Today on the blog I have Dustin and Taya, at their wedding reception, along with their little baby girl Ryder. Have you ever experienced all the newfound excitement of a crush, but in a platonic way? That was Shane and Dustin. They met at one of the US motorcycle races, and quickly realized that they are somewhat neighbours, with Dustin living in Bellingham. From then, it was a whirlwind friendship. I could tell Shane was smitten, from the way he found everything Dustin said either hilarious or fascinating, and I knew that if I saw him smiling down at his phone, it was most likely at something Dustin had said.
When I finally got to meet him at an awards banquet (where they had neither a fish or a veggie option, so I ended up just eating a really big plate of mashed potatoes), I understood what drew Shane to him. For one, he looked like a mini Shane, with a body size suitable for a gymnast (something he used to do at a highly competitive level), but with very similar facial structure and hair & beard combination. On top of that, he was just straight up bubbly and hilarious.
Dustin was at our wedding, and he is just the kind of guy who is easily loved by all. He was constantly cracking jokes, and always down for anything. He was the first one in the ocean to play in the waves, and I know Shane really appreciated having a riding buddy for all the awesome motorcycle trails around the house. One evening, I got on the back of Shane’s bike, and Marie got on the back of Dustin’s, and we went to visit Colotepec at sunset. The views, the ride, and just the general vibe of that outing is one of my favourite memories from our trip.
When Dustin and Taya had Ryder, her birthday just happened to coincide with the birthday of Nash, who is the son of our friends Nathan and Jyoti, and who you will see on the blog next week. Ryder was a great choice for a name because on one hand, her dad rides (rydes) motorcycles, and on the other, Taya is a world-class golfer, and I am told that the Ryder Cup is a kind of golf tournament. But don’t quote me on that, I am just the girl with the camera.
