Wedding Season Re-Cap

So...I've been at some weddings. 

I love weddings, as a general rule. 

Looking fancy, yummy food/drinks, dancing, nostalgia...

And most importantly, witnessing a huge event in the life of someone you love. 

So a little re-cap. 

I was LUCKY to be invited to three weddings within the last month. 

Three celebrations of love & happiness. 

Ann & Justin--Buffalo NY

Meg & Zack--Newport RI

Pat & Betsy--Allentown, PA

Annie and I became friends when she lived in Plymouth and worked at Schwartz. We were hired within a month of each other, and instantly clicked. Before I even met Brian, I actually visited Ann several times in Plymouth to hang out/get drinks. We drove to Albany together, went shopping in Newport. And once I met Brian (who lived 1/2 mile from Ann, small world), we were neighbors!
Ann moved to Arkansas last October, when her fiancee Justin was re-located there for work. I visited her in March, which was amazing. It was great to see her again, it's been six months!

Meg & I have been close since high school. She was one of my closest friends then, and continues to be a good friend today. She moved to Washington DC (well, technically just outside it) in December 2009, and since then we have been long-distance friends. Meg & Zack met in Newport but started actually seeing each other once she moved. And clearly, it worked out!!!

Needless to say, we've been friends since glitter dresses were in style. 

Patrick and I have been close since 2006, when we met in grad school. (He was wearing that Notre Dame jersey the day I met him too.) I wrote an intimate portrait about Pat, too. To read it, click here.

These weddings were a great way to catch up with friends--old and new! 

And frankly, the dance floor was HOPPIN' at all three weddings. 

What a party! 

It is especially heart-warming to see my friends find partners that they can be THEMSELVES with. 

Goofy, silly. It makes you believe in marriage. (In times where it seems like no one stays together.)

And it's good to know all my friends (now grown-ups!) still have the "moves" of their younger days! 

At the end of the day--it's about true love, right? 

About being willing to give it all up--your freedom, your heart--to someone else. 

Because you get so much back. 

Is there ANYTHING better than seeing someone YOU love, getting the LOVE they deserve? 

And it makes me appreciate MY partner, MY love, all the more. 

I just love him. 
I just love my friends. 
I just love being part of their special days. 


Ever just feel lucky and blessed? 

Mini Sunday Night Update

'

Random update: Weighed in at my parents' house, on a reliable scale. 

Verdict: 164! BOOM! (Relief!) 

Wanted to share this pic with my boo. 

Really loving him lately. 

I think he's just about the most wonderful person on Earth. 

And finally, sharing some happy news...

My little brother Chris eloped this week with his GF (now WIFE), Natasha! 

I'm excited to have a new sister-in-law. 

They seem really happy! 

Also, the shower for Penny went well. 

Complete with purple candies, a clothesline of holiday outfits, and fun. 

Penny is only two months away from making her debut!!! 

So excited! 

The Thirty Year Itch.

So. I'm turning 30 in about 6 months.


Lately, my life is full of big events...for OTHER people.

ENGAGEMENTS
WEDDINGS
BABIES


I know that, logically, I'm exactly where I need to be. 

I often say, I don't wish I was married with babies--I wish I was 5 years younger so I wasn't stressed about my biological clock.


Alas, 30 is creepin' on me.


Brian and I just moved in this May. It's been a big three months, growing together. I know we need to take our time. This relationship has helped teach me patience. Big picture stuff.


But I'm thrown off by my biological clock.
My sense that the world is moving faster than I am.
The feeling like I should be doing more. Faster. NOW. 


It's really difficult, to be honest. 


I have this sense that Brian and I are moving towards engagement. He says we have the same goal, and we're on the same page. But he's also frustrated because he says whenever someone else has a new milestone, I get a whole new batch of nervous energy he needs to reassure.


On one end, I want to be engaged NOW. I want that reassurance. That commitment. To stop WAITING.

On the other end, I ONLY want this if I am 100% sure Brian is 100% ready.

Therein lies the rub, as they say. 


So here I wait. 
Hoping this all works out the way I want it to.
Praying for patience. 
Trying to remember that MY life is not the same as everyone else's.
And everyone has their own timeline. 
And that there are wonderful things to enjoy now.


I will say, to my friends who are lucky enough to have their life partners nailed down, or their babies on the way--you are LUCKY to not face 30 without any guarantees. Because for me, it's scary. 


But for now I'm going to focus on this: 
I have a wonderful boyfriend.
He reassures me we are on the same page.
I feel that we are.
I don't explode when I turn 30, so everything will be ok.



STAY TUNED. It's only gonna get hairier as 30 approaches. 

Erroneous.

Me: "I gained five pounds!"

Brian: "That scale says I weigh something different every time I step on it."

Me: "What do you mean?"

Brian: "I weighed myself last night and then first thing this morning and I'm five pounds lighter. How did I lose five pounds in my sleep?"



The good news is, I might not have gained 5 lbs.

The bad news is, I need a new scale. And I have NO idea how much I ACTUALLY weigh.

An Intimate Portrait(s): Patrick

What can I SAY about Patrick? 

My P.T. husband. 

We sat next to each other at PT orientation and were close friends from that day forward. 

He always had a beer ready for me. 

Always had advice. 

Always ready to be supportive, but tell me if I was being ridiculous. 

I've never been called "dramatic" with such affection, aside from Brian, and my father. 

And that's why I know that Pat loves me the way I love him. 

What. A. Great. Friend. 

How can I thank him for documenting my drunken antics on film? 

(This candid shot from Birthday Prom is especially telling.) 

Or for supporting me even when I was dancing like an IDIOT, by myself. 

(We used to call this photo, "dance like no one is judging you.") 

Or for all the great times. All of them. Too many to count. 

(But this booze cruise was one of the best.) 

Or for being the ONLY person as RIDICULOUS as me on Halloween. 

Halloween 08' Can of Whoop Ass sexually assaulting Hula Pat

Halloween '07. Pat won the Golden Globe Award for Best Costume (Paul Bunyan) 

(The above photo was both mine and Pat's profile pictures on facebook for a majority of 2008.)

Simply put, Pat is fantastic. 

Prom King & Queen 2008

I've often said that you need to meet Pat to understand why he is who he is. 

Indescribable. 

But I can TRY. 

Pictures will help. 

Fact: Pat loves biking. In all weather. 

Fact: Pat is often wet, with unknown substances. 

(You never know if it's sweat, sea water, rain, or a recent shower.) 

Fact: Pat is an amateur photographer of sorts. 

His email address used to be okphotography@gmail

We laughed that at least he was honest, and didn't call it "excellent" photography. 

To be fair, though, there's a certain photo-journalistic quality to the B&W party shot he took below.

Fact: Pat is an outdoor enthusiast. 

(When I asked him about the trip to NH he took--pictured above--he replied, 

"Pretty good. But a colony of enthusiastic beavers tried to drown us.")

Pat thrives in the outdoors. 

Mountains. Lakes. Streams. Oceans. 

Forests. Rocks. 

Fact: He's never been one to let little things hold him back. 

Like a thorn bush at the bottom of a slip-n-slide. 

As the Best Man said at his wedding (Josh, who went to school with us), 

"Pat was the hardest worker. In a group of hard-working people." 

That's true of Pat. 

Fact: He loves to learn, and he's diligent. 

Not afraid to speak his mind. 

Here he is, asking a question to the President of the APTA (American PT Association.) 

Fact: Pat loves thick sweaters. 

(Particularly the one above.) 

Fact: Pat is competitive. 

Especially with Cheryl and wall-sits. 

I wasn't able to find photos of Pat: 

-sleeping in the woods

-building his Yert

-running into the ocean

-throwing a hatchet at wood and calling it a game

-baking his own bread

-showing up to class shoe-less

-trying to convince people to do 'cement mixer' shots

-carbo-loading shirtless 

-palpating my shoulder

-wearing his head lamp at school 

But those things happened, TRUST ME. 

And then...

BETSY showed up. 

What? Someone else who goes running between classes? 

Likes to be OUTSIDE all the time? 

Thinks biking from Newport to Boston and back in a day is NORMAL? 

Loves beer? 

A MATCH MADE IN HEAVEN. 

So it happened, on 8/24/13, I got to witness my sweet Patrick marry the love of his life, Betsy.

A sweet country wedding. 

Complete with rustic barn. 

Lanterns. 

Twinkle lights. 

Love. 

And dancing in the moonlight. 

Brian and I had a great time. 

So nice to see old friends. 

And dance the night away. 

And so, my PT husband is a REAL husband. 

Congrats to Pat & Betsy! 

I know Pat will love, support, and stand by Betsy forever. 

And so wonderful to be included in such a special day, for such a good friend.