Our dear friends, Sara and Dan, got hitched this weekend in Auburn, CA. We had a great time seeing family and friends, many of whom we hadn’t spent time with in years. Everyone was in a great mood, not just because of the occasion, but because, I’m pretty sure, Sara and Dan are the most relaxed, easy-going people ever to wed.

I only took a couple of pictures, but I can tell you that the event took place at a flower farm with chickens running loose around us. I corralled a chicken and put it to bed at some point during the reception, earning me the nickname “chicken whisperer” from people I have never met before. I was in ridiculous heels and a cocktail dress. The friends and family thing was great, but I think hugging that chicken was one of the highlights of my weekend. I’m pretty sure that I need to get some chickens soon, but I am equally sure that I need a yard first.

Ben and I have attended four weddings in the past year, and probably just as many in the year before that. This is what we do on our vacations. Everyone is getting married these days. It’s super trendy.

Perhaps because of attending many great parties and seeing friends embark on married life, perhaps because I’m growing and opening my mind, or perhaps because I’ve been with my life partner for half a decade now, I’m no longer completely and vehemently opposed to the institution of marriage. Crazy, right? I feel like I now have an acceptance and even a curiosity regarding the institution. I’d like to learn more about it, in the way that I could also study something like grief or friendship. I’m not going to though; I’m studying other things. I just wanted to announce this growth. Call it selling out, call it growing up, call it what you like. I am the chicken whisperer. I open myself to the clucking of the hens.