Please Join Us for Naptime & Mudpies Following the Ceremony

I recently made a lengthy drive during my time home. 8 hours. Twice. Desperate to find any interesting music, I scanned the radio, hardly able to find anything besides the perils of dastardly women and too much booze in the form of plucking country songs and conservative talk radio: "And on the 3rd day, God created the Remington-bolt action rifle so that Man could fight the dinosaurs and the homosexuals". It was very clear- this isn't New York.

There are several key differences between my home region and up here. The soundtrack of my daily transportation (on the subway, not in a car) is usually for the sole purpose of zoning out on the commute or instead, drowning out the homeless man accusing me of sexual impropriety.  But namely: I'm nearly 24 and not married, and up here, that is no anomaly. 'You're 30? Well, if you ever feel like getting around to it, I suppose...' (To my married friends, loveyoumeanit) But check out these precocious kiddos:

"Two German children- aged five and six- have been stopped by police from eloping to Africa to tie the knot in the sun, reports say. The budding love-birds, identified as Mika and Anna-Lena, packed bathing costumes, sunglasses and a lilo and headed for the airport."

Crisis averted: the kids drew the attention of police at the train station en route to the airport.

"Officers persuaded the children they would not get far without tickets and money, but consoled them with a free tour of the police station..."

I later recounted this anecdote to a friend from Georgia. Her response? "Dang. Those Southern Baptists don't have anything on them." (She's Methodist, bless her heart.)

Child Elopers' Africa Plan Foiled -BBC NEWS