#I'm going to watch TV and snuggle with Aussies

[trivialbob]

Back home after a fun weekend.

Saturday during the day I visited downtown Chillicothe. That afternoon our clan went out to a country house and wedding venue for my cousin Kate’s daughter’s wedding. (There was some discussion about 2nd cousins, or cousins once removed, etc. I stuck with the bride’s name, Molly). This is my mom’s side of my family.

The property had a horse stable that had been converted into a two bedroom, one bath man cave, complete with a huge bar. I want one for myself now. It would be so cool to park my motorcycle outside my bedroom door. I assume Sheila would get an equal thrill parking her scooter there too. Or we could park them in the second bedroom. Those sliding horse doors are HUGE.

The ceremony was held outside, under bright sun and a perfect 72°F temperature. The bride was beautiful. The groom was handsome. Tissues were necessary.

After a not-too-long ceremony we all moved over to an open sided building for the reception. This is farm country. Many of the men had large, fancy belt buckles, western shirts, cowboy boots, and best of all -- cowboy hats. I loved it. I’ll be on Amazon later tonight.

My branch of the family occupied two large tables. We had a great time together. My uncle Bob and his wife Debbie were there, along with Bob’s son Greg and his wife Melinda. It’s always nice catching up. Not only do Bob and I share a first name, we have a mutual interest in beer.

Because the wedding and reception were outside, a porta potty was the closest place to pee. Melinda, who is a little older than me, literally had never set foot in a porta potty. Not even once, not in her entire life.

There was plenty of drink on hand. Eventually Melinda had to pee. One of my sisters told her to just use the porta potty, because ti was close by. Reluctantly, Melinda agreed. Somebody should have done one of those “first day of school/first time in a porta potty” photos. Had I been right there I would have insisted on it!

As I heard the story, Melinda entered, then exited very quickly. She can retain her claim to having never peed in a porta potty. Not even once, not in her entire life. She found indoor plumbing to complete the task.

The father of the bride, Mike, shares my enjoyment of saving money. Note to self: Sometime ask him about pizza-flavored Goldfish crackers.

Along with some kegs and cans of beer, there were wine bottles everywhere. Rumor had it the wine was sourced from the Aldi region of Chillicothe and was not expensive. My cousin Jenny asked Mike if it was five dollar wine. “Oh goodness no, Jennifer. This is the $3.50 wine!”

Frugal and proud of it!

Jenny told Mike she was going to be sure to drink $10 worth of his wine. I’m not sure if that pleased Mike or made him want to put a donation jar on the table.

This morning a group of us ate breakfast at our hotel then hit the road. My dad and I took a shorter but more scenic route out of Chillicothe to the Interstate. The pretty landscape was covered by farms, horses and some three-person towns. We had to cross a single-lane bridge along the way. There was a lot of driving. I’m tired now, though I had plenty of good conversation with my dad.

Below... cousin, cousin and mother of the bride, cousin, brother, sister, sister, cousin, and me! I have two more cousins, but they couldn’t be there.

#My dogs shrieked with joy and jumped on me when I got home. #I'm going to watch TV and snuggle with Aussies #I am a proponent of weddings where I can wear jeans or shorts and have to wear sunscreen on my bald head #Of course I had a hat but I took it off for the *I do* part out of respect