The last few months have been kind of a whirlwind for us and we are now only just starting to slow down (until our big move!). From the last push toward graduation (finishing up exams, Greg’s PSID project, Katie’s honors thesis) to our trip to Southern Arizona, planning a wedding in 6 weeks and trying to find jobs, we wouldn’t have it any other way.
First, graduation: while it wasn’t in the Big House, it proved to be a lovely day and ceremony, much nicer (and more expensive) then would it have been at say, Eastern Michigan. There’s not too much to say: standing in lines, Bob Woodruff, pomp and circumstance, family, and all that. It was good.
Next: In mid-May, we took a trip to Southern Arizona to visit Greg’s grandparents. It was nice to spend a few days in the dessert, but Greg and I could never imagine living in such a hot and arid place. We are and will always be water babies, and despite what they say about it being dry in the dessert, yes, you can still feel the heat. We did, however, venture out for a day trip to Nogales, Mexico. Having crossed into Canada countless times before, I wasn’t sure what to expect from our border to the South. It was strange to leave the car in a McDonald’s parking lot and walk a few minutes to the border, crossing over (with no questions asked) through a turnstile like we were in line for a ride at an amusement park.
On the other side, we found a colorful, noisy, vibrant, busy town. The sidewalks sometimes rose up a few feet above the street, and they were narrow and crowded with people waiting for this or that bus or stopping to talk to someone on their way to wherever. Cars tore through the streets, seemingly oblivious to the many pedestrians who had abandoned the overcrowded sidewalks and every once in a while a police pick-up truck would whir by with several officers clinging to the back or standing up in the bed.
After a few hours wandering the streets, we stopped for lunch and despite repeated warnings from Greg’s family not to drink the water or order anything with ice, I couldn’t resist the lemonade (thankfully, nothing bad happened). Sitting on the empty upper balcony provided us with a welcome respite from the hot, noisy streets below and also gave us a great view over the city. After lunch, we made our way back to the border crossing, but this time we were met with a much longer line, tighter security, and several buses with signs advertising transport to the local Walmart. Nogales definitely isn’t the Mexico you see in travel books—it is not Cancun, or Cabo—it is part of real(er) Mexico, a border town looming in the shadow of a great big wall.
Finally, our wedding day, D-day as it were. We chose Mackinac Island as our destination for several reasons, first and foremost because weddings are what they do and with only a month and a very small budget to get everything together, it was pretty easy (we really can’t imagine spending 12+ months and many more thousands of dollars to plan a wedding). Mackinac Island is, in general, a lot like Disneyworld—all facade. We weren’t at all interested in a wedding carriage ride, the Grand Hotel, or some movie they filmed there in the 80s. But we love the water and if you can get away from “main street”, the resort hotels, the crowds and the fudge shops, you can find some really breathtaking places. Our day was almost perfect and there really isn’t much else to say about it except that it was small and beautiful and we enjoyed every minute with our family and friends.
