Dancing, Donuts, Design and Delays (Providence, RI)

Warning: this post has an obnoxious amount of photos, so if any of my relatives are still running their Commodore 64's, be advised of a potential crash. I took so many pictures because there was so much that captivated my imagination this week, and it gives me the jollies to get to share it with you all!

I had a wonderful week. Tiring, but wonderful. It started out on a high—an event I've been looking forward to for months. One of my best friends, Jessica, married her long time sweetheart, Erik, on a farm in my home state. Both have very large families, and a group of very intimate friends who traveled far and wide to see the happy day. I was so enthralled when I was able to bid for my schedule and got the days off I wanted. As a reserve, you sometimes have to eat your humble pie and take what days off you can get, but so far I've been very lucky with scheduling. It's all an encouraging testament to my steadily rising seniority as more and more new hires keep pouring in.
The wedding was absolutely worth the wait; my friends love each other and so it was more than just about the marriage, it was about the lot of us banding together in support of each other's happiness. There's no such thing as a dull time with my chums.

There's a saying that you can tell how good a wedding is by how long everybody dances afterwards. Well, we danced the night away, ate delicious food (sorry, I was too busy stuffing my face to take pictures, although I wish I had) and later snacked on donuts and espresso which the bride had catered from Monkey Town Donuts. They're made hot and fresh while you watch, and the coffee keeps you buzzin' all night long. If you ever get a chance to try some, do it. You'll be glad you did.

Among the other highlights of the event:

Downwind was macking on a cute girl, and I was happy to coyly be his wing-woman.

There were more adults than children at the crayon/coloring book table.

Darcy was swarmed by children, and was actually quite good with them. I was impressed, and fell in love with him a little more when he read one of Jess's youngest sisters a storybook.

We sent the lovely couple off with the biggest sparklers I've ever seen! And of course, being the adults that we are, we ran around and waved them like magic wands shouting "Wingardium leviosa" and "expecto patronum"

Suffice it to say, good times were had by all.

One of my best friends, Jessica, got married at Hullender Farms in Apison TN. It was a gorgeous venue, and a perfect day for a wedding

The venue had a very rustic chic feel to it, and we all were bustling with excitement for the festivities to begin

the ceremony itself was held outside on the lawn. The simple yet classic taste reflected my friend Jessica perfectly.

you could tell Jessica and her family put a lot of time and effort into the decorations of the little cottage where the reception was held

getting in our places

The groom, Erik, and my dear friend Hunter, who officiated.

Darcy and I felt like we were melting into our chairs, it was so hot. 90+ degrees, but it was so worth it!

The father of the bride walking Jessica down to her husband to be!

They met up with the mother of the bride, and they all walked down together. It was very meaningful to the bride for both her parents to give her away

Personal vows they wrote for each other. You can tell they're best friends who happened to fall in love

Darcy and I getting goofy while we nibbled hors d'oeuvres and waited on the bridal party

We started to get a little bored. Fortunately, Darcy thought ahead and snuck in some "party favors"

My lovely friend Jessica; the most beautiful (and laid back) bride I've ever seen!

Jess, me and Downwind photobombing us in the back! This is *so* us.

On to Providence! We weren't supposed to even go to Rhode Island—our first overnight was in New York City. Then the delays happened. It's a pretty typical thing for summer weather to be temperamental on the east coast. However, it wreaks havoc on the airline industry, because with all the diversions and ground holds, its nigh impossible for jets to get where they need to be, when they need to be. This also results in a musical-chairs-in-the-sky kind of rigamarole for flight attendants—one flight crew may be taken off their scheduled trip to be sent off on another plane in order to make sure they board on time while their actual crew is either still sitting on the tarmac or at a different airport. I'd hate to work in logistics or customer service for my airline during these grueling delays!

It's not so much a bother to me, other than a mite confusing when you don't know where you're going to sleep that night, because our job is to be flexible. All I need is a (soft) place to lay my head, a toilet to do the obvious, a chair to lay my stuff and a shower to get clean in.

Boy, did my airline ever deliver!

If you haven't heard of NYLO hotels before, look them up, because they're the neatest thing sliced bread. The best way to describe the deco design would be urban neo-modern. Everything is polished stainless steel, crisp lines, and stacked brick against concrete. My room in itself was a work of art.

my shower. The back glass panel was transparent, and you could see into it from the bed. Excellent incentive to wake up if you had someone sexy staying with you. ;)

the living room area

You get your own keurig machine in your room. This hotel knows where its at

The lobby was, in a word, phenomenal. If I hadn't taken pictures, you wouldn't believe that I sat in a giant hanging modular chair reading books from the in-house library while a sipped a hand-made espresso, or that I sat out on the 3,000- square-foot mahogany terrace overhanging the Pawtuxet River and ate breakfast.

I can haz in my room? Plz?

A library and an iMac. Its like I died and went to hipster heaven.

*drool*

the most perfect reading spot ever designed

I just had to try it out for myself. Result: more fun than a barrel of monkeys.

the dining room. Totally digging those antler lamps.

All you can eat breakfast buffet for $5 if you're crew! As a good American, I did my patriotic duty and stuffed my gullet until I was full as a tick!

The scenic patio at NYLO

This is where I ate breakfast. u jelly? ;)

NYLO is located in a renovated Hanes underwear factory from the days of yore. This made my entire life. I can now cross "sleep in an unmentionables mill" off my bucket list!

I went on a quick jaunt to the Warwick Mall, which was across the street. It was a nice excuse to get around town and see the local venues, as well as to get some fresh air. I've never appreciated nature so much as when I spent an entire day in enclosed in a galley!

May or may not have taken a spin ;)

the first store I saw in Providence's Warwick Mall had bongs. LOL! Priorities people!

It seems the world has nothing better to talk about this week. Good thing I never buy these (and use the pages from the ones left over on the plane for cleaning the coffee grounds out from under crevices in the galley).

The other hotel we stayed in the next night, in Chicago, paled in comparison to NYLO. In fact, I was abruptly awoken early in the morning to the sound of my door opening. Nobody knocked, nobody yelled out the obligatory warning. Before I knew it I was face to face with the Russian cleaning lady, who dropped all her supplies out of shock and muttered apologies as I desperately covered up my birthday suit (it was horribly hot, and the AC wasn't working , so no pajamas for me!)

Can you say awkward?

Last but not least, I had the most amazing crew this time around. All were senior flight attendants, but we bonded very strongly over the 3 day trip. After you go through hours of wrangling baggage, boarding and deplaning, safety demos, and galley gossip, you forge a strong affinity for good camaraderie. The three of us (and the pilots) got on splendidly, and it showed in our attitudes. Nobody was bossy, or a negative nancy, or a control freak. At the very end, one of the ladies gave me a coveted "crew" luggage tag, which I had been admiring the entire trip . I shall treasure it for always, and remember my sojourn to Providence fondly.