Leavin' on a jet plane...

Oh, my, word! Flying is awesome! What have I been doing the past 25 years of my life!?! Torturing myself with agonizingly long, monotonous trips that take upward of 8 hours! No more my friends! I have decided flying is the way to go! Of course, that is only when the funds are available! Why do I mention this you ask? Because last weekend I had my first experience flying. Yes, first. At 25. This puppy ain't too old to learn new tricks! The occasion was Blair's cousin was getting married. So Friday afternoon I set out on my adventure, by myself. Yes, I do feel super brave and like I can take anything now. Well, maybe not anything...but definitely flying alone! I was nervous of course, but if I wasn't I would've probably been sick. One of my 'worries' was navigating the Minneapolis airport, but, y'all, that was a cinch! Oh my goodness, they had the concourses clearly marked and signs everywhere. They also had these awesome little conveyor belts that you walk on...so cool. I would step on them and walk and felt like I was walking outside. My hair was blowing like I was in a wind tunnel! Neat-o!

I arrived into Ft. Wayne, IN around 10:30 p.m. I was so excited to see my in-laws when I got off the plane! Everyone probably thought my MIL (mother-in-law) and I were crazy...when we saw each other, we squealed, ran to each other and jumped up and down hugging! Oh, good times. After our squeal fest (which would have totally embarassed my husband) we set out for the in-laws house (45 minutes away). We talked non-stop the entire way home. Then, when we got there, I changed into comfortable clothes and went back for more! We finally went to bed around 1:30 a.m., I think, and only then because we had to get up early to get ready for the wedding!

On Saturday, I got up at around 8 a.m. I decided to get partially ready before going out to start the day. By the time I'd done this, my MIL had coffee made for us! Yippee! We share a passion for coffee (I tell you sometimes it's scary how much we're alike!). We visited in the living room for a while, until we got hungry. Then my FIL (father-in-law) made us breakfast. It was a Mexican breakfast with eggs, toasted tortillas, cheese, and sausage. I am about to butcher the name of it here, but it's something along the line of Meegas (that's how it sounds, at least!). Anyway, after I scarfed down two helpings ( I know, I know, my diet is ruined!) I went to get ready. Shortly thereafter, we headed out on our two hour drive to Lansing, MI. Again, we talked the entire way there. It was so great to catch up with my in-laws. I say all the time, I am one of the few people that was blessed enough to love my in-laws!

The wedding itself was absolutely beautiful. The church, the attendants, the bride. Katie, you were remarkable! I got to see almost all of Blair's side of the family, and it was awesome! I especially enjoyed seeing Blair's youngest brother, Ben and his girlfriend, Kate. Ben is so much like Blair and Kate and I get along really well! It's a treat anytime we get to be together. We even talked about them coming to visit us this summer! Hopefully it will work out!

The reception was super fun! We had food, cake and talking! What more could a Southern girl want!? It was such fun! The grooms' family is as big as Blair's and the combination made for a fun-filled time! They are Italian and did the traditional Italian dance...where the bride, groom, and their parents get encircled by family and friends and dance around. Think My Big Fat Greek (but really Italian, in this case) Wedding. It was so neat. I think I stood there with my mouth agape for a bit! This is stuff that I've only seen on TV!! Then, the grooms family has a tradition...The bride stood behind the groom and used her hands for a blindfold. A few guys from his side came in carrying an ark-like container. I was not in position to see what they were doing till it was done, but they had a massive ball and chain and they attatched it to the grooms leg! Oh, my! It was great! Then, the DJ played a song and the bride danced around the groom with the key and the groom kept trying to get the key. To get the key the crowd (aka, us) started chanting sing! sing! So he sang! It was so funny! Thats a good tradition!

We had to leave before all the good dances started (aka, the line dances) since we had a two hour drive home and my flight was at 7:15 the next morning! After getting home, we talked for a bit and decided to hit the sack. Boy, I was whipped. After what felt like 30 minutes of sleep, I got up and got ready for my return trip. Again, my FIL made me breakfast. This time it was an egg & bacon bagel! Yum yum! He's a great cook! (Oh, that reminds me! I told them that I'd been craving the strawberry shortcake they made for us when we were there in July, and he made it for me after we got home from the wedding! How sweet!)

The return home was mostly uneventful, except that right before we were about to land the pilot had to abort the landing. Supposedly, the day before, Minot had a lot of fog and no planes could land and had to be taken back to Minneapolis. I was scared that we would be rerouted back to Minneapolis, but we got to land on the second try! Thank God! I did not want to sent back to Minneapolis! I was so excited to see Blair again! We went to eat lunch at Buffalo Wild Wings as soon as we left the airport. On the way home, we noticed the fog had rolled in once again and we both remarked on how great it was that I got home when I did! Any later and I would've been back to Minneapolis in a flash! Thank God for small blessings!

**I don't have pictures right now, as I'm at work posting this. I will return to post pictures of my fun-filled weekend!! Love to you all!!