Before the Wedding

RV Resort site #P22
Roanoke Rapids, NC
(I’ll be doing two posts for this date...I finally posted the Wedding/Reception post so please read on)

It was nice to come home to the MH and relax in our own familiar surrounding and sleep in our own bed.  Gin was worn out from the festivities last night so she lounged on the couch while I went to visit with Mom and other family members at her house.  Remember that I mentioned the Frisbee Dog competition?  Well it was held at the park just a couple of blocks from Mom’s house.  This nice MH actually stayed at the RV Resort last night.

 

The owner of the dogs travels 48 weeks out of the year and has different trainers joining him for the competitions and shows in different areas of the country.  Now that’s some serious Frisbee Dogs!  Here’s some of the competition.

 

My other nephew Jeff and his wife Becca are here from Colorado with their two daughters.  My sister Virginia can’t get enough of her granddaughters.

 

This is a busy weekend in Roanoke Rapids.  They are holding an event in downtown and have blocked off the streets near the church where the wedding is to be held.  I decided to check by there on my way back to the MH to see if I could still park near the church.  As I turned around in the street, I noticed two people dismounting from a nice touring motorcycle.  It turned out to be JC and Bev who are staying at the Thousand Trails RV Park on Lake Gaston which is only a couple of miles from the family water front spot on the lake.  We were parked beside them last month at the RV-Dreams Rally.  Talk about your small world moments!

Thanks for dropping by, and enjoy each day of your life’s journey by finding beauty in the ordinary.

Wedding and Reception

The wedding was held at Rosemary United Methodist Church and it was packed with people.  During the ceremony, the Pastor mentioned how Philip and Leslie were both raised in the church and how they reconnected a couple of years ago.  I had done a Valentine’s post about that.  They inspire one another to be their best by drawing on each others strengths.

After the wedding ceremony, we all drove over to the Chockoyette Country Club for a lavish reception hosted by the bride’s family.  As we approached the tent set up for 300 people, an evening thunderstorm developed.  Most of us stayed dry, but the ground got wet and muddy which messed up everyone’s shoes.

There was an open bar and hors d’oeuvres while we waited for the wedding party to arrive.  I enjoyed the stringed instruments that played gently while everyone indulged in some delicious foods.

Many friends and family members were there.  Do you recognize these two?

Once again, we took lots of photos. (click the pic to enlarge)  Here’s some candid shots of the bride and groom.

    

 

Philip’s parents, my brother Doug and SiL Carla.

My sister Virginia and BiL David.  Their daughter Marie and her husband Shannon.

 

My nephew Jeff had his two daughters Alexandra and Ella with him. (and Mom)

 

Some of my aunts and uncles even showed up for the celebration.  Aubrey and Gail and Willie and Lessie drove about 100 miles whereas Lola and VL live in town.  Lola just had hip replacement surgery about 4 weeks ago.

  

And here’s one of Mom’s good friends, Mae.  She’s also a retired teacher and a lover of life.

As we were all finishing our wonderful meal, Philip’s groomsman and childhood friend Josh shared a story of the time that he hooked Philip in the knee while trying to pull in the boat after an argument.  He wanted to make sure Leslie had a big lure to use when an argument arose.

After some nice sentimental comments by Leslie’s Dad, many people went inside the clubhouse for a dance.  Her lovely portrait was in the lobby.

 

There was a very good band that performed a variety of music.

 

After the Bride and Groom had their official dance floor moment, there were a couple of the traditional dances of the father/daughter and mother/son variety.

  

  

 

The youngest girls were the first on the dance floor and Philip’s two sisters, Emily and Melissa enjoyed the evening.

 

Virginia and David enjoy a few quiet moments with the youngest partier, Ella.

We enjoyed a few songs before calling it a night, and no, we didn’t dance in heels, are you kiddin’ me?!!

Thanks for dropping by, and enjoy each day of your life’s journey by finding beauty in the ordinary.

Rehearsal Dinner

RV Resort site #P22
Roanoke Rapids, NC

We left our house at a reasonable time and arrived at the RV Resort around noon.  They are hosting two groups this weekend, a local Good Sam’s chapter and a Frisbee Dog competition that is being held in the town of Roanoke Rapids.  This is a fairly new rv park with FHU but no shade.  It’s a Passport America park, but they only extend that discount during the week.  I did get a 10% discount however since I paid by check instead of using a credit card.

We are here this weekend to celebrate my nephew’s wedding on Saturday.  Tonight there was a rehearsal dinner hosted at my brother’s house.  Doug and Carla have a nice house and large yard on the Roanoke Rapids Lake so it was a perfect setting.  Carla had asked us to help set up and keep the food tables replenished.  We were very honored and happy to help so we got there around 2:00.

 

I finally met the bride Leslie.  She is a very nice young lady, and she and Philip make a good couple.  The next door neighbor Rudy and his son Derrick cooked a pig for this casual Pig Pickin’ BBQ.

  

We took lots of photos but I’ll try to narrow it down to a dozen or so of my favorites.  Remember that you can click on a photo to enlarge it.  Check out the couple’s reaction to seeing the Groom’s Cake.  They have a good sense of humor.  You see, Philip was in the porta-john  when he was injured by a missile while in Iraq.  The cupcakes are for Jenny (the matron of honor) and Melissa (Philip’s sister) who are celebrating birthdays during this festive time.

  

Philip’s mom Carla and his sister Melissa welcomed everyone and a special treat was offered for everyone to take home, jars of Bone Suckin' Sauce with special labels.

 

Here’s the couple getting first dibs at the barbeque and the buffet set up.

 

My brother Doug thanked everyone for coming and shared a few words about what makes for a long happy marriage.  If the couple share the same basic core values, they will be blessed.

I think that they have a good start on the long happy marriage.  They sure can share that certain look  into each other’s eyes.

 

A good time was had by all, and the weather was great…no rain and no bugs.

 

After enjoying a wonderful dinner, Gin and I along with family friends Bonnie and Kathy helped clean up a bit.  It was a wonderful event, and it was great to meet some friends of the young couple and spend time with  family. 

Thanks for dropping by, and enjoy each day of your life’s journey by finding beauty in the ordinary.