Two long-time friends, Chris and Camille, tied the knot a few weeks ago. These two beautiful, Christ-following people are definitely a couple I have seen the Lord working in and I was ecstatic the moment I heard about their engagement (more than a year ago, now). I ended up taking the Friday before the wedding ceremony off as a travel day. This was also Jocelyn's last weekend before starting work full-time, so it was a great way to end her "last summer"!
The Arrival
Jocelyn and I flew up to the Bay early Friday morning, hopped in a rental car, and headed in to San Francisco to meet with my super-cool cousin, Stephanie, and her son for lunch. We met at a dim sum restraurant in Outer Sunset, which was apparently a frequent stop for Stephanie. It had been a few years since I last hung out with her (which was before her son was born), so it was great catching up on life while enjoying scrumptious dim sum. Afterwards Jocelyn and I headed over to Stephanie's apartment, dropped off our rental car, and hopped into Stephanie's SUV with her son cutely snoring in the backseat. Stephanie had been wanting to check out a place called Kirby Cove, which is located north of the Golden Gate Bridge. Kirby Cove itself is actually a campground reachable via a dirt access road (only available to campers) or a short 25 minute walk. Parking near the trail head was horrendous so Stephanie dropped Jocelyn and I off and she continued to search for parking. Jocelyn and I hiked down in our slippers (per the usual) as Stephanie and her son strolled around near the trail head. Below are some photos from the short adventure.
Afterwards, Jocelyn and I met up with two other friends in Palo Alto for dinner at a Burmese restaurant, Rangoon Ruby, which was a first for me. We split the food family-style and then made our way to an ice cream shop, outside of which we ran in to one of our other college friends from SLO! What a small world. A short while later, Jocelyn and I bid adieu and started the long and windy drive out to the YMCA camp a bunch of attendees and the wedding party were staying at. Who needs hotels when you have cabins in the woods?
For the most part, the weekend was a mini-reunion because many of the "young professionals" who attended were also part of Epic SLO's ministry back in our college days. I suppose the term "young professional" is relative. Some have been working for five or more years and some less. Saturday morning consists of breakfast, a short hike/walkaround, hammocking, and enjoying the wonderful mountain weather. Chris and Camille's ceremony wasn't until mid-afternoon so the morning and early-afternoon was full of rest.
The Ceremony
Everyone staying at the cabins took a shuttle to the ceremony grounds, which was less than a 3-minute drive away. More friends and family poured in to the camp ground/ceremony ground and smiles, hugs, and laughter were aplenty. Without going into too much detail about the specifics, below are some photos from the ceremony.
The Reception
After the ceremony, we boarded the shuttles again and returned to the camp for the reception, which was held in a hall on the property. Below are some photos from the father-daughter and mother-son dances, and of course.... Chris and Camille Bandy!
Much love and prayer for this couple as they continue their journey together in marriage. I look forward to hanging out with you two the next time I visit the bay.... which, at this rate, is once every two years.