The Best Day in Derailed History.

This weekend, two of the best people I know got married. Not only was I lucky enough to share the day with them, but I was a bridesmaid in the beautiful wedding.

Some girl I ran into on the street.

The rehearsal dinner was held at the bride's house and it was wonderful to catch up with everyone after so long. It amazes me how comfortable we all feel together, no matter how much time passes.

A little too comfortable...

Wheat had to cover a WNBA playoff game in Chicago on Friday night, but he drove all the way to Toledo after the game and got there around 3:00 AM. He's a keeper.

I'm lucky.

The morning of the wedding was incredibly relaxed, due mostly to CJ's calm demeanor. While getting hair done in her hotel room, the bridal party watched music videos, laughed, and even had a first-time Icing.

I had nothing to do with this. Really.

Reading on the morning of her wedding. Obviously.

The ceremony was flawless, unless you consider the bridesmaids sobbing a problem. I'll never forget Eric's face (and tears) when he saw CJ coming down the aisle. They're truly the best couple I know.

After the ceremony, the wedding party boarded a party bus to drink get pictures taken. We spent some time taking pictures outside in a beautiful park and by a river. I'm excited to see them!

The reception was incredibly fun. The food and speeches were great (mostly making fun of Eric), the cake-cutting was perfect (a little smearing), and the dancing was just like every single wild night at Derailed. Eric and CJ even had the DJ play "Hypnotize" by Notorious BIG for me.

Stop. Just stop.

After the wedding, we had a little after party in Holly and Jessie's hotel room. Every single time I think I've moved on from Miami, I'm reminded how much I miss it. Although I miss the physical place, the gorgeous campus, the hockey games, and Uptown, Miami is more about these people to me. I don't think I'll ever find anything like it (or them) ever again.

Tasha is in there somewhere.

The next morning, everyone met for breakfast and sad goodbyes in the hotel lobby. Hopefully it won't be as long before our next Derailed reunion.

I'm so unbelievably happy for CJ and Eric. I always kind of felt like they were married already, but it was so awesome to finally see it happen. I've never been to a happier wedding in my life. Everyone could feel how in love they are and how perfect they are together. I'm so lucky to have spent so much time with them and I look forward to many memories to come.

Love you both so much.

Might move to Canada. The verdict is still out.

My parents have been telling me for years that I would love Toronto. So, when my dad found out I had a little free time between jobs, he decided to finally take me. They were right. I loved it. I can't believe that such a cosmopolitan, European-style city is within a day's drive from me.

We got to Toronto on Monday night, but decided to take the rest of the day off after the 10-hour trip from Indianapolis. The next morning, we drove into the city (we stayed near the airport) and parked downtown (for $22 a day - yuck). While waiting for our tour bus to pick us up, I went crazy taking the first of a million pictures of the CN Tower.

Third tallest tower in the world. Whoa.

The tour was an entertaining, two-hour loop around the city that stopped at 21 different places. You had the freedom to hop on or off the bus whenever you wanted, so we took the bus all three days to get around to different areas. Unfortunately, that also meant hearing the same jokes every single day from the tour guides. Oh well...

The first day, we did most of the tour to get our bearings straight, but decided to get off at Chinatown and Kensington Market. I've been to several Chinatowns, but they will never get old to me. I love the instant change in language, food, and atmosphere.

Doesn't mean I'll eat there.

After walking through Chinatown, we made our way to Kensington Market, a super vibrant, artsy, hipstery neighborhood that definitely isn't a market in the traditional sense. It's more of a district of town, with tons of outdoor fresh food shops (mostly produce, cheese, and vegan), restaurants, boutiques, vintage shops, and art.

I want to go to Zombie Survival Camp.

It was probably my favorite part of the city. Its totally laid-back, bohemian vibe was a welcome change of pace from the hustle and bustle of the city. I would compare it to SoHo in New York City with a little more grit. We stopped for lunch at a cute, outdoor Mexican restaurant called Pancho y Emiliano's. I had chicken soft tacos and, of course, a Mexi-Cola.

More Mexi-Colas, please.

After Kensington, we hopped back on the bus and took it down to Lake Ontario. From there, we boarded a boat to get a 45-minute water tour of Toronto Island. Although it was freezing, it was a beautiful day and the sun reflected off the lake beautifully. It was awesome to see the Toronto skyline from this vantage point. We also got to see the gorgeous parks on the island, some swans, the tiny, yet very functional Toronto Island Airport, and the amazing yachts that harbor on the island.

Not bad.

That night, we had dinner reservations at 360º, the revolving restaurant near the top of the CN Tower. We took the incredibly fast elevator to the restaurant (seriously, our ears were popping on the way up) and found our seats, right by the window. The restaurant makes a complete rotation every 72 minutes, so we enjoyed our delicious dinner and dessert while seeing Toronto and Lake Ontario from every angle imaginable.

People work there.

Take me back, please.

It was absolutely gorgeous and the food was amazing. I had a caesar salad, cornish game hen and potatoes, and pumpkin cheesecake. Dad had trout, butternut squash soup, pork tenderloin, and a chocolate tower. I want to go back now.

I like food.

After dinner, we made our way to the observation deck. I'm not really afraid of heights, but standing on the glass floor made me nauseous. Unsurprisingly, Dad made me lay on it for a picture. I was terrified, but the view is unmatched.

The next morning, we took the tour bus to St. Lawrence Market, a traditional, indoor food market that was voted the No. 1 market in the world by National Geographic. It had just about everything you could imagine, including the famed Canadian maple syrup. We had breakfast at a tiny place in the market called Paddington's that gets its ingredients fresh from the market.

After breakfast, we walked past the Gooderham Flatiron building, the inspiration for the one in New York City and the first "skyscraper" in Toronto (at a whopping six stories).

Most photographed shot in Toronto.

Then, we found ourselves at the holy ground, the mecca, and my own personal version of heaven on earth - the Hockey Hall of Fame. My poor dad had absolutely no interest in being there, but I spent three hours touring it. The amount of memorabilia from Wayne Gretzsky, Mario Lemieux, Bobby Orr, and all the greats is astounding. They also have paraphernalia from every current team in the league. So, I saw Geno's gloves, Flower's pads, and Crosby's jersey from the 2012 All-Star Game.

They also have all the props from Crosby's Olympic-winning Golden Goal in 2010. Everyone in the place thought I was insane, posing for pictures in a Crosby shirt and drooling over the stick, gloves, puck, and net. Sorry I'm not sorry.

I'm an honorary Canadian.

They also had a replica dressing room for the Montreal Canadiens, a video on the 1972 Summit Series, and an awesome 3D hockey video about kids playing an imaginary Game 7 for the Cup. Throughout the video, they had the kids reenact some of the most iconic goals in history, including Orr's leaping goal in 1970 and Lemieux's weaving goal against the Islanders in 1988.

For the non-hockey fans, the Hall also has quite a few hockey-related games, including slap shot and goalie games. In the goalie game, a puck shoots out of one of five slots in the wall and you have to stop it with a stick and gloves. I stopped three of five shots (including one that I caught between my legs) and took a seriously hard shot in the shin. I feel bad for those guys.

I'm no Brodeur.

You could also try your hand at play-by-play announcing and record your call with TSN (the Canadian ESPN). Of course, mine included the phrase, "Slap me silly, Sidney!"

My favorite part of the day, however, was seeing the Stanley Cup in person. When it isn't with the reigning champion, the Cup is housed in the Hall of Fame in this gorgeous old bank. All of the awards are there, enclosed in glass, but the Cup is out in the open behind a rope and guarded by a person at all times. When I saw it, my eyes instantly started watering. There truly is something alluring about it. You can almost feel the history when you touch it - the blood, sweat, and tears that were sacrificed to hoist it.

Hugged it. Cried. Totally normal.

Much to my dad's relief, we eventually left the Hall of Fame and made our way to Eaton Centre and Yonge Street, Toronto's version of Times Square. The mall is so humongous it has two different subway stops, the plaza has a different promotional event every day (the first day was hammocks, free lemonade, and Bob Marley music), and Yonge Street has every shop you can imagine, from children's clothing to adult superstores to marijuana depots.

You can't buy or sell pot in Canada, but you can smoke it. Hmm...

We stopped for dinner on King Street before heading to Rogers Centre for the Yankees vs. Blue Jays game. Rogers Centre is an incredibly cool ballpark with a view of the CN Tower when the retractable roof is open. It also houses the Renaissance Hotel, with some rooms that have a direct view of the field, and a Cold Stone.

I've been to four different ballparks this year. Personal record.

The Blue Jays took a three-run lead after homers by Colby Rasmus (his fourth straight game with one after returning from IR) and Ryan Goins (his first career home run). However, the Yankees rallied for four runs in the eighth inning, giving them the 4-3 win. I have never heard a player get booed louder than A. Rod. Luckily for everyone, Mariano Rivera came out to close, bringing everyone, including the Blue Jays fans, to their feet for a standing ovation and final farewell.

Farewell, Mo.

The next day, we took the bus to the Distillery District, an area of town that used to be a giant whiskey distillery in the 1800s. They kept the facades of the buildings intact and put art galleries, shops, and restaurants inside. It was an extremely foggy morning, giving the place an eerie, yet cool vibe with all the brick walls and street lamps.

They filmed parts of Chicago and X-Men here.

We had lunch at one of Toronto's two breweries, the Mill Street Brewery (the other is Steam Whistle). Dad ordered a Canadian classic, poutine (french fries, gravy, and cheese curds), and it was delicious.

After the Distillery District, we made our way to Queen Street West to check out the shops. The street has both mainstream shops (like Urban Outfitters) and off-the-wall boutiques. It also has some of the best graffiti and street art in the city. We stopped for drinks at Java Cafe and some Timbits from Tim Hortons before heading back.

He pretended not to like Timbits. Ha.

We said our goodbyes to Toronto by checking out the cool trains near Steam Whistle Brewery and having dinner at Jack Astor's, a popular Canadian bar and grill.

Other Canadian Observations:

- The traffic is horrific in Toronto. Really, it's Los Angeles-style bad. Luckily, everyone there is so nice that there aren't really any aggressive drivers. It was refreshing to be stuck in traffic where people let you over without flipping you off or honking. There is also an unbelievable amount of construction.

- Next time I go back, I want to go to Casa Loma, this gorgeous castle on the outskirts of the city. Apparently, they film tons of movies inside of it and give tours of the place. It's on my to-do list.

- It's not just a stereotype: Canadians listen to a lot of Drake. I heard his music everywhere, saw posters of him all over town, and two Blue Jays players had his music as their at-bat songs. I didn't mind it at all.

- Toronto has the most beautiful, fresh flowers everywhere. I don't understand how they keep them alive, but it was absolutely gorgeous.

So pretty.

- The city is also incredibly diverse. In addition to Chinatown, they also have a Little Italy and Little Portugal. Over half the population wasn't even born in Canada. As a sheltered girl from Middle America, it was really nice to see.

- The people at border control are really mean. Like 'Did-I-do-something-to-you?' mean.

I'm already planning my next trip. Who wants to come with me?

Michael Buble and a Triple Feature.

On Saturday night, Wheat and I finally made it out to Tibbs Drive-In Theater. He had never been to a drive-in before, so I figured it would be the perfect date night. We bought our tickets on Sweet Jack, so we had two adult admissions and a large popcorn for $10. It ended up being the best deal ever because we stayed for a triple feature.

The movies were great. My favorite was Lee Daniels' The Butler. Forest Whitaker plays Cecil Gaines, a White House butler who served under eight presidents. In addition to his duties at the White House, Gaines also balances an overwhelming family life, complete with an alcoholic wife (played by Oprah Winfrey) and an outspoken son who is active in the civil rights movement. To me, the movie was very reminiscent of Forrest Gump, in that it used a somewhat ordinary character as the lens through which American history is seen. The juxtaposition between servile, obedient, and apolitical Gaines and his rebellious, politically-motivated son allows the audience to watch the progression of the civil rights movement throughout much of the 20th century. On top of all of that, the movie is based on the incredible real life of butler Eugene Allen, who served in the White House from the Eisenhower administration until he retired during the George H. W. Bush years. I highly suggest it to anyone who likes history, if for no other reason than to laugh at the all-star cast they chose to play the presidents.

Next, we watched Fruitvale Station, the heart-rending true story of the last day of Oscar Grant's life. In what seemed to be a Trayvon Martin-type situation, Grant, a 22-year-old father, boyfriend, and son, was killed in 2008 by a police officer at the Fruitvale BART station in San Francisco. The movie was heartbreaking, but definitely worth watching. You've been warned, though. It's so depressing.

In order to cheer up after Fruitvale Station, we watched We're the Millers, which was about what you'd expect. It was pretty funny and let's be real: Everyone likes Jason Sudeikis and Jennifer Aniston.

On Sunday, my parents came into town because Wheat got us four tickets to see Michael Buble at Bankers Life Fieldhouse! This was my third time seeing him and he was just as entertaining as always. He played a great balance of original songs and covers, new songs and old. He was just as funny as ever, interacted with the crowd, and even made fun of Justin Bieber during one of his extended commentaries.

His set has gotten much more elaborate and fun to watch since the first time I saw him. He even had fireworks this time. His band also slides around to different positions on stage, depending on the song.

It was also the third time I've seen Naturally 7 open for him and they never cease to amaze me. Seriously, if you don't listen to anything else I say, check them out. They sing everything a cappella and simulate different instruments with their voices, which they call "vocal play." They played "Wall of Sound," Cream's "Sunshine of Your Love," and "Fingertips" by Stevie Wonder. However, my favorite was their beautiful rendition of Coldplay's "Fix You."

At one point, Buble and Naturally 7 came out to a stage right in front of our section to sing a medley of Motown songs. It was glorious.

Here is the setlist:

Fever
Haven't Met You Yet
Try a Little Tenderness
You Make Me Feel So Young
Moondance - LOVE
Come Dance with Me
Feeling Good
I've Got the World on a String
Everything
That's All
Close Your Eyes
How Can You Mend a Broken Heart?
Home

From the stage near us:

Get Lucky - Daft Punk cover!
Who's Loving You
I Want You Back
To Love Somebody

Back on the main stage:

All You Need is Love
Burning Love
It's a Beautiful Day

Encore:

Cry Me a River
Save the Last Dance for Me
A Song for You - My favorite ever. He always closes with this and sings the last verse with no microphone. It's incredible.

Aside from some of the songs, the only major difference I noticed between this concert and the other two was that I was more interested in the guy next to me than the guy on stage. What a nice change.

LP Fest - California and Las Vegas

Last month, Mom, Dad, Jamie, Elizabeth (LP's girlfriend), and I went to California to spend some time with LP before he was deployed. He left on August 23rd on his MEU (Marine Expeditionary Unit) and will be on the U.S.S. Boxer until the end of April.

Amazing photography by me with the Styrofoam cup on the side.

We flew out of Indianapolis (convenient for me), but our flight on Frontier Airlines was delayed and as a result, we missed our connecting flight in Denver. Jamie, who got her ticket separately from us, had a layover in Chicago and was meeting us in Las Vegas. Luckily, the airline was able to put my dad and Elizabeth through to Las Vegas that night to meet her. Mom and I had an overnight layover in Denver.

All things considered, everything went pretty smoothly. We stayed at a nice hotel, got $50 in food vouchers, and $150 off our next flight on Frontier. We didn't get much sleep, but it was obviously worth it to see LP.

When we landed in Las Vegas the next morning, we hopped in the rental car and drove five hours to Oceanside. We stayed at an amazing little place on the water called Oceanside Marina Suites. We must have had the nicest unit in the place because we had two bedrooms, an open-air living room, and a huge balcony with a gorgeous view of the water. We also had stairs down to the pool, hot tub, and breakfast nook.

Unreal.

We relaxed the first night, eating at a local Mexican restaurant and spending some much-needed time with LP.

The next day, I drove to see one of my favorite people on the planet, Julie at The Smitten Mintons. We went to The Camp, a really cute, environmentally-focused shopping center, and had lunch at Umami Burger. It goes without saying the burger was delicious, but my favorite thing might have been the delicious truffle fries. Amazing.

The best human.

Don't mind my heart attack.

After lunch, we went to Balboa Island to walk down the strip and drool over the gorgeous houses. After miraculously finding a parking spot, we walked along the water, analyzing the houses while I took an embarrassing amount of pictures. Then, we checked out the adorable little shops on the strip and had some ice cream.

Someone actually lives here.

Why can't we live by each other?

As always, it was so wonderful to spend time with Julie. She is truly one of the sweetest, most fun people I've ever met and I'll forever be thankful that the blogosphere brought us together. It was also great to see Doug and finally meet her adorable fur babies! I may or may not be planning a trip to see her sometime soon.

Yes, he wore that Bengals shirt on purpose.

When I got back to the hotel, we decided to walk down the nearby Oceanside Pier. From the pier, we watched people fish (mostly unsuccessfully) as the sun set. Jamie had the balloon guy make her a hat and, of course, I took tons of pictures.

Almost makes fishing look like a worthwhile endeavor. Almost.

Totally normal.

We also had dinner at the restaurant at the end of the pier, Ruby's. If you're ever there, I highly suggest you stop there. You feel so transported back in time, sitting upstairs at the end of the pier, listening to '50s-era music, and feeling the ocean breeze.

I'd like to work there.

The next day, LP had to drop his stuff off at the U.S.S. Boxer, so we drove to San Diego to see his ship. The ship was enormous, but his bed was ridiculously small. I felt claustrophobic just looking at it.

The U.S.S. Boxer

Thinking about me trying to get up there is hilarious. It's okay to laugh.

After we left the ship, we walked around the Gaslamp Quarter for a bit before heading to La Jolla Cove to see the seals. Unfortunately, there was a family on the little beach and any time a seal got close to the shore, the kids would scare it off.

Our last full day with LP was spent relaxing at the hotel, grilling steak on the barbeque, swimming in the pool, sitting in the hot tub, and having LP's last ice cream for eight months. Jamie, Mom, and I also had breakfast at a nearby brunch place called Jolly Roger. I had a Belgian waffle that changed my life.

In his element.

All I do is eat on vacation.

Oh.

The next day, we said our final tearful goodbyes to LP before heading back to Las Vegas. He makes me so proud to be his sister every single day. I miss him like crazy, but I know time will fly and he'll be back before I know it.

He's handsome, America.

They do peace signs because they're cool.

In an effort to shake off our sadness, Jamie, Elizabeth, and I decided to have an eventful night on the strip. First, we all had a huge dinner at the buffet at the Palms. As we were leaving, I noticed someone that looked vaguely familiar walking through the casino. After getting a closer look, I realized it was, indeed, Travis Barker from Blink 182. Words can't explain how obsessed I was with Blink 182 in middle school, so this made my night. I'm still kicking myself for not being in the picture.

He was clearly thrilled.

After dinner, the three of us embarked on our tour of (one side of) the strip. First, we stopped at the Bellagio to watch the amazing fountains (which happened to play my favorite, "Luck Be a Lady" by Frank Sinatra) and look at the gorgeous lobby. This season, it was decorated all things summer - with a lighthouse, birds, kites, and so many flowers.

Probably my favorite place ever.

Next, we headed to the Cosmopolitan to see the chandelier bar. Jamie and Elizabeth bought two shots and two drinks that totaled $60 and quickly made the decision to make their own drinks at CVS. Smart choice. We smelled the amazing smells in the Aria before heading to New York, New York. After a little debate, we decided to ride the roller coaster. The view of the strip at night from the roller coaster is unmatched and I'd do it again in a heartbeat.

A little wind blown.

The rest of the night was a blitz through the Excalibur, the MGM, and a loud taxi ride back to the hotel.

We're the three best friends that anybody could have.

I'll be distant on the blog this week - I'm heading to Toronto today and Eric and CJ's wedding this weekend! Have a great week, lovelies!