Despite Janice’s warning that she’d be grumpy waking up for hair+makeup at 7am, the morning–and the entire day, in fact–went off without a hitch.  I mean, except Todd and Janice getting hitched. (Haha!) It was a beautiful day, lots of love.  It was also my first time as a bridesmaid, which was so. much. fun!  You get all the inside action, without any of the anxiety that comes from being the bride!  I tried to be a good maid, knowing it was for a limited time only… carrying Janice’s purse, chauffeuring her relatives (kudos to Eric), trailing, fluffing, bustling her… shoe-ing, bathrooming, running to get the limo in place-ing… smiling, hugging, not tearing up-ing… it was truly an honor!  Janice and Todd, congratulations again and may God bless you and give you many hapa haole kids, in due time… your mom’s words, not mine!!

Before our trip though, we went to Mandie & Yohan’s wedding on Saturday morning.  It was a sweet & simple ceremony, followed by a brunch reception complete with French toast and omelette stations – what a great idea!  Mandie’s parents beamed with joy and laughter the entire time – so sweet – and Yohan tried visibly hard not to misstep during the first dance, only to shout “that was a nightmare!” once the song concluded.
As the dancing began, we cut out early and hit the road.  The motivation for our trip was to see Jon Schmidt in concert, a contemporary pianist from Utah who I’ve been following since high school.  All of his music is great, but the kicker for us was that I played his rendition of “Can’t help falling in love” for Eric at our wedding… so we couldn’t pass up this opportunity to meet him!  The drive down was gorgeous.It was my first time visiting Baltimore’s Inner Harbor.  As we walked along the moonlit water that evening, I remember feeling so safe and secure in the arms of my husband… and overwhelmed with thankfulness for the chance to experience new places together.  I wished I could stretch time and breathe a few more breaths of the crisp, cool autumn air.  So that the “life is good” feeling could etch a big, permanent mark in my heart.

The next day, we attended a Lutheran church service and the voices of the choir filled my heart again.  As we walked out of the sanctuary to grab lunch before returning for the concert, an old, little lady in a sparkly white hat, royal blue suit, and matching heels followed behind us. Eric held the door open for her and she beamed, “well then, chivalry isn’t dead after all!”  As trivial as it was, I was so proud!!  Haha. 

The concert did not disappoint.  The music was great, but even more than that, Jon Schmidt is an amazing performer.  He played with arms behind his back, lying on the bench, with his toes and even his head (hence the ridiculous wig) – and fully entertained the audience, composing music on the fly, telling stories, taking requests.  Of course, Eric asked for our special song and Jon gladly obliged. He changed it up a bit and even sang the words… it brought back butterflies and so many memories!  

With that, it was time to go home.  Good thing, too, or my heart might have actually burst!

We’re heading to London tomorrow for a real getaway (so spoiled, I know), so I won’t be blogging for a few days.  But I’ll try to take some interesting pictures to share… maybe of scones and horses?  Cheerio!