May 20: Jordan and Beth Conn

Birmingham, Al- Today, for the first time in my life, I saw a close friend of mine get married. There are a lot of ways I could go about explaining the wedding, the idea of having a close friend get married, what it’s like to know that I am entering a stage in life where this sort of thing will become commonplace, but years from now I think there will be one particular thing that stands out in my mind.

A smile.

Now, I don’t really know Jordan’s bride, Beth. Before this weekend I had never met her, and because of all the craziness of the past few days and the amount of people seeking out their attention, I never really got the opportunity to sit down and talk with her at any length. I don’t blame her, it’s just the nature of weddings. But I know Jordan very well. And there was something very powerful about seeing him towards the end of this morning’s ceremony. He literally could not stop smiling. There was an effervescent joy unlike any you typically get a chance to see. He was truly happy. Truly excited. Truly enthralled. Truly committed. Truly proud. Never, at any point in the weekend, did I see his confidence waver or sense the slightest of nerves. He knew this was right for he and Beth. And when the time came to exchange rings and be introduced as husband and wife, I witnessed an insatiable excitement. I’ve been a part of this for both of my older brothers, Justin and Ethan. It was cool to see it again from one of my friends.

Congratulations Jordan and Beth.

Tomorrow myself, Phil Baiocchi and Anthony Bradley will check out of our hotel at noon, grab something to eat, and then Bradley will drop us off at the airport. My flight leaves around 4:35 and I will probably get back to Towson around 9 (Birmingham is Central Standard Time, by the way). It’s been a nice weekend, but I’ve got graduating to do.

May 19: The South

Birmingham, Al-I met Jordan Conn in some of the earliest days of my Junior year in high school. It didn’t take talking him for more than 15 seconds for him to mention that the land he called home was far from that of most of the kids at Phil-Mont Christian Academy. With great pride he declared that he came up to Philly after growing up in Atlanta. He was from the South.

And so was born a running joke. Although that’s not exactly an accurate description. Neither would it be accurate to call it a point of contention. But it was a little of both. Since those first days our friendly banter in some way involved underhanded shots at one another’s ‘homes.’ I had to let Jordan know he was in the North now and this was how things were going to be. And like any man with pride, he had to defend his turf. We played off of familiar stereotypes (for instance poor dental hygiene, and poor use of the English language for Southerners…you know, in case you were so inclined to make such ill-informed attempts at humor). But, for the most part it likely had to do with a lack of understanding. He had been thrown into a new cultural construct, while I maintained my ignorance of any beyond the city line. It was beautiful.

Fast forward to today.

I can’t say I have much of a better understanding of life in the South after spending one full day in Birmingham, Alabama, but it’s been cool to soak up a short amount of time in an area where the warm greetings from people who are, for all intents and purposes, strangers flow as freely as the sweet tea.

So far, based on my minimal experience with this particular part of the country, I like what I see from the South. From the looks of it, a town like this could be a pretty cool place to work/live on day.

Just a couple of side notes. The house Jordan’s wedding will be in tomorrow is one of the nicest homes I have set foot in. The Dreamland BBQ that we had for the Batchelor Party dinner was one of the best meals I have had in a long time. Normally I would have a picture to accompany these outlandish claims. But as of right now I have no clue what image will run alongside this post. You’ll have to check back Monday for that.