This past weekend, I had the privilege and honor to join my friends in San Juan, Puerto Rico, where I was attending and participating in the wedding of my best friend, Matt. I know I have been talking about it on my blog from time to time, so I thought it was fitting that I report back to what I saw and did while I was there.
The next day, nothing was planned so my friends and I decided to hit the beach in the morning, which was within walking distance from our hotel. While we were walking to the beach, it started to rain but we waited it out and kept on going, figuring it would stop. It did but only for about 15 minutes then it started again. We stayed for a while but then left and stopped at a pizza place next to the hotel for lunch. Later that afternoon, myself and the rest of the guys on the trip went to Old San Juan, where we walked around the Fort of San Felipe del Morro. It was really breath-taking, just the scenery alone was something straight from the specials you'd see on the Travel Channel. Founded in 1493, Del Morro was used for a number of different things through history, but currently it has been restored to it's 18th Century appearance, open to visitors daily. After touring Del Morro, we were hungry and stopped into a bar/restaurant called, "Areolas"......now, I know what you're thinking here and let me tell you, we were thinking the same thing! Once dinner was over, Matt had to attend to some things to prepare for the wedding so me and the rest of the group decided to walk around and see what we could see. I just couldn't believe the architecture of the buildings. They all were built very close together, like a village in Eastern Europe. Each one was also brightly painted with colors that reflected each color of the rainbow. When we got back to the hotel, we all convened in one of the people's rooms and stayed up talking for about two hours, just drinking and laughing, really taking in the moments that we were all together.....at least I was anyway:)
Then came the day of the wedding. That morning, the girls left the hotel at 7:30 AM to start the makeup and hair process. So, us guys ventured to the beach for about 2 hours before heading back to the hotel to get ourselves ready for the festivities that awaited us that afternoon/evening. Now that I think about it, I did a lot of male bonding on this trip, lol. At the church that afternoon, everybody looked great. I was still in awe that my friend of 12 years was getting married....I still remember the first day I met him when we were both students at Penn State McKeesport. How time flies! When the ceremony started the singers and band started to play...it was show time. On cue, we stepped out into the front of the church and awaited the bride. When Virginia walked down the aisle, her arm entwined with her fathers', she looked absolutely stunning. She was always a pretty woman but there's something about when they're wearing a wedding gown and all made up that makes them look radiant. The ceremony started. One thing that I failed to mention is that Virginia is originally from Puerto Rico, so it stands to reason that her family speaks fluent Spanish and so did the priest. This was the first bilingual wedding that I have ever been to and it was kind of cool but confusing at the same time, lol. The ceremony was beautiful, everything was very well planned out and you could tell a lot of thought went into making the wedding an extra special event for all those in attendance. 
When we left the church, the wedding party piled into the limo. We ventured off to a small park in the area to take professional wedding photos. The weather was the perfect temperature and backdrop for the photos that were taken. At the reception, that took place at a Boating and Yacht Club, the wedding party was greeted by mimosas and appetizers before they left in the rest of the guests. Once everybody was let in, they announced the wedding party. My partner, Melissa and I did the 'Carlton Dance' from "The Fresh Prince of Bel Air, when we were presented. The rest of night, everybody spent it eating, dancing, drinking and relishing in the happy couples' graces. When I'm at event like a wedding or something that has to do with people that are close to me, I tend to personally reflect on old times and what made the relationship great. I can't remember a bad moment that matt, Virginia or I shared in the time that I've known both of them. They are genuinely great people to know. It's funny, Matt knows me better than I know myself, what I'm thinking and how I'm feeling most of the time. I've always viewed him as the emotionally as well as physically strong guy, funny and compassionate about his work. On this day I saw something in him I've never seen, a vast amount of pride that was bursting at the seams. I also saw another thing that I've never seen him do before....cry. Now it wasn't a full out cry, but it was enough that he let his guard down and showed some true feelings. Even know he lives in Baltimore and I in Pittsburgh, we still manage to keep in touch quite often. I wish him nothing but the best that married life has to offer with his wife, Virginia, in the coming years together.
On the last day of my vacation, I attended a pig roast of sorts about 30 minutes outside of Condado. There we ate pork, fried bananas, friend sweet potatoes and fried sausages. Mot of the food was very good, only the sausages were a little spicy so I didn't eat them. After we all ate, on one side of the restaurant was a lake at the base of a mountain. It was very picturesque, adorned with palm trees decorating the outskirts of the lake. It was a good way to spend the last afternoon on the island.
All in all, this vacation was the best one that I have ever been on, and a good excuse to give myself a 30th birthday present. For all who were there, the memories that we all share hopefully will live on in our minds forever and hopefully one day, we'll all get back there to make some new ones.
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