A quick trip to the Pacific Northwest

As if getting organized and prepared for two months out of the country weren't enough, this past weekend was my younger brother's wedding in the San Juan Islands of Washington State. Sarah and Traber somehow got it into their systems that their perfect wedding was to be at a place called Rosario Resort on Orcas Island. The only problem with this plan was that it meant every single guest was an out-of-towner. It also meant a lot of travel! I after going to bed on Thursday night at 11:30pm, I was up at 3:45 am packing my suitcases and burning CDs in time to race to the airport for a 6:00 am flight. Then there were hours and hours on planes and in airports, a 2-hour drive to the ferry terminal, a 1.5-hour wait for the ferry, another 1.5 hours on the ferry, and then an additional thirty minute drive from the Orcas Island ferry terminal to Rosario. Needless to say, after 15 hours of straight travel on 4.5 hours of sleep, by the time I arrived for the rehearsal dinner I was in a state nearing catatonia. Now that I am on the tail end of the trip, I am also afraid that my delicate southern constitution is not handling very well the damp coolness of the climate, and I have started to get sniffles.

Despite all this, I am so honored to be part of their wedding. The ceremony was on a point overlooking the bay at sunset and there were sailboats and cormorants forming a backdrop to their vows. The whole weekend had a lot of personal touches and thought put into the small details. Both Sarah and Traber wrote their own vows and it was amazing to witness and to be part of such a personal and yet monumental exchange between two people. My sister Beth and I were sobbing all over each other (and Traber's high school roommate) as we watched our "little" brother declare his love and commitment (while weeping himself) to an amazing woman he has begun building a life in Seattle with. I realized I have a lot to learn from Traber.

Of course it was impossible for me not to get involved myself - I took over DJ duty at the reception to control volume and to play some special music and a story from a cousin who couldn't make it to the wedding. I provided the first toast and of course performed a dance when the party moved into the "party" phase. It was a hoot to have everyone (including my father) join me in dancing Bollywood style to a song from Monsoon Wedding. I think the image that I have indelibly etched into my memory is a childhood friend of my father's wearing a red streamer from the dance on his forehead like a silver-haired version of the karate-kid. What a trip. I am exhausted from all the travel, but it was a really really special weekend.