2 #Weddings in 1 Weekend ~ #Travel #CT #NJ Mini #vacation

The scenery around The Pond House in CT was beautiful!

I love weddings, and not just because I'm a romance author.  A celebration of love and commitment is always a happy occasion, and I always do my best to attend any that I'm invited to.  After all, families and friends often gather from all over for sad occasions such as a funeral, so I try to give just as much weight to the opportunities to see loved ones for the joyous events like weddings and baptisms.  Last fall, I took quite a trip (car ride, train ride, another car ride) to get from Cape Cod, MA, to Staunton, Virginia, in the Shenandoah Valley, for my cousin's wedding, which took a total of about 12 hours...I could have made it to Hawaii in that time I think!  But I had a great time with my siblings, and my sister and I explored an abandoned sanatorium in MD along the way (I also write ghost stories, and we're both a fan of all things spooky), and we finished off the long weekend with my niece's baptism.

That was the last wedding I went to until this weekend, and when we initially received two "Save the Date" cards for weddings on the same weekend, we panicked for a moment.  One was for my side of the family--my step-brother--and the other was for my husband's side of the family--his cousin.  And they were BOTH out of town.

Wedding #1 in Jersey City, at the Liberty House
What a view, the Manhattan skyline in the
background!

But when we compared the two cards, we realized we might be able to swing attending both.  The first one was a Friday evening, although all the way in Jersey City, NJ.  The second one was on that Sunday morning, in West Hartford, CT...which would be on our way home from NJ and only 2 1/2 hours from our return home on Sunday evening.

I'm thrilled to say both weddings and receptions went off without a hitch (that I saw, anyway), and it was great fun to see both sides of the family in one weekend.  Since we had Saturday to ourselves, my hubby and I also got to spend some quality time together (our teen boys had work and sports commitments, so they stayed home and also watched and probably play a lot of Fortnight).  We had a relaxing morning in the hotel, got to CT by 4 pm, and then walked around the very cute downtown area of West Hartford.  A little shopping, dinner outside at Max's Oyster House, and drinks on the rooftop of the Elbow Room.  

Cute restaurants and stores in West Hartford!

Hmmm...

We didn't get to stop at any haunted locations, which is always something I like to do when I travel, but I did notice a few slightly creepy aspects involved with both weddings:  the first one was on Friday the 13th, which is pretty brave...here's more on Why People Fear Friday the 13th in one of my Superstitions posts.  And the second wedding was on Asylum Road.  I feel like there's a story there I need to investigate!

One last practical part of the weekend that made me happy:  I got to wear the same dress!

Same pose, same clothes, at Wedding #2

Fall Family Fun Weekend! #Staunton #VA #MD #Travel

Selfie with my brother

I'm back from a whirlwind trip that included seeing a bunch of different family members, celebrating joyous occasions, and reminiscing about the past.  My journey was filled with train and car rides, loads of laughter, and two family events.  Oh, and because it's me, there was also one trip to a haunted building.

I started off making my way from Massachusetts to Maryland via a long but peaceful train ride.  I love the train, actually--I always choose the "Quiet Car", where talking and cell phones are prohibited, and I get to read uninterrupted (with the exception of naps) for hours on end.  It's a mini-vacation in and of itself.

One of the pics I took exploring
Glenn Dale Hospital

From Baltimore, I needed to hook up with my brother and sister, so I took a car to my sister's office.  Like me, she loves all things spooky, so we had to take a quick side trip to the Glenn Dale Hospital,  an enormous, 216-acre campus of abandoned buildings that once served as a tuberculosis sanatorium and isolation hospital.  Built in 1934, it hasn't been used since 1981.  I went into a few rooms (not exactly legal) to snap photos, and while I don't think I encountered any ghosts, it was certainly eerie.  It reminded me a bit of the tour I received of an abandoned prison here on Cape Cod.  In fact, as we get into the Halloween season, I'll probably do an entire post of the history of Glenn Dale hospital and the legends surrounding the facility and include the rest of my pictures...who knows, maybe it will even serve as inspiration for a new book--seems like a perfect setting for one of my stories!  

From Maryland, we hooked up with our brother and continued on to Staunton, Virginia, located in the Shenandoah Valley between the Blue Ridge Mountains and the Allegheny Mountains (both parts of the Appalachian Mountains).  We know it best as the hometown of both our cousins on our mother's side and The Statler Brothers, a country music group we used to see in concert every year when we'd visit for the Fourth of July.  Since it was just a sibling road-trip--we left the spouses and kids behind--it felt like we were time traveling, back to the past.    

Staunton, Virginia

My cousin's wedding was lovely, an all-day event that brought us together with family and friends we hadn't seen in years.  We had a great time reminiscing and the two days we spent there went by too fast.  

We took some of the wedding flowers
to use at the Baptism - love these

Then it was back in the car to my sister's house, for the Baptism of my youngest niece.  I got to see more members of the family and play with my nephew and nieces, whom I adore.  

I was back on the train on Monday, exhausted but thrilled to have been a part of the family celebrations.  It may not have been the easiest trip to make, in terms of timing, logistics, and convenience, but I know it was important too.  Now I'm slowly trying to get back into my usual routine, and it's not easy after five hectic days away!  So, time to get off my computer, and get back to the laundry.  Thanks for stopping by!