Sarah and Logan's Wedding

I have always  been a little bah humbug about weddings and I have declined more invitations to weddings than I have attended. But somehow Sarah managed to change my mind. Months ago when I heard her enthusiasm for the preparations I was getting excited to attend her and Logan's wedding. I was in for a few surprises.

Brenda, an excited bridesmaid.

It doesn't take a good picture to capture just how much Logan was beaming in anticipation of his bride!

I'm not sure, if it was the music that they had chosen (Haydn, Vivaldi and and various other evocative pieces) but I was strangly touched (and still am now) with the anticipation of the ceremony even before I saw Sarah approaching the sanctuary.

I saw some major lipwobbles as her Dad steadied a bride anticipating those important steps onto the carpet.

There she is with the big smile.

The Lutheran church that looks a bit like a ship. Funny enough in Germany we say that someone is "sailing into the harbor of marriage".

Look at those guys! I am often sceptical, but with those guys, they know what they are doing. They really love each other and also know that it takes a bit more than a few romantic notions for a life together. They are fully aware how different they are and how precious the acceptance of the other is and how important to celebrate their differences.

Vows.

Taking their brightly shining candles.

Lighting the unity candles.

Keeping the candles of their individuality that ultimately made them fall in love burning brightly!

Now what Mrs Ericksen?

Mr Ericksen offering his arm.

Together ready for anything!

Doesn't it look dreamy? :-)

There is no such thing as too many fairy lights, I repeat, there is no such thing as too many fairy lights!

Four ladies with tiaras and star wands: Baby Fairies?!?

Flip flops for the dancing later! Sarah thinks of everything and is obviously well versed in wearing towering heels and its consequences! (Me, I just turned up in comfy shoes, still elegant mind :-)

Gipsy Jazz at Sarah and Logan's Wedding! Who'd 've thunk!

Jason, Trevor and Jenni.

Scott, I, Jason and Trevor.

Jennifer and Steve.

Cara & hubby and various other guests.

Sarah, we did enjoy those lighting cubes in our drinks!

The youngest guest.

Logan leading his wife to their first dance. And what a dance!

Everything very stylish a composition in red, white and black. The only lapse: the food. Spaghetti and a tomato-black angus sauce would have been so much more in keeping with the color theme! If you guys ever have a party to renew your vows, feel free to get me involved with the food planning :-)

Now wait, why are there three mints lying in a row in front of me...? Oh by the way, thanks for the goody bag and especially the pack of cards, nobody enjoyed those more than our table :-) Although the gallon of water that was in there as was a much appreciated move considering that there was an open bar all night...:-)

Also cudos on that emergency basket in the powder room! It was stocked with anything a gal might need at a wedding: pain-killers, hair pins, safety pins, spare nylons, watchamacalits and thingymabobs as well as band-aids, mints, toothbush and toothpaste! My guess is that Sarah has been in/to enough weddings to have encountered just about any wedding reception emergency there is!

People at the all night open (!) bar...

Another lovely couple: Jenni and Trevor.

The dancing was great! Fab choice of music!

Logan consoling his BFF with a dollar dance.

The lovely bride and Scott, who cleans up nice!

Ooh Logan, you better pick the right legs there!

And Logan did!

Wonderful wedding! According to Logan that's pretty much cudos to the bride, but he did have a lovely speech, Logan did.

I can't wait to hear about their honeymoon, which is a surpise for Sarah, planned by Logan. How cute is that!

Interstate Statepark Hike with the MN Rovers

A natural group picture at our first overlook, how cool is that! Kristen, Shelly, John, Annie, Beth, Kristen, Kim, Kim, Frank, Liliana, Marsha, Marsha's middle daughter and Ted (the latter during a rare eating break :-).

13 of us set out on Sunday at the Interstate State Park on the Minnesota side to hike a Minnesota loop and a Wisconsin loop on the Pot Hole Trail let by Marsha and cheered on by Liliana, who made sure my laces were tied properly before we got on the trail :-) a few more Rovers we picked up on the trail :-)

Beautiful deep forest trail that made our nostrils flare sucking in exactly what a forest should smell like!

Kristen and Kristen.

That incline was a doozy (long) and tought me what catching your breat really means. It sharpened my awareness, that when you burn lots of energy you need lots of oxygen too, otherwise the stove goes out!

Last bend before reaching the overlook.

Ah the St. Croix.

Onward.

Beautiful sandstone formations: Sedona, MN.

Frank, Ted and John (gotcha after all John, heehee).

We saw several of these nestlike bunches in Cedar trees and couldn't quite decide if they were some kind of nest or some kind of unusual growth.

On the stone outcrop you can see "The Old Man of the Dalles". (Dalles = dells is something like a bluff Beth explained to me.)

Thats a heck of a cave under a tree! Enough space for one big fairy...or a bunch of small ones.

Not many leaves have turned, but some of the trees did try to do their best to make up for it!

Ooh, sun coming out!

Behold the Taylors Falls Princess!

One of the "potholes".

Bald Eagle!

Everybody admireing the Bald Eagle.

Annie not impressed by Bald Eagle. Much more impressed by Irish Wolfhound she'd met on the trail.

We Minnesotans are proud to report that our potholes are bigger than the Sconies'.

Great walk! Thanks Marsha and Liliana for organizing. Thanks Marsha for baking your chocolate chip cookies. Thanks Marsha and Frank for taking one for the team each :-) You can see, Marsha was one busy woman!

Marsha made us eat 2 cookies each at lunch and then made us take another for the road. Sigh!

MN Opera - The Pearl Fishers

I've been meaning to go to the Minnesota Opera since I moved here. And finally on Saturday Thea made sure that I went. We went to see The Pearl Fishers and were both dazzled by the colorful set design. They did an excellent job with the lighting, changing the mood as the story moved along even within the same scene. The music was virtuoso and the performance overall delightful - a pleasure for eyes and ears!

Exuberant dancing that made me wonder, what other cultures think of "Western" interpretation of the exotic cultures that art in the last centuries was trying to evoke while making it more tangible for the audience. I was thinking of Aida being performed in Egypt.

A different scene.

The mood is changing: A storm is raging.

Intermission at The Ordway.

It was fun to see that folks were enjoying to dress up. We saw a whole family with Victorian evening gowns and hairdoes for the ladies and tails, tophat and canes for the gentlemen.

Thea.

The adversary lights a fire to save the lovers:  His best friend and his love.

The cast and conductor taking ovations.

What a lovely evening and what a great idea to go for a pre theater drink to The Saint Paul Grill. Thanks Thea!