Wow, yesterday was a loooooooong day. But a very very nice one!

I got up at 4:30 in order to meet Peggy and Emily at Audubon Park to do our 15 miles. Peggy and I were there by 5:30, but Emily was held up by some drunk college students blocking the road. (It’s weird to realize that we feel like we’re getting up early, but others are just staying up late. And stranger still that I used to be the one staying up late, and expressing disbelief at those getting up early. Okay, I still can’t believe I get up that early.)

So we got started around 5:50, while it was still dark. But the weather seems to possibly be cooling off, as it was almost chilly (in the mid 70s) and not quite as humid as it has been. Yay! So we ran. A few mishaps along the way which meant after 3.5 hours, we’d only covered about 13.5-14 miles. And I had to go, so I could shower and change for Nick and Annie’s wedding.

We do seem to stop a lot for various reasons during our long runs, which I think we need to stop doing. Unless the stop is unavoidable, of course. But the loooong bathroom, stretching, refilling water, chatting at the car breaks are messing us up. Of course we won’t have those during the marathon, so hopefully we’ll do better in the next few weeks about that.

After I got home from the run, I had to ride my bike down to the courthouse for the bike parade after the wedding. Then I had to wait for George to come pick me up. Then I had to help him pick out some clothes. So between all of those things, I had no time for a nap before I had to shower and get dressed.

So…the wedding. Polly and I met everyone else (bridesmaids and Annie and her mom and her mom’s friend) at a hotel room, and we all got ready. Flowers were being put together, hair done, makeup fixed, crying, gifts from Annie given out (we each got a piece of Annie’s artwork, which is beautiful.)

Drove to the courthouse with the other bridesmaids, waited in a narrow hallway for the wedding to get started. Wedding itself was very nice. There were funny moments (like when Annie couldn’t remember what she was supposed to repeat from the judge, and the crying child, and the “Judge of Love.”) and happy tearful moments (the vows, the way they looked in each others’ eyes, that sort of thing.) Once the ceremony was over, everyone hopped on bikes and we rode around the neighborhood a bit, honking horns and waving at the dumbstruck onlookers. That was, I think, my favorite part of the whole day. The weather was absolutely perfect, everyone was happy, it was just amazing.

Then we got to the house where the reception was being held, handily enough, two doors down from George’s house. It was really nice. Great food, yummy champagne, good band. Tent in the backyard, people mingling, meeting. Nick and Annie have great friends, and it was really nice to meet them all. So the reception lasted for a while, and Nick and Annie rode off on their tandem bicycle to go to their hotel across the river. (Actually, they just rode around the block for effect, but whatever.)

Then the guests hung out at the pub for a bit, and then went across the river to the Marigny where we met up at the Spotted Cat. Had fun there, but by this point I was highly exhausted. Stayed for a few hours until Annie’s cousin showed up so she could throw the bouquet. And I caught it! Yay! (Hmmm, poor George… No pressure! No pressure!)