Summer Fun Begins

It was time to kick off the summer festivities and what better way to do that then with a wedding. Isn't that how we all start the summer? No? Maybe it's just something our family does. Or maybe it just seems that way. Or maybe it's because, oh who cares it's just another excuse to celebrate and party. That pretty much works for us. Ever since we got our save the date card we've been looking forward to June 2011. It was another chance to head on over to the East Coast.

Virginia Beach was the destination this time. It was all we could talk about for months. What to wear, what to do, what to see, did I mention what to wear? Ironically, Mike had his wardrobe choice all set months before I did. What's up with that? Finally the trip arrived and we were off. We flew Southwest. Not exactly my favorite way to go. I'm a Jetblue girl myself. I'm all about individual T.V. screens. And snacks. Remind me to stay true to the blue. I should get loyalty points in the future. But more on this later. Don't worry, I'll get back to this....

I was actually pretty excited to be welcomed to warmth. I know, strange concept. I have to fly from California in June to get some heat. What's up with that? True story. We landed and I took my jacket off. Aaahh. Wait. Did I actually welcome the humidity? Who am I? What did I do with the old me? We got ready for the rehearsal dinner at Waterman's and look at that - nighttime and I didn't need my sweater. Ah, this was nice. What a concept. To wear your dress and have it be seen instead of having to cover up. We basked in the warmth all night and it just kept on coming.

We woke up the next morning and opened the door. Woosh. Yup, it's hot. Yup, it's humid. But ironically we were enjoying it. Sure, we might not enjoy it forever but at that moment we were loving it. Mike and I sat on the porch and soaked it in. We arrived at the Norfolk Botanical Gardens for the Wedding Ceremony. We noticed how everything around us was just so green. We had forgotten just how green everything on the East Coast is. It was beautiful to be sitting there in the gardens -yes I will admit it was hot - and just see how alive everything was. In comparison, San Diego is kind of brown. We are in a desert after all. Sometimes you never really stop to think about it until you are sitting there in the garden surrounded by all of those trees.

But in the end, hot is hot. West Coast, East Coast, in the end really it's all the same. Hey, I'm still not a fan of sitting in the sun all day unless there's a big pool next to me and I have the option of jumping into it. Needless to say, I was relieved when it was time for my next wardrobe change and the party was about to begin. Don't get me wrong, I love weddings. The flowers, the dresses, the fashions, the party. What's not to love? Everyone knows it's all about the party. It was a great night.

Sadly we had to say good-bye to Virginia Beach. We had just enough time to run down to the boardwalk and burn our feet on the sand. Yes, you read correctly. I don't think I've ever run to the water so fast in my life. One minute we were strolling along the boardwalk enjoying a hot beach and loving life. The next it was run for the water, run for the water. Literally. But I wouldn't have changed it because it gave our family watching on the beach some good entertainment value and we all know I am here to amuse. I was glad to be of service that morning on the sand.

One of the best parts of the trip was running into the storm of lightning bugs. That's right my friends lighting bugs or as some people like to call them - fireflies. Potato, potahto, tomato, tomahto, blah, blah, blah. It's a lightning bug. We were en route to my Uncle's house in Maryland and these little gems were everywhere. We love lightning bugs. Used to catch them all the time when we were little. Ok and maybe when we were teenagers too. Unfortunately there are no lightning bugs on the west coast.

These are the coolest bugs. It's a part of summer - when the sun goes down and you see mini lanterns glowing all over your yard it makes you feel like a kid again. I thought about bringing some home but I didn't think the people at the airport would be too happy about that. Bummer. It was time to head back to the airport. I promised to get back to this story didn't I? We flew Southwest. First come first serve my a**. Unless you're flying solo, this is not the way to go. No one likes to give their seat up. Even if it's not an assigned seat. No one likes to let people travelling together sit together. True story. People won't make eye contact with you. They will avoid you at all costs. The price of our Southwest flight was not that much cheaper than any other airline. Sure, they give you a little "stand up" comedy. A bag of peanuts, a bag of pretzels. Two checked bags for free. I think I'll take my chances on the Blue.

For an alternate ending and for different pictures, go to my other blog at http://www.redismynaturalcolor.wordpress.com/