Woznation

Well this post is about 2 years too late, but I wanted to make sure we documented Em and Sam’s amazing wedding in Colorado.  So on their anniversary, I am happy to recount one of the most beautiful weekends in Woznation history 🙂

We flew from Baltimore to Denver on Wednesday morning, and then rented a car to drive to Telluride, CO. Wil had just turned 2 years old and Evie was about 2 1/2 months old.  It was a very, very long trip.  I dont have any horrible memories from the plane trip, but the extra 7+ hours in the car did a number on us.  Wil had stomach issues, and Evie was still nursing every few hours, so we stopped A LOT.  We finally arrived late Wednesday night and settled into a great suite for the next few days. The next day we hung out with family, walked around beautiful Telluride, and helped with wedding details.  Phil and I had a quick breakfast date and after naps, we rode the gondola up to Mountain village.  Wilek loved it.

Phil even snuck in a quick solo hike during nap time:

On Thursday night we kicked off the festivities with a party out at Alta Lakes ( http://www.altalakes.com/ ) with all of Em and Sam’s friends.  Phil and I helped organize this in the months leading up to the wedding weekend and all their friends helped chip in money for the rental, food, drinks, and shuttle back to town.  Plenty of out-of-towners were here by that time, and it was such a beautiful place to all get together. People trickled in all evening – and snacked on some awesome food made by one of Em’s friends/bridesmaid.  Then by sunset we all hiked up to the scree pile to watch the sun go down.  After that things got a little more serious — plenty of drinks, games, and fires. It was awesome.

Things got a little sloppy towards the end. Some sort of game that required you to stick your head in an ice bucket?  The details are a little hazy…

We had arranged a shuttle back to Telluride around midnight for those who werent spending the night at Alta.  I headed back on that while a good 20+ stayed out at the rental house. Mark and Char watched the kids while I was away. I think that was Phil and my first evening away from the kids, so it was very appreciated. Plus, they had a blast with some of the bigger wozniak cousins.

On Friday, after people recovered from Thursday night, we started preparing for the wedding:

And had an awesome rehearsal and rehearsal dinner:

Saturday was the big day!!!  Everyone was up early to help set up the reception venue and do last minute details.  I remember everything being very chill and relaxed, but thats easy for me to say since it wasnt my wedding.  I think I made a crack about Sam looking stressed out – but was totally kidding – because he seemed to be taking everything so well, but I guess he was, indeed, freaking out.  But everything went perfectly and we all had a great time getting things ready, getting make-up and hair done, and getting pictures:

Then it was time!! This was seriously the most beautiful wedding on the most beautiful day.  It was slightly windy/cloudy leading up to the ceremony, but then the winds died down and the sun came out right as we got started.  The land was owned by friends of Em and Sam and was just outside of Telluride. So many friends and family members from the midwest were able to come, and it was so great to meet Em and Sam’s local friends.  Wil never made it down the aisle as a ring bearer, but he did a good job practicing before hand. Em gifted Sam a new rifle with an engraving for their wedding, which made it into multiple family photos, haha.  All the boys looked wonderful in their suits, but Em stole the show in her beautiful dress.  And of course Gussy-Roo-Puppy-Pants was part of the ceremony. 🙂

And then we partied down!  Em and Sam went on a little joy-ride in ‘Little Red’ around Telluride before arriving at the reception (an old time fire truck from the station Sam volunteered at).  The reception was so fun – it was a great night and everyone hung out inside and on the porch outside with twinkle lights hung all around.  There were little mason jars that you could write your name on for drinks.  Lots of speeches, including a little impromptu one from big brother Phil.  At some point I left to meet a babysitter that Em helped me find.  She took the kids back to the suite for bedtime and hung out with them until I got back. We spent the rest of the night dancing away and hanging out with good friends and celebrating the happy couple. Then most of the crowd hit-up the Telluride bars, while I headed back to check on the kids. The party continued well into the night.

It was an epic night.  Sunday is a bit of a blur, but I remember lots of pizza and naps. We all just hung out and recovered in the rooms, remembering all the great moments from the night before.  The drive back to Denver wasnt as bad since we left late at night and the kids slept over night, then we took a crazy early flight back to Baltimore on Monday morning.  It was an amazing weekend for an amazing couple!  We love you Em and Sam! Happy Anniversary!