I am getting married this Monday, and I know that many of you are coming to the wedding, and that there are still many others whose desire it is to come, but are not able due to circumstances beyond their control. This entry is for all of you (and Emily--for telling me to write something about us on Pleonast):
There was one Josiah McCain who made his residence in Birmingham, AL some number of years ago, and worshipped with the Flint Hill church of Christ Faithful, the spiritual home of Roger and Linda Tramell, along with three of their children
Steven, Angela, and
Emily. Incidentally, Josiah grew quite close to the Tramells, as is virtually unavoidable of one attending Flint Hill for any extended period of time. Thus, when Emily left for Temple Terrace, FL to attend Florida College, she was saying goodbye to, not only her physical family in Birmingham, but the expansive gamut of friends and loved ones she had grown so close to all her life. Naturally, when Josiah decided to come down and visit friends in Tampa, Emily sought opportunity to see an old friend.
I was visiting my
brother and
Jesse Pope, who decided to meet Josiah at La Ideal, a small Cuban cafe in downtown Tampa that has become most popular in times recent. The company was some of the finest a Pleon could fancy,
some of which have come and remain with us today, and
others which are sorely missed but not forgotten. When Emily heard that we were going to La Ideal to meet her friend Josiah, she was eager to join us. We arranged to pick her up en route to our Cuban feast. As we pulled up to
their pre-Pleonast Pleons’ apartment, where
Emily was doing her laundry, I made first contact with my wife-to-be, who was waiting for us outside.
When we reached our Cuban destination, I happened to sit next to
Emily, and we hit it off pretty well. We went back to the house on Whiteway, where Emily and I spent more time together. I took her to her dorm that night after she accepted my invitation to Outback Steakhouse that weekend. Emily and I began to date regularly for the rest of the year and remained together when she returned to her family in Birmingham. We have dated long-distance for two years since then, and in three days we will begin the next chapter in our lives.
I’m excited about all of the people coming to the wedding. Your presence is greatly appreciated. We have an elegant string-themed ceremony that will be complemented by dazzling bridesmaids and, most of all, a beautiful bride. But, perhaps the best part of Monday will be the pizza at the reception! If it is, keep it to yourself.
I love you, Emily.