Wedding Weekend (Jen and Diane)

My first cousin and Brian's first cousin conveniently scheduled their weddings for the same weekend, so we made our annual summer vacation to Indiana for the July 4th weekend so we could joyously take in both ceremonies.

Both were a lot of fun, catching up with most of our relatives and enjoying witnessing other people being brought into the "married people" club. Some of the pretty pictures:

Jen and Ben say their vows at an old country estate in South Charleston, Ohio, on July 3. (his two little girls are in blue).

Everything was simple, modern, and beautiful-nothing too fussy. I expected no less from Jen, who has really great taste.  I discovered this years ago when she hosted our bridal shower at her home. This was our table's centerpiece.

A beautiful selection of cakes. Brian and his siblings.

All of us.

Just us.
We stayed in Ohio for the night, after driving all morning to get there, and then ventured on to Indiana on Saturday.

Diane and Justin had their wedding on July 4th in Huntington, IN.

Their huge wedding party. 6 kids (under 13), 10 attendants

Leaving the church amid bubbles (and a little rain). Pretty cake, and lots of pretty lighting with the candles.

Me with Diane (I think she borrowed my veil-and it didn't fall off her :)

A quintessential picture of Justin.

Our family.


Brian and I. I made Brian do the dollar dance. This was the result. I don't think I'll make him do it again.  But I definitely hope we can make more cousin weddings in the future.

Easter 2009

We headed home this Easter. Since my spring break started on Good Friday, we were able to leave after school on Thursday. It took about 11 hours, give or take. The time there was well spent-we saw lots of family and a few friends. However, we definitely missed the beautiful warm sunrise service that has become our Easter tradition at Alleluia in Tempe. The service there is held outside at Papago park. It was pretty chilly in Indiana.

Brian made some cute eggs. I think he would try to make anything I asked. I went with stripes.

I took a few pictures of my adorable second cousins hunting for eggs:

We headed back on Monday morning, stopping at, "one of the greatest places ever," according to Brian. Grandpa's Cheese Barn was a nice little shop with many, many free samples, as well as a little deli. We bought cheese curds, sage cheese, some mustard, and relish, as well as grabbing subs for lunch. Their black cherry soda was also good! Next time we go we will have to try the ice cream.

Thanksgiving 2008

This Thanksgiving was the first one we spent in Indiana in a few years. Well, Indiana and Ohio. It was a very quick and whirlwind trip.

First, we woke up early on Thanksgiving, and headed for Toledo. We drove diagonally across Pennsylvania, and then across northern Ohio. It was a very pleasant drive, hardly any traffic, and though there was snow on the ground, none was on the road. I was impressed when we passed Penn State's football stadium-a huge fortress in the middle of nowhere.

 

We then spent the day with my husband's paternal side, before traveling on home to Indiana.

On Black Friday, my sister and I went out to make a purchase, and then did a little more shopping around Huntington. It really wasn't very crowded at all. Then, another of my sisters met us to see Twilight (the movie). The one had saw the movie already, and I made the other read part of the book on the drive there. They were each so loud during the movie-asking questions and making comments-I was about to kill them-but it was still fun to see the movie together.

That night we had dinner with my maternal side. After the delicious meal we participated in many rounds of corn-hole tournament. Apparently, my grandpa saw the game recently at a festival and decided to build his own. A couple years ago we were racing Matchbox cars on a track he built-we are a very competitive family. I was unofficially the worst player throughout the first few rounds. I did finally start doing good, and actually got three or four in the hole in a row.

We then headed back to Ohio, this time down toward Columbus, for my husband's maternal side. The game at this family was Quiddler-a word forming game based on cards. It was kind of a cross between Scrabble and Gin. We then traveled back to Delaware, stopping overnight in Morgantown, WV. The drive back was much slower, with rain, fog in the mountains, and more traffic. We did make one stop, trying one of the many wineries, Frederick Cellars. It was an okay place, nothing really stood out to me though. We did get the following:

-Chardonay "A lightly-oaked Chardonnay with delicate notes of pineapple. A nice compliment to just about everything."

-Rose 2007 "A dry Rose in the Rhone tradition; summer in a botthe with hints of strawberry. PAirs with fresh fruit, mild cheeses and grilled salmon."

-Merlot " From Annapolis, a smooth, full-bodied Merlot with flavors of blueberry and blackberry; pairs exceptionally well with hearty or spicy foods.