When I was about thirteen years old, I went to my cousin Becky's wedding with my dad. The wedding took place in October 2006. When I was first asked, I didn't want to go. Then I thought it might be fun, and so at the last second, I said yes and packed my bags. 

I'm so glad I did. I've never had more fun at a wedding. My cousin Becky was the second cousin in my family to get married. When it was time for her to walk down the aisle, the atmosphere of the room became decidedly somber. The reason was because a few months earlier, her father had left her mom and the family unexpectedly. We never really learned why. I know that it was really hard on my grandparents and dad, to say nothing of poor Becky and her brothers. Her grandfather was the one to walk her down the aisle. I felt sad for Becky because I know she wanted her dad to be there, but I was also very happy when she reached the altar and the vows were said.

The highlight of the evening was definitely dancing with my dad. It started when I went out to dance to a few songs with my dad, who was my dad, who was my "date" for the evening. After a while, the music became more energetic and more people came out onto the dance floor. And soon I found myself in a circle of family members, dancing like a lunatic, laughing, and wishing I could've been allowed to wear my sneakers. 

Normally when I dance I do it behind closed doors, by myself, and if someone comes in I stop. But being out there, surrounded by people I loved, something happened. I think a combination of excitement and happiness caused me to drop my inhibitions and shyness for one night and just enjoy myself. For once, I wasn't sitting at a table wanting to go home like I often am at parties. I was trying to coax my cousin Laura into dancing. I was doing the conga with my uncles. I was watching my hyperactive second cousin run around on the dance floor in her little white-and-red dress. I even took off my shoes and danced barefoot at one point.

I think that being happy can sometimes override every other emotion in your mind, such as the fear of looking foolish and embarrassment at having to wear the stupid pink sweater my mom picked out for me. It even overrode the sadness I felt for Becky in her father's absence. But that's just fine. It's nice to simply be blissfully, innocently joyful sometimes. 

WA 1 draft 2

When I was about thirteen years old, I went to my cousin Becky's wedding with my dad. The wedding was in October 2006. At first, I hadn't really wanted to go. Then I decided - at virtually the last second - that it might be fun, so I changed my mind and packed my bags. 

I'm so glad I decided to go. I've never had more fun at a wedding. My cousin Becky was the second cousin in my family to get married. When it was time to walk her down the aisle, I remember how everyone got all quiet and solemn. The reason was because a few months earlier, her dad had unexpectedly broken up with her mother and left the family. We never really knew why. It was really hard on my dad and grandparents, to say nothing of poor Becky and her brothers. So, her grandfather walked her down the aisle instead. I felt bad for Becky because I knew she wanted her dad to be there, but when she got to the alter and vows were said, we all cheered because we were very happy for her. 

Still, the highlight of the evening was dancing at the wedding reception. It started when I went out to dance to a few slow songs with my dad, who was my "date" for the evening. After a while, the music became more energetic and more people came out onto the dance floor. And soon I found myself in a circle of family members, dancing like a lunatic, laughing, and wishing I could've been allowed to wear my sneakers.

Normally when I dance I do it behind closed doors, by myself, and if someone comes in I stop. But being out there, surrounded by people I loved, something happened. I think a combination of happiness and excitement caused me to drop my inhibitions and shyness for one night and just enjoy myself. For once, I wasn't sitting at a table wishing to go home like I often am at long parties. I was trying to coax my cousin Laura into dancing. I was doing the conga with my grandpa and uncles. I was watching my second cousin run around the floor in her little white-and-red dress. I even took of my shoes and danced barefoot at one point.

I think that being happy can sometimes override every other emotion in your mind, such as the  fear of looking foolish and embarrassment at having to wear the stupid pink sweater my mom picked out for me. It even blocked out the sadness I felt for Becky for her dad's absence. But that's okay. It's nice just to be blissfully, innocently joyful sometimes.

WA 1

One of my most recent memories of a really fun experience was in 8th grade when I went to my cousin's wedding with my dad. It was in October 2006. Originally, I hadn't wanted to go, but at the last minute I changed my mind. 

I'm so glad I did. It was the most fun at a wedding I've ever had. My cousin Becky was the second cousin in my family to get married. When it was time to walk her down the aisle, I remember how everyone got all quiet and solemn. The reason was because her father had left a few months ago, unexpectedly. It was really hard on my dad and my grandparents, to say nothing of poor Becky and her brothers. I didn't really understand what had happened at the time, but I felt really bad for Becky since her parents had been together since I could remember. Still, when she got to the alter and the vows were said, everyone cheered, because we were all really happy for her.

But the highlight of the evening was dancing at the reception. It is difficult for me to explain what happened, but this is how I can describe it best. It started when I went out to dance to a few slow songs with my dad, who was my "date" for the evening. After a while, the music became more energetic and more people came onto the dance floor. And soon I found myself in a circle of family members, dancing like a lunatic, laughing, and wishing I could've worn my sneakers.

Normally when I dance I do it by myself, behind closed doors, and if someone comes in I stop. But being out there, surrounding by people I lived, something happened. I think a combination of happiness and excitement caused me to drop my shyness and inhibitions for one night and just enjoy myself. For once, I wasn't sitting at a table waiting to go home like I often am at a party. I was trying to coax my cousin Laura into dancing. I was doing the conga with my grandfather. I was watching my second cousin run around like floor in her little white-and-red dress. I even took off my shoes and danced barefoot at one point. 

I guess that being happy can override every other emotion in your mind sometimes, because I think that's what happened to me. But that's fine. It's nice not to worry about how you look to other people sometimes.

Testing test first post...