Jo & Tom Getting Married - Vol. 1

When I arrived on the Thursday afternoon bus, it had been almost ten years since I had stepped foot in Enniskillen, Northern Ireland.  This place holds some of my fondest memories, and I was struck by how the city felt the same after so many years. 

Jo's family made me an honorable 4th Noble daughter for the weekend, and I absolutely loved it.  I got to stay in the lodge house with the family.  I got to drink tea with the family.  I even got to run around like a chicken with its head cut off with the family.  

The days before any wedding are hectic.  We needed to ferry over to the wedding venue, pick up the dresses, coordinate wedding guests, etc.  And like all brides, Jo needed to wax her forearms.  Obviously. 

I asked Mama Carol to put me to work, and she didn't waste any time. I took over the following responsibilities to help out the Nobles:

1. Chief Coordinator of Hats and Fascinators  

2. Party Entertainment (sub skills: sarcasm, political analysis of presidential politics, previously undisclosed Jo stories, amateur weather predictions, comparative analysis of wedding customs, identification of absurd things British people say)

3. Director of Pre-Wedding Ferry Crossings

4. Artistic Consultant for Seating Chart 

5. Cuddle Buddy/British Reality TV Enthusiast (and occasional family mediator - let's be honest)

6. Bartender of the Bride

 The days before the wedding can now be added to my list of favorite Enniskillen memories.  What a remarkable feeling -  to recognize that you are exactly where you're meant to be. 

Once Again With Nathalie

My trip to England for Jo's wedding gave me an incredible opportunity to reconnect with a lost friend.  Nathalie and I lived next door to each other when I studied at the University of Oxford in 2007.  Sadly, we have not spoken much since that time. 

Nathalie was kind enough to host me on my way in and out of London.  

I got to spend some time with her lovely new roommates and boyfriend.  And we shared the quintessential British meal: Indian food. 

We talked jobs and family and boys and old friends and new friends and travel and future plans and forgotten plans. We talked and talked. 

The truth that I've learned is that friendships are never dead, never gone.  They are simply hibernating - waiting for the opportunity to awaken once more in a new form.  

And I love hibernating friendships.  They allow me to contemplate how time has played through me and to reconnect with my younger dreams.  

When I think of my hibernating friendships across the world - the people waiting to enrich my life again in the future - I am overwhelmed with excitement. How lucky am I. 

  

Dear God, More Than I Can Handle?

They say that God never gives you more than you can handle. Well, this week really put that to the test. 

In the past 7 days, I have:

Spent 33 hours in international transit (6,346 miles in total)

Went back to work 10 hours after landing

Orchestrated and emceed a pep rally for 1000+ students

Attended two Homecoming games

Handled a student protest

Canceled our Homecoming dance last minute (see previous)

Visited the vet three times

Watched as Bear ripped the stitches out of his ear and had to be tranquilized

Babysat a miserable animal

Hosted a dinner party

Attended a lovely surprise baby shower

  

But hey, I'm still here and still happy.  I might even be a little bored.  Nice try, God, but you're going to have to try harder.  

Happy Sunday.  Go Broncos. 


P.S. The Family Broyles is still hantivirus-free! So exciting!

Camp Dick!

You might have heard a rumor that I recently attended an incredibly beautiful Irish wedding.  Well, this blog post is not about it.  Sorry. 

The truth is that I had been having adventures long before my Irish escapades.  Weeks before - to be precise - during a very entertaining camping trip with my kickball team, Elvis Freshley. 

It was my idea to go camping, so therefore I got to choose our campground.  Obviously, I made my choice based on which site had the best name.  Camp Dick it was! 

Camp Dick is located about 40 minutes outside of Boulder, CO and was breathtakingly beautiful.  I highly, highly recommend it.  

The hiking trail was a little wet.  Ok, it had turned into a river.  But through the exploring, fire maintaining, canned beans eating, bear avoiding, frisbee games mastering, and nearly freezing conditions we enjoyed a truly memorable weekend.  

Oh, and if Ashley Leonard ever asks you to finish a bag of wine with her, the answer is always yes.  Although you might regret it the next day.  

And if you are wondering if you should fill up of gas before you go remote camping, the answer is always yes.  #kevinforcedustocoastdownthemountainwhilealsostoppingforemilytovomit. 

Not my proudest moment. 

I [Might] Only Have 3 Weeks To Live

I might only have 3 weeks to live.  I know, I'm devastated too. 

Last weekend, like we do every Labor Day, my parents and I hiked up to our favorite remote cabin in the mountains. And I mean remote.  No electricity.  No water.  No cars.  No human contact since our visit last Labor Day. 

Normally, our weekends at the cabin are peaceful and relaxing.  Not so much this year.  

The cabin was infested with mice.  There were droppings on every foot of the floor, in every receptacle from the floor to the ceiling.  

And then we heard them.  The mice had converted the mattresses inside the cabin into their apartment complex - complete with nests, communal seed collections and very large bathroom facilities.  And we spent half the day cleaning it up. 

So here's where the health scare comes into play.  Mice carry diseases, especially rural mice.  We had inadvertently walked into laughably ideal conditions for hantavirus.  Hantavirus is dangerous.  Of the 8 people who caught hantavirus in Yosemite this summer, 3 have died.  

Did you just call me a hypochondriac?  Fine.  I will let you decide. 

1. Hantavirus is carried by deer mice.  We had plenty of deer mice.  

 2. "It is believed that humans can get sick with this virus if they come in contact with contaminated dust from mice nests or droppings."  Oh, we had mega nests. 

3. "You may come in contact with such dust when cleaning homes, sheds, or other enclosed areas that have been empty for a long time."  Like, perhaps, cleaning remote cabins left alone for a year?

That night while we slept, the mice came back.  Went into our bags and chewed up our food.  And we got the opportunity to bleach everything again!

We probably will be just fine, but if not, symptoms should show up in about 3 weeks.  Don't worry, it's not contagious.  But I'm thinking it might be time for some skydiving, right Tim McGraw?

Bluegrass Turns Us Crazy

The Broyles-Daigle family loves Rocky Grass.  In fact, it is the best day of our year.  Every year.  Rocky Grass is a 4 day bluegrass festival in Lyons, CO.  Due to our aggressive approach to festivaling, we traditionally only can handle a one day pass. 

I was so happy to have Miss Caroline Younts join the bunch again this year. 

In my opinion, Rocky Grass surpasses the Telluride Bluegrass Fest because its river is super cool (in more way than one). 

Some families have church time together, or sports time together, or even meal times.  But for the Broyles family, our primary yearly bonding happens in the river.

While my parents played games, my sister stalked me until she dunked me.  If you've never had a wild woman with a stick chase you through a river, you have never experienced true terror. 

 She won.  Like always. 

And, as any true love birds would do, my parents attempted to float down the river holding hands.  Can I get a collective "Ahhhhhhhhhhhh"?

If you are looking for laughter, friendship, tranquility, originality, fiddle playing, dancing, competitive card playing, or delicious food then Rocky Grass is your spot. 

WARNING. High levels of bluegrass festival entertainment will turn mothers into this:

It's not for the faint of heart. 

Marek's Home? Score!

Not all friends are created equal.  I hate to be overly honest, but we all know it is true.  Some friends are temporary or situational, and some friends are the 25 To Life kind.  And there are those friends who can make anything memorable, and Marek Rewers is definitely in that category.  

Marek started out as just my high school boyfriend's buddy, but throughout college and after he's been a great provider of laughter and camaraderie.  

So, when I heard he was home for a summer vacay - I forced him to hang out with me.  Well, actually I forced him to rearrange every piece of furniture in my apartment.  And then hang out with me.  He loved it. 

And we decided to be true locals - we went hiking. 

Marek is the type of person who increases the experience of the outdoors through educational videos at rest stops.  Totally worth it.  I mean, this buffalo is inspirational. 

Navigating was a bit confusing on the mountain roads. 

Me: "Marek, what road are we looking for?"

Marek: "Ok."

Me: "Did you not understand my question? What is the road's name?"

Marek: "Ok." 

Eye roll.  Turns out, he was right. 

The signage is this area was a little repetitive, but informative. 

After such a long hike, I wanted a little refreshment.  So we stopped at local Sit-n-Bull Saloon. 

The prize wheel out front left nothing to be desired.  It knew just what we wanted. 

We didn't win. 

But we did go meet Janette. And the 4 motorcycle men who were sitting and shooting some bull at the Sit-n-Bull. 

I ordered a diet coke.  Expecting a cup. Or can. With a straw.  Silly me, Janette handed me this for free and sent us on our way:

Thanks Janette! I hope I win the hot date next time, she's pretty great.

I am a firm believer in the importance of ice cream, and luckily so is Marek.  We enjoyed some at my local ice cream shop.  

Bear even showed off some gangsta dance moves. 

What a great day.  What a great state to live in. Come play with me again soon, Marek!