Matt and Kristy

This weekend, Eric and I flew to California for a friend's wedding.

We relied on the awesomeness of friends and neighbors and my dear brother-in-law, Tim for childcare so we could make the trip without the kids. As fabulous as this sounds (no kids!), it was primarily motivated by cost. Having already been as a family to California for my brother's wedding in March, this needed to be a quick trip and a much less expensive trip.

We arrived at LAX in the evening on Thursday and made our way up to the mountain community of Crestline. I couldn't see much, but when we circled Lake Gregory, with the moonlight reflecting on the water, I knew that this was going to be a beautiful wedding location. We helped Matt and Kristy finish up their favors, and I got to enjoy the pre-wedding chatter of the bride and her two sisters as well as a dress sneak-peek!

Matt has been a friend of mine since my senior year in high school, and one of Eric's close friends since his high school days. Kristy is now welcomed into the "friend family" and she is a perfect pairing to Matt. It feels so good to see a well matched couple enter into marriage.

Friday, we went where we were needed and then attended the rehearsal in the evening. I wasn't in the wedding, but Eric was a groomsman. Dinner was at an Inn overlooking the extreme valley below (we were 5,000 ft. up). Breathtaking. The area is called Rim of the World and I don't think there is a better description.

Each day seemed to be filled with fabulous catching-up with old friends. We stayed up waaaaay too late talking the night before the wedding. Kept the groom up until 1 or so.

The wedding day, I cherished an extended breakfast with Erika while all the men went to Billie Bears for their own breakfast (the previous breakfast was at Loose Caboose!). Gosh, I miss that girl! She mentioned that it was probably the longest time we've had together, uninterrupted, since Eric and I married. So sad, yet understandable.

The actual wedding was so terribly perfect. I could sense that lots of friends were part of the effort- doing flowers, serving drinks, arranging decorations. And the location couldn't have been more full of natural beauty. The ceremony was sincere and well spoken (they were married by a friend), food was great, talk was fun, and it's always amazing to be dressed up with my sweetie (goodness, he's handsome!). We were the very last ones to leave and hated saying goodbye to dear friends we'd reconnected with.

The following day, we left and made our way back toward the coast for our departing flight. It felt so strange to be in Southern California and NOT see our family. They were only about 1 1/2 hrs. away, but there wasn't time. :-(

There was just enough time, though, to have that horrible feeling of being caught between worlds- missing our kids and our home and our friends and neighbors.... and missing the California air, the mountains, and old friends. Can't we all just move to the same street and live happily ever after??!!

*thanks to Erika for many of these pictures. I only had my camera phone... which takes better pictures than I thought (like that first one...gasp!) so I will certainly not shy away from it next time!