The first stop: wedding and IHOP....

Over the last week or so, we've put about a thousand miles on our minivan. (A van which I have grown to love...) It seems that all of my friends with kids have been going on marathon vacations this summer where they drive from one side of the family or engagement to the next, stay a few nights, and then get back in the van and drive some more. Well, I though they were nuts, until last week when I realized that we, too would be doing much of the same thing. I can't wait until we get that portable DVD player for our van......

Friday afternoon, we set off for the cities to go to one of my high school friends' weddings, Kristen Patton. We stayed at the hotel where the reception was held. I have always been too cheap to book a room at a nice hotel when there's a wedding....we usually stay at the super8 down the road....but this time we splurged and spent the eighty bucks on a room at the Holiday Inn. I'm so glad we did! It's so nice to be able to run up to the room when the baby bombs her diaper or your two-year-old needs a quick change of clothes because the wedding cake's bright orange frosting doesn't mesh well with her pale green dress.....

We had a great time. Julia literally danced the night away. I wish I had a picture of this, but I forgot my camera in the car, which was far away at the time. She danced from 7:00 when the DJ started playing music, until 11:00 when the ghetto rap came on and her mother finally made her go to bed. She danced all the way through the dollar dance. At one time, the groom tripped over her and she went flying....a few tears were shed, and then it was right back on the dance floor. How did she end up staying up so late, you wonder? Let's just say that Papa was up in the room taking care of baby Mary while Mama was downstairs taking care of the toddler.....

The next morning was swimming in the hotel pool and then breakfast at IHOP. We met Joy, James, Bobbie, Karsten, and Mel for breakfast. Everybody had a great time, except for when Julia decompensated after we ate and needed to vent outside in the parking lot.

After that, it was off to St. Cloud, which will be covered in the next blog. I am doing a good jog catching up, eh?

Here is Karsten, Bobbie, and Mel after a delicious breakfast.