No sooner did I arrive in my new home in Oregon did I up and leave; flying to Minneapolis for the wedding of a friend I've had since we were 10. I was exhausted, but didn't really realize it until I sat down for the ceremony and closed my eyes to wait for it to start. I nearly nodded off! What a shame if I had slept through it! I didn't though, and it was beautiful in its simplicity and meaning - I was glad to be there. My friend looked absolutely stunning, too.
I arrived at the wedding mid-afternoon though the ceremony wasn't until the evening. The hotel had a terrific pool so I swam laps - something I hadn't done in ~2 years. I was feeling very motivated and probably swam more than I should have - it felt so good to use my body after sitting in the car for a week though! I may have been better off napping under the circumstances :) Swimming was a great aerobic exercise though; which is something I need more of. I will try to do that here in Oregon. There is an athletic center in my neighborhood I should check out, and of course the University must have nice facilities available to me.
At the wedding I didn't know anyone except my friend's brothers who I hadn't seen in ~15 years or so. It was nice to see them but we didn't really have anything to talk about. It was funny they didn't recognize me at all. I think of all my high school friends, this one and I have probably changed the most. We have also waited the longest before starting families, putting schooling and our careers first at least in our 20's. We also have become more physically active later in life and are constantly trying new things. Her husband bikes in road races and this summer I dated a person who biked across country. I find it funny since in high school neither of us dated, and if we had it would have been someone who had their noses stuck in books, not someone like either of these people. It is good we have both found balance and branched out in life; academics aren't everything!
At first I was uncomfortable at the wedding because I didn't know anyone and I wasn't sure there were people I would connect with there - and many of them seemed to know each other already. By my friend pointed me in a good direction as to someone to talk to. I joined her table and everyone there was nice. There was a progressive and fun lesbian couple who met in a choir, a newly married couple with a husband who had gone to college in our home town when we were there in high school, and a lady with a PhD who had almost gone into academia. We had an enjoyable evening eating and talking.
I was ready to crash early that evening and had probably my first good night's sleep since before leaving South Africa. I was the last person to arrive at the brunch they had arranged at the hotel the next morning. That worked out well for me though since things were getting quieter and I was able to talk to her and her new husband more than the previous night. I wanted a quiet place to work for the afternoon before heading back to the airport but they suggested I come to see their house - which was a great idea. I got to see where they live and the projects they are doing to fix it up. Then I had a late lunch with my friend before catching an earlier flight back to Portland. (I was able to go home on standby 3 hours earlier.)
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