From Baltimore to Bordeaux and Everywhere in Between: bachelorette party

After Josh and Stefanie's wedding, Jason and I had about a month to kill before our own wedding so we used the time to see all the people and places that we miss the most. It was also a chance for us to spend some time together and remember why we liked each other in the first place!

Stop 1: Syracuse, NY
Jason did his bachelor's and master's degrees and Syracuse University and SUNY Upstate, respectively, but he hadn't been back in about ten years so he was long overdue for a visit. We wandered around campus, ran into one of his old roommates who now works in admissions and gave us all kinds of SU swag, and even drove by some of the houses Jason used to live in. It was an epic trip down memory lane that ended with us getting to spend the night with my friends from high school who were also recently married, Jenny and Eric!

Stop 2: Ithaca, NY
Trying to relive the Glory Days? Two can play at that game. I was so excited to tell Jason all these fun anecdotes of my crazy college hijinks, pointing out all the spots where we really tore it up, but I was left feeling more like a kid who's parents sold her childhood home and moved into a condo while she was away at school. The whole city has changed, especially the Commons where I spent most of my nights out, and even the IC campus is completely different. Nothing felt familiar and it left me with this strange mix of sadness and anger and disappointment and confusion in my gut. It probably didn't help that Jason was having a mental breakdown about his Fantasy Football draft and getting snippy with the staff at Ale House but mostly, I was just sad that my memories are all I have left of the Ithaca I once knew. The only bright spot of the evening was getting drinks at the Chanticleer, the mother of all dive bars, where we ran into the infamous Chainmail. I was literally just telling Jason about him and there he was. If Cheetah Face had showed up, it maybe would have remedied the whole evening. We also stopped at the Ithaca Brewery on our way out of town and had a very nice lunch. I guess it wasn't a total loss.

Criminal!

Moonshadows used to be a cool, somewhat chill college bar. Now it's a nightclub.

Stop 3: Ocean, NJ
Jason's eldest sister Janice lives in northern Jersey so we decided to stop in a pay her a visit on our way to see Jason's parents. We had been to their house once before, very early on in our relationship, so I was glad to be back there under significantly less pressure this time around. Janice put together a really fun couple of days for us, including a visit to a local brewery, a day at the beach, and a trip to Asbury Park. As a New Yorker, I know we talk a lot of trash about New Jersey, but it's actually pretty nice.

Stop 4: Waynesboro, PA
Jay and Julie welcomed us with open arms and a fridge full of food, as always. We spent five whole days doing all kinds of good ol' country things. When we were shooting targets in the woods or hanging out at Breakaways, we were enjoying delicious mint juleps and pistachio encrusted lamb chops. Hey, just because you live in the country doesn't mean you can't be fancy from time to time.

Hanging out with Titus at Boswell's tobacco/pipe shop. Biggest dog ever.

Saying hello to the deer at Twin Kiss Dairy

Lovely dinner at The Airport (the restaurant, not an actual airport)

Shooting things. I was a pretty good shot.

Eagle eye Julie!

Stop 5: Baltimore
Our final destination was back to where it all began. Despite my insistence that we really didn't need to have a bachelorette party, my crew put one together for me, and it was awesome. We all met at Paul and Ama's house (since they are the only ones who actually live in Baltimore) and I got to meet their beautiful two-week-old baby, Calliope. I have never been super googoo gaga over babies but this little lady changed my life. I swear, I could have just stayed there holding her all night and that would have been perfectly fine with me. I think she is the youngest baby I can remember meeting and I finally understand how couples can decide they want another kid even if their first one is a hellion. They are just so small and perfect and beautiful. And I know how hard Paul and Ama had to work to bring her into this world so that just made it even more incredible to finally see her. That little girl is so loved.

Ama, far left, just had a baby 2 weeks ago. Impressive.

Anyway! We had a few drinks at the house, the girls showered me with fancy lingerie and a sparkly "just married" tank top to rock on our night out. We had an excellent dinner at a restaurant in town, but the name escapes me. The duo of pork was delicious. Afterward, we went up the street to Alexander's, and it felt like being right back home. This was the feeling I wanted in Ithaca and didn't get. We had many shots and many beers and just when we were about to head to another place to go dancing, girls from the rugby team started trickling in. Donkey and LBJ, some of my first friends on the team, had gotten married that evening and were doing their after party at AT's as well. Pretty much all the girls from the team were there and it was AMAZING to see them all again. So much crying and laughing and singing and drinking! I vaguely remember yelling things at people on the street in the cab on the way back to Paul and Ama's.

We're just gonna WIG OUT!

Rugby girls! Don't know why I am making that face. I was really happy.

The morning was challenging but we all survived. Josh and Stefanie drove right back to Rochester (drive 12 hours to spend 15 hours in Baltimore with me? That's love), Jenna went back to Arlington and after some more baby cuddles, Jason and I were off to the airport for our honeymoon.

Thank you to all of our hosts for an amazing time! We'll see you all again in two weeks!

I flew home to Rochester on August 6th and that Saturday was Josh's bachelor party. As the (wo)Man of Honor, I was in charge of organizing it and although it was the first one of these things I had ever been to, I think I did a pretty damn good job. There were matching hats. Carpools were organized so no one had to drive drunk. A detailed itinerary was distributed to all members prior to the event, all of which was planned from another damn country. If you put me in charge of something, it's gonna get DONE.

The day started out at Lost Borough Brewing Co. where we had Wegman's subs for lunch and plenty of tasty craft beers. It just so happened that there was a bachelorette party that came in at about the same time and clearly we needed to challenge them to a drinking competition. You already know who won.

Next stop: The Genesee Brewhouse. I must admit, I was partially using this visit as recon for our own rehearsal dinner (!!) but also because it is so boss. Free tour of the brewery? Flight of four beers for $3? Roof deck with amazing view of High Falls? Yes, please.

Man down!!!

Roc Brewing was next on the list. It's in a random part of Rochester so I don't think I would have ever been there if it weren't for this event. Definitely a more upscale vibe than the other places we had been but that might be in part due to the fact that it seemed super new.

We were going to hit Swiftwater but we didn't have time or enough space left in our bellies for more beer. It was time for LASERTRON! As the website suggests, this is indeed a place where adults go to play. There is a giant arcade with all kinds of games, a full service bar and restaurant and, most importantly, several different styles of laser tag games. This is not your corny old school laser tag. You're not supposed to run but we were all sweating buckets after the games anyway. If you are looking for a fun time to feel like a kid again but this time with booze, I definitely recommend this place.

No event for Josh Stich would be complete without a meal at Stone's Countryside so that's where we decided to end our evening. We ate and drank to our hearts' content and it was glorious. It's really cool to get to know my cousins all over again, now that we're all grown-ups, and getting to hang out with my dad and my brother all day was spectacular. There's not much else I miss about living in Rochester, but I do miss that.

Not long after Josh's shindig, it was time for Stefanie's bachelorette party (oh yeah, I get to go to BOTH parties!) There was a lot of Fireball and an actual fire and I'm sure Stefanie felt like her throat was on fire after belting out show tunes at 2am but it was all worth it. Wooo! Penises everywhere!!

And suddenly, it was my little brother's wedding day. Like us, Josh and Stefanie were sick to death of wedding planning but really excited to get married so when the day finally arrived, I was hoping Josh would be relieved. More like "anxious/nervous/terrified" but hey, he's not the first and certainly won't be the last to have some pre-wedding jitters. Stefanie stayed at the hotel the night before and Jason and I stayed with Josh at his place. We tried to get him to eat some breakfast but his stomach would not allow it and we opted to just get ready and try to stay focused on getting through the day. Even if everything else was a giant disaster, at least we were going to look good.

I was wearing a dress that barely left me enough room to breathe let alone carry a camera so I didn't take many pictures for the rest of the day but all you need to know is that it was beautiful. The ceremony was super personal (officiated by a friend of theirs) and it was great to see so many people from so many parts of their lives together in the same room to watch them celebrate their love for one another. My toast was EPIC, the drinks were plentiful, and they added an extra hour of dancing to the end of the night. And just seeing how happy they are together... Ugh! Who is cutting onions in here??!?