from the Maine way

I thought I'd share some of the visual notes sent from e via his geek-phone while he is tucked way up in that corner of this enormous country... cutting through the fog and rain everyday getting some awesome experience... and poor boy... having to eat lobster! How very Maine...

Picking up where we left off... river to honeymoon

So, it's an obnoxiously long post... be forewarned...

as I was saying... where we left off..down by the river, playing and totally calm on the big day

well, that is unless you are Pepper the Wonder Dog

in true Tritch-family fashion... we make it perfect up the very last minute... always gotta have something to do, and here's mom and me finishing up the last touches

and with these ruffians... there's no way we're going without a rehearsal...

E was all business with list in hand... and well, you saw the proof in the last post... awesome!

FOCUS!

and then constantly run back and forth, back and forth, get those pictures...

ahhhhh... then kick back and relax for a while...

kick your shoes off...

can't get enough of these cuff links... Justin found these... and in honor of E... they're pink... beautiful

yay! Ellen made it!

no, he's not nervous or anything....

it's almost like PA... green, some elevation change... well, at least it's not Cali...bruh

I don't know what they are smiling at... who smiles at weddings?

I love this chapel... did I say that I love this chapel? I love this chapel... especially at dusk...it's shining moment

and my family made it! my cousin and two of my aunts... yeah, there's a few more... yay!

And more Tritch-family... they were awesome...helping with so much... it was perfect because they help make it that way...

and did I say... Yay! Ellen made it!

chillin with the ladies... now these two, what would I have done? you girls ROCK!!!

it's not like he has a vision or anything... gotta love a man who knows what he wants...

Don't mistake that smile for anything but relief! ha! oh, maybe he was a little happy that I'm so happy... and that he's made such good buds with E...

And..... We did it!
what a handsome bunch

and another... the joining of two great all-American families... that's right...I said it...

this is fun! And, I do see why Kev and ShayShay like E so much... I do too!

and my grandma made it, too... thanks to my Uncle Bill and Debbie... three generations kickin it...

so major props go out to my boy... yes, he MADE our wedding cake... in all its glory and smoothness, density and tastiness! And big hugs to my brother... he whipped out E's surprise groom's cake and high five to Leah for helping me to think of a theme... yeah... who has the last word now? i think that's YOUR glass, e, that's spilled... I wouldn't spill beer... how horrifically wasteful... no good German girl would do that!

yes, no kidding... he made them ALL... and just days before our wedding in the Tritch kitchen... even the little bunt cakes that everyone got to enjoy individually!
VERY nice work...

oh just one more look...why not?

yeah... you can't stop the forces of BBQ, margaritas, and pacifiers... mmmmm

or double fisting it if you can't decide between the the champagne of beers and a margarita...
nice Leah...

It really came together to be such a lovely reception... lights, candles, cakes, food, and awesome peeps!

all in a little screened-in pavilion... who would have guessed... worked out like a dream!

and when the thunderstorm scared everyone else off to their cabins... the faithful to the party stuck it out... I mean why not? We hadn't slept a full night yet... why start the night of the wedding?

yeah... that's right.. take that shot... tequila always sounds like a good idea in the dark...

pep not feelin it the next day so much... no wait... that's Justin... naw... he looks great...

And the honeymoon begins:

first stop: my old stompin grounds of Fayetteville in western Arkansas... out in the Ozark National Forest... breaking sticks and kickin trash... no not people... but we did run into some ol' friends from way back when...and apparently my old bud at Jammin Java named a salad after me... so if you're in Fayetteville ever... go to the square and have some of "Gretta's Greens"....

and soaking up the green... mmmmm green....

and playing some fierce UNO... yeah we had to break out the headlamps b/c apparently according to the man of visuals (that's E) shadows are blue... that's why it's so hard to tell the difference between the green and blue cards... yeah, ladies... he's already taken... smart boy

who's happy? life is great...

and for the boys in PA... yeah, it's still funny every time I see it too...

ok... now where? wait...isn't that what that handy dandy garmin thing is for? no matter...

we made it to Limon CO and camped at the KOA there...

where we valiently fought the wind and the mosquitoes while we tried to set up an awesome entertainment section with Netflix and our new speakers...

all the while enjoying a lovely sunset...

alas, the mosquitos won and we moved our little party indoors to play some pool and watch the Office... don't make fun.. this is life... and we love it!

yeah, so this is the highest either of us had been... 10,100 feet... whoa...

we wanted to drive through the real Rockies... and that we did... wow

check out those slopes... melting away... what to do in the summer time?

Oh, I know... charge a zillion dollars for a coffee! ha ha! well, and a view I suppose...

no, really, it was much more majestic in person...

kind of like this ginormous tire...I guess you can haul anything out here on the flats

constantly compelled to snap shots outside the window...even if you can't really see what I was seeing...

but, there's no mistaking that the Salt Flats are indeed flat...

but don't let that flat fool you into thinking they are also dry...

not so much... but we did leave our mark of two hours of labor digging out of the salty, paste-like mud, finding random pieces of wood, and getting our rental truck out of a good 8 inches deep of mud...

dirty boy... how those fancy shoes and pants treatin ya? I will give us this: we were super patient with each other even in the face of a berm that hid us from the highway... oh yeah, and desperation and frustration... GO TEAM!

awwww... here you go mom... we DID make the picture of our hands and rings... don't mind the mud... just breaking them in nicely!

are you kidding? No, we didn't end up camping on the flats...we made it to the next motel and showered, drank some leftover margaritas and slept...mmmmmm

But we did end up camping the next night on the lake between Reno and Carson City... crazy nice campground overlooking the lake and being looked-over by the Sierras...snow-capped still I might add

it's like a freakin' REI mag shot or something...

ah yes, the UNO war continues... with campfire and confusion between the blue and the green cards

Mr. Handsome... showing off his good looks with a sunset

the most expensive campfire of our honeymoon... who knew they would have firewood at the campsite? well, it was a hell of a campfire nonetheless

so, we hiked the next morning...finding a trail just across the road... that's our campsite just in the foreground

yep, on the sunny side of the slope

brrr.... on the shady side...desert plants are so tough... I heard them making fun of me being soft as i walked by... not so nice those desert plants

and a little farther away from the campground... yeah, we didn't really know where this trail was leading us... come to find out we just circled around one mountain... that's cool though...

cuz we saw little critters like this... still dormant until the sun reached this side of the mountain

and these two seemed to be having a good time... doing what they do... sniff and photograph

how can so many different things be in the same view: desert, lake, and snow? crazy

yeah, so it wound around and around and we just followed

only to follow up with an awesome breakfast at the Denny's in Carson City and then a little drive through the downtown

just hangin on... yeah the mountains winding got to all of us...

but there were these awesome streams just zooming down the mountain slopes... e pulled over just in time to catch pep and me napping...glad we didn't miss this

they look so innocent... but I know we were trespassing...

then, finally home... or this place we have come to call home... with our own home cooked meals, and cheap beer... oh yeah, and the new dishes from Bud and Ingrid... awesome!