Tag Archives: flights

Dec8

A wedding weekend! Part 1 – The Flight, and the pre-wedding prep

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Wednesday, 03-Nov-2021 through Monday, 08-Nov-2021


My friends Dillon and Liz are getting married!!! It’s been on the books for a while now, so it’s kind of strange to think that it’s finally happening… but this is the weekend! This is the day!

The bachelor party was a hit, the suit was tailored, and anything that I needed had already been bought. The photobook was made, and I’d checked in with Dillon and Liz to make sure there wasn’t anything else left that I could help with. My speech was mostly written, and I was as ready as I’d ever be.

All that was left was to show up, and help out in any way that I could!





Wednesday & Thursday, 03-Nov-2021


I walked into the Providence Library, where Dillon and Liz were holding the rehearsal ceremony, wearing a cloak. My wizards staff tapped pace beside me, on the hard marble floor. Onlookers gawked, Dillon grinned, and Liz stood agape.

Slowly, people looked over… and a fit of giggles wracked the room.

Now don’t quote me too directly on those details – I’m pretty sure that’s what happened, but bear in mind that I was wearing a cloak and carrying a wizards staff. So my recollection of specific details may be a bit fuzzy due to the magical aura surrounding me.


<Magical rewind to the beginning of the trip>

The weekend of my friends wedding was finally here! I was the Best Man for Dillon and Liz, who were getting married in Providence, Rhode Island, and it was my job to help make sure things happened right. Liz and Dillon had planned everything out beautifully, and I was on-station to just help un-tangle whatever unexpected tangles happened.

Knowing that everything would be busy and hectic, I conferred with Dillon as I was packing up my suitcases, “I feel like the rehearsal may need some levity… Liz said I could wear anything I want, so what do you think about a wizard outfit?” “Yes! Do it!” And into my bag, the cloak went.



I flew into Boston on Wednesday, landing just about Midnight. My Stepdad picked me up, and we got the chance to catch up (and eat some amazing BBQ!) until mid-day on Thursday. Since the wedding was on Friday, Thursday evening was set aside for rehearsal, confirming details, and all the other pre-wedding things that needed to happen ahead of time.

It was an excellent day – Not a cloud in the sky, nice and cold… basically, a top-of-the-line New England Autumn day. The rehearsal went beautifully, the hotel was amazing, and the rehearsal dinner was super fun. I got to walk over with some friends I hadn’t seen in ages, got to meet the whole family at the dinner, and caught up with tons of people that I hadn’t seen in way too long.

As always, weddings are an amazing chance to catch up with everyone, and I’m absolutely grateful for the chance every time 🙂

Aug15

A shift in July Plans – A funeral

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Friday, 02-July-2021 through Wednesday, 07-July-2021


It still hasn’t really hit me.

I’m writing this up in early August, and it still hasn’t truly hit me that my Grandma is gone.

She wasn’t young, by any means, and she absolutely lived as full as life as any of us could ask for. She experienced, loved, traveled, lived, and passed those experiences on. She grew, and grew a family around her… and thanks to that, she doesn’t seem like she’s really gone… even though I know that she is.



I got the call on a Friday morning. A little bit before work, as I was getting ready for my low-key work Friday.

Within an hour I had plane tickets booked, and was working with the IT department in my office to get a loaner laptop assigned to me. My leadership tree was exceptionally helpful, and before early afternoon I had a laptop, travel authorization, I’d rescheduled my climbing trip, cancelled all the bookings that could be cancelled, and was getting myself ready to fly out East for the time since the Pandemic started.

The sky put on a show for me as the plane flew East and I stared quietly out the window.

It was the Fourth of July, and I could see scattered fireworks below us… steadily getting thicker as we got closer and closer into Boston.

I… don’t really know what to write, here. I didn’t take any pictures from the funeral, of course, and the entire day seemed to flow around us all like syrup.



People arrived. The Rabbi spoke. My family spoke. They weren’t the same words that were spoken after my Grandfather passed away… but they were similar.

The dirt landed with a thud against the coffin. We were reminded, again, that placing dirt into a grave is the greatest mitzvah that can be performed since the people it’s being performed for can never repay the debt in this life. The sentiment helped, but didn’t take away the dulled senses and feelings of emptiness.

We finished the service, we went home. Everyone stayed together, consoled each other, and stories were both told and heard.

It was… It was. Those words are enough. It simply was.

Jul13

Montana – A quiet Sunday

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Sunday, 13-June-2021


Any morning that starts out with French Toast is a good morning.

A morning that starts out with sugar-covered French Toast is a great morning.

This? This was an exceptionally excellent morning. Not only did it include sugar-covered French Toast, but it also included some leftover brisket from the BBQ that we’d had the night before, alongside fluffy scrambled eggs, a-la Brian and Clara.



After greatly enjoying our breakfasts, packing.

After packing, cleaning.

After cleaning? Hiking!



One of our original targets for hiking was a rather popular area called Pattee Canyon. It looked good, from a distance and elevation perspective, but it hadn’t had any notes of great views of expansive wildflowers… which put it a bit lower on our list for the weekend. But now that it was later on, and we were all tired… a simple walk where we could chat and talk sounded exactly like what the doctor ordered.

We drove, parked, and started the hike in… into the beautiful woods and roughly 90+ degree Montana summer heat.


I’ll tell you, it wasn’t quite what I was expecting. Not in a bad way, at all, but… I don’t know, for some reason I was expecting Montana to be a bit more rocky than it is… more jagged mountains. Maybe I’m mistaking it for Colorado? But this was… well, just like the other hikes that we’d done. Rolling hills, tall trees, and a big sky. No wonder they call this “Big Sky Country”.


We walked, we talked, and we appreciated nature. Clara found some excellent flowers, and soon enough we were heading back into town for lunch… and by lunch, I of course mean Ice Cream!

We hit up a place called “Big Dipper”, an ice cream shop that Brian and Clara had been ranting and raving about for pretty much the whole time we were there. We got some rather generous scoops, and I’ll freely agree with them that it was well worth the wait in line.


After making myself far over-stuffed with huckleberry and chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream (with a chocolate shell and rainbow sprinkles, of course), we set about to explore town. No major goals, just… you know, poking around and enjoying the small-town vibes. We hit up some novelty shops, an outdoors store, and quite a few other interesting places… There’s a lot of art in a small town like Missoula, and wandering the shop was definitely a nice treat.


The rest was just saying out goodbyes, battling my way through both an airport lobby and the tides of time itself, and finally finding myself back in the 1970s, sitting at a gate, waiting for my flight to wing me back to Portland.