CINDY’S BEST FRIEND GOT MARRIED!!!!

…and Cindy was the matron of honor! Cindy’s best friend was the maid of honor in our wedding last year. So it has been special to go through this life stage together.

The wedding was in Flagstaff, AZ so it was quite a bit of a journey to get there from Los Angeles. Cindy set out for the 7 hour drive at 3:00am on Friday morning, so she could make it on time to the spa day she had planned for the bride and the bridal party. Jake was so nervous for Cindy’s safety and was sure she would be calling halfway through the drive to admit she couldn’t make it the rest of the way. To his surprise, Cindy not only drove the entire way but she also made it on time, had a great spa day, and attended the rehearsal for the wedding.

Since Jake had class all day on Friday, he had to fly in to Arizona. It took him a total of 4 modes of transportation to get from Los Angeles to Flagstaff– Lyft to the airport, plane ride to Phoenix AZ, shuttle from Phoenix to Flagstaff, and Uber in the form of a monster truck from the shuttle station to the AirBnB. The only reason  we’re sharing this is because we LOVE it when a trip includes multiple modes of transportation.

The actual wedding was absolutely beautiful and gorgeous. From getting ready in the morning to tear down after the reception, the day flew by and it was so special and such an honor to witness it all. The day brought back so many memories of our own wedding! But we also realized the experience of being a guest is entirely different from the experience of being a bride\groom. The reverend who performed the ceremony gave a short and sweet message about the marriage covenant. It was a good reminder to the both of us of how sacred our wedding vows are. They aren’t just promises to each other, they are promises to God.

During the reception, Cindy had to give a toast. Public speaking comes easily to Jake- give him any random topic and he can deliver the speech of the century for you. For Cindy, public speaking is the most terrifying ever. She was extremely nervous, but she did it! And it wasn’t cringe! There were a few good laughs and a few teary eyes. Cindy had started tearing up, mostly because she was becoming emotional from her toast, but also a tiny bit because of how nervous she was.

We had such a fun time at the wedding and now that we’re back home, Cindy is starting to miss her friend a lot. Living on opposite sides of the country (Los Angeles and Michigan), they don’t get to see each other often. So, seeing each other two years in a row is rare and has been extra special.

As for Jake, he keeps wondering when his male friends are going to get married. He wants to be in a wedding and give the toast of the year! lol jk. But really, wedding days are filled with so much joy we want more!

On a completely unrelated note, we stopped by Calico Ghost Town on the drive back from the wedding. Somehow, we were convinced by the cashier to do the Haunted Mine Walk Through. Cindy made it 10 seconds into the Walk Through before she ran out. Jake had to finish the Haunted Walk Through on his own. When he came out on the other side, he admitted he was a little scared. We thought it would be a cheesy little maze, but we were wrong. If anyone loves haunted houses and stuff like that, you should go to Calico Ghost Town and do the Haunted Mine Walk Through. It will make you cry.