8:06 a.m. - 2006-08-16
dawns wedding
wednesday, august 16.
When I left for North Carolina & Virginia I didn't know what to expect; now that I'm back I don't expect I can fully pour out the extent of my feelings about the trip. It was amazing, beautiful, inspiring. . . . and positively bucolic.
The setting really made the trip, a farm up in the Blue Ridge Moutains. When we drove up (in our rented convertible!) the bride and groom's family were picking apples in the orchard, it looked like a movie. And I felt like I was floating through something unreal, meeting the donkeys and cows in the pasture, poking around the two perfect country farmhouses, just looking out at the expanse of fields and hills all around.
The next four days are honestly a blur of working hard (lots of preparations for the wedding, which ended up being so pleasant, just pitching in and working together), meeting new friends, petting cows, drinking, dancing, running around barefoot, staying out all night.
The guests and friends of the bride and groom were one of the most perfect groups of people I could ask for, a mix of welcoming southern belle types, old farmers, former peace corps members, and pretty much any kind of artsy person you could imagine. The conversations we had were seamless, effortless. The wedding itself was magical: meaningful readings and toasts, a beautiful setting, great music. The reception was a picnic in the orchard with tealights hanging from the trees.
Seriously, how many more adjectives are there to describe this? Unreal. Magical. And have I yet said fun? because it was lots of that too.
I feel like I'm gush gush gushing. It really did leave me feeling inspired to change my life. As you know, I have felt like I'm drifting for some time now, dispassionate, confused. After speaking with so many vivacious, intelligent, and passionate people, how can I NOT want to bring more spark into my life?
Oh, and I can also say? If I wanted to live on a farm a week ago, this trip increased my Farm Fever by a thousand per cent. I love the big gentle farm animals, the peace, the realness of it. It feels right in a part of me that I can't really touch in my daily life.
ps. I have some pictures on my flickr. not too many. but there are some nice cow shots so I'm sure that makes up for it.
