may, a travelogue. part un.

i finally went on vacation.  i had a long weekend back in february, but may was designated as the month of travel.  check out the map to the right, my entire month's worth of driving.
it was strange traveling for pleasure instead of business.  i did a lot of this on my own, but it wasn't the same as when i travel by myself for business.  i missed thomas a lot.  probably because the two trips he wasn't with me just happened to be weddings, and i was the one full of love and happiness and no one to share it with.  bummer.  still, i travel alone all the time, but somehow, this was different.
the good news is, amidst the mileage, a whopping four thousand plus, i had some great times.

first stop? baltimore before hitting the road to my southern west virginia hometown to meet up with my brother.  the boss invited my group of hooligans to his house for cooking out and conversation.  my personal favorites?  taking a few jumps on the trampoline with "the other guy", who at thirty had never been on one before, and ringing in a new decade with my "twin" on his birthday.  we had fun until the sun began to set and we all went our separate ways.  the only thing in my future happened to be a five and a half hour drive back home.

i arrived at my parents house at 2am.  we were on the road at 8am, headed in the direction of alabama for my uncle's wedding.  he married a wonderful woman, amy, who we're all very excited to "officially" welcome her into the family.  i for one was thrilled to be privy to her amazing margarita recipe, which she made for us at her home where we met the rest of the family (i.e., murphy and milo, the biggest animals i've seen in my lifetime).  the entire family gathered at the rehearsal dinner at a mexican cantina where my dad got an amazing groomsman gift.  check out the mug with the family coat of arms on it!  i'm jealous.

pre-wedding we had a family outing to the rocket museum.  the rockets were pretty cool, but i got my kicks from the scale model of the solar system.  i'm sorry, but uranus jokes never get old, no matter how old i get.

miss baker the space monkey's memorial was pretty entertaining too, with bananas placed around the gravesite.

finally, it was the wedding at the botanical gardens in huntsville, which was a beautiful setting for the wedding. i wish i had arrived early to check out the flowers, i'm sure they were incredible.  the weather had been iffy all day but it managed to hold out for the entire ceremony and reception!  i love the color of the bridesmaid dresses; very fitting for the rest of the scenery at the garden.

i got lots of great pictures at the reception, but will only post this one because it makes me laugh every time i look at it.  naturally, beyonce's 'single ladies' came on when it was time to toss the bouquet.  hanging out inside with the other married people, i got to catch this hilarious picture.  that's my cousin who's my age dancing with my great uncle jack.  it was a hysterical combination of her dance and a mexican hat dance, lots of shaking and turning and waving that hand around.  my family is awesome.


daniel and i made the journey back to wv in eight hours.  it was a long drive, but totally worth it.  seems like i never see the beckner clan unless something great happens, or something tragic happens.  i'm thankful it was the former this time around.

next time:  may, a travelogue, part deux. the new orleans chapter.

a fuzzy memory.

i cant remember what your feet would look like in the sand.
i wish you were here.

dreaming with a broken heart.

it's lonely in this hotel room and id rather be anywhere but here.

"barbecue lifts my spirits, i swear it never fails"...

i am very fortunate that i have a position that takes care of me while i'm out gallivanting across the nation, or it's capital to be precise.  it was a big day at work yesterday and we had a celebration afterwards in the form of a rooftop barbecue.

now, let me describe this place for you.  arlington.  tallest building in crystal city.  there's nothing like getting on to the elevator and skipping all the numbers to go straight for the letter "p".  your spirits get lifted as soon as you press it; you feel like a big shot.  step out of the elevator to the penthouse floor, up the half-flight of stairs and out on to the roof.  you're greeted with a warm breeze, a sky without a single cloud, and an expansive view of washington dc, with the washington monument, jefferson memorial, and capitol building in plain view.  the sun is glittering off the potomac, and you have a cold one in your hand.  stretch out on the lounge chair with my frosty cold budweiser? don't mind if i do.

we cooked an assortment of grilled meats: burgers, sausages, and dogs; corn on the grill, an art that i've never perfected.  it was absolutely delicious, a feast for twenty for ten.  the food, the company, and the atmosphere was stunning.  we laughed for hours until we fell into a deliciousness coma. the sun went down and it was just as beautiful as it was when we arrived.  it could've been the beer goggles, but i swear it was so picturesque.