And I Do, Cherish You...

The end of a really great night.

Yesterday, in the wee hours of the morning (that I've come to know so well) I returned from a whirlwind weekend in Colorado for a dear friend's wedding.  Bethy was the first person I met when I moved to Valpo.  She lived across the hall and since she was also from far away, we got to move in early and do orientation right before classes started.  There are a lot of things to love about Bethy, but what I appreciated most that fateful August day was her warm smile and welcoming attitude.  Bethy is an instant friend to pretty much anyone.  She is also hilarious and passionate and entertaining and loyal and caring and one of the main reasons Valpo felt like home from the very beginning.  A few months into the school year I convinced Bethy to join me for the Mat Kearney concert in Chicago and I remember getting off the SouthShore train and stepping into the big city and all of the sudden thinking oh my gosh I'm in a giant unknown city all by myself- I'm a real live adult! which was just the first of many adventures we shared together.  Needless to say, it was wonderful to witness her marry the love of her life, and being surrounded by Valpo people wasn't so bad either.  It never takes very long for me to remember why I chose Valpo, and why I loved it so much while I was there- such good people!

I was extra invested in this wedding because I was eager to see how Beth handled the loss of her own father in a day that is so dependent on the presence of one.  This is an interesting summer because once again, our lives intersect in inexplicable ways.  Our friend (and my former roommate) Katie also lost her dad in early 2011 and gets married next month.  Bethy's dad died a few months after mine, and while I'd never wish anyone else to feel this particular pain, it is comforting to know that I'm not the only one enduring it.  During the reception, Beth did a wonderful job explaining why this day was bittersweet for her followed by a really great slide show with some of her favorite pictures of them together.  As I watched through tearful eyes, and glanced over at Katie who was also struggling to hold it together, I felt even more grateful that there were other people who, at that moment, felt the exact same pain I did.

Garden of the Gods

Sunday, my flight didn't leave until later in the evening, so I got to sleep in and relax which was wonderful.  After checkout I had about 4 hours to kill, so I decided to head over to the Garden of the Gods.  Being back in Colorado Springs for the first time in years was a little weird.  Since Nate went to school there, I'd been numerous times before, but we spent more time in the basketball gym than  exploring the city.  Garden of the Gods is beautiful, and also happened to be full of kids on school trips, so I grabbed some lunch, briefly checked out the sites and discovered you can drive to the top of Pike's Peak.  What?!  I can summit a 14,000ft mountain without training or even the right footwear?  Sign me up.  They said it would take 2-3 hours, which was exactly the amount of time I had left, and just like that, I headed west.

I knew I'd have some time to myself while in Colorado, so I'd brought along the wedding CD Liz gave me, and the drive up the mountain was the perfect time to listen to it.  Confession: I still love mix tapes.  Something about the unknown anticipation each time a song ends, and the reaction following the discovery, thinking about why the person who made it chose that song...I just love it.  Especially on long road trips.  So it was fun to sit back and think about what Dad was thinking when he chose each song, why he might have suggested it for a wedding, and what memories we have tied to each one.  I pretty much lost it when "Used to be My Playground" came on, since I made Dad listen to that song over and over until we literally wore out the tape, and smiled my way through "Diamonds on the Souls of her Shoes."  (Also, there was a 98* throwback that really caught me off-guard, because who knew my dad even knew who they were?)  You have to drive up the mountain pretty slowly since it's such a steep grade, which was kind of perfect since all you really want to do is look around at the amazing views anyway.

 My first glimpse of the view, about 10 minutes after I reached the top.

The weather was great until the very top when we hit a brief whiteout.  I could only see about five feet in front of me, so once I found a place to park, I cranked up the heat for a bit, pulled out a magazine and started reading until the clouds broke.  About ten minutes later, the weather shifted and I could see for miles and miles and miles.  Now, I love me a good beach, and would probably rather sit on one and read for vacation, but amazing views from mountain tops give life to my soul.  And I just sat there, taking it all in and thinking about life and processing through this year of transition and it was just wonderful.  At some point I ventured from the warmth and safety of the car to take pictures from the edge and see the full sights, but seeing as I had only packed sandals for my quick 48hr trip and there was snow on the ground, I was extra grateful that the parking spot I selected was positioned so perfectly.

Summit Selfie!

I need community, and love being around great people, but every once in a while, I like to sneak off on my own to just sit and think, and there are few places better to do that than at 14000 feet.  It was the perfect way to end a really great trip.