Memorable phone call and a special wedding
By ESTHER MCCOY, Staff writerI answered the telephone one morning last week and a voice that sounded very familiar said "Hello, Esther."
My mind was asking "Is this Ellen DeGeneres?"
Yup, it was. After telling who it was, she went on to say that a friend had asked her to call and remind me of the need to have yearly mammograms.
"We need to take a pro-active approach to breast cancer," she said.
I couldn't figure out how the pre-recorded message was personalized to me, but my sister-in-law, Norma McHugh, later called asking if I got a strange phone call.
She heard on a late night talk show that by calling a designated number you could get Ellen to make a personalized message call.
Regarding the need to have yearly mammograms, she had me at the first hello. I had some trouble about five years ago, and I am very vigilant about that. Go pink. I'm with you all the way.
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Lamont and I had a wonderful time at the wedding and reception of Noelle Glatzer and Jared Koos at the Wintersville Community Chapel last Saturday.
Pastor Michael Reeder delivered the wedding vows for the couple to repeat in a language everyone could understand.
As Jared's aunt Mitzi from East Liverpool said, who understands "put asunder" anymore? He stressed that marriage is a forever contract, something that is being disregarded these days.
I have known Jared and his brothers Aaron, Taylor and Zane and his cute little sister Larissa for about seven years. I've seen them grow and mature.
Zane, 9 years old, was taking his job as ring bearer very seriously but was distressed that he was the smallest person in the wedding.
Larissa looked so grown up in her strapless gown and her long, blonde hair in a French-braid to the side and curls cascading down her shoulder.
Noelle chose fall colors that looked quite unique. The wedding party gals had spice-colored gowns that looked very tailored in front but the chocolate sash was laced, as the old-time dresses once featured in front.
The guys had chocolate tuxedo suits with spice vests and ties.
Stephanie Yates, Noelle's mom, had a gold three-piece outfit and Mary Koos, Jared's mom, had on copper. These colors all blended together quite well as fall colors.
While waiting for Larry George to do his fine photography inside the church before the wedding, I saw a familiar figure go strolling into the sanctuary. It was Ben Podolski, who was violinist for the ceremony. He lived about a mile down the road from us in his youth and was on Lamont's Spartan's little league baseball team.
Ben has continued with his music career as a music teacher in a Wheeling school.
I didn't recognize his sister, Debbie Barlow, until she explained her relationship with Ben. She was the pianist.
The toast Noelle's brother gave at the reception brought tears to the eyes. He said she was a wonderful sister and would be a wonder wife and mother. Actually all the groomsmen gave a beautiful toast to the couple.
Amanda Sullivan, Noelle's maid of honor, gave a tearful toast as well. It is obvious that Noelle and Jared are loved and adored.
The bridal party dance turned out to be very different and quite fun to watch. It was apparent they had spent part of the rehearsal night practicing a dance that was a version of the electric slide but not quite. The guys were in a line in the back row and the ladies in front, with Noelle and Jared in front of the group. They shimmied, waved their arms, jumped about and then formed a column where each couple had to go down the line with their own type of dance step.
Larissa and Taylor looked cute doing a sort of bunny hop.
Speaking of dancing, Lamont and I got up for a dance that I didn't realize was an anniversary dance. The disc jockey asked those married less than five years to leave the floor and kept calling numbers until I got very nervous. Only Lamont and I and two other couples were on the floor. We made it past 45 years but when the number 50 came up we got to scoot off the floor, as our years together amount to 48 1/2.
One couple was married 53 years and another marriage lasted for 57 years.
Debbie Buchanan is still laughing because I said I didn't know her when she and Tim, actually old friends, sat down at our table. She has her hair golden blonde, cut in a bob in the back and doing the Veronica Lake thing in front. For all young people, I have to tell that means hanging down over one eye.
My son, Larry looked very handsome, and I regretted not having a camera. Mary helped him chose a tan, brown and olive tiny check jacket, tan pants, a lighter tan shirt and a copper-color tie.
When he came to our table, he took off his jacket. I told Debbie that the tie was sure to come off next. It did and several buttons were undone at the neck. Then he rolled up his long sleeves. The last thing I saw as he walked away was his shirt tail hanging out.
What really impressed me were the cards on the table thanking all who joined the couple to celebrate their very special day. And instead of a wedding favor, they made a donation in honor of each guest to the Alicia Bane Scholarship Fund, established to remember Noelle's dear friend who had died recently.
(McCoy, a resident of Smithfield, is a staff columnist and food editor for the Herald-Star and The Weirton Daily Times.)
