ABSTRACT
The wedding reception for my cousin Ryan and his wife Hillary is outdoors. Since this is his second marriage, the family decided to keep the ceremony simple. The wedding was held earlier in the afternoon, with only immediate family members. The reception is taking place in the yard of his two-story ranch house, located in a rural area of DuQuoin. As my brother and I travel to the reception, past cornfields and on long, winding gravel roads, a thick smell of cow manure permeates the air.
