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About ten years ago, my brother Ben met a girl named April Van Veen. Ben was short, athletic, and wanted nothing more than happiness. April was also short, pretty, and loved animals. The two became acquainted and starting seeing each other during their freshman year at Green Bay East High School in Green Bay, Wisconsin. As their high school career passed by, they blended together like peanut butter and jelly; they would always be a pair. College was not even a barrier because they both attended the University of Wisconsin-River Falls. However, when college ended, they both went their separate ways as April strived towards her medical degree in veterinary medicine. Ben stayed in Green Bay where he pursued a teaching and coaching job. The summer after April graduated from college, she moved onto graduate school at North Carolina State University. After eight years of true love, their first barrier hit. Ben was in Green Bay, Wisconsin while April was in Raleigh, North Carolina. The distance was tearing them apart. I could see it in his eyes and he wanted to do something about it. They only saw each other three times that whole next year. When Ben went down to visit her for Christmas break, he brought a little something with him; a little something worth $2,500. He got on one knee and took her hand. “April, will you marry me?” he said. “Yes!” He placed the $2,500 gem on her ring finger, and the day was set for June 23 of 2001. Since I was the best man, I was the one who had a big part in making this day one of the best for my brother. I feel like I did that. Everybody knows a wedding requires a ton of planning. So my mom, Ben, April, and her parents all put their heads together and started forming what would be the perfect wedding. They found a church, band, reception location, and priest. They picked out their invitations, guests, bridesmaids, and groomsmen. Heck, it only took them five months to find April and the bridesmaids their dresses. The bridesmaids were all April’s friends from college except for Maggie, her little sister, who was the maid of honor. The groomsmen were Gary and Eric, two of Ben’s college buddies, Will, Ben’s best friend since middle school, and me as the best man. Yes, I was the best man. I was pumped and honored to be the man standing right beside my brother on the most important day of his life. Right around the end of May is when all the plans were finalized and the wait for this special day would begin. On June 23, 2001, that special day finally came, and boy was it special. The men of the wedding started out with nine holes of golf at Mystery Hills Golf Course in Ledgeview, a small town right outside De Pere, Wisconsin. Even though I’m a less than average golfer, I had a wonderful time. We all golfed in groups of four or five and the best part was we had carts for every group. Whenever it’s a special occasion, my family isn’t afraid to spend an extra penny or two. I golfed with my Uncle Dan, my cousin Mike, and Will Enright, one of the groomsmen. Will was by far the best of all of us. We were like three turtles chasing the hare.
Approximate Word count = 2245
Approximate Pages = 9
(250 words per page double spaced)
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