The magic is in the hole

It's been a few days, I guess.
It has been a great trip so far (aside from the two hour wait to cross the border on Saturday morning).  Arrived in Georgetown, WA in the afternoon and did a tour of the area.  It's definitely edgy and up and coming: a gentrification in progress.  So many tattoos.  We stayed at the Georgetown Inn: 10 out of 10 service.  What was great was the sense of community and how friendly people were, and how the various businesses supported one another.  Had some beers at Smarty Pants, and after reading the menu kind of wished that we had stayed for dinner.  Met up with G & J for sushi afterwards and it was nice to catch up with them since we were in the hood.
Checked in to the Park Lane Suites and Inn and wandered around Portland for a while before stopping in at one of our favourite sushi places ever - Sansai Sushi.  Oh my god: the calamari bombs are the best things that I have ever put in my mouth.  Michael would like to insert an inappropriate joke here.
On the way from Seattle to Portland we went through and epic, white knuckle drive during what we would learn was a rather significant storm.  When we checked in to our hotel the wifi was down because a tree had fallen over and taken out some wires... and two cars.  Not the best of omens before the "big day".
The next day we went to the Multnomah County building to get our marriage license.  Upon arrival we were met with at least three tv network crews, and a bunch of people milling around outside the building.  We were sure that some faction of the government was about to go on strike and that we wouldn't be able to get our license.
We did go in and get our license, and, as we were filling out the forms Michael found a penny on the floor (it's a good luck omen for the both of us, and we always pick the pennies up).  We thought it was a bit of a sign that we were on the right track.
And then, upon leaving the building we asked what the news crews and gathering crowd outside were about and it was to do with the impending ruling on gay marriage in Oregon, which was due to come down around noon.
We wandered around the Hawthorne District, had lunch at the Bread and Ink Café (so good), and on our way back to our new digs at the Ace Hotel we popped in to the Multnomah County building to ask what the verdict was, and lo - gay marriage is a go!  It was so awesome to see the applications waiting area so full of people that wanted the same basic right as Michael and I.  We saw a few other same sex couples looking for the marriage licensing department as we went by.  Epic day for gay rights and it was so cool it happened on the same day that we got our own license.
Let's see... went to Marathon Taverna last night.  I haven't been to a dive bar like that in years and years.  It was crazy.  We each had 3 beers and dinner and the bill was $36.  We wanted to watch the NY/MTL game (WTF: who the shit was even in goal for the Habs?) and there was a bouncer and he bounced two guys and we left at 8pm.  It was dodgy.  But the food was good and the security was tight so it was all good.
Today we went for a 10k run in the sunshine.  I had my first ever mani/pedi (girlie shit is really time consuming, but god knows my feet were disgusting), made it back to the hotel an hour and fifteen minutes before we were scheduled to leave for our wedding/meet our photographer.
Managed to pull myself together, made it down to Voodoo Doughnuts to meet our lovely photographer Jessie Kirk.  I can't impart how totally wonderful, funny, personable, hard working and personable she was.  Always working the angles she still made us feel very relaxed and comfortable.  She was an utter delight to work with.
The wedding itself was totally hilarious.  We showed up, took some photos outside and in the lobby of the shop and waited for our reverend - Wayne - to come and get us.  He had an apprentice with him - Wally - and after some preliminaries they stopped doughnut sales for us.  There was still maybe ten or fifteen people in the shop, and the roped them off and announced there was going to be a wedding.
The people nearest us were like "really?" and I said "yeah: welcome to our wedding party".  Another guy (so sweet) offered to record the whole thing on his phone.  People were so, so nice.
And then reverend Wayne came out in a suite and a sequined wrestling mask with an odd looking voodoo stick.  He threw some sprinkles in a circle around us and petitioned the voodoo spirits to look at the love that Michael and I had for one another and to ask if they sanctioned the marriage.  He then asked the voodoo spirits for a sign (at this point some of the customers in the background started making odd, but encouraging noises) and he raised his voodoo stick to the sky and suddenly, from the bowels of the doughnut factory there emerged a bright pink gorilla to deliver the answer of the voodoo spirits.
Spry, he slid across the doughnut counter and convulsed on the floor in front of us, while our reverend tried to divine him and lo, it was sanctioned that we should be wed.  We exchanged rings.  We kissed and people applauded.  We were awarded many, many doughnuts.  It was a hell of a lot of fun.
Thanks to Jessie Kirk Photography for being such an easy going and integral part of our day, and to Voodoo Doughnuts (and Wayne and Wally) for being so much fun, so cool and for such great doughnuts.
Best. Day. Ever.