Sarah's Wedding

Back about 15 years ago, I got a random email from a girl named Sarah who was writing a book about Voluntourism and wanted to talk to me about my experiences with Earthwatch. At that time, I had two expeditions under my belt, and may have already been planning my third. Turns out, Sarah was really nice – so we started chatting about other stuff; just whatever was going on with our lives at the moment. It’s always nice to have a friend you can talk to.

Fast forward to 6 months ago, and I get an email from Sarah asking me to attend her wedding on September 18 down in Florida. Honestly, it was the sweetest email I think I’ve ever gotten. In it, she said that even though we’d never actually met face-to-face, she considered me her best friend and she really wanted me to be there on her special day. How could I say “No” to that?

So I booked a ticket to Key West!

As luck would have it, I just happened to have a friend, Ellen, from one of my Earthwatch Expeditions (Forest Owls of Arizona) who lives in Key West. When I asked her to give me recommendations on lodging, she wrote back informing me that I would be staying at HER house! Ellen was kind enough to even chauffeur me around the island: to meet Sarah for the first time EVER at a café a few days prior to the big event, for the Pre-Wedding Dinner, and to the Wedding itself.

This trip was way, WAY out of my comfort zone: meeting a complete stranger and attending her wedding! But it was really nice – and I’m happy to say that Sarah is as nice as I always thought she was.