NYC Wedding Fun Times

Before my big move and new surroundings, I was still in Philly, plotting how to get it all done. One thing that I also needed to be kept in mind was the March wedding of SP and CG. There was pretty much no way I wasn't going to go to their wedding. I had been lucky enough to see them mere hours after their engagement last year, and having known SP since I was but a wee 13-year old girl, not going would just be silly. I decided the best way to insure my attendance was to buy the plane ticket I'd need to get from the west coast to the east coast when I was still receiving regular paychecks, and that's just what I did. Then late last month, I did my morning milking responsibilities, pulled myself together and drove to Seattle. Where I briefly met up with a long-ago wine night comrade for a drink. I slept at M&A's for the evening and then woke up at the crack of dawn to get to off-site airport parking and then to the terminal itself. And about seven hours later I was in L. and Fat T.'s apartment shooting the breeze with them and S. After much debate, we ended up having dinner at Bar Tabac. I had a steak with mushroom risotto, which at least S. and I agreed 'won' as far as everyone's entrees. Though all was quite tasty. L. is one of my most favorite people in the whole world and while it wasn't like we were seeing each other every week when I lived in Philly and she in Brooklyn, the time zone difference and the fact that I'm not constantly on Google Chat made having some quality face time with her even better.

The next day L. had to work for a while. I think I just sort of hung out before getting on the subway and meeting up with her at her office and then heading to Manhattan for ramen from Ippudo. We had a longer wait than the last time, but it was pleasant enough. I regaled L. with a story about a weird dude I hooked up with when I was in Ohio (highlights include his belief in scientology and ghosts). I ordered the shrimp or seafood broth ramen, which was new to the menu and was a mix of the traditional pork broth with something most certainly shrimpy. I didn't love the broth, but I did love the more springy noodles that came with it.

I had left a few different dresses with L. before I headed west for the express purpose of having options for what to wear at the wedding. But I've lost a tiny bit of weight (or at least I feel like I have) and wasn't 100% loving any of the choices. So after Ippudo L. was a marvelous sport about going to H&M and seeking out another option. I tried on a variety of dresses that I liked in different ways, but it was the dress L. insisted I try that really won the day.

Seriously though. This guy is married! The wedding itself was held in a beautiful venue, chock full of ambiance and loveliness. And the wedding itself, along with the food, dancing and speeches was just an all around wonderful time. I should have had about two less cocktails than I did, but there's nothing I can do about that now.

SP and I went to high school together and there was a fairly strong contingent of high school folks at the wedding, including LS, BM, WB and TN. Here is TN and his lovely lady friend, with whom I also shared anecdotes about weird guys I have dated, because of course I did.

On Instagram I entitled this 'all grown up!' It really just is crazy. I remember SP consistently getting detention for sleeping through all sorts of classes and being a part of a host of experiences and events that still are meaningful to me, even all these years later. And now he's a grown up, married to a wonderful woman. TN, too, is someone with whom I have a number of shared experiences, and here he is all cleaned up.

I uploaded these photographs using the Blogger app, and for some reason they're not centering properly. I am not going to worry too much about it, but I am aware.

The morning after the wedding I trekked out to Sunset Heights? Sunrise? Brooklyn to meet up with R. for some dim sum. R. and I grew up right across the street from one another, though I have about 4 years on him. We didn't really keep in touch once I left for high school or after my parents moved to Tennessee, but in the last few years I'd say we've created a new neighborly friendship and it was quite nice to see him and then share some dumplings. I told him weird dating stories too. My goodness, broken record much?

And then the fun was over and I flew back to Washington.

This trip was quite nice in so many different ways. Farm life is incredibly satisfying to me, but the fact is that I've only been on the farm for three months and I don't know anyone all that well - and no one knows me all that well either. It's fun to get to know people and to figure out how you'll interact and engage with one another, but it can be exhausting and lonely at times. So seeing so many different people with whom I have extensive histories, and enjoying their company and observing them enjoy mine, was really valuable to me. It reminded me of what I'm capable of conversationally and in terms of interpersonal relationships, and just generally buoyed my spirit. I feel like I came back to the farm with a clearer ability to be myself than might have been in effect the week before I left. But boy howdy, was I glad to get back to the island. NYC is just never going to be a place I think of as 'wonderful' or 'relaxing.' Which is not to say that I didn't have an entirely wonderful time, because I did.