The long awaited, Teresa and Cory Wedding!!!!!

great pictures gordon
the two of them look awesome

Just got back yesterday evening from a wonderful weekend in Atlanta at Teresa and Cory's wedding. Got to meet quite a lot of the family on both sides, as well as a bunch of neighbors, and they're all just delightful folks!

Weather in Atlanta was a bit on the chilly side - the water fountain in front of the hotel had ice in it all weekend - but, being of truly hardy stock we all went outside for a beautiful wedding ceremony in the spacious backyard at Teresa's parents, just North of Atlanta. The yard was decorated and the vows were made in a Gazebo at the back of the terraced lawn - really a beautiful spot, backdropped with trees full of Autumn-colored leaves.

We've got lots of pictures, but I told them I would choose a few nice ones to present on here for the rest of you. No Hawaiian shirts or Jimmie Buffet Tuxes - this was a VERY classy act and one we'll both remember for a long time. The parents on both sides went overboard (don't we all?) making this a truly wonderful event.

Here they are just after exchanging rings:

http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f254/speedster356/IMG_1438.jpg

It's difficult for Cory to sneak up on anyone while wearing all of those campaign and combat tour medals, but he manages well....

The new Mr. and Mrs. Drake stepping out on their life together:

http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f254/speedster356/IMG_1439.jpg

Here's a nice shot of the two of them, with Teresa's brother, Rick, in the right background. Rick's a software engineer working in Brooklyn.

http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f254/speedster356/DSC02753.jpg

Teresa's gown was absolutely beautiful (all the more amazing for pulling this all together in just a few weeks!!!!). White, with light Burgundy sash and train which picked up the Autumn colors in the yard. Here they are, posed with Teresa's parents in one of the few shots with Cory, hatless:

http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f254/speedster356/DSC02761.jpg

And finally, a very nice shot by the cake, later on:

http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f254/speedster356/DSC02768.jpg

If you lok closely at the cake (or can zoom in) the topers were a flashlight (for our favorite electrician) and a firehose nozzle (for our favorite fireman) - really cute, as were the guest favors: a grouping of a flashlight and a hose nozzle for each guest, engraved with "Cory and Teresa, November 22, 2008".

The weather, while cool, was sunny and beautiful, giving us a colorful Autumn in Atlanta and a terrific day for their wedding. The house was decorated beautifully for the 50 or so guests there and we all had a wonderful time.

Both sets of parents and family were a hoot to get together with. Cory's brother and sister-in-law flew in from Kansas (it was his brother, Jerry's, birthday, too), along with his parents from St. Louis and several Aunts and Uncles from Teresa's side from all over the country

All the best of luck and blessings for the new couple...They are just so RIGHT together!!

Gordon and Kathy
Wedding Ambassadors for the Speedster/Spyder Community

Good going Gordon.....Thank you.....

There's something about a Sailor!!!! Great pictures, Gordon!!!

Beautiful pictures! They both looked really great. All the best to them, I have been married for 21 years and highly recommend it :-)

Great shots, Gordon. Boy howdy! That Bert polishes up a might nice along with all that bling hangin' on Cory. YeeHawwwwwwwww!

~WB

WOW!! Teresa was gorgeous, and Cory looked almost respectable. I wonder how he can stand up without leaning to his left side because of all the bling on his chest.

Hey Jennifer, is that 21 years all in a row to the same husband?

Good looking couple, I wish them all the best and may only good things come their way.
Hmmmmm wonder if we'll have any little speedy enthusasists down the road ?
Wonder how long it took Cory to polish the brass ?

Did I see a "Speedsters met Spyders" badge in with all that bling??

Beautiful pictures---what a story book thing from when they met to the wedding. Fantastic.

Glad you were there Gordon--thanks for posting the wonderful pictures.

I wish them all the happiness in the world!---Jack

WOW !!! You two are incredible!! We look forward to hearing about your forthcoming successes. Congratulations from our hearts to yours.

Dusty and Sharon

Oh that just made my day! Congratulations Cory and Teresa - wish you both the best!

angela and steve

of course Vince, I was only 10 when I got married!!!haha

Jennifer,
you must be related to Sharon ... she was only 2 when we were married! (so she claims) and that was 44 years ago.

Stunning!! Cory allowed as how he was instructed by Teresa's mom to wear the medals. He had a choice of medals or just the ribbons -- suggested the ribbons, so he would not list to port. Anyhow, he does indeed shine up well, and Teresa's smile tells us all how she feels about this day. Looks like a very fine time was had by all, and sorry I was not there. They have chosen wisely despite the apparently random process by which this all got started. But isn't that the way most life is? We think we are in charge, and do make a few decisions along the way, but most of what happens is plain luck. I wish them lots of that -- the good kind. Get this pesky "deployment" out of the way, and then on to all the rest.

Txs Gordon for being our "Man in Atlanta"

Like some of you others, we've been blessed to meet and spend time with them both, sometimes together, sometimes singularly and they're a delightful couple. Both of them have a great sense of humor, enjoy each other as individuals and both seem to have their heads on straight.

That aside, I was not prepared, personally, for how stunningly beautiful that young lady truly is. I was kind-of used to the Lady Electrician who put together the slide shows for us at Carlisle and supplied the A/V equipment and did such a great job. I was blown away by the beautiful Bride we all got to see.

Sure, Cory can be said to be handsome and all that in a craggy, Marlboro-Man/Navy Swabbie sort-of way, but Teresa was downright gorgeous!!

Come to think of it, the rest of her family follows right along that path, too.

Great gene pools on both sides!!!

Were it not wedding photos and a serious event I would have made some comment about the familiar looking doorman from the Waldorf, but since this has taken a serious bent---Best wishes to you both. You truly make a great duo and most likely the most unusual couple I've met in quite some time. I feel truly blessed to have met you two (and the other SOC'ers) and to view such a timely posted wedding album just keeps the unusual side flowing.
CONGRATULATIONS!!!

I have to admit I almost didn't recognize Cory with all the bling, last pic I saw of him was at the do da parade... he's on the left of course...

Congratulations Teresa and Cory!!

I would like to wish the happy couple all the best for the future. I too can recomend mariage. I have been happily married to the same wonderful woman for 21 years. I have two gorgeous girls aged 18 and 14 and beleive it or not a planned addition to the family in about 8 months. Yes, you read it correctly my wife is pregnant! Sorry for the hijack!

Gordon, thank you for the great pictures, and everyone else for the nice words. We wished we could have invited more folks, but fifty guests was about what her mother thought they'd be able to accomodate. I think it couldn't have been better, all things considered. It was truly a storybook wedding.
Kelly's right on the medals. Teresa's mother asked me to wear my Blues instead of a tuxedo, and asked that I dress them up with the medals instead of ribbons. I think she wanted to show me off a little. I was okay with that. It paled in comparison to Teresa in that dress. She about knocked me over. I barely got my vows out without stumbling through them.
We're back in Maryland now, still absolutely stunned that her mother managed to pull all that off in just a little over three weeks.
We were so pleased that everyone could make it that we still don't really know how it all happened.
Teresa and her folks must have put the word out with just enough lead time for the chef, the catering staff, the judge (a fantastic woman who TOTALLY held our hands through the whole thing) and all the other supporting cast. What a great time.
I'm on Cloud Nine right now, even though I'm back to work in the salt mines.
Gordon, Kathy, thank you both for representing all these other folks so well. You're a class act. We both hope to have as happy a life together as you two have. If we even come close, we'll know we're doing something right.

Cory - I believe this is your (good) Karma! As far as sharing your life with the one you love, I don't think there is a more deserving couple than you & Teresa! Best of everything to you, my friend, and hope our paths cross again soon!

Peace - Out!

BTW Vince - That pic probably wasn't from the Doo Dah Parade, more likely they are participants in the Boston Teabag Party!

Bwaaaaaaaaaa Haaaaaaaaaaaa

Great Pictures Gordon ! Cory, Here is wishing you a safe & sucessful journey overseas. happy Thanksgiving to all.

Thanks, Tom! Thanks, Jim!

On a kind of related note ... There I was, minding my own business, when Teresa sent me a link to the latest Somali pirate thing to make the news.
The two English and one Irish security guys on the latest hijacked tanker decided to cut bait and jump after being 'overwhelmed.'
They should have paid better attention in Mall Guard School, I guess. If they'd have passed that, they wouldn't have to work on tankers in pirate-infested waters.
Really? Here's how I imagine the conversation with their British boss probably went -- no 'offence' intended:

"Uh, hullo, Boss. We lost the ship."
"You whot?"
"Yes. The Somali pirates, they came aboard and started to ... well, you know, hijack the ship."
"Right."
"Well, we jumped off in time; we're okay. Thye tried to shoot us and run us over with the ship while we were changing our sanitary napkins."
"Right. And the ship?"
"Well, the pirates have it, and I imagine they'll be wanting money."
"We'll have to dock your check for this, you know."
"Right. Well, then."
"When can you be back in the office? We've got more ships, old chum."
"Tomorrow, I suppose."

Have a read:
http://www.theage.com.au/world/security-crew-escapes-somali-pirates-20081129-6ner.html

OK, fellas, the USNAVY is about to up the ante -- Chief Drake and his Bad Monkey are due in port soon, and the rules of the game will change. Also, owing to the Chief's other most excellent talents, we are likely to see good video of the action, and if that fails, maybe original art. If his crayons get wet, I think we can count on illucidating prose at the very least. Either way, the pirates (Arggghhh!!) are in for some unpleasantry, that's what I am thinking.

Cory,
Anything you need (anything that's legal to ship)
just yell and it will be on it's way to you.
Want to take along a 1000 round p.m. dbl. bbl. 420 mechanical (a legal)machine gun :) ~Alan

...Cory could name it 'REALLY Bad Monkey'!!

Cory, would you like to take my Parrot with you...he's got quite a pecker

Any chance you named it "Johnny Wad"?

Ba-dum-bump!

BWAAAAA-HAAAAA-HAAAAA!
Hey, fellas, really. I'm a mass-communication specialist, not a gun-toting infantryman.
How complicated can this job possibly get?

(Somebody bookmark this post.)

Hey isn't da' Catholic Pope a mass-communication specialist too?
"Pope Cory" has a nice Alter Boy ring to it :)

And it continues.....

12/02 Pirates chased and shot at a U.S. cruise liner with more than 1,000 people on board but failed to hijack the vessel as it sailed along a corridor patrolled by international warships, a maritime official said Tuesday.

A few years back, I remember a young man (I think he was 19 years old at the time) who sailed out of Bristol, RI, on a trip to solo-circumnavigate the Globe. This was a BIG DEAL, as very few people that young have done this (I think less than 20), especially leaving RI in late September and in a sailboat of under 38 feet.

Anyway, a few of us went over to help load the boat with provisions and such and one of the guys picks up this box, grunts and says: "This is heavy! What the hell's in here?" "Ammo..." said the sailor, "and it goes with this", and hands over three (3) big gun cases and a smaller pistol case.

Everybody's eyes got real big and then he said, "There's Pirates all over the place, and I'm not gonna screw around with any of'em".

Later on (months later) he was chased just before sunset near Indonesia and fired upon and he fired back, hoisted all his sails and bugged out (as best you can at 12 knotts hull speed) into the dark and escaped. Apparently, he didn't sleep all night, had fair skies and good wind, had that boat trimmed like a pro and made close to 100 miles by sunrise, then stowed his sails and finally slept. All the while, a whole bunch of relatives and friends were on pins and needles in RI, waiting for a call from a Sat phone......

I've also read about Pirates for years off the NE and NW Coasts of South America, here and there in the South Pacific, near the Marquesa's off East Africa and now up along the NE Coast of Africa. The bigger Sailing magazines and webzines have reports all the time for the "Blue water" sailing community to avoid this or that area.

gn

Re: Wild Bill's note about sending supplies. Seeing as how 'tis the Season, and there are more than a few of our nation's finest in harm's way for the greater good of us all, how does one express gratitude, in a personal way? There are lots of organizations (I suppose) that can arrange for gifts and such to be deliverd to various bases abroad. Who knows of any good ones? I thought I saw some stuff on the Forum here about this a while back, but cannot recall the details. Perhaps we could use a new thread w/ this topic specifically??

For Christmas giving, my wife's insurance office selects one local service-person and sends a large "care package" that contains more than enough misc. items for the entire platoon. Last year, they took the time to call from Iraq to thank her office.