The Name Change

The morning of the name change, we ran late, but not as late as the judge. We met our attorney in the lobby of the courthouse ten minutes before the hearing was scheduled to begin. I was nervous, expecting a courtroom like you see in the movies. Instead, when the judge ushered us in, it was to his chambers. He is a golf buddy of our attorney, but also happens to be the judge we talked to the day we went in to try to procure a marriage license.

The name change felt much less like a legal proceeding than a casual chat with a new acquaintance. We talked more about food & restaurants than about J's name. We also were treated to the judge telling us the story of the 2 women who came to get a marriage license a couple of years ago & who then wrote about what a nice guy he is in the gay paper. Alarmed, we sheepishly admitted that was us. We thought he might have been displeased at having been outed, but he actually was quite puffed up about it ("I am a nice guy!") & introduced us to his office staff as "the women who got us in the newspaper".

Once we had paid our attorney his due portion, we went to a celebratory lunch at C'est Tout. It was lovely and there was a table open on the patio, which we happily took. The food was delicious, aside from the lamb meatloaf the waiter assured me was "much-better than it sounds" and "definitely worth a try". The escargot were tender, the champagne sweetly fizzy, the soup laden with forest mushrooms, the tenderloin flavorful & juicy. My favorite part, aside from being with J, was the arrival of the sorbet sampler, a dazzlingly colored array of small scoops on a clear plate garnished with strawberries. My favorite was the passionfruit, a rich yellow that was tangy-sweet in my mouth. J liked the peach best, proclaiming most of the others too sour for her palate.

After lunch, we picked up the Bug & wrote out our second ungodly-large check of the day. J sped off to work while I took Jasper to the vet. He had a urinary blockage & required a 3 day stay and a third vast sum of money. I spent the afternoon writing & hanging out with the kids.

In the evening, we went to The Winds with a vendor (who treated us...he's a very nice guy & we'd go to dinner with him even if he wasn't paying, but it was nice to be taken out) & one of J's co-workers. We had the cheese service for our appetizer, along with their superb olives and the bread basket. J & I both had the hazelnut-crusted chicken, which came with carrot mashed potatoes & asparagus. Divine!

So, we have had our private celebrations for the name change, and my grands have welcomed her into the clan. Now, all that remains is to have a big party!