I am getting to the age now where my friends are starting to get married which is both amazing and scary for me. This happened this September with 2 of my friends getting married within 4 days of each other. It kind of worked out perfectly as it meant I could get a visit home, go to the weddings and get a little holiday from work all rolled onto one. I was travelling around 15 hours to get there so I wanted to make the most out of it.
Going home was great , I hadn’t been home in around 16 months so I was looking forward to seeing everyone. My days consisted of hopping from place to place catching up with family and filling them in on all the things that I have been getting up to which was fun. It was nice that going home nothing had changed, the village where I live was still the same and everything still felt the same. When you travel so much and are always seeing new places, having that sense that something is familiar is nice. After a week at home it was time to head off back to the airport and on to my first wedding.
I hopped on the short flight from Dublin to Birmingham to go visit my friend Courtney and celebrate her wedding. I met Courtney when I was on Erasmus and we don’t get to see each other as often as I would like, so it had been over 2 years since the last time I saw her so I was looking forward to the catch up. I also had the honour of being one of her bridesmaids which was incredible . The days leading up to the wedding, were spent me just watching Courtney doing the final prep for the wedding and also being a seamstress and altering my dress. Don’t worry I did ask many times if I could help but she was having none of it. The night before the wedding we stayed in a hotel with the bridal and grooms parties which was nice getting to meet everyone before the big day. I also got to see Charley my other friend from Erasmus who I hadn’t seen in over 2 years as well. The three of us where like the Three Musketeers when we were abroad so not getting to see them often is hard but makes when we do get together so much more special.
The big day arrived and we were up early to head to the venue and get ready. It was a beautiful sunny day with blue skies so it was just perfect. We had a very chilled morning , chatting away, doing our hair & makeup and generally getting ready. We had the most amazing pastries for breakfast and had our photo taken with every turn we made. Then it was time. The ceremony was beautiful and I shared a reading with Charley which was lovely even if we did forget that we agreed to do it. Courtney looked amazing and I was nearly on the verge of tears throughout the ceremony. After that we got all the pictures and got ready to celebrate for the night. The food and company were amazing. There was a donut wall, a chocolate station, video games, pizza & poutine in the evening and a popcorn machine, It was an awesome wedding. I spent my night on the dance floor with the bride which was so nice. Then I spent the night talking away until 5am, in Ireland the later the night the better the wedding . It was so lovely to see be there and celebrate two amazing people and wish them a lifetime of happiness.
I didn’t get much time to rest as I was on my way to the airport the next day to head to the next wedding which was taking place in Malta, I really do have friends all over the world. After spending the day in the airport after only having 2 hours sleep that night , hearing my flight being delayed was not what I wanted. As soon as we boarded I was out like a light which never usually happens for me on flights but I was gone. I landed and finally got to my hotel at 2:30am. The next morning when I finally woke up I was greeted by sun and a sea view. I was very excited to spend the next 2 days chilling out by the pool relaxing and having a break. Then it was time for wedding number 2, my school friend Katie’s. As I said my friends now live all over the world so we don’t get to see each other very often, when we were in University we would try to meet up at Christmas for a drink but it is harder now. I was looking forward to seeing some people who I hadn’t see in around 4 years. With it being Malta and the weather being amazing, the venue was all outside with beautiful trees and a vine ceiling. Katie looked amazing as she walked down the aisle and the ceremony was beautiful, ending in the guests blowing bubbles instead of confetti which was nice. It was nice to see old friends and meet new people and celebrate with everyone, bet you can’t guess where I spent my night ( hint I had very tired feet and legs the next day) .
The next day I was back to the airport to fly home, to unpack one suitcase and repack another. I was home for less than 24 hours before I was back to the airport again to start the 15 hour journey back to Edmonton, Alberta and back to camp. It was so nice to have a break, see family and friends and get a fresh energy to go back to work. I feel so lucky that I have friends all over the world who I may not talk to all the time but when we meet up it’s like we had only seen each other yesterday.
Emma
xx
Emma Murphy 