Join us on a mountain top

Once upon a time, there was a Gear Man with two adorable children, a closet full of outdoors gear, and a pretty solid sense of direction (or at least knowledge of how to use maps, compasses, and GPS devices), but he really had no idea where to bring it all. Far, far away in NYC there was an Adventurous Gal with one awesome son and lots of ideas for exciting adventures, but little gear and no sense of direction, so really engaging in any of her schemes could be highly problematic. I mean she could turn a 5-10 minute walk into a two hour lost wander through woods and fields. Ask her son about it sometime. Obviously GM and AG (more widely known by their mild-mannered alter egos, Thad and Lydia) belonged together. So Fate and the Internet conspired to connect the two and set a plan in motion, sending Thad to Arlington to live and Lydia to visit her mother in Cambridge. Soon they met over drinks and dining, followed by a stroll along the Charles River, followed by a hike through the Medford Fells, followed by burgers, followed by pie... and their adventures have not stopped since. Together Thad and Lydia have summited all 48 of New Hampshire's summits over 4,000 feet; they've trekked through the mint-filled valleys of the High Atlas mountains to the icy peak of the range's highest summit, Mount Toubkal; they've wandered the ridgeline of Santorini and up to the birthplace of Zeus on Naxos; and they've walked through Columbian Andes to find waterfalls and dream-inducing flowers. They've skied down mountain slopes all over New England, Utah, Lake Louise, and Banff, and in the French and Swiss Alps as well. They've scuba-dived amidst octopusses in the barrier reef along Honduras; the lava flows and shipwrecks of Greek Islands; the pink sand floors of Bermuda; and in search of lobsters in the clouded waters of the Boston Harbor Islands. All three of their children have often advenched alongside them, hiking some of the highest peaks in New England, swimming in the shark-filled waters of Cape Cod, skiing their way through the pandemic in Vermont, and toasting marshmallows over campfires as much as humanly possibly without acquiring diabetes. If all this adventure sounds exhausting, to be completely honest, it can be. So sometimes they plan to hike and they just go sit by a pond. Or they plan to ski and they just walk the dog. Or they say they're going to have a quiet night in, reading by the fire, and they just sit on the couch and watch TV instead, no fire, no books. In other words, sometimes they rest together and that's nice too. Lenny the dog is a great fan of those moments. Lenny, who has dutifully watched over his family of five humans from the moment he joined in January of 2016, ensures no leaf can blow out of place without their knowing it and no evening at home ends without an opportunity for doggie snuggles. He is Thad and Lydia's best friend, a furry brother to their human children, and a well of wisdom for all. The pandemic may have delayed Thad and Lydia's wedding by a couple years, but they have been the greatest days of Lenny's life, and it brought their whole family closer than ever. For over seven years, through some magical highs and deep-water lows, Thad and Lydia have shared their love of gear and adventures; rest and good food; their children and their dog; and most of all, each other. Now Thad and Lydia are excited to finally welcome you to their wedding and celebration of their family, and share their dreams of an adventure to last a lifetime. We hope to see you there. P.S. The family very much likes a quiet day sitting beside a body of water, which still requires gear and a sense of direction and adventure, but is far less arduous than a lot of the situations into which they send themselves, and hope that after this wedding you'll come visit them in Lincoln, MA for a day by a pond.