The End Of A Journey

This is the last entry in my travel journal for my trip around the world. I arrived back in Seattle and it was, surprise, raining. Seeing Bethany was like (insert a thousand metaphors here for relief, love, and longing). We embraced and it was better than I thought it was going to be. We went back to our new place and just chilled. The place is real nice. A lot nicer than I thought it would be. We spent the next couple of days just spending time together and talking about everything. We did some Christmas shopping and had our Christmas with each other a little early. We got baby stuff and Beth got a lot of stuff from around the world.

Christmas was a great time this year. We exchanged presents and spent time with her family in the daytime and by nightfall we spent time with my friends. It was nice to be just home, but no time for that, the day after Christmas was Beth's Moms Bday and so we celebrated by seeing the Dead Sea Scrolls and having dinner. The 27th was just killing time until tomorrow when we would leave to get married.

On December 28th, 2006, Bethany and I set out north to the San Juan Islands to get married. We arrived very early as we were told that on occasion the ferry will be full and people would be turned away. Not us. We walked around a little before the ferry arrived and soaked in the crisp and beautiful day ahead of us. After awhile, the ferry finally arrived and we embarked on a trip through the archipelago. Soaking in some amazing scenery on the way over our destination of Orcas Island had been reached. We drove off the ferry and both of us realized that it might be a little bit before we got the chance to eat again and so we went to a cute little place near the ferry landing called Mamie's Restaurant. Mamie herself was about the cutest old woman you could ask for and told us stories while we had lunch. We ended up staying for well over an hour and when we left we told Mamie we'd be back before we left. She gave her blessing and we drove into the island to find the last place we'd be single in.

The Turtleback Farm Inn is rated highly in all these different books. It won awards and accolades from all sorts of reviewers and agents. For Bethany and I, it was just the perfect place to get married. Sitting on some 50 acres of farmland, the Inn was as rustic as it was beautiful. We had the distinct impression that a great deal of love and care went into making this place very special. Inside the home, we felt warm and welcomed. This is the kind of place that when you walk in you feel immediately like you're home (which, incidentally, is how I've always felt about Bethany). Each room had a name and ours was Maple View, a lovely little room on the second floor with a great view of the acreage. It had a claw footed bathtub and probably the comfiest bed I've been in, ever. After taking in all Turtleback Farm had to offer we looked at the clock and realized we were getting married soon. I kissed Bethany, left the room, and went downstairs so we could get ready for the moment.

I got dressed and was walking around the downstairs for awhile talking to the photographer, the woman who ran the Inn, and the cook. Mostly I was just meandering until Bethany came down those steps. When she did it was like a scene from a movie (God knows I've tried to put the kibosh on thinking my life is a movie but if you saw Bethany at that moment and the way that she walked down the stairs, undulating downward toward me. My whole life stopped for a little bit and I tried as hard as I could to keep that moment in my heart. File that one under "very lucky man").

We sat down for awhile, waiting for the minister to arrive, and talked to the ladies between just being with genuinely happy with each other. Francis was the minister, the man running the show. He graced us a little after 5:30 and we got started with the ceremony. In front of the fireplace and in front of God we heard what we both agreed was the best wedding sermon we'd ever heard. It was filled with such wonderful, thoughtful things. Far too much to write here (and honestly, my heart was going so fast that I was really just listening in the moment, meaning it was all I could do to not pass out). One thing that he did say was that marriage was the only spiritual path that he knew of that two people could walk together. He finished his sermon and Bethany read her vows from a piece of paper and fought back the tears as did I. I said my vows from the hip and could almost feel my heart trying to work its way up through my throat. Needless to say what came out of my mouth was directly from the soul. After that Francis did the traditional vows, we put on some rings and kissed our way into the rest of our lives.

We went to the dining room where there was a gleaming strawberry cheesecake and sparkling cider waiting for us. It was our own little mini-reception. We cut the cake together then I fed her a piece and she returned the favor. Because it seems I am never done talking, I gave Bethany a toast and told her again how much she means to me and how much I love her (somehow on this day, saying it and hearing it couldn't't happen enough). We locked arms as we drank the cider and went back into the living room to get a few pictures. After that was all over, well, let's just say there are no more pictures for this day.

The next day we spent our honeymoon on the island and had just a perfect time. We returned to Seattle after our whirlwind up north and I went to get my old job back slinging meatballs and chianti. I did and then New Years happened. We spent it with friends watching the fireworks go off the top of the space needle. I had my new wife to kiss at midnight and what is better than that? It was like my trip just kept going. This was all surely just another country I was privileged to be in. Nope, this is my life.

I've been slowly getting back to life here in Seattle doing what the Bed, Bath, and Beyond crowd calls "nesting". I think when I started I thought this trip would change my life but I should have known better. My dear friend Jamison asked if it had changed me and I said that I wasn't a 23 year old girl searching for myself. What I meant was that life changing events don't just happen when you're traveling around the world, they can happen when you're traveling to the grocery store. Meeting people from Africa and Nepal can be just as rewarding as meeting people from Ballard and Texas. Everyone and everything in this world, in this life has something to offer. Did my life change? Yeah, it did but there is so much more. This isn't a phase for me. Spiritually, this isn't a phase for me. Life will change no matter what I do and the best thing I can do is try and stay open to it and embrace it when it happens. I went out and married the best woman I could find and now I'm going to try and raise my boy to be the type of person that will never stop searching, never stop looking, and never, EVER stop traveling. God bless all those whom I met on this trip and my deepest thanks to all those who are in my life. I am so blessed to be living the dream that is my life.

Peace and Love