96 hours in New York

I spent 96 hours in upstate New York this week/weekend. Talk about a whirlwind trip. I made the trip to see my cousin Erin get married, and I’m really glad I didn’t miss the wedding. My husband was unable to attend with me (he was out of town for a work trip that he couldn’t back out of) so it was a little weird…but fun. So much fun.

Thursday was a long day. It was my birthday, and I flew out of Asheville at 5:45 a.m. The day ended around 11:30 p.m. when got back to our hotel after birthday celebrations, and wedding reception set-up.

On Friday, my dad, stepmom and I went to my grandma’s farm to check everything out. It was bittersweet. I found myself wondering if this was going to be my last trip to the farm, so I took a LOT of pictures.


I was able to reminisce with Erin last night about our childhood on the farm – the talent shows she and I would do, the beauty salon we’d set up (and charge family members to get their hair essentially washed and dried.) I took a lot of photos of the apple tree we used to climb, the pond that we swam in and boated on summer after summer.


I had about two hours to spare on Friday afternoon, so I walked over to the mall from our hotel. I decided to get a pedicure, and my aunt Sue was going to meet me about the time I should have been finished. I checked out the two nail places in the mall, and went with the less sketchy of the two. Turns out, Nail Trix was also the place that two family members had recommended. When the girl finally took me back, I realized I wasn’t so sure about her. It wasn’t relaxing like my place in Asheville. I couldn’t really watch her like a hawk (just the way my feet were positioned) but the whole process HURT. When I looked down at one point, she looked up at me, holding skin with some tool and SMILED. And then went on about her business. It was at that point I realized my toe was bleeding. She proceeded to do the same thing to my other foot (but it didn’t bleed as much.) Once my toes were painted and I was at a dryer, she had the audacity to walk over and ask “can you pay now?” There was no waiting until I made my way to the register. I asked her for my change, and I proceeded to not tip her. (Saturday morning, I had to go to CVS and get a cream that would hopefully help the infection I have in both toes.)

I did get to spend time with my aunt, and my cousin’s two children. And then it was off to the rehearsal.

The rehearsal went smoothly and fast. The priest was a funny, funny man. He did give me a little crap about the speed in which I speak (I talk fast, and sometimes quietly.) So I was told to slow down and project my voice. I did post a Facebook comment about it, in which some of my southern friends agreed that I should throw a “y’all” into the reading. (I didn’t. Don’t worry. It would have been funny, though.)

I’m going to leave you with two photos from the wedding. It was a long day (and night) and I don’t know that I have the energy to recap it right now. I need to share the photos with my family, though. I have some really fun pictures!