...YEAH.
...IT'S GONNA BE A LONG ONE, FOLKS.
...NO, SERIOUSLY, REALLY LONG.
I won't even do more than gloss over the time between my last update and The Trip, that it was a time of working and planning and anxiety-ing.
Saturday, March 17th, I did my final packing, had breakfast/left my car with Mom, then got handed off to Ryan to drive me to the train station in Springfield. We had directions, more or less, but we still had a bit of a time finding the station, partly because Massachusetts people don't seem to like giving real directions when asked. Prank ones, yes. Directions that involve looking for a sign that you don't see until you've either taken or driven past the exit in question, yes.
The train trip was fine, although the majority of travel between Albany and Syracuse was very...let's just say I felt like I was in a washing machine. Or riding a mechanical bull on very low level. Train had rhythm.
Syracuse was great. I spent time with my stepparents, meeting their crazy neighbor and helping David shore up the house and trying on different bodice models for Dorita and cooking and writing. It was fun and relaxing and really nice, and probably the easiest part of the whole trip.
Monday, March 19th, David dropped me off for my 9:41pm train to South Bend, which didn't pull in to the station until almost 10:30. I managed to score a seat to myself after a bunch of people got off in Rochester, and even attempted to sleep. This was made difficult by the coughing Amish baby two seats up, the passenger who spent a good 15 minutes arranging her and her companion's luggage in such a way that bumped my seat back almost constantly, her companion's constant coughing, and finally the woman who sat next to me around 3am, holding a small toddler/large baby who was really pissed about being awake that late/early and kept kicking me in the leg. Not hard, but enough to wake me up. Several times.
We got in to South Bend around 9:30am on Tuesday, March 20th. Aurelie picked me up at the train station, and there was a lot of hugging. We went to 933, my first Starbucks where I am friends with the majority of the workers, and there was lots more hugging. BJ and Sameh met us there, and there was even more hugging! Then the four of us attempted to shop for bridesmaid's dresses.
I'm just going to say that it didn't work as well as planned, mostly (but not entirely) because I AM BAD AT THIS. Guys, I really, really suck at being a girl sometimes. Dresses are an especially swampy territory. We tried, some progress was made in terms of style, but otherwise...bleh. BUT it was time spent with three of my best friends in the whole world, so it was still good :) We ended up at the Ireland Starbucks (where I last worked in Indiana), where was a little bit more hugging (they're not really huggers at that store), and the four of us hung out until it was time to go to dinner.
Dinner was....awesome. Almost every single person I like and miss from the area was there (I think there were all of two exceptions), we all ate and drank and laughed and talked and muttered about work and just had a grand old time that no doubt annoyed the crap out of the restaurant staff. I kept looking around saying "I am SO HAPPY right now!" :D
Wednesday, March 21st I spent the morning with Aurelie (who acted as my gracious driver and host), then stole her car when she went in to work. I spent the day driving from Starbucks to Starbucks, Ireland to Ironwood to 933, spending a few hours at each one, writing and chatting and just hanging out. It was undoubtedly the most relaxing day of the entire trip. And I got some writing done!
Thursday, the 22nd (the six-month pre-versary, if it matters ;)), Aurelie worked in the morning while I wrote a bit at The Electric Brew, then we went shopping, me for a dress for the rehearsal dinner on Saturday (which I stupidly didn't pack for), her for work shoes. I lucked out at the very first store we went to, she is still on the hunt. We went to the laundromat, where I washed my traveling clothes and she did homework, then ended up hanging out a bit at the Goshen Starbucks, went to the grocery store for dinner and supplies, then ate and hung out some more before Game Night.
Aurelie and at least two of her friends have a tradition going, where every Thursday they go to someone's apartment and play board and card games. There is also booze involved sometimes. I WANT ONE HERE. Ahem. We started off with Catch Phrase (love it!), then everyone else took a smoke break, and it was so nice outside that it was decided that we would change Game Night into Rove Around Goshen Night. We ended up at Hannah's apartment, drinking and talking and watching someone's second season of Roseanne. It was a good time.
Friday, the 23rd was The Chicago Trip. BJ, Sam, Aurelie, Raequan and I piled into Sameh's car early-ish Friday morning and headed off to The Windy City. The majority of the day was spent at The Fields Museum, which was COMPLETELY AND UTTERLY AWESOME. There were bugs and sarcophagi and stuffed (as in taxidermy) animals and a T-REX SKELETON and a Ghengis Khan exhibit and a 3D movie about the T-Rex skeleton and and and wheeeeeee! I believe I found the Coolest Thing In The World in The Gem Room. First off, I love sparkly gems, so a whole freaking room of them? OH. MAN. Sam and I were such children in there. It was fantastic. Then the opal case had an opalized vertebrate; the cavities in a dinosaur's bone had been filled silica (and silt and stuff) over the centuries, leaving an opalescent cast behind. AN OPAL DINOSAUR BONE. You can stop looking, that's the Coolest Thing Ever.
We left the museum just as it began to rain. BJ and Aurelie stayed under an awning (well, BJ did, Aurelie jumped in puddles) while Sam, Rae and I walked back to the car. We got...SOAKED. I have never been that drenched in my entire life. The hoodie I was wearing did not completely dry out until late Saturday night. OY.
Lunch as at The Chicago Diner, the same place BJ, Sam, Rae and I went last year. It was a must on this trip because we had such a great experience last year. Once again, it was phenomenal. The milkshake was delicious, the amazing waitress from last year remembered us (*swoon!*), and it was all just tasty and awesome.
We stopped at a Starbucks, where Sam and I dozed in the car while the others got drinks, then it was off to the mall, where I was able to find a clutch for the wedding, as well as a few other trinkets, and we all ran around looking at pretties. Then dinner at Wendy's, then home again.
Saturday, March 24th, Sam, BJ, Dustin and I drove down to Indy to hang out before my flight at 6. It took a little while to get going, and a long while to get there, but the time was filled with joking and talking and Weird Al, so it was a fun time :D We went to the mall, which was actually a little disappointing, but still fun, had some lunch, and got ready to cry our eyes out when I had to leave. Then there was panic.
So, funny store. When we first arrived at the mall, we checked Garmina (the GPS) to see how far away the airport was. 2 miles? Sweet! Plenty of time! It'll take minutes to get there! Spend time in the mall, get in the car, set the GPS...wait, did you check for Indianapolis International Airport, or Indianapolis Metropolitan Airport? Wait, International is actually 18 miles away? And it's 4:45? FUH.
I think the word hysterical is extremely apt for my demeanor for the trip from the mall to the airport. At least I had a delicious cupcake to
The hugs were rushed but still good (WAAAAAA), and I JUST made the flight, by the grace of a wonderful ticket lady who could have just shrugged and said "Hey, not my problem." If I knew her name, I would send her flowers.
The flight went pretty well, although I did keep almost dozing off. Whups. Also, it was a four-hour flight that left at 6 and landed at 6:59. I am endlessly amused by this. Yay time zones!
Landed right on time, rehearsal dinner was an hour in but I could still make it with time to change...except I had to find my baggage that had to be checked at the gate because "the bins were all full" which was BS there were at least a dozen empty spots. Okay, found it, still plenty of time...until I found the line for the shuttles to the Rental Car Place, an entire building with the sole purpose of renting cars, located a short shuttle ride away from the airport. The shuttle ride was less than 15 minutes, but the line to get on the shuttle was gigantic. I got in when it was about three blocks long. THREE BLOCKS LONG. Then the shuttle ride (pro tip, if you're on an extremely crowded bus, standing amongst strangers, with only a pole to try and keep steady, DON'T STAND WITH AN ELBOW OUT. The little teapot pose is INAPPROPRIATE FOR THE SITUATION), then the fair-sized line to get to the counter and rent the car. By the time I was in the car and putting the restaurant into the GPS, it was almost 9. It took almost two hours to go from landing to rental car.
Finally got to the restaurant a bit after 9, albeit still in the t-shirt and jeans I traveled in. Dan didn't care, he was just happy I was there, and hugged me and introduced me and pointed me at the pasta. Now that's a good friend! I met with the rest of the Groom Party, which consisted of myself, Michael (I've known him since middle school, he and Dan met in high school), Jed (Dan's older half-brother and Best Man), and Logan (Dan's boss and good friend). I was introduced, they were all very nice, then they said "So we all have to give speeches tomorrow, not just Jed. And you missed it, but the Bridal Party gave their speeches, and every single one made every single person in the place cry. We are SCREWED."
...wheeee...
I was only there for the very tail end of the rehearsal dinner, but it was really good time, and we of the Groom Party meshed pretty much instantly. It was decided very early on that, with the speeches, Jed was bringing The Ruckus, Michael was bringing the Party, Logan The Thunder, and me The Rage. I was skeptical, but they insisted I'd do fine. Ho-kay.
I dropped Michael off at his hotel, then went to put the address for mine in the GPS...and it didn't know what I was talking about. This number doesn't exist. This road doesn't exist. You crazy, lady. Search for Comfort Inns? Okay, here's allllllll of them, from the UK to every state in the US to some in Australia, listed in random order, go ahead and find yours! :D
...FUH.
So there I was, 10:30 Phoenix time, 1:30 in the morning by the clock in my head, driving up and down University Drive, with an extremely full bladder, awake for 18 hours, unable to find my hotel. Ryan to the rescue! I called him, he was still awake, he eventually managed to figure out where I was ("Wait, there's another West University Drive?" "There's two of them?! Which one am I on?!"), and directed me to my hotel. My hero. :D
Sunday, March 25th, Dan and Kathleen's wedding. It was the best day ever! Honestly!
The Groom Party, Dan, his parents, and his aunt all met up for brunch. It was there Dan gave me my Groom Party gift: a pair of Converse that matched those the guys would be wearing in the wedding. <3 They are my new go-to shoes, because they are HELLA comfortable! And they have a red stripe since their the lady's version, so I'm even snazzier. :D
The Groom Party (minus Logan) went back to Dan's and Kathleen's apartment, where we hung out and walked Lily (their dog, who was lovely if a bit...excited) until 12:30. That's when Logan returned, the singers began to arrive to change and practice, and we got changed. Then it was Stabucks, where we got our fixes, and off to the farm!
First off at the farm was photos! That was actually a lot of fun. Oh, and backstory: Jed had brought a pack of Lord of the Rings Pez dispensers to the bachelor party, letting everyone pick their favorite. I got to pick mine the morning of the wedding. Dan had Smeagol, Logan and Jed had Gandalf and Aragorn (I forget which had which), Michael took Gimli, and I chose Samwise. The first sets of pictures had them showing, either peeking out of the guys' chest pocket or tucked under my dresses strap. We put them away for more serious shots, then convinced the photographer to get some shots of just them. The best one, by far, was the toys lined up in the grass in the same formation we'd been in. I'm framing it!
The day up until the ceremony were pictures, figuring out last-minute sound system and ceremony set-up, keeping Dan pointed away from Kathleen when she was doing pictures with her party, etc. It was basically hours of hanging out, joking, and cussing, while also Getting Shit Done. :D
The ceremony was amazing. The singers, various friends and family members that can sing a capella, were awesome. I've actually had one of them, the best one, the one Dan wrote about the day he met Kathleen, stuck in my head since then. Dan and I smiling at each other when I came down with Kevin (a bridesman) was wonderful. The vows made me cry--hell, everyone cried. And laughed. It was a very silly ceremony as well as romantic and touching and oh god I'm gonna start again.
The reception was crazy fun. The speeches actually went really well. The food was delicious. The music was great. Dan let me change into my Converse. It was great! :D
My favorite moments include:
[o] Quick back story on the first one: Dan and Kathleen are both Theater People. Most of their lives has revolved around being on stage. So. For Logan's speech, The Thunder, he introduced himself, had the guests put down their glasses and stand, and said "Dan, Kathleen, this is your standing ovation." The audience knew what to do. They were both obviously very, very touched. It was perfect.
[o] My speech actually is one of my favorite moments. I kept saying that I didn't have any Rage to bring, so I was changed to The Love, as in it was my job to bring The Love. I talked about how a lot of friendships change over the years, and sometimes they don't last because of time or distance or just the people changing, but with Dan it doesn't matter. I cracked on the last line, when I told Kathleen that I knew she was smart and didn't need to be told how lucky she was, because she was marrying her best friend, and Dan's the best friend a person could ask for. Oh god I'm gonna start again. Moving on!
[o] The first dance. They waltzed perfectly, which is not surprising given their theater background. Then there was a record scratch. Then dance music started, and the choreography began, and I laughed along with everyone else. Then I realized what the song was when they started mouthing along: "We're no strangers to love/You know the rules, and so do I..." THEY RICK-ROLLED THE WEDDING.
[o] Watching Dan and his family on the dance floor. He and his mom dancing to Michael Jackson was awesome, his mom and dad slow-dancing was very sweet, he and Jed...Jed is also a Theater Person, they're both fantastic at improv and just giant hams, so watching them dance to "Total Eclipse of the Heart" was something I will NEVER forget!
[o] Dancing. I stopped giving a shit pretty early on, with the help of only a small amount of alcohol (most of the alcohol I consumed was pre-speech. It helped!). Anyone who knows me knows that I'm not prone to being ridiculous in public, in front of strangers. I was ridiculous. I pantomimed "Elephant Love Medley" from Moulin Rouge with Jed. I showed everyone the Fork in the Garbage Disposal dance move. We all rocked out. It was...amazing.
It was...the best time ever. It wasn't until the reception that I really got to meet and get to know the Bridal Party, but we all got along really well. It was decided that the 10 of us (four each party plus bride and groom) HAVE to get together at some point again. Soon. The current ideas are white-water rafting, or renting out a cabin in the Grand Canyon. :D
Sadly, the fun had to end, and I changed and said good bye and left around 10:30. Got the car back, got the airport, boarded my 11:59pm flight, and started my long return back.
It's not really exciting after that. I tried to sleep on both flights and failed, but everything was on time and I'm home now and I got to sleep in my own bed and have time with my Ryan and...I'm really glad to be home.
tl;dr. Great trip having great time with great friends. I would do it again...differently.
Now the unpacking begins...
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