antigua, guatemala

last weekend, i went down to guatemala for joel's wedding. joel is one of my childhood friends- he has probably, other than my family, been in my life the longest of anyone. i just had to see him get married- we've been through most every milestone in life, so i couldnt miss it. dave, on the other hand, had a show, so he couldnt go- laura went with me instead...
it was a weekend i will never forget. antigua is absolutely beautiful- so quaint and simple. there is a lot of history in antigua- tons of old buildings and ruins- cobblestone streets, good food, lots of color and i LOVED all the flowers everywhere...
i took tons of pictures, but for the sake of condensing, i just decided to include a few...more might pop up later.

a typical street- you see the big volcanos in the background everywhere you look.

here i am with joel at the rehearsal dinner...

this is one of the tents at the wedding...it was an amazing ceremony- the only bilingual wedding ill ever see (leave it to joel)- the food was great, the dancing was really fun (especially with all the props they provided...dont ask) and the tequila fountain was definitely the hit of the night (o yes, there was.)

the happy couple :)

here we are with mary linley at the sunday brunch. we spent lots of time on this terrace at one of the hotels- the view was incredible.

sunday afternoon, the few of us remaining (yeah, zoom in on that picture; check out that group) decided to climb the big volcano...let me just say, it was NOT an easy task. we definitely did not know what we were getting into, but it turned out to be worth it-how many people can say they've climbed an active volcano?

we are about 20 feet from the lava standing on really hard, brittle, sharp rocks... not what i expected. the lava was bubbling down the side...in case you are wondering, yes, its really hot near the lava...we were sweating in this picture.

and, finally, sunday night dinner- who would have imagined?

all in all, the weekend really couldnt have been better. im grateful for the fyke's for hosting such a beautiful event.
im always amazed at the Lord's plan. He really does take care of us. He really does heal our wounds...i would have never dreamed that going to guatemala would have turned out the way it did, but im really thankful for it. my heart feels full.
if anyone is looking for a long weekend, or week for that matter, in a beautiful place, i highly suggest antigua- its the perfect find off the beaten path...