Nephew, Michael, was getting married on May 16th at the White Star Park in Fremont, OH so I left on Tuesday, the 13th, heading to the home of the groom’s parents, Lynda and Jim.  My plans were to get to their home on the 14th by early afternoon so I drove for about 4 hours and stopped at the Fairfield Inn & Suites in Ottawa, IL for the evening.  Upon the recommendation of the staff at the inn, I had dinner at Woody’s Steakhouse which was excellent both in food quality and service.

On the 14th,  I left the hotel good time and was pleased to discover the traffic around Chicago was not bad; all the years of road work around the area has finally paid off!  Because of the good start, I arrived at Lynda’s around noon their time.  The rest of the day and evening was spent visiting with Lynda, Jim, and niece Allison who had flown in from Texas.   Allison will be getting married in July so Lynda and Jim are experiencing both of their children weddings within two months of each other!

The next morning we had breakfast and then got ready for a shopping excursion at a nearby town called Defiance.  Sister Sarah, from Adrian, MI, joined us.  While going from one shop to another, we ran into Michael.  Since it had been years since I had seen him, it was great to talk to him and see how happy he seems to be.  We had lunch at Kissner’s,  the restaurant where Michael and Sara first met.  Because of having to be at the rehearsal by 4:30, after seeing sister Sarah off, we got ready and left for the park.  Upon arrival, we discovered everyone was going to be late except Michael and the wedding coordinator.  What a cold, drippy evening!  Once everyone arrived, the rehearsal began.  When it was over, everyone drove to the Residence Inn where the wedding party and out-of-town guests were staying; a rehearsal buffet had been set up.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The morning of the wedding, Lynda and I went back to Defiance to return an article of clothing I had purchased the day before.  When we arrived back at Lynda’s, Linda and Mike Morley arrived from Niles, MI.   They have been friends of Lynda and Jim for years and years.  We had lunch and then got ready for the wedding.  Since my vehicle had the most room, we took it with Jim as the designated driver.  First stop was at Michael’s where Jim, the best man, helped Michael with his tie.  Second stop was the park for the wedding whose theme was based on Moonrise Kingdom, the first film Michael and Sara saw together and related to.  Many of the guests came dressed from the time period of the movie.  Third stop was the reception which was held at Ole Zimm’s Wagon Shed in Gibsonburg, OH.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The morning of the 17th, Linda/Lynda/myself drove to Adrian in order to visit with Sarah and Mike.  After lunch at El Chaps, a Mexican restaurant, we went to see niece Jana and her family.  I had never seen her youngest son, Joey, who is 2 years old and full of energy.  Daughter, Megan, is 6 and seems very mature for her age.  Upon leaving the Schutte residence, Mike provided us with a tour of Adrian.  And we just had to shop at a couple stores!  When we returned to Lynda’s, the Morleys decided to spend another night.  We went out to eat at Mom’s Diner in Archbold.  Since I was leaving early in the morning, I said my “good byes” to Allison and Mike/Linda.

After a cup of coffee and ‘good bye’ hugs from Lynda & Jim, I headed to the toll road and drove west.  Stopped for lunch at Wise Guy’s Grill in Princeton, IL.  Got home about 2:30 central time.  It was a great trip!  I am so glad of the relationship I have with Tom’s family and it was wonderful to spend time with them.  My new vehicle, Subaru Forrester) drove well and averaged 33.1 mpg.  The wedding and reception was based on the Moonrise Kingdom theme; it was casual, fun for all, and it was great to see how happy Michael is with his new bride…I hope they have a many years of happiness as Tom and I did.