Ok, that was a pretty damn fine weekend.
Mark, Coop, and I headed out to Van to meet up with a whack of others for Ryan and Rachel’s wedding, a spot of drinking, and general catching up with a bunch of friends.
The flight out was pretty good, but Air Canada managed to separate our bags from us (despite the planes being 50 feet apart – maybe those stupid=short connection times need some review, hey Mapleflot?), so they showed up a little later. Our hotel had a pretty decent view, and was close to food and beer, so it was all good.
On Friday Rachel and Ryan had a meet and greet at Shebeen, a whisky bar behind the Irish Heather in gastown. The Guinness was extra cold, the apetizers were tasty (and plentiful!), and the company was stellar. I begged off a little early because of a sore back that needed a lie-down, but it was a great evening.
After a bit of a sleep-in on Saturday we met up at Slickity Jim’s on Main Street (at Broadway) with Anat and her little ones, the (in)famous jhawke, and the mightyjc for some excellent foodicles. Bellys stuffed, we eventually made our way over to James’ and then onward to Queen Elizabeth Park for a round of disc golf where we were joined by friends and family. The evening was spent at the Atlantic Trap and Gill, where we met up with some guildies and ex-Ingenia-ites for some food, beverages, and… err… cupcakes.
Sunday was the main event at the Cole Harbour Community Centre for the ceremony, and an excellent reception at the yacht club. I have a tonne of pictures, but they require a bunch of processing as well as editorial approval from Rachel and Ryan. It was a great time, and the laid-back-have-fun mentality that (typically 😉 ) defines both Rachel and Ryan shone through… although that may be the open bar talking. We closed the place down shooting the breeze while enjoying the view.
05:15 came way too early yesterday – my first words were “shit, I’m still drunk” – but we made it to the airport and back to Ottawa without incident. Last night was an early night, and I think I’ll need a couple days to completely recover. It was an excellent time, and was wholly enjoyable. I have many more pics that will make their way over to my flickr account in the coming days, so have a boo this weekend.
Thanks to Rachel and Ryan for a great time, to Coop and Bobo for a great weekend, and to everyone else we met up with while in Vancouver; ’twas awesome.