Last weekend my husband and I went to Catalina Island for a wedding. Yeah, it wasn’t rough.

One of Dan’s fraternity brothers from college was getting married, and although it was a small wedding, the list of people invited ensured that the weekend would involve three days of organized hilarity and madness, which is just what this newly-turned 40 year old, sometimes depressed stay-home mom needed.

The weekend was fantastic! You have to take a boat or helicopter from one of the ports in and around southern California to reach the island.  It’s about an hour and twenty minute trip by boat.  On our trip out there, our boat was escorted by a large school of dolphins.  It was incredible!  The dolphins played and danced in the waves alongside the boat, and stayed with us for several miles.  There were baby dolphins as well, and my husband was hanging off the side of the boat to capture these pictures.

The island is very small, so cars are a rarity and you either walk everywhere or rent golf carts. We stayed at a beautiful hotel located on the main street, ate fresh seafood at restaurants overlooking the bay, and the Catalina Air Show provided some very exciting entertainment.  Planes of all varieties were swooping and diving, skimming the water as the pilots showed off their mad skills.  The most exciting moments though were when an F-18 fighter jet practiced maneuvers over the island as part of the show.  I can honestly tell you, that was some sexy shit.  When that jet flew overhead, the noise was deafening, the walls of the restaurant rattled and every cell in my body jumped to attention.  I kept looking around, waiting for Maverick and Goose to stroll into the bar so I could buy them a beer.

It was a Sunday wedding, and Mimosas were served on the lawn overlooking the bay with palm trees and blue skies as far as the eye could see. It was truly an incredible place to get married.

I had planned to write a very detailed blog post, sharing all the bad behavior and drama that ensued over the weekend. Then I realized some of our friends might not appreciate that, because you know, what happens on the island….

So out of respect for our friends, I will refrain from posting any embarrassing stories or moments that could be traced back to the not-so-innocent. But I will share this one tiny little bit of detail…while partying at the bar after the wedding, SOMEONE licked the chest, and chest hair, of the guy who officiated the wedding.  After observing this icky display of drunken madness, I looked at my husband and said, “That dude is not a man of God.”