Cheering on Mandy

This week I got the chance to cheer on my friend Mandy as she takes on one of the biggest events in her life...Marriage!

Pauline, Mandy, and I on a bike training ride.

Mandy has been a great friend and training partner over the past few years.  We have had lots of great adventures and conversations along the way.  A few months ago, Mandy got engaged at a winery in Napa (I'm pretty sure she has on a winery jersey in the pic above too.)  Just a few weeks later she and her fiance were off on a big adventure moving half way around the world to Hong Kong for work.  It was tough to see her move but I knew that the adventure she was beginning would be an amazing one.

It has been so fun to take part in Mandy's new Hong Kong life via pictures and stories on Facebook.  And even more fun to see her return to the States a few weeks ago for her wedding. 

First up was her bachelorette party and it wouldn't be fitting without a triathlon theme.  That's right it was the Bride-athalon Party! The events were a Chardonnay swim, Tricycle race, and Dessert party after our group dinner.  The swim required walking through the pool while holding a wine glass...at the turnaround you had to chug your drink before making your way back to the start.  Sarah was the big winner and her prize was getting to help Mandy get dressed for our night out.  The party hosts had an impressive collection of gaudy jewelry and accessories for Mandy. 

Just a few of her accessories were on at this point!

From there we headed to a restaurant for dinner and held tricycle races in the parking lot.  All I can say is that it's tough to get in and out of a kid's tricycle! Thankfully we were all dressed in race attire...

Maja and I rocking out our race shirts!

Our shirts read: The race for Co-Dependence celebrating the Uniting of Ed and Mandy.  They were lovingly made by Pauline (race director) from some leftover race shirts from the Race for Independence.  It was a very cute idea. 

We had a great dinner and enjoyed lots of conversation and catching up around the table.  From there it was back to the house for a quick bite of dessert and then because it was a school night heading home. 

The race crew!

Saturday was the wedding ceremony and it was in a beautiful chapel near where we ride bikes some times.  I never knew about this chapel and it was beautiful.  The lighting was amazing in the chapel and the bride looked stunning.  I loved the beautiful vows that Mandy and Ed shared.

The Kiss!

From there we headed to the reception and proved that triathletes can kick up some dance moves! We discussed a couple times whether dancing counts towards our workout goals and decided that since we danced for so long it had to count for something! We also got in a great ab workout laughing to the best man's speech.  Ed's brother-in-law served as best man and it was quite the Roast...ooops Toast! We were laughing for at least 10 minutes during his speech. 




Triathlon helps us look great even when we aren't in our spandex race outfits!
Kayle, Me, Maja, Fumbi, and Savanna

During the reception we utilized the Wed Pics app to upload and share our party pics.  It was so much fun to see all the candid photos that people took.  Definitely something to consider if you are planning a wedding!



One of the pics I shared on Wed Pics during the reception - Maja, Mandy, and Me

It was such a fun wedding and I was glad that I got to be there and cheer on Mandy and Ed.  We all need cheerleaders through out our life adventures not just in training and racing.  Mandy has been a great cheerleader for me as I made a big job change last year  and I was glad to be there this week for her during the wedding festivities.

Best wishes to Mandy and Ed as they begin their journey as husband and wife.  They are headed on honeymoon and then back to Hong Kong.  I'm sure that we'll find a race to meet up at in the next year though because even with the crazy humidity and weather of Hong Kong Mandy is still a training machine!