“The only way to have a friend is to be one.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson, Writer

After a month of skiing and relaxing in front of the fireplace while snow peacefully fell outside of our window, Erika and I were in dire need of a vacation (kidding)!

After a quick pit stop in Chicago to repack, drop off the car, and cuddle some cats, we headed down to Puerto Vallarta to celebrate the wedding of Gretchen, a great high school friend of mine, and her fiancé Bryan and kick-off part two of our “take two.” My favorite part of weddings is always the chance to hang out with old friends and meet new ones. This wedding was no exception; Katie, Camilla and I represented the the Shaker gang at the pool with pride, we made friends with some of the groom’s business school crew while splitting a bottle of tequila at the reception (turns out putting a bottle of liquor at every table is a great ice breaker), and danced with the whole party until 4am at a Mexican night club. The weekend was an absolute blast and the perfect start to our South American adventure!

— Phil