Wedding2

So, ceremony over, we all moseyed back down to the park area for many pictures and a bit of visiting, and had our convoy headed back to town by about 8:30. I�m pleased to report that no one got lost on the trip, and by 9:00 we were all seated having our breakfast.

Well, all except Mom and our friend Betty. Mom did well through the ceremony, but was still feeling pretty rough (recovering from radiation therapy for throat cancer) and wasn�t up to coming into the restaurant. We knew she wouldn�t be able to eat, but had at least hoped she�d be up for visiting and meeting everyone. She was rather shaky, so Betty, bless her heart, took her home and stayed with her.

Say what you will about the earliness of the hour, but it was great! The food was good and plentiful, and nobody interrupted us with clinking glasses. We hadn�t asked for nor expected any gifts, but got a few lovely ones anyway. Darlene is quite the embroiderer; she�s won awards and teaches and all sorts of things. She made us a wall hanging commemorating the day.

Darrell and Pam, two of Brian�s best friends and all around wonderful folks, gave us a couple beautiful picture frams and a small album in which Pam had placed our announcement and a title page.

Betty and her daughter Deni gave us a gift certificate to Bed, Bath and Beyond (what a FUN store!). Mom, bless her heart, gave me her old Camry (I�ve always loved that car). Shirley, another of Brian�s good friends, gave us our honeymoon...2 nights at a beautiful resort up in Estes Park. My uncle Bob and aunt Andrea, gave us our wedding supper (prime rib...yum, my favorite!). Brian�s sister Debbie (yay, I finally have a sister!) And her husband Max and daughter Nicole; my grandparents and my good friend Rick (the photographer) all also donated cash gifts.

We were very touched and appreciate it very muchy. We used it to purchase some much needed housewares. Brian wasn�t your �typical� bachelor, but...well the house hadn�t had a woman�s touch for a while and, silly me, I like stuff that matches and looks nice as well as being utile. We got some new bedding, bathroom accessories, canisters, and all that �girl� stuff, mostly.

But, I digress. We all ate. It wasn�t fancy, but it was a breakfast buffet and had pretty much anything anyone wanted, so I think everyone had plenty. By 10:30, we were ready to go...and still had most of the day ahead of us, which was great since we only had a 3 day weekend for a honeymoon. We had lots of hugs and laughs and advice in the restaurant before we left. They �got� us as we exited, though. I hadn�t even thought of it, but they threw stuff...as something, it was potpourri...Shirley�s idea, I think

Said Shirley caught the bouquet and we almost forgot the garter. Brian�s nephews Matt and Todd had been at work and taped a �Just Married� sign on the pickup. It was probably a good thing; we certainly don�t fit the profile for newlyweds. After I got in my honeymoon carriage, Brian managed to get the garter off and before he could toss it, every single man in the crowd ran like the hounds of hades were after them! Hmmm, do I sense a little fear of commitment here? Randy (Shirley�s son) finally ended up with it only because Brian stuffed it in his pocket.

And, at last...we were on our way! Well, sorta. I�d remembered my suitcase, but had left my blouses hanging on the door. I gave Brian the option...we could drive the 12 miles back to Mom�s or across the street to Wal-Mart (of course there was the third alternative of just going topless all weekend, but that didn�t appeal ) He opted to head to Mom�s. It turned out quite well, since I got to speak to Mom and Betty for a few and I was able to leave my big bouquet there for drying.

We arrived in Estes Park about 11:30 and checked in. Darlene and Shirley had spent the previous night in the same room and had decorated it very nicely; leaving balloons, a �congratulations� sign, potpourri and candles for us. It was a lovely room, well, suite, actually. The rooms were small, but comfortable. I was very surprised...a sitting room/kitchenette and bedroom, and it had a bath and a half!

After changing, we decided to do some sightseeing. There was a Scandinavian festival in town so we wandered through that for a while. Then on to the main fun at Estes...window shopping! We strolled down the main drag and oohed and aahed over all the little boutiques, had lunch at an interesting little restaurant, and of course, stopped by an ice cream shop on the way back.

We�d decided to drive up Trail Ridge the next day and have a picnic on the way, so we hit the grocery store to stock up on supplies, and then headed back to the hotel. We�d made reservations in their dining room, which is really sort of posh, so we got all dressed up again. We had a wonderful waitress and a thoroughly enjoyable meal. It was delicious and fun and we both ate too much...what more could ya ask??

Afterward, back to our room and then we...

Well..Brian...he...watched the baseball game!! Sheesh!

There was a wedding reception at the hotel that night and things got a bit rowdy after it was over. Our room windows were right over the main doors, so we got to listen to a lot of singing and laughing for a while, but it didn�t go on too late, and for some reason...we were pretty sympathetic.

Even so, we got up fairly early Sunday and hopped in the truck. One of our favorite things to do is drive around the countryside, and it�d been a long time since either of us had gone over Trail Ridge, which is the highest paved road in the world. We could have picked a better day since the wind was blowing like crazy, but it was a good trip anyway...a bit scary, but...there ARE advantages to marrying a professional driver. We went all the way to Granby and stopped at a little rest area on the way back to have our little picnic.