Well, I am beat. We drove straight from Indianapolis to Jacksonville, Florida, last week in one very, very long day. (We started at 9:00 a.m. on August 2 and arrived at 3:00 a.m. on August 3. And yesterday we turned around to repeat the performance in reverse. Thank goodness Gigi was entertained by her portable DVD player is all I can say!)
We pulled up at 6:20 p.m., Spouse unloaded the car in ten minutes flat, and I raced over to Gigi's school to get her registered and pay her fees before registration closed at 7:00 p.m. I walked out of there at 7:03 and came home and collapsed on the couch to sketch card designs and nod off while watching Giant for the 30th time.
It's good to be home, despite our having left the place in a deplorable state. (I'm so glad we didn't suffer a break-in - I mean, I would have been so embarrassed at what the robbers would have thought.) I hadn't really recovered from CHA and my last week of work, so things around here are in a State.
But I digress.
As usual.
We made this trip because Spouse's niece got married, and it was the first wedding of this generation of Nolan's. (Technically, Sean got married first, but he and Jamie - those wretches! - eloped so we were all denied the fun of a formal shindig.) Sarah is the daughter of Spouse's second sister, Tish, and her husband Dave Austin. Sarah married Travis Rummel and they will be residing in West Virginia where she is an elementary school teacher and he is a physical therapist.
Gigi was given the role of flower girl. Having reached the ripe old age of nine years of age, we thought she was probably never going to experience that particular honor, so she was on Cloud Nine (and then some) when she was invited to play this role. We are very pleased to announce that she discharged her duties admirably. She was adorable, walked down the very center of the aisle with poise, (there was a great deal of weaving and pew-hugging during the rehearsal) and didn't fidget or speak as she stood with the other bridal party members throughout the 30-minute ceremony.
This is very impresssive because both before and after the wedding she was as frenetic as a cyclone. The kid chattered non-stop and was bouncing off the walls with unbridled enthusiasm - you could power Las Vegas for a month if you could harness that energy!
Here are a few pictures (most are still on my camera) from the reception.
Sarah getting ready to toss the bouquet...
Sarah & Travis dancing...
Gigi dancing with her cousin Emily, the Maid of Honor...
Gigi taking a breather with Spouse's cousin Adrienne...
And now I must go do something. Where to start? The mountain of laundry? The unpacking? The disaster area that is sometimes recognized as our kitchen?
Hmmm.
I think I'll have a lie-down while I ponder this dilemma....
