Super Awesome Wedding/Honeymoon Road Trip, Introduction

So, I realize that it has been almost two months since our Vegas vacation, but I realized that I don't have any kind of account of it, and seeing that it was our first real vacation as a married couple, I thought it worth documenting, albeit, a bit after the fact.

I say our first real vacation as a married couple because at the time of our honeymoon, we were dead broke. We had absolutely no budget for a honeymoon trip and very little planned, except that thanks to my grandmother, we had two nights in a timeshare in Anaheim, and two nights in Palm Springs. Yes, Palm Springs. In August. Now, for those of you that don't know, I live in California about 30 minutes from Anaheim and about 2 hours from the Springs, so it was more of a "staycation" than a honeymoon. Thanks to the amazing generosity of our wedding guests, we were able to to Disneyland and have a nice time in Palm Springs as well, so I don't want it to seem like it was awful, just more of a mini-vacation than an actual one.

For this trip, we had dutifully saved most of the year, and I had done a ton of research for it as well. The original plan was for Mani and I to go in October to Las Vegas and stay for a week, allowing us plenty of time to see all the sights, relax, and spend some quality time with each other. A hotel was chosen and reservations were made. Well, as fate would have it, a friend in Colorado got engaged in May and asked me to be a bridesmaid for her September wedding. Open plans, insert wrench. But never fear, plans were meant to be tweaked. Besides, Las Vegas is on the way to Colorado. Sort of. We will make it work!

Thus was born the Super Awesome Wedding/Honeymoon Road Trip. The plan: Leave Tuesday September 21st from Covina, California, arrive in Las Vegas. Two days in Las Vegas, then head for Colorado on Thursday, stopping to spend the night in Green River, Utah. Arrive on Friday in Colorado Springs, rehearsal lunch on Saturday, wedding on Sunday, drive back Monday and Tuesday, home on Wednesday, work on Thursday. So much for a super relaxing vacation! Even the thought of it was a little overwhelming, but as a couple, we are nothing if not flexible, so I knew we could make this work. Add to that the powers that be decided that we have a Very Important Appointment on that Tuesday, so it added a little extra stress to the mix. But no matter! We had saved for this trip, I had bought my dress, we were going, dagnabit! And let me say, it was more than worth it. I'm not sure how, but we stayed under budget for most of the trip, which is remarkable since our budget was lower than originally intended due to having to move the dates up. And we got to see so much of the West, which is so incredibly beautiful, once you get past the desert. Also, I am really glad that I got to be a part of the wedding. Even though it might have been a little stressful leading up to it, I think I would have been sad if I had not been a bridesmaid.

(I'm the one on the far right...)