Homecoming at Robert Morris University has remained an important event for many of us even after graduation. Many of the alumnists make the long haul back to watch the Colonials take the field, visit the Trivia Pub, and enjoy the company of friends and family. This year, our dear friend Joey D threw in a twist. He decided it was time for him to take the plunge into the great abyss of marriage. Right now, you might be asking yourself the same thing I was when he called me late one weekday, "Are you really getting married at RMU and having your wedding there on homecoming?" Yes, that was the gameplan Joe laid out and he was sticking to it come rain, snow, or blistering hot weather.

Like many DeMaria inspired events, traditional rules weren't going to apply. Joesph brewed up a unique and nostalgic location to make it as convenient as possible for friends and family to attend. The intent was to keep the wedding ceremony brief and hold it at RMU campus at the Ann & Alvin Rogal Family Chapel. The ceremony was scheduled to begin promptly at 11am, with guests hopefully arriving about 15 minutes early. With these plans in place, I was designated as the person responsible for capturing video and photos. As with many Joe-inspired events, things never go as planned.

As it just so happens, I was flying in the evening before from a business trip and decided to stop by the Trivia Pub to say hello to Kathy and John, perhaps have a tasty Belgium beer, a good meal, and head back to the ranch in Shadyside. As I was leaving the airport destined for the Trivia Pub, I received a call from Joe let me know that he and a few friends were heading up to Moon Township for a few drinks. Although the offer was quite enticing, I decided it was best that I go home and prepare the necessary electronics for the next day.  Just after finishing my last gulp of a strange dark beer I'd never heard of, I heard the doors open at the Trivia Pub. That's right, I wasn't able to escape in time. Joe and Kristina tracked me down in the back of the restaurant and what was originally started out as a beer and a meal, quickly turned into more than I had expected, but in a good way.

After they arrived, a number of other friends that were in town also showed up. They all decided to goto Wings, Suds, and Spuds for a bite to eat. Using this as an opportunity to escape, I quietly excused myself, but not before Joe convinced Shawna and I to meet back up with later that evening. Needless to say, it was quite the interesting night, but there is a reason I'm telling you all this and it's because when Joe has a few beers, sometimes he decided arbitrarily to change plans. In this case, he informed Shawna and I that rather than a 11am start time, it would need to be 11:30am to accommodate some changes with the individual wedding them. With this in mind, Shawna and I made it home later that night at set the alarm for 30 minutes later than we had originally planned.

Waking up early the next day, Shawna and I got dressed, gathered everything we needed for the wedding, and jumped in the car, destination RMU. As we made it up the Greentree Hill, Murphy and his law decided to give us a smack in the face. Traffic, from there to the bottom of the hill and then some. Although somewhat concerned, given that we had that extra 30 minutes Joe mentioned, we weren't all that worried. No sooner than the moment I thought about that extra 30 minutes did Joe call to ask us why we were late and that the wedding was going to begin shortly. There is a lesson to be learned here kids, don't listen to Joe after he's had a few drinks because those drinks can skew the schedule for even the most important events.

After supplying Joe with an ear full of choice words, I asked him to delay the wedding for as long as possible until we arrived. I quickly called our friend Matt, who I knew would be coming from the same direction, to inquire about the traffic situation. He and his girlfriend were a few miles ahead of us nearly out of the traffic, so there was hope. Once the traffic began to move, it was like "Days of Thunder" to RMU. We must have received 2-3 more calls from Joe requesting our status. Delay! Delay! Delay! Zipping through Moon, we arrived at RMU and navigated our way to the chapel. Joe and Kristina were standing outside and escorted us into the building. Upon our entrance, it was like the record scratched. Yeah, we were "those" people, the ones that were holding up the whole ceremony. Grabbing our seats quickly, the wedding began.

After the ceremony, the wedding guests were all invited to the reception being held in the stadium parking lot. That's right, the reception was a tailgating party. Many of the guests arrived strapped with coolers, food, and other interesting beverages to keep the party rolling right along. They even came equipped with a homemade version of the popular cornhole game. The weather was absolutely blistering. Unlike any other homecoming in recent years, we were blessed with a steamy sunny 95 degree day that made even the most sophisticated tanning beds jealous.

As you can see from the picture above, Scotty was enjoying the activities. And ladies, he's available, so don't be shy. 

After being cooked for a few hours, it was on to the Trivia Pub for the final stage of the wedding. Like many other homecomings, the usual suspects were present. The most amusing observation was the fact that everyone and their dog was sunburnt. Since many of the party-goers were wearing sunglasses and hats, you can only imagine the tanning tattoos that were present on the heads and around the eyes of those that were in the sun all day. Moving right along, Kathy and John (owners of Trivia Pub) purchased a elegantly decorated cake that was dual purpose, both for the wedding and homecoming. Joe and Kristina decided to go against all bets by not smashing cake on each other's faces, and rather, placed icing on each other's nose. The rest of the evening was filled with conversation and continuous refills while friends and family came and went.

Congratulations to Joe and Kristina, married on October 6, 2007 @ Robert Morris University equipped in their Notre Dame outfits. You couldn't have picked a better time to tie the knot and it was great that you could be surrounded by friends and family. We all wish you two the very best, enjoy the holiday!