Scenes from the weekend.

I had been looking forward to last weekend for a long time, and it definitely lived up to its expectations. Lindsey and I hopped on Amtrak Saturday afternoon and made our way to Philadelphia to see our favorite band, Fleetwood Mac, at the Wells Fargo Center. We saw them together three times during their last tour in 2009, and couldn't wait to hear them perform live again.

After we arrived, we took in views of the city from Top of the Tower and ate a delicious meal at Table 31 with Lindsey's parents. The rest of the evening was spent at the concert singing along with Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham to all of my favorite songs. The band played for two and a half hours, and performed a few new songs in addition to all of the classics. I am continuously impressed with the band and how amazing they sound live. All of them seriously rock out and put on a great show. I loved it all so much, I booked a trip to Florida to see them again in June!

Philadelphia Freedom I love you. Yes I do.

Terry, Brian, Chad, Paul, and Max. 

Brian and I hopped in our rental car Sunday morning eager for the day ahead. After a quick stop in Greenpoint for donuts at Peter Pan, we were on our way to Philadelphia. A couple hours (and several donuts later) we arrived in South Philly at Engine Company 47. We were excited to reunite with his teammates from the Tough Mudder and catch up over cheese steaks. After chatting at the fire house with Terry and Max, who were both on duty, we headed over to Geno's for lunch. As expected, lunch was quite an experience. We were prepped ahead of time on how and what to order (Brian and I opted for one, whiz, with and one, whiz, without) and thoroughly enjoyed our sandwiches and cheese fries.

It was wonderful to get to see many of the members of Team Rickshaw, reminisce about the race last November, and get pumped for the upcoming event this September in DC. It was a very happy day. 

Practice Makes Perfect

Friday night, Lindsey and Brendan's close family and friends gathered at Top of the Tower for their rehearsal dinner. I was so excited to see Lindsey and to stand next to her as her maid of honor.

After reviewing the technical aspects of the ceremony and the role of the bridal party on the big day, we headed upstairs for cocktails and appetizers. I was so freaking nervous about my maid of honor speech later that night that I barely had an appetite. I decided one glass of wine was enough to calm me down, but not enough to slur my speech more than it always is. It was fun to catch up with the rest of the bridal party and snap some pictures while we waited for dinner to be served.

After we were seated and salads were served and cleared, it was time for Joe (the best man) and I to give our speeches. Joe's speech was perfect, with the right amount of sentiment along with a lot of humor at the groom's expense.

Next came my speech. While writing my speech for Lindsey and Brendan, I struggled to put into words how much Lindsey meant to me. I spent a lot of time in front of my computer writing, and then immediately deleting whole lines or paragraphs after reading them aloud to myself. After a couple of hours (and a few minor panic attacks), I managed to write most of my speech. I decided in addition to my words, I wanted to include my second graders in my speech. Since Lindsey and I met through our shared love of education, it only seemed fitting. So I asked my kids, What is love? And their words brought my to tears in my classroom. The minds of seven year olds never cease to amazing me.

After adding my favorite lines from several of their essays, I was again brought to tears as I rehearsed in my apartment and on the train. I hoped I could keep it more together when giving my speech in front of Lindsey, Brendan, and family, but that was just a silly idea. The second I looked at Lindsey, I started crying uncontrollably.

Why hello, hot mess. 

I took several breaks as I read from my notecards, but eventually made it through without a complete emotional breakdown. Here is what I said:

Hi, my name is Daina. For those of you that don’t know me, I am Lindsey’s friend from college. I met Lindsey the first hour of our freshman orientation at NYU. She walked in a few minutes late to our first speaker with her flipped hair and bright white sneakers, sat next to me, and whispered, “Hi, I’m Lindsey.” And we have been best friends ever since. We lived together throughout college and studied abroad together in Florence. We had the same double majors and almost identical class loads, and were known as a pair by all of our college professors and advisors. Strangers often ask if we are sisters or twins because we look similar, and although we always reply no with a giggle, I feel as close to Lindsey as a sister. Lindsey has been by my side since I moved to New York and I feel so lucky to have her as my best friend.

For the past seven years, I have always thought of Lindsey as my other half. We have been through so much together, and I feel honored to get to stand next to her tomorrow as Brendan officially becomes her other half.

There are so many qualities I love about Lindsey. First of all, I love her mom dancing. I know that Lindsey will always to rock out to Pointer Sisters or Fleetwood Mac around the apartment with me. Lindsey is also a very loyal person. She supports her friends and family through both the good and the bad, and I love that I can always count on her for guidance and reassurance. She is the first person I turn to for advice or comfort during the challenging times in my life. Lindsey is a very caring person. She looks out for her friends, family, and students at school and always keeps their best interests in mind. She reaches out to others without having to be asked and is very conscious about her loved ones well being. I love that Lindsey brings happiness and joy to every facet of her life. She has an infectious smile and can light up a room. I am a happier person having her as a friend.

Brendan, I know that you have definitely brightened Lindsey’s smile and made her extremely happy over the past six years. I still remember how giddy Lindsey was when you special Valentine’s Day package arrived at our apartment in Italy when you first started dating six years ago. I have seen you two grow and mature as a couple, learning from your conflicts and celebrating your milestones. It makes me happy as her friend to know that Lindsey has someone like you. It also makes me happy as her friend to know that you enjoy watching the Bachelor and Bachelorette just as much as we do, and that you will always be there with us at those oh so dramatic season finales. Brendan, thank you for bringing Lindsey so much happiness.

Because Lindsey and I both have such a passion for education and are both teachers, I thought it would only be fitting to include my second grade class in my speech. So, I asked my second graders a to answer a very big question for me, “What is love?” And this is what they had to say:

·      Love means helping, caring, and kindness. When you love somebody they never not love you because God made this world for love.

·      Love feels like you are safe and nothing can harm you.

·      Love means that someone is very important. If you love someone you keep him a part of your life forever and ever. When you love someone you keep him with you for as long as you live.

·      Love is giving up something to make someone else happy.

·      Love is when you make each other laugh.

·      It is when you can trust someone. It is when you can keep their promise or secret and them yours.

·      Love is when you still love someone even when you are mad at him.

·      Love is something you will never let go.

·      Love means a lot it is one of the best things ever.

·      Love is really everything.

Lindsey and Brendan, I am so happy that you have found this love in each other. I know that you make each other so happy and I cannot wait to see what is to come for you both as a couple. I wish you a lifetime of love, happiness, and laughter. Please join me in a toast by raising your glasses in honor of my best friend and her love Brendan.

Luckily, we were all smiles for the rest of the night. 

The bridal party opened their gifts after dinner. The girls received Vera Bradley jewelry boxes with our earrings and bracelet for the wedding, along with robes to wear while we got ready the next day. The groomsmen received jerseys from their favorite teams and bottles of liquor. And everyone was happy. 

After dessert, we headed out to Ladder 15 to continue to celebrate. When my phone alarm went off a little before midnight, I knew it was time to head back to the hotel and rest for the big day!

Fun in Philly

Last Friday Brian and I hauled our duffles and garment bags through midtown Manhattan to Penn Station. We were off for Lindsey and Brendan's wedding weekend in Philadelphia. I am so glad I decided to take the day off of work. It allowed us to have a relaxed morning, a day of sight seeing, and plenty of time to get ready before the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner that evening. On our way from our city to another, I read my chick lit of the week and listened to my Ipod as Brian looked out the train window pointing out abandoned cars and warehouses. After an hour and a half, we arrived at our hotel for the weekend. We were excited to take in our views from the balcony and some much needed Vitamin D.

After freshening up and noshing on some of the treats from our gift bag we received from the bride and groom upon checking in, we headed out to spend a few hours wandering around the city. We started off in Love Park. And really, what's not to love? 

From there we walked over to City Hall. We embarrassingly had to stop a man and ask him to confirm that the building we were standing in front of was in fact City Hall. But we were glad we stopped him, because he not only told us we were correct, but also explained that it is the largest City Hall in America. The structure was beautiful, with statues, carvings, marble, and granite every direction we turned. 

Next stop on our tour was Reading Terminal Market. This is my kind of place. The indoor market was full of restaurants with old-fashioned diner counters, greasy comfort foods, and enough coffee and baked goods to keep my mouth watering all afternoon. 

First, we ate lunch at Dutch Eating Place. I chowed down on chicken pot pie, which was more like a chicken noodle soup with homemade egg noodles, while Brian devoured fresh-cut french fries and a cheeseburger. 

Of course, after eating lunch, coffee and baked goods were a necessity. So, we stopped at Old City Coffee and got an instant caffeine buzz from a double espresso and an iced coffee. 

From there, we walked back to the Flying Monkey to get some sweet treats. Our picks were a Vegan chocolate chip cookie and a homemade Whoopie Pie. And it was the best damn Whoopie Pie I have ever eaten. 

From the market, we walked over to Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell. We did not spend too much time there because Brian was planning to return the next day with my parents, but we did manage to sneak in a quick look at the bell before the museum closed for the day. 

It was really nice to get to spend the day walking around a city neither of us knew, in contrast to our weekends in Brian's hometown of Boston or our days in New York City. We were able to see a lot in an afternoon and had a great time being tourists! 

In Honor of the Bride

Last April, my best friend in New York heard those magical words that so many dream of hearing, Will you marry me? She said yes of course, and made excited phone calls to family and friends to share the wonderful news. After hearing about her proposal and paging through wedding magazines at a corner deli over coffee and snacks, I heard those magical words that best friends dream of hearing, Will you be my maid of honor? I said yes of course, and could not be more honored to be included in Lindsey and Brendan's special day.

As her big day got closer and closer, the bridesmaids came together to plan a gathering in honor of the bride- her bridal shower. We emailed, called, ordered, coordinated, and invited, and the shower came together beautifully.

The day of the shower, Kellie and I rented a Zipcar and left the city around 9 am to drive to Philadelphia. We planned to arrive around 11:30 to help the rest of the girls set up before the guests arrived at 1 pm. We caught up as we drove downtown and through the Holland tunnel. After leaving NY and entering NJ, we stopped for some donuts and coffee before driving the rest of the way there. I snapped pictures of the highway signs and skylines, making sure to document each part of our day. After the gas tank was full, I even asked the gas station attendant to take our picture. I have no shame when it comes to getting the pictures I want...

After being on the road for almost an hour and a half, we started to notice that we were not seeing any signs for I-73, the next direction on our trusty Mapquest print-out. In fact, we weren't really seeing any signs at all. Just trees, snow, and an occasional house. We got excited when we finally saw a few big, green signs ahead, but once we came closer panic set in. The signs marked an upcoming bridge to Delaware. Yep. Delaware. We apparently drove about 45 minutes out of the way in the wrong direction. We called Lindsey confused and lost, and felt a little better after she told us that her and Brendan had done the same thing before. For the rest of the drive, I had my iPhone directions in front of me at all times, slowly watching our little blue dot travel up the purple route line to Philly.

What a relief it was to finally see the Philadelphia skyline. After our Delaware detour and roundabout driving, we had finally made it!

Once we were changed and ready, Kellie and I helped with the finishing touches around the shower room. Since Lindsey and Brendan are traveling to Jamaica for their honeymoon, we hosted a Jamaican/Caribbean themed shower. Food stations were prepped, flowers were arranged, desserts were plated, and pictures of Lindsey and Brendan were strung for a game played throughout the shower.

Lindsey arrived right around one, and was able to greet her family and friends as they arrived and sipped cocktails (the Luminous Lindsey, our signature cocktail for the day, was delicious!).

After we mingled for about 45 minutes, we introduced our adjective game. Throughout the shower, guests could select an adjective written below each picture of Lindsey and Brendan and tell a story about the bride related to that adjective. The bridesmaids started the game off by telling some stories about traveling with Lindsey in Europe, both in high school and college. Towards the end of the afternoon, more of Lindsey's family told stories about Lindsey when she was younger. Regardless of when the stories were from, they all had something in common. They all showed what a kind, determined, and amazing person Lindsey is.

At two o'clock, our Caribbean themed lunch was served. All of the food was authentic and delicious.

After lunch, guests played How Well Do You Know Lindsey, where they answered questions all about the bride...

... and then we watched Lindsey open her gifts, including our beach bag full of honeymoon essentials like beach towels, flip flops, and luggage tags from the bridal party.

After gifts were opened and thank you's were said, everyone snacked on red velvet cupcakes as they sipped coffee and tea.

As desserts were devoured, Brendan joined us for the final game of the day. We asked him to answer questions before the shower, and then had Lindsey try to answer the same questions at the shower. For each wrong answer, she had to chew a piece of Double Bubble. She got a lot of the answers right, but still ended up with quite a wad of tropical flavored gum in her mouth for her wrong ones.

All in all, it was a wonderful day for a wonderful bride-to-be. I feel so fortunate to have Lindsey in my life and as a friend, and I am so excited for her wedding!