Salt Lake City, UT

A little switch up from our National Park adventures - Dom and I were lucky enough to attend the wedding of Trey and Mercedes in Salt Lake City on June 11th. 

The drive from Southern Utah to Salt Lake City was beautiful! We got into the city for a late lunch at MOD Pizza where we both ordered the Caspian BBQ Chicken pizza with pineapple and jalapeños - YUM! 

(The nice female worker caught me off guard and said “You are BEAUtiful!”… Dom responded “Yes she IS” 😇🥰)

After we filled our bellies we checked into our extended stay hotel pimped out with a kitchenette, living room, and access to laundry!! We started the laborious process of “resetting.” Dom tackled the pile of laundry while I loaded up the dishwasher and cleared out the cooler. Our cooler was filled with pine needles and red clay dirt from Canyonlands - so naturally I asked Dom to take the cooler with him while he showered lol. Now our cooler was clean and drying right in the middle of the bathroom 😌🚽. This is the lifestyle we chose for sixty days haha! 

Before we knew it all the “boys” (West Point ‘24 Rugby Brothers - our Best Friends) landed in Salt Lake City but we were the only ones with a car. 

Our job was now to procure all the alcohol needed for a 1) reunion and 2) pre-wedding celebration. 

Trey, one of the Brothers, was marrying his high school sweetheart the following day, and if the Brothers know how to do one thing… it’s to party. 

The friendship I was able to form with the Brothers is indescribable. While I’m not a Brother (duh) I know that they would do anything to help me at a moment's notice. They are the kindest, most meaningful, and genuine group of MEN I have ever met. I’m so happy to call them my friends and feel the love between them, Dom, and their band of brotherhood. 

Reuniting with them at the AirBnB was amazing. We didn’t realize how much we’d all miss each other. The hugs all felt a little more meaningful than when we were in school together. 

The night got going with a few beer shotguns off the porch, talking smack to the security cameras (eek), and catching up around the fire pit on everyone’s new life. 

As I write this entry I have an overwhelming feeling of “we have graduated.” It’s very surreal. I almost want to run back to the security of West Point and our immediate accessibility to our best friends and wild nights. 

We broke out the disposable camera prints from our engagement party which all the boys were a part of. This caused a lot of laughs and dug up amazing memories for us all to reflect back on. 

The night was naturally filled with more shenanigans and Dom and I ended up spending the night at the Air BnB despite our hotel across town. 

But now it was the wedding day!! Up and at 'em boys! Haha… a little tricky when most of them were still feeling the effects of the night before. Dom spent the entire day in bed sick. While I treated myself to new hot pink summer nails 💅.

And before we knew it we were all dressed up in our 30-minute Uber drive to the venue. No words were exchanged. We were both too scared that Dom would lose the Panda Express he tried to eat earlier. 

Just like the premiere of The Bachelorette, all the boys exited their Uber rides looking dapper. Dom, while looking fantastic, couldn’t even speak without feeling nauseous. I was convinced we wouldn’t make it to the reception…

The venue and ceremony were beautiful!! Trey and Mercedes’ love shined through to everyone in attendance - even bringing the boys to have “allergies” 🥲🫶. 

And that’s when it happened!! All of a sudden Dom was revived!! Almost as if when Mercedes's godfather said “You may kiss the Bride” a wave of energy came over Dom! He was back! And ready to put another beer in his hand! 

The Brothers dominated the dance floor. It was a night of endless dancing and joy. We were all so happy to celebrate the love between Trey and Mercedes. And of course, so overjoyed to be reunited with our best friends one last time before our lives changed forever…. 

Thank you and Congratulations to Trey and Mercedes! 

Brother Shoutouts: 

Ben - never misses an opportunity to bring a granny to the dance floor. 

BGV (Brian) - may or may not be a better dancer in heels. 

Billy - King of the Splits… and toothless. 

Jake - Dom’s girlfriend, Dramatic, Mysterious, Instigator, will definitely text me complaining about this description.

Jonny - Beyoncé? He can serve moves. Throwback? He knows all the words.

Tiaan - Boots, Belt Buckle, Bolo-tie, he’s here for the ladies. (Dom: he’s not from Texas). 

OG - *We’re still waiting for him to show up*