The last couple of months have really flown by. I know that's an old cliche but I swear...it's true. hahahah It all started at the beginning of September when Hurricane Irma was looming. Every year we sweat out the weekly weather updates...wondering if any of the tropical systems are going to strengthen and head towards our part of the Florida coast. This year we were especially nervous after seeing the crazy storms drenching Houston and causing the floods there.
We had plans to go to Tennessee in early September; right around "prime time" for hurricanes. As the threat of Irma hitting us grew , we decided we'd better board up, pack important things away safely and leave town. After that...we could only hope for the best. It looked like we were going to get out of town just in time to miss the worst of it. An added plus for me....as a county employee, it is understood that in case of an emergency, including hurricanes, county workers may be called upon to help man the shelters. After last year's Hurricane Matthew, the county came up with a new comprehensive plan of action in case of any future storms. Well...this year put that plan to the test....with mixed results.( Now my theory has always been that it's an emergency! You can plan all you want, but until you're in the middle of it, you really don't know exactly how things are going to go.) When I attended the training, I stayed after to ask "What if you have plans to be out of town and you are called to help at a shelter?" I was told, as long as it is a "Planned" vacation...not one you plan because the storm is coming...hahahaha then you're excused.
Right on schedule...Irma was heading our way...and we happily packed our bags and headed north to Tennessee. Now Brenna and Josh, who were also planning to go to the same wedding had a little more complicated plan of action. The vet's office where they were going to board the dogs was closing( because
they had to evacuate)...they had no where to keep their three dogs.Now what????? Have someone stay at their house with the dogs?....keeping an eye on the house and the dogs? Pack up the dogs and bring them to TN? One car in the shop was an added complication...as was the thought of all the other people evacuating from Florida...(since the
ENTIRE state was being evacuated)...finally they decided to pack up the car
and the dogs and leave ASAP. So they headed out at 3am or so and started north. Their plan was to get to Huntsville in time to board the dogs at their old vet...then head to TN as planned. Theirs is a whole other story........................................so for now back to ours. hahah
We left as planned....making a back-up plan for our return to Melbourne since the storm was actually supposed to hit the night before...or the day we were supposed to be flying back and We knew that wasn't going to happen. we arrived in Tennessee on Thursday the 8th. The weather up in Knoxville was just great....Sunny, warm.... but not too warm. Nice September weather...just like my nephew and his fiance had in mind when they picked the date!
There was a lot of activity going on at the house, since that's where the ceremony and the reception were going to be held.
Since we were there a day early, and had nothing better to do...we headed over to our nephew's house to see if we could lend a hand.(just a note here...both my nephew's live on this property...it's approximately 5 acres, two houses, driveways, etc next door to one another)
Most of the big jobs had been done...but it was all the finishing touches that they were working on....and as usual, those little things add up to more than you expect. I ended up mowing the grassy area near the bridge, since down near that area was where the ceremony would take place.
..My nephew Solon had mowed most of the yard(s), and was going to finish up that area...but since he was at work and had the rehearsal dinner that evening...I figured he might not have enough time. I mow our grass and wanted to do something anyway...so it was a perfect job for me. I mowed while John and Ken trimmed up the "edges" and around the trees. After that we picked up the walnuts on the ground...hoping to prevent anyone from tripping over or falling on one.
Later that afternoon, the group in charge of setting up the tent arrived to go to work.
They worked in the back yard while we worked in the front.My brother-in-law and his brother were also stringing lights down near the tent where the "dance floor" was going to be.
Once we did all we could do, it was time to get ready for the dinner with all the family and bridal party. Everyone was meeting a a local restaurant. We were looking forward to seeing everyone.
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| the bride and groom....they've been together for a while so we were all waiting for this big day ! |
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John's brother and his wife were there. We also saw our niece and most of her family.
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| John's brother Bill with our niece Lori and her new husband Danny. In front... | Uncle Ken with two of their kids |
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| John with one of Chase's uncles on his Dad's side |
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| Chase's nieces...our great nieces |
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| Sandy with some of Ken's family and our s-i-l Kathie with Ken's sister |
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| Kathie, Elizabeth and Solon (brother of the groom) |
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| sisters-in-law |
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| a nice group of family members enjoying time together |
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| the groom and some of his good friends |
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| Chase and his Mom |
It was a nice evening. We all had a chance to catch up a little and meet friends and other relatives. When the evening ended we were ready to call it a night and start again the next day. More on the wedding on the next post.
