Continuing with the Cheers theme of home & family, it’s time to write on the main event of the weekend last weekend:  Maggie & Matt’s wedding!

The blessed event was to take place on Saturday, April 24th – which also happens to be my Aunt Helen & Uncle Byron’s (Maggie’s parents) 29th wedding anniversary.  This is incredibly cute as Aunt Helen & Uncle Byron met at a friend’s wedding, and Maggie & Matt met at one of Maggie’s Boston cousin’s wedding.

So, Saturday morning I slept in.  Which was REALLY nice.  And then Beth, Shaloot, Andrew, Mama & I went to a classic New England diner (Bob was sleeping due to some pretty terrible allergies – plus he had already eaten breakfast).  It was delicious (tho I did lament the fact that grits were not on the menu…) and gave us enough sustenance to pursue the arduous task of primping to prepare for the wedding.

The ceremony was in a small, beautiful church, St. Thomas.

St. Thomas Church

It was really very nice, and Maggie was of course a GORGEOUS bride.  The entire Boston Wyche family looked spectacular, actually.  This is, of course, the standard for Wyche families tho   But it was really very touching.

Uncle Byron and Maggie

Carole, Maid of Honor

Yay, the happy couple!  Congratulations!!!

Maggie & Matt

and the OTHER happy couple

In the receiving line

From the ceremony we of course went on to the reception.  It was an AWESOME good time   It was mostly family, so it was nice to catch up with everyone.  Fun & relaxing & wonderful.  Also…there was an open bar for at least part of the time, so things did get a little rowdy.  Apparently I danced a lot.  But, it was all in good fun.  The toasts were great (Carole’s made everyone cry!) and there was just a lot of love & laughter!

Aunt Helen, Aunt Margaret, & Mama (Aunt Elaine!)

Maggie, Carole, & Aunt Helen

Father/Daughter Dance

Mama & Beth clapping

Toast by the Maid of Honor, Carole

This is my family, y'all

YAY MAGGIE & MATT!

Time to blog about Boston and the Cape.  The Cheers theme song is perhaps the most appropriate means to do so, because a) Cheers is set in Boston  b) sometimes you just want to be with your family (where they all know your name)  c) usually you’re always glad you came to a wedding  d) Cheers is not referenced enough post-80s/90s.

The trip started out hectically enough: I worked all 3 jobs on Thursday & left immediately to drive to Raleigh afterwards, arriving at 1am.  Beth & Shaloot were still up, packing.  After stealing a look at their remodeling ventures, I actually beat them to sleep at the early hour of 2-2:30pm.  We all woke up at 5:30am to make our 7:30am flight, but the odds were stacked against us.  And we missed the flight by literally 8 minutes.  Had any one thing gone differently, perhaps we would have made it.  And perhaps more of this post would be filled with tales of sight-seeing in Bostonia.

But alas, we will simply have to journey there at some later time to really see the city

As it was, it could have been worse.  While we missed our flight, we really only lost 6hrs, we still had plenty of time to make the wedding as we were flying in the day before, and we were only out $150 for all three of us to re-book.  So, after going through airport security a SECOND time (and again explaining that the coffee Beth & Shaloot were transporting was not, in fact, cocaine) we ate a leisurely (and humble) breakfast in the airport, and Beth and I engaged in semi-philosophical discussion, much of which surrounded the various mental illnesses that we may have inherited from our parents, as evidenced by some of our more neurotic shared behaviors.

We flew into La Guardia and landed around 11:40am.  At this point, we had to catch a shuttle flight that runs hourly from NYC to Boston.  The airline lady had told us we probably wouldn’t make the 12:30 and should just be content with the 1:30, but we were determined to try.  And once again, we failed.  This time I am willing to lay the entirety of the blame on the inefficiency of the airport (which I have never done before; usually I am partially at fault for a missed flight, or at least timing was off).  This was the worst security line I have ever been through and completely and utterly inefficient.  But this delay at least gave Sister Dearest some time to interrogate me about my (non-existent) love life, so it wasn’t too bad.  Being delayed isn’t that bad when you have good conversation.  M&Ms help also.

But finally, we made it to Boston and met up with Bob.  We drove around a bit to see the sights, and then got out and walked about in the public gardens – which are BEAUTIFUL.

Tulipalooza

Cherry Blossoming Tree

Nice view

It was quite relaxing – especially after spending so much time in airports.  We strolled about and had some lovely conversation and caught up a little.  We also made contact with my younger brother & mom, who somehow managed to end up on Staten Island, and then drive through all five burroughs, on their drive up from Virginia.  We stopped to check out some pretty kick-ass musicians (the girl was truly the star – and what on earth is that instrument the one guy is playing???)

Badass

After that, we took a foot tour that was a teensy bit circular, but saw some of the more historic sites, like Boston Commons, the Old State House, etc, and ended up at Faniel Hall/Quincy Marketplace.  Beth & Shaloot bought their requisite magnet, and we waited to meet up with Bob’s friend/former boss, Bill.  The five of us grabbed a delicious seafood dinner (Beth & I shared a spicy tuna roll & a spicy salmon roll, and each got tomato bisque.  We also split the best calamari ever with the table).

Outside the tasty restaurant

Mmmm calamari!

The conversation was, predictably, excellent, and we heard some great stories about some of Robert’s escapades (he usually hides them well – or at least better than I do).  Afterwards, Bill treated us all to beer at the tourist version of Cheers (not the actual site).  Mmm.

All of us at Cheers!

Finally, exhausted, we bid adieu to Bill, and embarked on the final leg of our journey: the 1.5hr drive to the Cape.  Luckily we had Flight of the Concords to keep us awake – despite the inherent dangers of having “You don’t have to be/a prostitute” stuck in our heads during the wedding the next day…At any rate, we made it to our lovely hotel, said hi to Mama & Andrew, and promptly collapsed into unidentifiable heaps around 11:30 or so.  Phew.  Plenty of time to rest up for the wedding festivities the following day

This post, obviously, comes to you from Pittsburgh, from the lovely home of Bob & Rosie (and Joe & Jack & Bennett & soon-to-be Mackenzie).  Right now I’m sitting in a light blue plaid chair with Bob’s MacBook in my lap while listening to a) a Christmas Pandora station  b) the three cutest little boys in the world decorate the rest of the house for Christmas.  Bennett literally just ran around singing “Santa Face Santa Face Santa Face” while swinging some door handles shaped like, you guessed it, Santa’s Face.

Last Wednesday I began my travels, which were much needed and anticipated.  I was getting restless for a trip anyway, and, as I’m sure most of you know, was driving myself crazy with how much I missed my family.  So Wednesday, immediately after leaving work, I drove to Raleigh to Beth & Shaloot’s house.  Unfortunately the visit was all too brief, but needless to say it was good to catch up with them a little.  The next day was Thanksgiving Day, and while Beth made awesome time at her Turkey Trot 10K, I flew to Pittsburgh to visit the PA Family Contingent (sidenote: the airport was surprisingly not crowded…).

This is where it gets a little hectic.  And by hectic I mean this is where I start eating absurdly large quantities of incredibly delicious food.

The plan was to have the Thanksgiving dinner at 6:30pm, so from roughly 1:30pm until 6:30pm I ate hord’evours.  Lots of them.  And drank wine.  We had amberjack fish spread & crackers, STUFFED MUSHROOMS, fried oysters, and Smithfield (aka extremely salty) ham.  Did I mention these were only the hord’evours & had nothing to do with the actual Thanksgiving meal?  My meal was: turkey, rice with gravy, sweet potato casserole, asparagus casserole, ham, herb & vegetable stuffing, and cornbread & oyster stuffing.  I was actually only able to eat one plate before sneaking upstairs to pass out – I mean, go to sleep – in Bennett’s bed.  Thankfully Joe woke me up so I could come downstairs and continue socializing.

Friday was the day of the Rosie’s baby shower at Anastasia’s house, so Rosie and I went over to help do some prep in the morning.  Now…this baby shower…was extremely nice.  It was a champagne supper, and Anastasia did all of the food herself, as well as the decorating.  It was outstanding.  We had crab bisque, chicken & steak skewers, bow-tie pasta, green beans with roasted almonds, shrimp cocktail, caviar, and then assorted desserts that I can’t even get into.  Also the champagne was quite tasty.  The decorations were beautiful – of course, I just love Anastasia’s house in general.  About 40 people came to the shower and everyone was extremely generous with presents.

Saturday morning we hung out a bit in the morning before saying goodbye to los padres & Andrew, and then we headed over to Rosie’s brother & sister-in-law’s house for their second niece’s 1st birthday – which was incredibly cute.  And which included the ever simple, but still horrible for you, pizza and ice cream and cake (and cake).  That night Bob went to the hockey game (Penguins win!) and Rosie and I watched some movies.  Finally on Sunday, Bob & I took the two older boys to The Star Wars Symphony…which is basically exactly like it sounds.  It was actually pretty cool!  And when we came back we watched The Steelers game – which was disappointing.  But oh well.

Today’s been fairly relaxing: playing with my nephews, psycho-analyzing the world with Rosie, and STILL eating far too much.  But how can I say no to Bob grilling steaks, portabello mushrooms, and asparagus tonight?  Tomorrow I fly back to Winston, and it’s back to work…and exercise.  Truthfully I have missed yoga; and I’m sure my family is sick of hearing me talk about it.  So best to get back into practice   But all in all, it’s been a wonderful Thanksgiving break.  Pittsburgh continues to feel like my home away from home, and it’s so very easy to slip into the routine with the kids and Bob & Rosie.  While we’re all waiting for the arrival of little Mackenzie, it’s still nice to hang out.  I hate to leave, but it’s time to head back to life…there is so much to get organized…

But for now, I’m off to enjoy my last evening in the Steel Town

Well hello friends.  While it hasn’t been that long since I’ve posted (certainly not that as long as I usually go between posts) quite a bit has happened in my life.  Last Wednesday, the 12th, I left the creature comforts of the United States and headed down to Guatemala.

The group:
Cat Wilson, traveler and adventure-girl extraordinaire.  Hetero-lifemate.  Previous countries of travel – Spain, France, Portugal, Canada, and Belize.  Artist and personality-type expert.  Currently working at Canvas on Demand.
Kasee Metcalf, super-traveler and keeper of time.  Future pilot and excellent knower of youtube videos.  Previous countries of travel – Spain, Turkey, Morocco, Israel, and we’re not even sure where else… Knows all the same people from Wake I do.  Currently at dental school at UNC-Chapel Hill.
Kelly Chauvin, badass and ever-the-optimist-even-when-you’re-pretty-sure-there’s-nothing-to-be-optimistic-about.  Can turn anything into a come-on or turn-on.  Previous countries of travel (as far as I know) – Spain, Morocco, Portugal, United Kingdom, Australia.  Epic poet of the Motivation & Koala era in my life.  Currently serving in the Peace Corps in Guatemala.  Main reason we headed down that way.
Me.  Well, hopefully you know a little bit about me if you’re reading this.  But just because it’s fun, and my blog should be the place where I get to show off, my previous countries of travel – Mexico, Spain, Portugal, Italy, France, England, Scotland, Norway, South Africa.  Currently a Residential Counselor working with entertaining if occasionally dangerous teenagers.

The Plan:
Well, as Beth and Shaloot aptly noted before dropping me off at Cat’s, we didn’t have much of a plan.  Or knowledge of anything that was going to be happening.  Which while I don’t recommend before traveling to another country, especially a third-world country, certainly has its perks.  #1 being absolving of responsibility.  #2 being epic adventure.  The rough plan was to fly to Guatemala City and then get the heck out of there to Antigua and follow Kelly around the country.  Massages, rafting, Peace Corps parties, and volcanos were all mentioned as well.

What was not mentioned was that Guatemala has a lot of freaking mountains and is lacking in efficient transportation.  Now I know this is the obvious to y’all, but please keep in mind that I literally knew nothing before this trip.  Hell, I kept thinking Guatemala was in South America (which is embarrassing to admit, but there it is).  So anyway, this meant that of our 6 days in the country, we spent a good amount of time on a bus of some kind.  Here is a brief run-down of what happened…

Day 1: Arrival
Got had on a taxi ride to Antigua paid an absurd amount of money.  Delightedly realized we could still speak Spanish.  Found sweet hostel – The Black Cat.  Took first chicken bus to Santa Lucia.  Had a mostly painful but surely helpful massage and spent too long in temascal (Mayan tradition that is very similar to a sauna).  Got lost on the way back to Antigua.  Found way to Antigua.  Ate delicious food, loved on Kelly when she finally arrived.

Day 2: Antigua & Cabon
Wandered around Antigua and learned some history.  Went to a Music Museum and a Coffee Museum.  Had lunch with one of Kelly’s fabulous host moms.  Received a lot of delicious fruit.  Took a 5hr bus ride to Cabon.  Played dirty versions of M*A*S*H.  Met some other Peace Corps folk.  Dinner, drinks, and dancing in Cabon.  Slight mishap with returning to hostel.  Potentially unsafe trip back to hostel.

Day 3: Lanquin, tiny village, & Cabon
Took a micro bus (i.e. everyone sitting on top of everyone) to Lanquin with smaller group of Peace Corps folk.  From there took a lorry (rode standing up) to tiny indigenous village that is a Peace Corps site.  Geared up for white water rafting.  Learned about malaria, amoebas, & dysentary.  Crash course in white-water rafting; learned that river has class 2, 3, 4, & 5 rapids.  Panicked.  Rafted for about 2 hrs.  Had immense fun.  Then…Kelly fell out of the boat.  It was decidedly not good.  Cat, Kasee, Kelly, Oliver (Peace Corps member) & I hauled tail back to Cabon to the private hospital.  Which was closed because by then it was after 6pm on a Friday.  Proceeded to public hospital.  Eventually wound up back at the hostel.  Spent about 12 hours in wet river clothes.  Thanked God for our hostel manager.

Day 4:  Cabon, Guatemala City, Antigua.
Took bus back from Cabon to Guatemala City (5hrs) to the good hospital.  Got a better idea of the damage to Kelly.  Watched part of an oral surgery until I almost passed out.  Located hostel that had available 1st floor bed.  Went medicine shopping for pain meds, mouth meds, and cold meds.  Headed back to Antigua.  Got food and slept.

Day 5:  Antigua & Pacaya
Breakfast with delicious crepes.  Played in Antigua’s market.  The 3 of us who could walk headed out to Pacaya to climb an active volcano.  Climbed active volcano.  Bonded with ex-pats.  Roasted marshmallows in lava.  Surfed down side of volcano on rocks & ash.  (I only fell on my ass TWICE!)  Climbed down active volcano.

Day 6: Antigua, Guatemala City, Houston.
Organized and spent last morning in Antigua.  Little bit more of mercado shopping.  Got to Guatemala City via chicken bus.  Caught flight.  Got stuck in Customs.  Spent night in Houston.  Watched George Lopez.

Day 7: Houston & Raleigh
Finally, finally back in North Carolina.

End!  Overall, it was a really interesting and good trip.  It was fascinating to learn and see so much.  Understandably, the whole injury thing sucked and was pretty serious.  Kelly is an incredible person tho and handled it amazingly well.  And we made it.  It was great to be speaking Spanish again…that was easily one of the best parts of the trip.  That and the amazing feelings of competency.  Nothing for your self-esteem like climbing a volcano.  But it’s good to be home