Regardless of my cold, I was determined to enjoy spending time with my dearest friends - those I met my first semester of my first year away from home - who went through all the college firsts with me (though my lips are sealed about what all those firsts were about).
The 4 hour drive to Burlington was pleasant thanks to no traffic, my husband the chauffeur, riding in my parent's new Fiat 500, and a beautiful summer day!
"Our" wheels for 5 days!
A beautiful, crystal clear day in Vermont!
Arriving at Lang Barn just as my friends did, I was so excited to celebrate with them. The picturesque setting on this beautiful day was everything I had hoped we would have had for our wedding almost 6 years ago! And as I posted on the blog back in 2010, my girlfriends and I were on track to get together in 2011, based on an every 5 year event, but we ended up having to wait until 2012 for Karri to get married! I'm so glad she gave us a reason to all take a break from the routine of our lives and take a trip down memory lane.
Now for a recap of our day in photos...
Karri's sister and her and Brian's German Shepard make their way down the aisle.
The bride, looking stunning, is escorted by her brother.
A hot, but very beautiful setting for the nuptials.
In true Vermont fashion, a reception in a barn.
Some choreographed country line dancing (yes, we are there on the left).
And a beautiful view!
Unfortunately, we didn't get a photo with the bride and groom,
but I love the one of us from the front, taken by the photographer!
The photographer also got a up close one of our country line dancing! As most of you know me, I would have loved to spend more time on the dance floor, but it really was unbearably hot in the barn and, with my cold, I just could not be inside. The country dance and a few slow songs were all I could muster, but I had lots of time to catch up on the lives of my college friends.
There was lots of reminiscing, talks of mutual friends we've been in touch with, updates on jobs, and stories of kids (there are 4 babies under the age of 3 and 2 on the way among the 3 couples!). Needless to say, there was plenty to talk about!!
To continue our time together after the wedding, we decided to get together in downtown Burlington over drinks and dinner. At 8pm on a warm, summer Saturday night on Church Street, the only restaurant where we wouldn't have to wait was Ken's Pizza. Still being mostly full from our delicious and abundant food at the wedding, no one seemed upset about the location. I actually have very fond memories of the Italian sub (or "grinder" as I once called it with my Rhode Island background), and decided to see if it was as good as I remembered it. The sub and Colin's goat cheese salad did not disappoint. But, the food was only memorable because it brought me back to the days of being carefree, with little responsibility. It's hard not to miss the best parts of those days.
After spending the whole day together, and most of the evening, my friends and I knew it was time to say our goodbyes. We left an open plan to go on a vacation sometime in the near future (which I know will be hard until the kids get older), and decided against "goodbye" and instead left it "until next time." Hearing everyone's stories, I know we have so much going on in our lives, but it is nice to know you can get together with friends after 5 years and pick up where you left off last time. I hope it won't be another 5 or 6 years before we see each other again, but I'm grateful to know that if it is that long, it won't matter.
How often do you get to see your closest friends?
How do you stay in touch if you don't see them very often?
