Geigerpalooza, part 2 {OH, CANADA!!}

stunning Hope, BC

read part 1 here

this year's family reunion was strategically planned around my cousin's wedding! we were so happy to be a part of their wedding weekend. they live in Washington state but chose to get married in beautiful Hope, British Columbia, a three-hour drive north from my parents' house. 

the wedding weekend was adults-only, so we planned for all seven of the kids to stay back at my parents' house while my brother-in-law Colin's parents flew up from California to watch my three nephews, and my superhero Auntie Kris would fly out from Boston to watch my four girls. unfortunately, Auntie Kris got horribly sick on her way to the airport and after several conversations we decided to have her stay home (both for her own sake, and also because we didn't want to take a chance of sickness spreading throughout the house!). Nick and I both were discussing which one of us should stay home with the kids, when my mom graciously offered to stay with them. we talked about it more -- I felt guilty about her missing the trip, but in the end, she said she knew how much Nick and I had been looking forward to this weekend away, both for the wedding itself and also to spend kid-free time with my siblings, and insisted that we should go. and it was such a gift! 

on Friday, we drove up in a caravan of three cars. Nick and I rode up with Kira and Patrick, listening to great music, talking about their upcoming nuptials next summer, and stuffing ourselves with roadtrip snacks.  Kira and I washed ours down with a beer in the backseat and felt very rebellious. the landscape was beautiful, although I didn't attempt to take many pictures from our moving vehicle. 

making everybody prove that they have their passports with them before we embark

Dad in line at the border. we were racing in separate lanes to see who would get across first, and he won 

leading up to the border crossing, we had a discussion about whether or not to declare our cooler of beer we had brought up for the weekend (we had looked up the laws regarding transporting alcohol and it seemed it should be okay for personal use). the border agent was quietly terrifying and when he asked if we had anything to declare, Kira blurted out, "twenty-two beers!" so the secret was out. in the other lane, the agent asked car #2 if they had any weapons, and Brooke said, "just these guns!" and flexed her biceps, only to get an unamused expression in response. possibly despite their better judgment, the Canadian agents allowed all of us to cross the border and my phone immediately chirped, "Bienvenue a Canada!" I continued to text and send messages via facebook for another ten minutes or so until I got another message warning that I had just accumulated $50 in roaming charges. whoops! time for airplane mode. 

after another thirty minutes in the car, we arrived at the beautiful Airbnb. Mom spent so much time researching accommodations for our group, and she paid for the house too -- another reason I felt bad that she didn't even get to enjoy it! we had access to the full house (top and bottom floors) and had plenty of space in the common areas and the back deck to enjoy the beautiful weather. 

on the deck

before heading to a local brewery for welcome drinks with the wedding party, we went to a restaurant for dinner. some of my siblings initially were planning to grab sandwiches from the grocery store, but Nick said, "it's a rare occasion that Kate and I can go to a restaurant and enjoy a meal in peace and quiet without little ones, so you can all do what you like, but I am taking my wife out to dinner." ha! as it happened, everybody decided that sounded like a good idea too. we ended up at a little bar & grill that was cute but definitely swamped on a Friday night and the waitress was sweet but a little scatterbrained (i.e., writing our orders on her hand because she lost her notepad). so it wasn't quite the smooth, relaxing experience we were hoping for, but the food was good!

this poutine was worth the chaos

then we finally got to greet my cousin and his soon-to-be wife, as well as my aunt and uncle, and spent the rest of the evening drinking delicious local beer and cocktails!

this blackberry margarita was delicious! 

we stayed up for a while longer back at the house and eventually went to bed, luxuriating in the fact that we could just sleep in the next morning as the ceremony wasn't until 5 pm. I looooove a good lie-in, as the Brits say. the next day, Nick and I took a leisurely walk around the town and got lunch at A&W, one of my all-time favourite fast food restaurants. 

such a cute neighborhood!

the Fraser River

prior to showers and getting gussied up for the wedding!

Hope's claim to fame is that much of the movie Rambo was filmed here. the original Rambo bridge is no longer there but you'd better believe the town has a lifesize wooden carving of Rambo standing in their town square. 

in the meantime, Mom was texting us updates from the home front. the kids all had a blast playing together! 

these Duplo have been in rotation since I was a kid

picking blackberries

the wedding shuttle picked us up at the Airbnb around 4 PM (such an appreciated service!) and took us on a very winding mountain road up to the venue. we were greeted with flutes of champagne, and took polaroid photos to glue in the guestbook (such a fun tradition that my other cousin did for her wedding last year). then we made our way to the ceremony, at an absolutely stunning overlook above the river. 

Geigers in the house

I have no photos of the ceremony itself, per the request of the bride and groom -- so here's a photo of them from the rehearsal the night before! they both looked absolutely wonderful and their ceremony was so poignant. both my aunt and uncle walked my cousin down the steps to the platform and my tear ducts didn't stand a chance. 

the wedding itself took place on the lower deck

after the ceremony, we had to take a picture with my cousin's friend, the officiant, whose last name is also Geiger but who grew up in California ... no known direct relation. since my youngest sister Krista couldn't be here due to medical school orientation, we told her that she was our honorary sister and it was so crazy how she looked like she really could be related to us... plus her name started with a K like all of us sisters!

while Nathan and Vanessa took their wedding photos, the rest of us had a great time enjoying the beautiful scenery and playing games like oversize Jenga and beer pong until the reception started. I am pretty sure the food was the best wedding food I have ever had in my life and I wish I had taken a photo of it, however gauche. the short ribs were tantalizingly tender and the salad and grilled veggies were so flavorful. the bartenders provided table service for the wine, which was a classy touch!  

loved these centerpieces that still allowed for easy conversation at the table! 

 Auntie Kim and Dad -- mother and uncle of the groom

the only photo I personally took of the bride and groom, cutting the cake! 

we were quite hyped to visit the whiskey shack, which was a clandestine cabin only accessible to those who had been invited. of course, by the end of the night, I think all of the wedding guests had either been explicitly invited or had figured it out...

good fuel for the dance floor! 

as the last vestiges of the sunset slipped away, I had to try to capture the gradients of light melting down to the river. it was such a beautiful day, and we are so happy for Nathan and Vanessa!

the next day we sadly had to say goodbye to Canada, but we were eager to get back home and hug all the babies. we stopped at a grocery store to get some souvenirs for the kids (a bottle of maple syrup in a maple leaf container for Cece, sour gummy candy for Greta, and small boxes of Canadian Smarties for Elizabeth and Victoria), made a Tim Hortons run for coffee and breakfast, and headed south. this time we rode with Kelli and Colin. this weekend excursion in the midst of our Geigerpalooza celebration has made me realize how much I want to prioritize spending focused time with all my siblings when we are together -- not necessarily an entire weekend away from the kids, but at least a dinner out where we can have uninterrupted conversation! it was balm to my soul.