In the span of 13 days, 2 family members got married and I wasn't there for either wedding.

One wedding, I had no choice. My sister, who was planning a low key wedding in Hawaii towards the end of February, decided things (guest lists) were getting too complicated and had her wedding on a beach in Cordova, Alaska on New Years Eve with two friends and her two children. I have mixed emotions about this. I am happy she got married, she did it her way and I guess I saw this coming. After all, she already had two kids (pre-marriage) with this man, and they live very simply and happily in Alaska.. But the other half of me was thinking: this kinda sucks. I want to be there. I think I earned it, having lived with her for 17 years and letting her push me down the staircase in a laundry basket after dressing me up like princess Leia.. She's my dad's only daughter to "give away" and he couldn't even be there. There are a few major milestones in peoples lives: 1) puberty 2) getting your license 3) graduations 4) weddings 5) births. I don't have to be there for births.. and guess I could have skipped puberty and the licensing episodes, but as a sibling, I wanted to be at the wedding.

The second wedding was my father's second marriage. Circumstances prevented me from being there. I spent time with he and his wife in Maine over Christmas break, and after speaking with the both of them, we decided it wasn't entirely rational to return to California, only to fly right back to Maine the next weekend to attend their wedding. They understood completely, and I was there in spirit.

So, these are both extremes for me- I'm upset that I didn't get to go to one wedding, and I feel guilty I didn't go to another..