Shipping Off To Boston!

So Jesse and I have been very busy; that is great for blogging material but not so great for actually sitting down and writing said blog posts. We even had a week where we were in all four times zones!

First I want to start with a very special weekend. I finally made it to Boston to see my brother. It has been years since I last laid eyes on him. We are both busy people and often live very far apart. Jesse and I had planned on going during my stretch off from work and we were going to stay with my brother, do some running, explore Boston and meet some of his friends. I was very excited and planned everything just right, we flew out of MSP and had a direct flight to Logan airport. The kennel I found for the dog was pretty awesome; it was down a gravel road which lead to a gravel driveway. You drove past the kennel owner’s home and parked across from the small barn that had a giant pig, a goat, chickens, barn cats and a few peacocks roaming around. She was very nice and took great care of my Twicks.

We made it to Boston without any issues and Mikey picked us up from the airport, unfortunately we arrived at 6pm ish on a weekday so the traffic was impressive. Jesse and I have been living in fairly small towns for the last two years and we are not used to large groups of anything all in one place. Thankfully my brother is an incredible driver and we made it to his adorable apartment safely. He even pointed out some sights as we sat in traffic. I was just so happy to be in the same place at the same time I didn’t even care that we were stuck in the car.

Now my brother, being the individual that he, is sent an email a few days before our arrival that our visit would not only include running, but it would include his wedding! That was a huge surprise to Jesse and I since I had never met his girlfriend, although my parents had met her once before at a race. We were of course very happy and offered to help in anyway we could.

When we arrived, his soon to be wife, Annie was at work so we headed out to get some things for the post wedding party and also to find some dinner. Mike took us to a very hip pizza place that was very good and it had a candlestick bowling alley attached. Too bad we did not have time to play a game since Jesse is quite the bower. Annie joined us a bit later and it was wonderful to finally meet her. She is awesome.

We went back to Mike’s place and went to bed since it was going to be a busy day. Annie’s sister joined us and started baking the amazing wedding cake that she made for Mikey and Annie. We even managed to squeeze in a run! I am the slow poke of the group, and since living in the flats of Iowa the hills in Boston were kicking my butt, but Mike was good to me and stayed with me so I would not get lost. We made it to the top of this hill and you could see all of Boston. It was a beautiful view. After our run we headed home and cleaned up since were were going to be meeting my parents out for some dinner as soon as they managed to get to Boston. They were staying at a hotel not far away but it seemed that their GPS and the streets of Boston were not getting along. One thing I noticed while using my own phone’s GPS is that the streets are so close together the satellite is not quite sure which street you are on so it is best to have printed directions that you can follow.

We ended up at a nice Mexican restaurant and after many exasperated text messages from my mother, my parents finally made it to dinner via taxi. I have a hunch my father did not want to try to navigate any more of Boston’s streets that day. For fun look up an aerial view of the roads of Boston, it looks like a bowl of spaghetti.

Saturday had arrived and it was wedding day! Some more of Annie’s friends arrived from out of town and they made a lovely flower headpiece for Annie and corsages and boutonnieres for the moms and dads. Jesse made individual tags for each of the mason jars so that people would know which one was theirs. He of course used his amazing stick figure art skills. They were a hit though, people seemed to like them very much. We set up tables, cleaned and dried glasses, iced down beer, and picked up vegan sushi (something my mother just loved).

Mike and Annie had planned to have their ceremony at three in the afternoon on top of Whipple Hill in Boston. It is a clearing of trees on top of what appears to be a giant rock. There was a short hike up to the top and they had a wonderful ceremony. The gentleman performing the ceremony was a very dear friend of theirs and one of the most eloquent speakers I have ever heard. They wrote their own vows, exchanged rings and sealed their new union with a kiss. It was beautiful.

All the guests (immediate family and a few friends) made their way down the hill to embrace the new couple and share their congratulations. Mike also had a friend take a bunch of really wonderful pictures. I was so caught up in everything I hardly had my phone out at all so I didn’t get many pictures. Everyone headed back to Mike and Annie’s place for food, beverages and lively conversation. It was great to finally meet all the people Mike has told me about. It was very inspiring being around so many ultra runners. I enjoyed meeting Annie’s family and it was really cute seeing her parents and our parents getting along so well. I think I even heard an embarrassing story or two being shared. The conversation went into the late night hours and eventually everyone left. We cleaned up a bit and went to bed.

Sunday ended up being a nice day of exploring Boston. I was able to see the Boston Marathon finish line in real life and also check out their marathon store. Mike and Annie took us to Legal Seafood for a lupper and he drove us around a bit to show us places that he and Annie had gone to while dating. It was lovely. Jesse and I stayed in a hotel Sunday to spread out a bit. We were sleeping on a futon at Mike’s and although I was comfy, Jesse has some long legs and they didn’t quite fit on the bed. We headed to the airport Monday morning for a brief stop in Iowa before our next adventure.

I was so grateful we were able to be in Boston and share in the experience of Mike and Annie’s wedding. It was just perfect. I wish them many years of love and adventure. I doubt there will ever be a dull moment with those two wild souls.

 

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