Most of you know that I spent the last three days in Seattle. Or at least traveling to and from there for a friend’s wedding. I had been looking forward to this weekend for at least a year when I first received the phone call that the happy couple had finally set a date.
The couple are my dear friends Ry and Liz. I met them about five or six years ago. I, along with some friends, were coordinating a retreat and Ry and Liz went on the retreat to fulfill a requirement for the Confirmation. (Later I was one of Liz’s Confirmation sponsors). I actually remember seeing them at Mass many times before meeting them and was always moved by their visible faith. I remember striking up a conversation with Ry because he was wearing a Jars of Clay shirt. If I only knew then what that would have started…our continuing Jars vs. Third Day debate. It’s all in love, though.
After the retreat I started hanging out with Ry and Liz on a regular basis. I’m talking a lot. We went to lunch together four to five days a week. Not to mention dinner, hanging out at each other’s houses, nights spent drinking Peach Wheat at High Desert Mountain Brewery, trips together, and many more times spent hanging out.
In these two wonderful people I found hearts of gold and, in a lot of ways, kindred spirits. Thankfully I have stayed in contact with them over the years despite each of us moving to a variety of places. Although Ry wins the award for largest number of places lived! I know that if I need anything at all, any time day or night, they will be there for me. And I pray they know that works both ways. Sometimes you are blessed with friendships that you know will last for a lifetime. I truly believe in my heart this is such a friendship.
I left my apartment very early on Thursday morning. The flight from Raleigh to Seattle was a long one! While I never had to change planes, the flight had quite a number of stops. We went Raleight to Chicago to Salt Lake City to Spokane to Seattle. Ry and three of his friends picked me up at the airport once I finally arrived. After a stop to pick up a few things, we headed over to Liz’s parents house. I have to say that Liz’s family are some of the most generous people I have ever met. Not only did they all pitch in to help with various parts of the rehearsal, wedding, and reception, but many of them opened their homes to those of needing a place to stay. Ry’s family is great, too. His mother gave me one of the warmest welcomes I have ever received and his brothers were a blast to hang out with.
I tagged along to the rehearsal where I was informed that I would be reading the Prayers of the Faithful during the wedding. I really was honored to be asked and thankfully speaking/reading at Church is second nature to me at this point. After the rehearsal we went back to Liz’s parents for dinner. They have a beautiful backyard where we enjoyed some great mexican food made by Ry’s mom and some fresh salmon made by Liz’s uncles. After a few hours of hanging out, Liz’s aunt that I was staying with took me to her house so I could get some rest.
Friday morning I helped to decorate cupcakes for the reception. It took two tries to make some good ganache for the topping, but the end product turned out well. I do some good decorating work with mint leaves and raspberries, if I do say so myself! Once we got the cupcakes finished up we got dressed and I was dropped off at the Church while my hosts went to the reception site to drop off the cupcakes and drinks.
The wedding itself was wonderfully done. I think it is great when you see the couple’s personalities evident in the ceremony. And they were. From the simplicity of everything, to the song choices, to having two priests they are very close to co-celebrate the ceremony. Not to mention the fact that after exiting the church, the jumped on a motorcycle and drove off!
The reception was gorgeous! It was held at a lodge that had a beautiful view of Mt. Rainier. Father Miguel and I hung out together at the reception and I had a blast! Fr. Miguel flew from New Mexico to concelebrate at the wedding and it was great for me to see him again. (He helped us on the retreat where I first met Ry and Liz.) We not only dissed on the song choices for dancing (some of us need something to two-step to!), but we also discovered that he was at the parish I grew up in for a short time. (I don’t remember him, but my mom does.) At the end of the reception we saw Ry and Liz off and then helped clean up.
Saturday was fairly uneventful. I slept late, ate some enchiladas leftover from the rehearsal dinner, and headed to the airport.
It was a wonderful trip and I am so glad I was able to make it. Even if there was an awkward moment or two that I won’t share here (if you want to know, email me). And Fr. Miguel called me out on my texting. (It’s all Traci‘s fault for turning me on to twitter.) And while my phone was off during the wedding, I missed the call from my brother that my sister-in-law had her baby. My new nephew arrived Friday, August 22nd, around 6:00pm. Trevor is 20 inches long and just over 8 pounds!
A few pictures…..
Mt. Rainier
The happy couple…blurry, but I love the smile on Liz’s face.
Blurry first dance, but I loved that they were singing to each other.
Better shot of the first dance.
Getting ready to toss the bouquet.
Blurry shot of Ry getting ready for the garter toss. (I love the smile on his face here!) This was the first attempt…it took him two tries to actually get it to the crowd of guys waiting to catch it.
The happy couple with Fr. Miguel.
Me with two of my dearest friends. I love them!!
So Completely 