Would you believe me if I said that we flew into Iowa a week ago Wednesday and were greeted with GORGEOUS weather?
Ha. Iowa residents and wedding guests will call my bluff on that one. Obviously, our beloved state didn't get the memo about requiring beautifully balmy fall weather for the wedding weekend. Instead, we got cold dreary rain and a forecast for flurries. Sheesh.
But the weather didn't seem to faze the beautiful bride one bit. Caden and I accompanied Shannon for her countless errands on Thursday. It literally poured but we dodged the raindrops and got what she needed in record time. The downpour also meant my parents couldn't harvest, which meant they COULD attend the wedding. Things were looking up!
Friday rolled around and the pace picked up. Pat hollered at Brian bright and early (he was a bit sleepy from the bachelor party the night before). We spent 6 hours at the HUGE hall. It was indeed huge. Did I mention it was HUGE?! But apparently our family includes hard workers, and artistic ones too, so we turned that around in no time. Tricia and Aunt Diana were tulle extraordinaires, Krystie tied bows like it was her job, Aunt Colleen became the bell lady, and the boys did just about anything we told them. That includes Uncle John scrubbing the keg machine. I even caught Chris delicately spreading petals on the tables. Oh my.
The bride did her best to keep up with all the questions. Yeah, it got a little stressful at times. But bottom line...we made it through and the hall looked AWESOME. On Shannon's behalf, thank you to everyone that helped, especially those that came from afar. You guys rock. I think we all slept well that night....well, except the poor mother of the bride! But who could blame her?!
God truly smiled on Shannon and Dane the day of their wedding. Remember that crappy weather I talked about earlier? I awoke Saturday morning to sunlight streaming through the window. A perfect fall day...this was a good sign. And the rest of the day echoed the weather. I have been looking forward to seeing Shannon in her dress for months, and she didn't disappoint me. Her dark hair looked beautiful framed with lace, and her bright eyes and huge smile said it all. She was an amazing bride. And Dane agreed. He looked at her with adoration and kissed her shoulder a hundred times during the photos. Ahhhhhhhhh.
So pretty
I honestly can't think of anything about the wedding that went terribly wrong. That long aisle gave me nightmares for weeks. I envisioned various scenarios with our little ring bearer, and figured the mostly likely one would be that Caden would balk like a donkey, scream NOOOO, and run for the hills. Right up till the last minute, I was still deciding if I should carry him or not. I kept the faith and gave him a shot, and believe it or not, he walked. He chewed on a truck and stared at everyone like a deer in the headlights, but I'll take it! That's my boy! And to think I was worried.
See, he was already contemplating his escape.
I had to explain to Caden numerous times, we must respect God's space. He listened well.
ATTA BOY!
Shannon and Dane had an absolutely beautiful ceremony. She cried up the aisle, and so did I. Pam sang a couple times and gave me goosebumps. I was enthralled by Brian's readings and decided for him that he needs to lector. Father gave an awesome homily too. I think my favorite part was when Shannon corrected him on the appropriate amount of time to brush your teeth. (Are you confused? Ha...I figured.)
One word: relief!
The girls
Bubbas! (As Caden would say.)
The pics at the barn are seriously going to be magazine quality.
The good times continued at the reception. (Although, they played the Hawkeye fight song too many times. Where was the Rock Chalk chant?!) I had two helpings of potatoes, so that should tell you how good the food was. My apologies to whoever I cut in line in front of. (Yes, I pulled the bridesmaid card. I'm owed that, right?!) Heather and Hailey gave beautiful speeches. I will not comment on the guys...I'll just say, they were "interesting." (Crash and burn.)
Nice shades, Danger.
I'm sorry if I didn't get a chance to talk to you. I tried to talk to as many people as I could, but alas, so many people, so little time. I spent quite a bit of time with my parents and watching Caden. He was a maniac on the dance floor. He chased, stomped, and rolled on the fluorescent lights shooting across the floor. But, he could never seem to actually catch the light. That didn't deter him though.
Ladies, I've got moves you've never seen.
Caden and Bella fought like siblings the entire weekend.
Mom and Dad babysat Caden for the evening so Brian and I had some time on our own. This included HOURS at the hotel hanging with his cousins. I learned more about his childhood than I have in the past 8 years combined. FYI, if anyone is still wondering who shot out Grandpa Dick's windows and broke his hayrack, just shoot me an email. I'll give you a clue....BRIAN and 3 other partners in crime. I laughed so much my face hurt. Krysti and Cindy were the life of the party for sure.
Now we're back home. No matter how fun the trips are, it's always a relief to return home. Brian has had a rough couple days and now he's on the shooting range, freezing his butt off. Caden and I are already back in our routine of activities. We went to the Pumpkin Patch Wednesday and story time at the library yesterday. I'm excited to put him in his costume today. What do you think he will be?! Stay tuned...and Happy Halloween!
All four grandparents at once
Grandma Teresa had a TON of visitors over the course of the weekend.
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