Kristen and Darren's Wedding

Thursday morning we hopped back in the car and began the long drive to Pennsylvania. We definitely took the long way there but it was worth it to drive through a small section of West Virginia. The terrain there was incredible. Lots of gorgeous hills and deep valleys. We ate lunch in Wheeling, WV so we have officially visited the state. We made it to our hotel near Grove City around 3 that afternoon. We unloaded the car and then headed to Darren's Uncle Dave's house where they were setting up the tent and getting ready for the wedding. We visited for a little bit and got to meet lots of Darren's family members. We then parted ways for our Bachelor and Bachelorette evenings. Kristen and I dropped of the boys with all the other kids and headed to dinner with the ladies while Brian and Darren headed out to the lake for a gathering with the guys. Lots of fun was had by all that evening.

Friday was spent running around getting last minute things for the wedding as well as setting up tables and chairs for the next day. Even though we were missing some key members of the wedding party, somehow we managed to start the rehearsal on time with everyone there. And we were done in 45 minutes!!! A storm was blowing in so even though we could have walked to the restaurant (just down the hill from Uncle Dave's house) we all drove. Dinner was super yummy and everyone enjoyed relaxing after a long, incredibly hot day.

Saturday morning bright and early, Kristen and Darren's friend, Tom, arrived to pick me up at the hotel. She had arranged a spa day for us that included a facial (a first for me), a massage, a pedicure and manicure followed by lunch and then having our hair done for the wedding. We had a fantastic time. We almost never get to do anything just the two of us. After we finished, Tom picked us up and took us to Darren's grandparents house to get changed and all ready for the wedding. Kristen was the most beautiful bride I've ever seen. The dress was absolutely perfect!! Being the super efficient moms/engineers that we are, we actually finished early and just hung around a bit before driving over to Uncle Dave's for the wedding. The ceremony went off without a hitch and I even managed to hold in the tears. Everyone there was so happy to see Kristen and Darren become husband and wife. The reception was lots of fun. Some of the guys grilled up burgers and hot dogs and we had a bunch of side dishes. Thankfully Dave and Sherry have a pool so the kids could keep cool. James swam for four hours straight and actually missed eating dinner. Once the sun went down, the guys broke out the fireworks. It was lots of fun but the heat had really taken it's toll and we had to call it quits around 9:30. Thankfully there was a McDonald's just down the street from our hotel so we picked up some food for the boys. We all showered and finally called it a night around 11. It was a long and exhausting day (it was so hot and humid) but we couldn't have been happier to be there to witness the marriage of wonderful friends.