Wedding Receptions With Style

A friend of mine, Sarah, (from work) got married on Friday night. She is from Washington and her husband is from SLC. Sarah's FIL is one of our HR assistants, and Sarah is working in my former position. Sarah and her husband Corey met on their mission in Vanuatu (Fiji). So, I decided I would drive to Saratoga Springs (whuh??) for the reception. I had no directions. Just the invitation with the address. Apparently, the people doing the invitations told her that nobody sends out maps anymore because everyone has GPS. Ummm, hello? By raise of hands, how many of you have GPS? That's what I thought. Back to my story.

So Friday after work, I picked up the two paintings we bought her (everyone in her two depts. went in on a painting of Christ for her, since she said that was something they would like), went home, changed my clothes, stuffed a cheese quesadilla down my gullet, and rushed out the door. I got on I-15 South and started on my way. Then it occurred to me, I don't actually know where Saratoga Springs is. But it's down there by Provo, right? Right. So I called a friend whom I thought lived in Saratoga Springs, only to realize, she lives in Springville. I'm sorry, but I don't think Brother Brigham would have put two cities with "Spring" in their names so close to each other. I mean, he came up with the grid system, so what are we doing to the fantastic system that Brother Brigham set up for us? Anywho...moving on. I called my Dad next, because I thought one of his friends lived in Saratoga Springs. Wrong again - he lives in Spring City, or was it Santaquin? All these "S" Cities have my brain tangled. So I asked my Dad if he knew where Saratoga Springs was. Once again, no luck, except he said he thought it was South and West of Lehi. Okay, now I was set. I could totally find Lehi.

I started rounding point of the mountain and there was a little storm. It last about 10 seconds of driving, and then it stopped - which I was thankful for. Raindrops were crashing down on my windshield so hard and so fast, it was a little difficult to see anything besides puddles on my windshield. So,I found the Lehi exit, and off I went into the little town named after a goodly parent. I headed South until I thought I was about as South as I dared go in Lehi, so I decided to take a major street and head West for awhile. So I found "Main St. " and off I went. I curved around a roundabout wannabe and kept heading West. Thinking I was about to get lost, I turned on Saratoga Road. That has to get me to Saratoga Springs, right?? Right! I just didn't realize how wrong that assumption was. I passed a few housing developments, but none were "Mirror Lake", so I kept on driving. One cow. Two cows. 4 cows... Hay. Hay. More hay. I was starting to get worried - until - I drove right into Saratoga Springs. I was so happy! I'd found it. Just as my Supervisor (my "work Mom") picked up the phone I drove over the yellow speed bumps in the Saratoga Springs Private Community. Thank heavens! I'd found Saratoga Springs, and all I had to do now, was find Mirror Lake Circle. Uh-huh.

I drove past a swimming pool and a party, and stopped to ask someone if he knew where Mirror Lake Circle was. He's not from here, so he has no idea. Drive, drive, drive...find another person and ask them. I asked a teenager who just finished slobbering on his girlfriends face in time for her to drive away, if he knew where Mirror Lake Circle was. He had no idea, but he had a Mom. I handed him the wedding invitation, and next thing I know, the Mom comes out to help me. She had NO idea where it was. Turns out, Saratoga Springs is more than just a private community. There is a LOT more to it than that little subdivision I found. Bummer. So she says to me, "I'm sorry, I don't know where this is. Do you have a GPS?" I tell her no. She then continues, "Well I have a GPS in my hummer. You could just take that and drop it off when you're finished?" I gasped, choked, coughed, and got a little dizzy all while vehemently saying "Absolutely NOT!". Seriously, I would have crashed that car. It was a HUMMER! Who offers a total stranger a HUMMER???? Sheesh!! So she points me in the direction to Redwood Road. "Go back out the way you came. Go straight until you see a road where you can turn left. It will curve around and it will look like you are in the middle of nowhere. Follow that road, and at the 'Stop' sign, turn left. That will be Redwood Road".

As soon as I got turned around, I called my Supervisor again. I happened to glance down and notice that my cell phone was running on empty. I found my way to Redwood Road and headed South, as directed. I drove, and drove, and drove. I found another private community, a couple of schools, a LOT of hay, a few cows, and then I realized I was now on Main St. Wait, what? I was just on Redwood Road! My gas gauge was getting a little low, and I was getting worried. I'm pretty sure I would have run out of gas miles before I found civilization again. I panicked and called my Supervisor a 3rd time. She told me to stay on Redwood Road and there would be an intersection where a Wal-Mart intimidated a Smith's. Drive, drive, drive. Lost, lost, lost. I call again. I turn around, and head the other direction. I find Redwood Road and drive North until I find the golden intersection. I've NEVER been happier to see a Wal-Mart. My supervisor instructs me to wait in the Smith's parking lot, and she and her husband will pick me up, and take me the rest of the way. Best news I heard all day!

They picked me up just as it started to sprinkle again, and right before my cell phone completely died. We headed South. Suddenly, it all looked familiar. I passed the same fields, the same cows, the same schools, and ended up on the same Main St. I was on the same road again! We kept driving. About 7 miles from the Wal-Mart, we finally found our destination. It turns out, another co-worker had also called my Supervisor a few times. When Sarah told our Supervisor it was 'just past the Wal-Mart/Smith's intersection', we all failed to realize that her "just past" is like our "way down there".

We eventually found it, and it wasn't raining when we got there. It was a beautiful house with a really pretty view. It overlooks Utah Lake with a Mountain backdrop. As the Sun dropped further and further, the lake began to sparkle, and it was very pretty. Pretty soon, the mosquitoes came out. We didn't spend a whole lot of time out there. By the time we noticed the mosquitoes, we made a quick exit. They were viscious! They attacked our faces, went straight for the eyes! Dirty bugs! We jetted back to the car, and I started counting my battle wounds. 8 bites on my legs, and 1 on my arm. They dropped me back off at my car, where luckily, there was a gas station a hop, a skip, and a jump, away from where I parked. I itched and scratched until finally, with a full tank of gas, a bottle of water, and some bluegrass tunes blasting, I was finally on my way. I started to make my way down the street they told me would lead to I-15. It started to look familiar too. Oh! There was Saratoga Road! Once again, I found myself on Main St. in Lehi, rounding a roundabout wannabe. It was 1 hour and 15 minutes from the time I left the freeway until the time I pulled into the wedding reception. It was about 15 minutes from the time I left the Smith's until I was once again on the freeway. Huh. Go figure.

Feeling a little groggy, I was glad I guzzled my water. My bladder took the responsibility of keeping me awake the whole way home. I got home, and immediately collapsed on the couch, kicked off my shoes, and finished my chocolate cake. As soon as the last bite slid down my throat, I slipped off into dreamland. A place where you never need directions, and mosquitoes bring you ice cream instead of suck your blood.