Month: March 2015

Sorry about this, my original message had other ideas than I did and when I posted, nothing was there….  I will try to recapture my previous thoughts and wit!

After leaving MI, we stopped and saw the brothers and families in Ft Wayne, IN – again. Makes for a nice stopping place, rest, visit, and do laundry of course. Logan and Sadie seemed happy to have time to visit and play also. Upon our return to our “home” we found all was still in tact and functioning. Always a good thing. We were told of a great ice storm that we missed – oh Darn – NOT!

We finalized our time with the Red Bay Experience by getting the back end buffed – the coach, not Rob; paid our bills; and said good bye to some new friends. We took the RV, car, and trailer to the scales that are at the dog food plant and did some weighing – the whole and parts. We have determined when all said and done, we’re not quite 3,000 lbs over weight. Our friends Jami & Shane would shake their heads at us to get it down. Guess we will need to trim some more weight, in other words “stuff”. We keep doing this when we have an opportunity which we did before leaving Red Bay. We took all our bins and buckets down in the trailer, swapped out some winter and summer clothes inside the coach, and got rid of a handful more things.

We left Red Bay on Friday late morning in the rainy weather and drove all the way down to Jemison AL, which is between Birmingham and Montgomery. Kudos to the techs for sealing up the rear passenger side under the floor. When we parked, the carpet was not wet at all! We already met some of the neighbors in the park, enjoyed their fire pit along with conversation and lots of laughs last night until the rain forced us under their awning to gaze longingly at the fire. The laughs and drinks continued on…

Research and options weighed, we have decided to make our domicile in FL instead of SD as we previously planned. We are coming up against some hurdles that we can’t get around. Hence the trip southward, but only as far as the panhandle area. For the next several weeks we will take care of getting the mail services set up, then it will be DMV and voting. Lastly we are going to be taking a class and obtain our CCW License aka CWL, depending on who you ask.

I haven’t done much in the way of photos since there hasn’t been a lot to see other than rain, rain, and you guessed it, rain. We have been good homebodies, doing indoor projects for ourselves, playing cards, cooking and baking. Occasionally we did have to venture outside of course to let Sadie water and fertilize the ground.  It is definitely spring here as the pollen is making things yellow and the mosquitoes are a biting.

Whew, the wedding done and all the people have flown home. We left MI and drove to IN for a stopping place. Did laundry and relaxing before driving back to our home parked in AL.

I was able to download pics from Buddy’s camera and he got a few of the ceremony as well as a few other candid moments. This 1st one was during the ceremony when the parents and brothers each tied a ribbon around their hands clasped together. So they are now bound together.

Next we have the photo of the the deal being sealed with a kiss.

 

A few more candid shots that were good.

 

 

 

Rob, Robert & I in the kitchen helping cook up the taco dinner.

 

We also had a mini celebration for Robert’s birthday while we were all together. He won’t actually turn 28 until March 16th, at which time the grandparents in CA hope to take him out to dinner then.  We put one candle into his desert and sang. I was a little slow with the camera so he had to “pose” and be his silly self.

This past week and weekend has been about our daughter Jennifer getting married. We drove to central MI, arriving Tuesday evening. We were served a wonderful fish chowder she made for dinner. Now I am not much of a fish person, but I have to admit, I enjoyed it until I found the small bone, which seems to be my lot in life. I am always a little more cautious and leery when eating after that occurs. But I was lucky as no more surfaced.

Wednesday we took our first drive of many to Bay City Saginaw airport to pick up the Rob’s folks from CA. We stopped off at the hospital in Midland on our way back to Mt Pleasant to see Jen at work! She looked the professional and happy. A little visiting and some dinner and the day was done. Thursday morning we dropped Sadie off at the Pet Bed & Biscuit center. I was nervous about leaving her of course, but was assured she would be loved! Then it was the next trip to the BCS airport to pickup G’ma Rose from NJ. Again we stopped to see Jen in action. Took her to the B&B as well. Robert was the next for our family to arrive. He and Cher (the future MIL) were on the same flight from Chicago to BCS, so we set them up to share the ride together. However, as it would happen with flights, Robert’s plane sat on the tarmac for nearly an hour waiting for a gate so that they can unload. You guessed it, Robert did not make his next flight. He did not get to meet Cher and enjoy her company of a ride. He was placed on the next flight, so we ate dinner quickly and had Rob & Bud take the additional trip to the airport. Once they returned, we were all under one happy roof.

Friday the preparations began. Flowers were delivered and placed above all the windows to make the room festive. Note the before and after.

 

Next was some shopping and then the beloved Taco dinner that all enjoyed immensely. Cher cooked with her assistants of Robert and Rob.

There was some normal, or not so normal, fun by father & son – which was good for the soul to see…

Breakfast was again outstanding by our hosts – more food than you could eat in several settings and it was all sooo good.

The ceremony itself was small and beautiful. There were mementos on an “alter” type of table to symbolize those grandparents that have passed on and were not with us today. Steven explained his 3 and Jen her one. There was also a “dharuma” that was a symbolic thing for Steven in that you make a wish and color in one eye. When the wish comes true, you color in the other. He was extremely happy to share with us that his wish for someone to love and cherish the rest of his life had come true. They happy couple are not as equally excited, but very supportive of each other on this one.

From the ceremony, we went to the photographer’s studio and took many many posed, grouped pictures. Then back to the B&B for a catered dinner galore. While we awaited more food, which smelled wonderful, the happy newlyweds opened some cards and a few gifts.

Some jokes were had – hence the dinner salad covered in croutons for Steve. Steven making the most unusual faces as normal. Of course the wine flowed abundantly, food coma’s ensued, and then some games were played.

I will leave you with a few other random shots I enjoyed of the people and then also of the scenery.

 

We had a pleasant drive from AL to IN. Stopped off at the Makers Mark distillery in KY. Spent the weekend with the brothers here in Ft Wayne. Today is the day to drive to MI. The weather out there is suppose to be bad all the way around today with freezing rain, ice and snow. So we will be tip toeing our way around the roads. A side trip over to Niles MI to pick up some special fruit wine that Jen has requested.