Saturday morning we checked out of the lamest hotel in the United States and went up to the Anheuser-Busch brewery in Merrimack, New Hampshire. The tour was free and we learned all about how they make beer. The Clydesdale horses were also there. They are huge and beautiful! On our route to York Harbor, Maine we then stopped at a vineyard/winery that was started by a retired ER doctor. Even though we were there for a short time, I really enjoyed the state of New Hampshire (plus there's no sales tax). To crossover into Maine we went through Portsmouth and made it to the York Harbor Inn by 3:15 p.m. Kate Huggins was one of my roommates and best friends in college at ACU. Linley, Kate, and I studied abroad together in Uruguay our Junior year and that solidified our lifelong friendship. We we blessed and honored to attend her wedding to Garrett Rampon! There are so many details to this wedding that I would love to share, but I will just overview to save time. Linley and I ended up being needed more than initially planned. Because it was a destination wedding, most of the attendees and bridal party were family members, but we became ladies in waiting for the bride. We stayed the night before the wedding with her in the inn, brought forgotten items (gifts, water bottles, polish), answered the phone, dried bouquets, and handed out programs and communion cups. It was an absolute blast!! The wedding on Sunday was short and sweet, in the park overlooking the ocean. Afterwards we all had dinner and dancing. Kate and Garrett met on a med student trip to Guatemala so all of the tables were designated with some of the countries they had been to. Since the group was small, we became close and I felt like I was in a dream or a movie. Kate Huggins Rampon sure does know how to do a wedding! She was praised as the most organized bride from those who did dozens of weddings at this inn each year. Who else? :)
We said our goodbyes after the couple sent lit paper lanterns into the coastal sky (yes, just like the movie Tangled). The next stop was a cottage in Kennebunk, Maine, just up the coast from York Harbor. It was a relief to stay there after the horrible hotel outside of Boston. Actually staying in a small town was better than visiting them in the days previous. This must be confirming the fact that I am a small "town/city" girl at heart...we'll see how I do in Grand Prairie. There was time to shop like a tourist, swim/tan at the beaches, and of course watch TV. The best part of new beaches is exploring, so we found two types of crabs, snails, clams, shells and rocks. Don't worry, we left the living creatures in their habitats but did bring back a collection of shells and rocks. After spending almost all our money, we made our way back on Tuesday afternoon through Portsmouth, New Hampshire and Boston traffic to our last stop in Weymouth. If you haven't been paying attention, I love to watch baseball, so of course we watched what we could of the 2013 All-Star Game (which the AL won 3-0)!
Wednesday was an early morning but 5 a.m. was not early enough. Our boarding time was 6:55 a.m. so after trudging though Boston traffic, returning the rental car, checking our bags and going through security, we missed our flight arriving at our gate at 7:15 a.m. Grr! $50 later we had a new flight and a five and a half hour wait before boarding for DFW. Live and learn I guess. Made it home to Texas before 4 p.m. local time, almost had a luggage scare, and went to Abilene as quick as possible.
I truly enjoyed my trip to Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Maine for Kate's wedding! Even though it was rough at times, it was nice to get away and once again, appreciate the state that I love, Texas. Kate, you were a beautiful bride and I am glad to call you friend!
No comments:
Post a Comment