I headed to Temecula for my friend Terence’s wedding today. It’s about 70 miles inland from where I live, so it made for a long windy drive! I had to go through some mountains and it took longer than I planned – luckily I left early.
But, the drive was totally worth it. The outdoor ceremony was beautiful and the weather was perfect!
The wedding was held at a winery overlooking the vineyards and had the mountains in the background.
Kyna was a beautiful bride 
After the ceremony we enjoyed champagne outside.
This isn’t the best idea before a race, but I had to.
We went inside for appetizers 
I had one more round of champagne with my food.
Since I got married and moved far away from my friends I NEVER see them 
I haven’t been the best friend lately and it was so so good to catch up with Lisa and my other peeps.
Then, it was time for the reception…
They labeled my name tag Mrs. Monica Essenburg, but that’s not my name! I didn’t change it when we got married. But, it does make me smile a bit 
I grabbed a seeded roll with garlic butter to start.
Salad
Sorbet course
I got the fish.
The happy couple <3
You know how I run for the shirt? Well, I go to weddings for the cake! 
I got a carrot cupcake and a mocha one. 
I meant to get home early, but I hadn’t seen two of my favorite people in such a long time I couldn’t make myself leave. 
It’s currently 12:52 am and I’m eating a chicken veggie burger and blogging. Since I would have to wake up at 3:30am to run the half mary tomorrow I’ve decided not to run the race. I feel dumb for backing out in front of all you guys, but I’m super exhausted (from waking up at 2am on Friday and 5:30am today). Plus, I wanted to do the race “for fun” and waking up in 2 hours does not sound fun to me right now. I shouldn’t feel like I have anything to prove to anyone, but this is still embarrassing. Well, I do feel like I have to prove to my friends – that I’m alive and miss them
But, I will be doing 13.1 miles on my own when I wake up tomorrow! That’s a promise I’ll keep to myself and my blog friends!
I read your blog all the time but have never commented on it yet. I live in Temecula and Wiens is a great winery! I moved here a little over a year ago because I met my boyfriend and I moved out here from NY. It’s hard to make good friends with similiar interests when you dont know anyone. Wish you lived closer!
Ahh! I wish I lived closer too!
running should always be fun…so you made the right choice!
i’ve been to temecula (years ago)—beautiful place! the wedding looked awesome!
I think you made the right decision, don’t feel bad for “backing out.” Looks like a beautiful wedding and you look great!
Cute dress alert! You looked amazing at the wedding. I’m glad you went and had fun. Keeping in touch with friends is never a bad thing!
I was supposed to do a 5k today, but decided not to after being very sick for 2 weeks with an upper respiratory infection. It happens. You have to make the best choice for you. No shame!
That wedding looks amazing!! Don’t feel bad about backing out of the race!! You are doing the best thing for you and that’s awesome!!
You would have been so tired and it would not have been fun before, during, or after. It was a little warm towards the end and the water stations couldn’t keep up with demand (as in I actually had to stop and wait to get water a few times)- if that makes you feel any better about skipping!
Ahhh, but I missed the chance to meet you 🙂 How’d you do?
We should definitely meet up one time! I’m doing Disneyland in September and Long Beach in October for sure.
I did okay- wasn’t my best but wasn’t my worst!
I’m doing LB, not Disney in Sept (but in Jan)!
Monica you rock whether you run an organized race or not! It’s so nice to see people being real and investing time and energy into the other people and the relationships in their lives…something our world needs more of 🙂 PS you looked reallllly pretty at the wedding!!
I’m a daily reader.. but I’ve never commented before! I just wanted to say: Life happens! You don’t need to feel guilty about your decisions! You did what you thought was best, and therefore it was right! Thanks for blogging, Monica. Your honesty and humor really pulls me into your blog! 😀
OMG!! those are the cupcakes I’m having at my wedding!! Cupcakes Squared is a few blocks from my house 🙂
Good choice. They were delicious!
I think you made the right choice- weddings happen once, races are every weekend. I’ve had cupcakes squared before- they are delicious!
No need to be embarrassed. Friends and family are always more important.
You definitely made the right decision.
Spending quality time with friends is much more important than attending the race.
Enjoy your solo run!
You made a good call! That would have been super tiring. Weddings with good friends are always worth it!
Friends first is my motto! I think that’s definitely the best choice. On an unrelated note, I didn’t change my last name either and it often confused the heck out of people. It makes perfect sense to my husband and I, but sometimes other people just tilt their head with confused looks. lol
Love that dress- it is perfect for an outdoor wedding!
Yeah, Running a half marathon on less than 3 hours of sleep wouldn’t have been a good call, or fun at all. Good luck on your solo run! I know those can sometimes be harder than races.
I think it’s totally cool to decide friends come before the race. Don’t be embarrassed! It’s your life and you did the right thing for you.
I didn’t change my name when I got married either. It’s amazing how people always just assume that you did. The history of women changing their name to that of their husband just isn’t something we wanted to be a part of, although we are very dedicated to each other and more in love than ever (after 17+ years of marriage). Good for you for not changing your name!
Like you, I don’t mind when people call me “Mrs. Davis” even though that is not my name. I love my husband and don’t consider it an insult or anything, but I do think it is a sad commentary on society in general.
the fun and eeentxmcit that surrounded this very special day. To view the clip on their website, click here. This video is just a sneak peak so watch this space for
You have nothing to be embarrassed about! You chose to live your life, spend time with people you loved, and enjoy a beautiful celebration of love. Who cares if you’re backing out of a race because of it? You totally did the right thing!!!
Thank you 🙂
that outdoor wedding looks gorgeous. and i love the lemon sorbet served in an actual lemon.
have a great 13.1 run on your own! i will be checking back for updates.
Friends first is a good motto. Don’t feel bad for backing out of the race, sometimes other things are simply more important.
The wedding looked absolutely gorgeous. What a beautiful day to get married outside….and those cupcakes!? Yum.
I’m glad you had a good time catching up with your friends.
What a beautiful wedding and those cupcakes look so good. I wish I had one!
Don’t be embarrassed- it happens to everybody! At least you had a good reason (friends)! The same thing kinda happened to me once- I was supposed to do a race the day after prom, so I woke up after like 2 hours of sleep, spoke to my bff on the phone reassuring him I had dressed and was about to head out the door to meet him (I really was!) and I ended up falling asleep while tying my shoes sitting on my bed! Didn’t make the race lol…
Honestly, to me, important events with friends and family are a million times more important than any type of workout. Your friend’s wedding looks beautiful! Would you really have wanted to enjoy it any less? On top of it all, you’re still being a star and running on your own! That’s more than most people can say!
I totally agree. You have great perspective! Nothing to be embarrassed about or ashamed of AT ALL!
I am proud of you for backing out of the race, but not backing out of running! You can just make it a virtual race and guess what, you’ll come in first place! Friends are certainly more important than anything. I used to think that I would never regret a workout, but I did regret workouts that I did instead of having coffee with a friend or something. It’s to keep your soul healthy!