Time to play catch up....

My apologies for being absent. Fall was a busy time. Things were busy at my jobs. I was auditing a class as part of my full-time job at MSU, teaching spin once a week at the local YMCA, and working Sundays at Preuss Pets. Throw in all the trips we took, and it kept me out of trouble. Let me update you on a few.

Labor Day weekend James and I attended 2 weddings. The first was in Gloucester, Massachusetts. My roommate from college, Sarah, married her long-time boyfriend, Chris. James and I flew into Boston Friday night and drove up to Danvers, MA. There we met up with friends from MSU who had graduated and relocated to MA. Another friend, this one from BU, and her husband met us out for drinks too.

Saturday morning, I woke James up early and took him on a whale watch. Let me remind you that if I could have any job in the world, it would be working on a whale watch boat. Also, I repeatedly have dreams about seeing whale from land. So I was happy as a clam being back on the water. James seemed to enjoy himself too. We borrowed a digital SLR from a friend and got some great photos.

After the boat trip, we headed back to the hotel for a quick change. We dashed back to Gloucester for the beautiful marriage ceremony in a quaint little church. Sarah looked gorgeous as I knew she would. The reception was in Danvers right on the water. It was great to see Sarah's family again. It had been a long time. In college, I spent Easter with her extended family every year. All the attendees hit the dance floor with a great supply of fun props until the wee hours of the morning. It was wonderful to see my BU girls again too. I miss them so much. Congrats to Sarah and Chris! It's about time. :)

Here are some photos from the weekend:
Sarah and her dad walking into the church.
Sarah and Chris after cutting the beautiful cake.
James and I enjoying dessert.
Sarah and I with matching hair-do's.
The rest of my BU girls: Steph, Kate, Erin, and Lauren.
Erin and Lauren moonlight as rock stars.
GO BU! Alumni photo.
James and Steph having a dance off.
Me back on the whale watch boat in an extreme close-up. WOAH!
Humpback whale surface feeding.


The next morning, after only a few hours of sleep, James and I flew to Atlanta, Georgia. Ashwin, a friend from high school, was getting married to Lavanya at the Ritz-Carleton in a big Indian way. Unfortunately, James and I missed Ashwin riding on his horse because we were upstairs getting ready. We managed to sneak a peak out of our window though. The traditional wedding ceremony was a little long, but I loved the message behind it and how beliefs about love and commitment were presented. The food was AMAZING. Once again, we danced the night away but this time with friends from high school. Our reception table managed to get a rivalry going with Ashwin's MIT friends. Needless to say, we won.

Photos from the wedding:
Ashwin's ceremony (horse and all) outside the Ritz. What a commotion!
James, Ashwin, Ashwin's little cousin, and I later in the evening after much dancing.
The dance floor was PACKED the entire night.
Penfield High School Class of 1997 alumni with significant others.
Ashwin and his lovely bride, Lavanya.

James and I took a day to tour around Atlanta and the CNN world headquaters. Neither of us had been there before. The aquarium is incredible. We took a behind the scenes tour and talked with our tour guide for a while. We also saw Martin Luther King Jr's memorial and museum. Atlanta is a pretty town with plenty of sunshine and a great subway system (that apparently no one uses).
One of the whale sharks at Georgia Aquarium. This is a view behind the scenes above the huge tank.
Me at home with the fishes.
Very cool dancing fountain in Atlanta built for the Olympics. It was so hot that day and the kids loved playing in the water.
James at MLK Jr's birthplace.
James with MLK Jr's grave in the background.