over, explaining how it should be completed by our officiant, and wished us congratulations.

I slipped the license into the same folder where I'd carried the divorce decree, then put it back in my bag, just to be certain nothing would happen to it. After all, we wouldn't want to go through that process again!

After this happy task was completed, we had planned on just relaxing until dinner, but we had a message on our answering machine from the travel agent at AAA. She said that our tickets and vouchers for our honeymoon had come in, and we should come pick them up.

So after a brief break, including a quick walk with Una, we got back in the car and headed up to the AAA office.

On the way, The Gryphon fielded a call from the office. His assistant needed some help getting someone set up to work on her laptop remotely over the weekend. The process sounded really involved, but the conversation wound up, coincidentally, as we pulled into the AAA parking lot.

The travel agent who had initially helped us, who I've nicknamed Penelope, was there this time. It was the first time we'd seen her in person since we initially planned the trip with her in February. She'd gotten a tan, and she told us she'd just returned from a trip to Italy. I guess if you're a AAA travel agent, you can get yourself great deals.

She went through the packet with us, explaining what everything was. I had to sign a piece of paper that we'd picked it up. She told us we could call if we needed more assistance for any reason.

From the AAA office, we were going to drive to Media to get some dinner before The Gryphon's hair appointment. Of course, as soon as we got in the car again, his assistant called with some follow-up questions, which he dealt with on the way to dinner. An IT director is never truly off. He has promised me, however, that they'll leave us alone on our wedding day and on our honeymoon. Fortunately, he has a competent assistant now who knows what he's doing.

We ate at The Iron Hill Brewery, one of our favorite places. We each sampled a seasonal beer and had some tasty food, too.

Since his hair appointment was earlier than usual, I could actually stick around for him to get his hair cut and drive him home. Usually, I just drop him off and race back to do my evening assignments.

I gave the hair stylist a new idea for a hairstyle for the wedding. It's a little different than what I'd told her before, but she said it's definitely achievable. For the rest of the time, I sat in a chair next to them and looked through a fashion magazine, writing down tips on lip gloss, which I still need to find before the wedding.

One of the hair stylists had opened a bottle of red wine, and they offered us some. I only had a little sip of it, because I wanted to be able to drive home, and I'd already had one beer at dinner.

The Gryphon and I were in a giddy mood the rest of the weekend, knowing that the major details of the wedding have now all been handled. Only a few minor tasks remain.

More on Alyce's wedding planning:

Musings on Alyce's Wedding

Copyright 2006 by Alyce Wilson

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