Make Marriage, Not War

Hooray! You're here! I was hoping and wishing that you'd still be here when I got back from my trip... and here you are! I'm glad you made it because you are cordially invited as my guest, via pictures, to the wedding of Molly Petrik to Chris Healow.

This past weekend I traveled afar to a beautiful place called Missoula, quietly nestled in the mountains of Montana, hippies abounding around every street corner. Sarah and Adam Rassier, Kyle, and myself, headed to the land of the very free on Thursday morning. The occasion? An outdoor wedding of a childhood friend, Molly Petrik, to her beau, Chris Healow. It was well-worth the 13 hour drive in our tan Camry.

Adam's road rage driving techniques made for some interesting moments along the way, but we miraculously all made it there in one piece. These questionable instances include, but are not limited to: flying past a frightened student driver on the highway, profuse horn-honkage, a death-defying grizzly bear encounter, getting a little too up-close and personal with the median ("Is this a lane? Are we in a lane?" .... "Oh whoops, no, this isn't a lane at all"...[quick sudden jerk to the right]..."There."), and seemingly attempting to break the sound barrier (between you and me, let's just say we made excellent time). For all you mothers out there: our seat belts were in-tact the entire time. We arrived at the Mountain Valley Inn in Missoula Montana, precisely at 5:10pm. Here are some pictures of the weekend's events, as promised...a story board, if you will (and indeed, you will):

1) The rehearsal dinner in the park. Shortly after checking into the Mountain Valley Inn (heretofore known as the MVI), we revitalized our butt-to-seat laden bodies and found our way to the park for a pig roast feast. I like to call it a feastival. A party, as you all are well aware, is simply not a party until a deliciously meaty pig carcass arrives in the back of a rickety old Jeep, driven by a portly yet jolly gentleman in suspenders.

2) The North Dakota Gang. North Dakota was generously represented at the rehearsal dinner. From left to right: Sarah Rassier, Adam Rassier, Kyle Labrecque, I am the stunning vision in white, Jake Carolan, Jenny Carolan, Kris Smetana, Jason Nisbet's head, and Matt Nisbet.

3)The world's best pants. After the rehearsal "feastival", we putted back to the MVI. Before turning in for the evening, we stopped by a friend's hotel room, where, much to our astonishing elation, we were greeted with a gift of fleece pants. I refer to mine as "Heather and the amazing technicolor fleece pants." I am uncertain as to whether these pants are actually as amazing as they appear in the photo, or if the pant models are merely "working the pants" all too well.

4) Here Comes the Bride. The creek-side wedding the next afternoon was held at a beautiful estate nestled into the mountain-side. The guests and groom sang George Harrison's "Here comes the sun," while the wedding party and bride walked down the grassy aisle. The sun did indeed make an appearance, and temperatures soared to over 90 degrees. Fear not, however, this little white Norwegian-Irish girl applied SPF 50, as well as a double dose of Secret (it's strong enough for a man, but PH balanced for a woman).

5) Bring on the Funk. The girls were decked out in little silk halter knee-length numbers, while the boys donned brown linen pants, a striped blue shirt, and brown suspenders. The officiant was the couple's music professor (Dr. Funk, appropriately). Molly and Chris wrote their own heartfelt vows, and there wasn't a dry eye for miles.

6) The Other Happy Couple. Kyle and I after the wedding, just steps from the ceremony site. I wore my hair down, and slightly curled, for as long as any sane human can tolerate in that magnitude of heat...21 minutes, 38 seconds exactly.

7) Things are Heating Up. When beads of perspiration began to overcome my cotton smock, I gathered my locks and threw them up in a pony tail, as seen here.

8) Down Came the Rain. Clouds loomed over the area not long after, but the rain just missed us. The welcoming cloud cover cooled off the event to a comfortable 75 degrees. Check out that gorgeous view! I checked for ticks at least four times after coming back down the hill; I am happy to report that I was and still am tick-free.

9) Let them eat Buffalo. The wedding feast consisted of salmon, roasted buffalo with huckleberry sauce, asparagus stalks, some sort of cous-cous/quinoa concoction, iced dill potatoes, and a bun. I decided that it doesn't matter where you come from or what walk of life you choose to take, everyone loves a good bun. I, myself, am no exception to that rule.

10) SPEECH! SPEECH! Upon the commencement of the meal, the microphone was open for well wishes or stories for the new couple. Here, the parents of the bride look on. As a high school friend, I felt as though it was my utter obligation to share an embarrassing story of dear Molly. I stormed the mic and received an uproarious applause. Kyle greeted me back to my seat with "You really know how to work a crowd!" Thanks babe!

11) The Garter Toss. When the speeches came to a close, a few people insisted on speaking a bit more. When the speeches came to a close again, the evening's festivities were soon underway. To kick off the night, the bouquet was thrown, and the garter tossed.

12) Reunited and it Feels So Good. We Three Amigos: Sarah, Jenny and Myself, workin' it at the reception...kissin' the boys and makin' 'em cry! Yowsa!

13) Dancing the Night Away. After the Citronella Tiki Torches were activated, Molly and Chris had their first dance as husband and wife to the music of a live folk band. The music was oh-so contagious. By the second or third song, the driveway dance floor was filled with swirling, twirling bodies until the wee hours of the evening. To listen to the bride and groom's song, click here.

14) So Long, Farewell, Auf Wiedersehen, See ya Later. We said our sorrowful good-byes, and headed back to the MVI for the night. Kyle and I were starving and ordered a delightful pizza at 2:00am, when pizza tastes best. We dined on our usual pepperoni and cheese until our bellies could take no more. After checking out of the hotel the next morning, (You're forever in our hearts, MVI) our tummies were yet again eager for sustenance. "What better place to fill your gut than Famous Dave's BBQ?" we all thought. And so we dined on ribets and chicken baskets until our little hearts were content.

It was quite a delightful trip, and I thoroghly enjoyed myself during the entire adventure...it was hard to say goodbye. If e'er you need advice on how to survive hippies or renegade drivers, look me up. I have plenty of pointers.

Peace out,

H