Post-Pandemic Travel for a Joyous Occasion

I recently returned from my first out-of-state trip since the pandemic began. Actually, it was my first trip of more than 100 miles from home since October 2019, when my son was married. The occasion this time was my daughter’s wedding in Seattle.

I worried about getting there, as the news has been full of cancelled flights and airport hassles. My flight there was crowded, but otherwise uneventful. In fact, my daughter had a harder time driving through Seattle traffic to retrieve me than I had navigating the airport. Air travel was no fun, but no worse than it was pre-pandemic.

And then the wedding activities. Thursday I had a lunch at the Golf Club at Newcastle with my sister and other family members. Friday brought a “rehearsal” dinner at Brimmer and Heeltap, where we feasted on wild rice with lamb sausage. (I put “rehearsal” in quotes, because there were only five of us there. It wasn’t much of a rehearsal.) Saturday was the wedding in my daughter and son-in-law’s backyard, followed by a catered dinner at Stoup Brewing. And Sunday we had brunch with the wedding guests. After the guests departed, I went with my son and daughter-in-law to the Hirem Chittenden Locks and the National Nordic Museum. And we ended the day with a trip to the Golden Gardens beach.

On Monday, I spent a day of lazing outside in perfect weather to recuperate from all the weekend’s excitement. I’d had a wonderful time celebrating, but I’m not sure I can keep up that level of activity for longer than a few days.

Of course, the most important part of my trip was the wedding, which brought joy to my heart. (Trite, but true.)

My daughter and son-in-law had a pandemic courtship. They both love outdoor sports, and since those remained more accessible than other date-type activities, they skied through the winters and hiked through the summers. Their dogs joined them, and once the two dogs accepted each other, the two people could commit. I’ve always thought my hard-working, competitive, opinionated daughter would set high standards for a husband, and I was so pleased when she found someone who she thought measured up. (I think he does, too.)

My son officiated. He was both serious and humorous as he spoke of the commitments in marriage. My daughter and son-in-law were sweet and sincere in their vows. I am delighted to welcome my son-in-law into the family.

The one sad note in an otherwise happy occasion was my husband’s absence. His Parkinson’s Disease symptoms would have made him uncomfortable both during travel and while participating in the celebrations, so he stayed home. He watched the ceremony via Zoom, but the quality of the audio and video was poor. In retrospect, I wish I had planned better for him to be a part of the festivities.

Here are a few of pictures from the day. The professional photographs are not yet available, so readers will have to make do with these candid shots.

And now I am ready to travel again. But I have no more children to marry off. What other excuse can I find?

What was your first post-pandemic travel, and how did you feel about it?