The sun sets on Guam

Well my stint in Guam is finally over - for good. While I wasn't a fan of being away from home so much, this was probably one of the best life experiences I've ever had or will have. I went to a part of the world, and probably even an entire hemisphere, I never would have visited otherwise. I tried something - scuba diving - I probably never would've otherwise, and loved it! And I got some pretty phenomenal work experience that few others my age afforded the opportunity. Heck, I even ate bait (I mean sushi) and liked it. In small quantities. It still belongs on a fishing pole.

As I mentioned in a previous post, I will miss a few things about Guam - "living" right on the beach, diving, fishing, and the tropical weather. But all in all, I'm glad to be back. Unfortunately my next assignment is in Philadelphia, so that cancels out a lot of the awesomeness of being back on the mainland...

I guess the title of my blog seem pretty silly now.

Flashback to 2011: Charleston, SC

So I didn’t do a good job with following my whole “where in the world is JR” blog. I missed a whole trip. Several trips if you count my last couple trips to and from Guam. My only excuse is the development of The Perfect Storm. Extreme business intersected with extreme laziness.

Flash back to mid-November. Location: Charleston, SC. Purpose: Dave and Erin O’Brien’s wedding!

I coordinated my brief stints home from Guam so that I could be present for one of my most anticipated events of 2011: Dave and Erin's wedding. I was lucky enough to have Susanna accompany me as my date. We left Tuesday afternoon, hopped on I95, and headed down to South Carolina. We only made it half way though. We made a pit stop in Raleigh, NC to visit my parents and spent Wednesday there before continuing our trek on Thursday morning. Susanna had been begging to stop at the tourist trap in South Carolina called South of the Border. You know the place - the place that has about 500 signs along I95. With the amount of money this place spends marketing, you'd expect it to be pretty cool. Well, it's not. In fact, I've never been so underwhelmed with something in my life. It wasn't all lost though. They had some giant animals and cheesy souvenirs that made Susanna happy, so that was good enough for me.

Twins

Two things taller than Susanna in one place... amazing!!!

After spending the obligatory 30 minutes at South of the Border, we continued on our journey. Getting down to Charleston early was such a great decision. Susanna and I got to spend Thursday and Friday exploring historic downtown Charleston. Charleston is so quaint and charming, although there are quite a few cheesy tourist traps there too - i.e. the horse drawn carriage tours. My favorite part was probably walking the Battery and enjoying being on the ocean again. Well, favorite part besides the actual wedding.

I originally met Dave in college. We didn't keep in touch after he graduated, but by random chance, we unknowingly wound up in the same city and ran into each other. We started hanging out, and meanwhile I met Erin. One introduction and a few years later, and I get the privilege of seeing them officially tie the knot. The wedding was at a beautiful church downtown. I'd show pictures, but unfortunately, I haven't gotten into the habit yet of taking many pictures when dry land is involved. The reception was at the historic Rice Mill. It was right on the harbor and we were treated to a fantastic sunset over the marina. Once again... dry land = no pictures. We had a fantastic time dancing and enjoying the company of our friends. And I do have to say... Johnny O'Brien probably had the best dance moves on the floor.

Newly weds! 

So pretty

Our fantastic weekend ended with the 10 hour drive from Charleston to DC. Hopefully Charleston is in our future again sometime soon!