Wedding weekend

The last few days have been a whirlwind for us. We hit the road once again so Cale could carry out his best man duties as his friend Phil was married yesterday. We got into town Friday afternoon and hit the ground running. Phil and his new wife, Beth, had lots of loose ends to tie up including moving, cleaning apartments, wedding details, and packing so we did what we could to help them out.

The happy couple, Beth and Phil

The wedding went off without a hitch yesterday afternoon and despite the 97 degree temperatures and ridiculous humidity, we did survive the outdoor reception. Since everyone was covered in a slick layer of sweat it seemed less disturbing that just standing in place produced puddles of sweat. A nice cool shower, laying around in our freezing cold air conditioned hotel room and we were new people ready to hit the town. We were able to have dinner with other old college friends at a fabulous little Italian restaurant. They are newlyweds and we hadn't met his wife before so it was great to get to know her and to hear about their lives.

Now did I mention that we have been doing all of this without the added dimension of a one and half year old with us? We couldn't have done half of what we've been able to if Haven had been with us, so it is great that she is spending extended time with Nana. I surely would have passed out in the heat yesterday if I had been chasing her around as well. And we've been so busy I haven't had much time to miss her!

We had a few things to take care of this morning and then we made our way to the city of brotherly love. Cale is here on business and it worked out perfectly to tie it in with the wedding weekend. It also extended our Haven-less days which is good and bad. I am really looking forward to getting to spend the next two days with my friend, Gloria. She and I met when we both went through a Discipleship Training School (DTS) with Youth With A Mission. We lived and worked together for six months in Cotonou, Benin in west Africa. We did our DTS aboard the Mercy Ship Anastasis. My DTS experience could be the topic for several other posts, but I will say that God used Gloria in huge ways during that time and she is a friend for life. We haven't been able to see each other in four years, so I am incredibly excited that the timing worked out for this trip. She is a resident at a hospital in NYC and has a ridiculous schedule so it's amazing that our timing was perfect. Thank you, Lord! I can't wait to see her!

I have much to be thankful for. Watching two people who love the Lord commit their lives to one another is always powerful to be part of. Celebrating with the wonderful couple and having a chance to catch up with old friends and meet new ones. Enjoying uninterrupted time with my one and only. Sleeping in. Going with the flow and not worrying if the flow disrupts someone's naptime. Knowing that Haven is having a great time and is being taken care of in every way. It's been a great weekend and I can't wait for the week ahead!