Sunshine, Shark fin, and Submarines

I'm fondly remembering the 70 degree weather in Florida as it was 19 degrees on my way to work; it felt like 11, and I was wearing a skirt. We really need to get some laundry done. Between work and Thanksgiving, the beginning of November seems so long ago. At that time, Ben and I sardined ourselves into airplanes to head down to Mobile, Alabama. From there, we trekked on to Pensacola, Florida, for the wedding of my best friend from high school. We arrived late at night, so it was not until the next day that we were introduced properly to Pensacola. Overall, the trip ended up being filled with good friends, good food, and good fun.

The good friends definitely came as a big surprise. I'm pretty shy, so I had been anticipating an personally awkward wedding where I didn't talk to anyone. I was SO grateful that Ben had come with me; he's my social security blanket. Imagine my astonishment when we roll out of the hotel room, me without my hair or make-up done, and suddenly I see four people in the parking lot turn their attention towards us. My eyesight has gotten a little fuzzy lately, so I did not recognize them immediately. The fuzzy figures quickly focused, and two of my best friends from high school and their wives greeted us enthusiastically. This wedding was definitely going to be even better than I thought!

Either way, though, it really would have been an incredible wedding. It was a lovely combination of Jewish, Chinese, and military traditions that was a heck-of-a-lot more fun and romantic than most weddings I've been to. Annie was a sight in both her white and red gowns; she looked very happy. All in all, it was nothing short of a feast for eyes, hearts, and, of course, stomachs. From the shark fin soup and jellyfish salad to the shrimp and duck, all was thoroughly documented by James and enjoyed by everyone at the Mormon table (it all went nicely with the Martinellis...).

Best of all, I got Ben to dance.

Anyway, the next morning, after we caught a second helping of primary program at a local chapel, Ben and I headed out. Now, what we did highlights what big nerds (and how well-suited) we are. There we were, on a beautiful sunny day, just scant miles from a beach, and what do we want to do? We both wanted to head to a WWII battleship that we had spied lurking in the dark on our way there. The USS Alabama was incredible! We could have stayed for hours longer, but we had to head back to the airport (and to reality). However, to preserve the memory, we did manage to get a disposable camera to document the adventure (as the camerawoman forgot her camera...).
It is amazing how much they fit inside this vessel. It truly was a floating city, with everything from a dentist's, to a cobbler shop, and an ice cream parlor. But they were all very small...A couple of the most interesting were the pharmacy and the photographer's shop. Aren't all these old cameras cool?
They also had the WWII submarine the USS Drum there for people to wander through. We took it at more of a run because of time constraints, but that was all we needed to decide Ben should never have to live on a submarine. He wouldn't fit any of the beds.