Skip to main content

Wedding Weekend

I left for Chicago on Friday morning and through train, plane and train again, I made it to downtown Chicago from Philly. I spent the afternoon walking around the city and remembering being there before. My parents and I walked through Millennium park and wishing we could do some rock climbing outside!

Before the rehearsal, I had to make sure my mom was properly dressed, off to Ross to get her some jeans. And naturally, I got a dress for the rehearsal dinner... And some sunglasses...

The rehearsal was very relaxed and nice. I was glad for the Bachelorette party because I was able to see some familiar faces.
Dinner was at a delicious pizza place and on our way there in the taxi, we almost died. Multiple times. The taxi driver had some severe road rage and hated stopping for pedestrians. It was slightly terrifying.
The pizza was good and the company was nice as well. A lot of wine was consumed and a lot of laughs exchanged.

After dinner was a gathering for drinks in the hotel. I was able to catch up with my family which was quite nice as there are not a lot of occasions where we are all together.

Saturday, Dad and I got up early(ish) and went for a walk along the riverwalk to the lake. It was a brisk morning but at least it was sunny!

After the walk, I went to Julia's room to hang out with the ladies while they got ready. There was trail mix and mimosas! After one mimosa however, I was sleepy. The traveling took a lot out of me and I was ready for a nap so after lunch I passed out for a bit. That delayed my getting ready. I thought I was doing well on time until I decided I wanted to curl my hair and it wasn't going as planned. I haven't curled my hair now that its short so I tried many different things and was not happy with the result, so I ended up just straightening it again and being slightly late to the lineup! Hair emergencies run in the family I guess because Julia showed up right on time because of her hair-mergency. lol

I walked my grandma down the isle and then watch everyone else walk. Im not emotional at things like this but when I saw my stunning cousin round the corner and walk down the isle, she was glowing and I teared up a lot. She's so happy and it was coming out of her pores. I was called up for a reading by Lemony Snicket during her wedding. It was the perfect reading being slightly weird, a little biological and a touch of giggles from the crowd. I was given many complements on my reading which made me feel good! I wasn't nervous at all, as I talk in front of large groups of people all the time, but this was a big deal for me (my cousins wedding! We used to play and plan this moment as girls all the time!) and so as I got up there I could feel the nerves! But it all went very well and at the end of the perfectly short ceremony, I walked my grandma back down the isle and gave hugs all around.

After a short cocktail hour (and more wine), we went back upstairs for dinner. The groom gave a wonderful speech, Julias dad, my uncle gave the best speech (which, ok, made me tear up a bit...). Dinner was butternut squash gnocchi (steak for the carnivores). It was awesome to have a vegetarian option at a wedding!

Then dancing!! Dancing is the best part about a wedding. The DJ started out with some older tunes for the couples dance. I was watching all the couples on the dance floor and wishing my dude was there but then I asked grandma to dance with me. She said "is that ok? For two girls to dance together?" To that I said "Absolutely! Its 2016, Grandma!" We went on the dance floor and had a blast! It was so fun and a memory of her I will cherish forever, swing dancing with grandma.
I also danced a lot with my mom. A few songs, the floor emptied but we were still there! She swung me around and we were smiling so much. Im pretty sure the photographer loved us in that moment.

We took a break from dancing to check out the rooftop bar which had some beautiful views of the city.

Back downstairs, my grandma busted into us group of girls dancing to LMFAO's "Shots" and threw her arms in the air like she just didn't care. I was laughing so hard. It was awesome. My grandma knows how to get down, thats for sure.

Towards the end of my night, I had a very passionate conversation about urban, organic farming, food deserts and meat production in this country. Its awesome to hear people who are not environmentalists like me feel so passionately about this topic. I feel like we have to, as a country, get better with this and hearing it from someone I wouldn't expect means that its a topic that is getting to more audiences. Anyway, it was one of those conversations that you leave feeling charged and ready to go!

After that, the party was winding down and time for me to head to bed. I reluctantly said goodbye (because I didnt want to the night to end) and dreamed of herding chickens or something weird like that...

Anyway, Great wedding weekend. Wasn't long enough. My cousin is married and Im so happy :)

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Dear Old Friend

Dear old friend, I think about you a lot. As I go about my day I think about how something might make you laugh or say aloud an inside joke that no one understands. I smile as I remember a fond memory. But then I go about my day. At night is when I think about trying to reach out to you again. About what I should have said or what I should say to try to understand why we are no longer close. I come up with scripts in my head about a letter I should write you or a voice mail I should leave, so you know how much I miss you. Sometimes I get angry. Why did this friendship not last forever like I was sure it would? What did I ever do to be treated this way? How could you just leave me alone? Do you even care how I am? I ask myself these questions over and over. I get mad. Then I think. I think that you must not have done this to hurt me; sometimes people just drift apart. That you probably think about me sometimes too. That perhaps, sometimes you smile at an old memory we share. Gut...

Runners High

At 12:30pm, I stepped outside for the first time all day. I hadn't really even left my room until I realized that if I didnt go outside, I probably would bum it all afternoon. I put my running shoes on and bounced outside. I started walking and after I got myself settled, I started to run. After being cooped up, those first few steps of an outdoor run is so magical. The feeling of freedom, fresh air and adrenaline is fantastic. I always have a mad smile and excitement for being able to move so fast. After my first few minutes of running, thats when the exhaustion sets in. What keeps me going longer, is adventure. Do I like running? Not really. Do I enjoy exploring? Obviously. I decided to check out a new part of the power line trail that I have not seen before and ran up the hills, or on straight path, and walked down hills. I went to the beginning of the trail and back again, smiling at the other people who were also out for their afternoon walk/bike. The sun came out and it...

Guatemala: Bathroom

11/7/2015 11:56 am The bathroom views are amazing! I took a poo yesterday looking out at the lake and volcanoes in the distance. Absolutely stunning. I dont mind taking my time in the bathroom with views like that! 11/8/2015 3:36pm We had a day of exploration in San Marcos today. First the group of girls went to hang out by the lake, Lago Atitlan. It was very rocky, like a cliff-side almost. Not like a beach at all. But we climbed down the rocks to check out the water and it was cool, but not cold like lake Michigan. I put my feet in the water and soaked in the morning sun.  Its SO fun to chat with all the ladies here. I feel like Im a part of something and they all have such interesting things to say. I want to know all about them! 9:45pm This morning’s yoga was taught by one of the girls in my group, K. I love taking classes by people I know because it brings a whole new level to the experience. She came around and did excellent adjustments and it was so calmi...