Wedding Reception East Coast Style...HOT!

I love adventure weekends! And when said weekend involves me getting to wear my wedding dress again...you know it's going to be a good time! Arizona and I took a red eye flight and arrived in Virginia on Friday morning...a little sleepy and with a little drama under our belts (a lady across the aisle from us had a pretty major seizure) we were glad to be back amongst family and friends! Friday afternoon was the afternoon of running errands. We went and picked up Arizona's tux and a Slingbox (now Arizona will be able to watch all of the Tech basketball games!) and then went for a walk in the woods while we waited for Arizona's parents to come home from their many preparatory errands. And...we found a turtle! We were going to take a picture of him...but he ran away! No joke! He got a little shy so we were waiting for him to come out of his shell...well it started to rain so we went and sat in the car. While we were sitting there, I said to Arizona, "What if he runs away?" we both got quite a kick out of the absurdity of the statement, alas when we got out of the car ten minutes later...he was gone! After much searching and calling (like a turtle is really going to respond to our calls...especially a shy turtle!) we finally found him hiding in some leaves that matched the color of his shell almost exactly...he was a crafty lil bugger! Well, then the shyness routine repeated itself and by that time, Arizona's parents had returned so we figured we'd go inside for a few minutes and come back and check on him...once again he pulled his disappearing routine on us, only this time we never found him! Tricky tricky...we just hope he made it out of the lawn so he doesn't get run over by the lawn mower! Anyway, that evening we went to our favorite little Chinese food restaurant ever...Tau Tau's, (PS there is tons of good Mexican food in Arizona, but good Chinese food is hard to come by) and had a delightful meal. Seriously, if you are ever in the vicinity...Tau Tau's is worth a little drive! After dinner we got to see my favorite example of the state slogan (PS it's Virginia is for lovers) Megs and Mark! I have missed these two with all my young girl heart and it was so great to have a chance to sit and chat! Poor Arizona has missed them too, but by the time we got there he just couldn't keep his yittle eyes open anymore and after the initial pleasantries, promptly fell asleep and stayed that way for the next couple of hours! But oh how I love love love those folks! The night was full of stories and laughter, an adventure in and of itself! Saturday began super early and ended super late (who needs sleep when there are adventures to be had?!) and was a fabulous day all around! The Virginia chapter of the family sure knows how to throw a party! We had our open house at a cute little community center that (thanks to Arizona's fabulous mother and sister) was decorated beautifully! The whole evening was an absolute delight! The food was delicious and the company couldn't be beat! Arizona's family has been planning and preparing for weeks and everything turned out beautifully, so a huge thanks to them for all of their hard work! After everything was cleaned up and the presents were opened...we recruited Megs for one last adventure of the night! We went and took pictures, in all our wedding finery, in downtown DC, around the capital and the monuments! It was a once in a lifetime opportunity and we discovered something...there are very few people around the monuments between 2 and 4 am so it's a great time to take pictures! PS Don't fret, I will be posting said pictures as soon as I receive them! Sunday morning (after not nearly enough sleep) we got to visit Arizona's grandma and then we went to church with our old "crew." It was so fun to see everyone and was almost as if we had never left...except we're married now. After that it was off to the airport, we both zonked out and slept most of the way home (sheesh after a whirlwind weekend like that, can you blame us!?) Thanks again to everyone for all of the hard work and preparations that went into making our night spectacular! We had a fabulous time and can't wait for our next trip to the East Coast...so hot! This is what happens to my face when I get to see my best Virgina gal!Arizona was so excited to go back to his old barbarshop so when Tom (the Vietnamese man that cuts his hair) asked him, "So you have gir fren?" he could say, "Nope...I have a wife!"
What a fun clan! (Can you tell that at 5'10 I'm the token tall girl of the family?) The old Navy Yard gang! Look at that smile, no wonder she's my best Virginia gal! These guys definitely make my list of "Top Favorite Virginia Peeps!" What's a reception without clogging... And silliness... And just plain ridiculousness?! (Yep, that is now a word!) Man, I love these girls!