Indiana Trip

Alright...so I thought I would wait to blog about this, but as soon as I wait I'll be behind again! I really wish I could blog almost daily! Whether you enjoy reading it or not it's a good outlet for me! :) And if I wait to blog about this...then I'll be behind on blogging about Relay for Life which we're doing tomorrow night! So here it goes!!

I think we figured out I have 20 first cousins on my dad's side? Well...we're at the age now where we're all getting married and having babies! It's crazy how quickly life moves...one of my younger cousins, Jennifer, got married this past weekend! Jennifer's brother, Jason, was my roommate when he moved to Dallas a couple of years ago so Jennifer got to visit a few times! It was about time I made my way to Indiana for her big day!!

Ryan and I originally planned on flying since it is such a LONG drive (about 12 hours)! My dad shared with me that he and my mom planned on driving, and thought it would be fun to all drive together. I was quickly sold on this idea, and shared it with Ryan. I wanted him to experience the drive we always took on summers as kids! He had no idea what he was in for!

I was excited for his excitement though!! He wanted to take pictures of every state sign we went through. We probably spent an hour stopping. Surprisingly enough the rest stops we stopped at were pretty nice! Things have changed a lot since the last time we made this drive...I think I was a junior in high school! (I flew there when I was in college...)

After a long drive of Ryan and Dad alternating we finally made it to Evansville, Indiana! We stayed with my dad's BFF, Rich and his wife Angie. They have 3 children: Kevin, Kelley, and Emily...and apparently Ryan thought we were going to my aunt and uncle's house and staying with my cousins and them! haha! It's not too surprising since the family is so big I know it has to be hard for him to keep up!

I could ramble on for pages and pages on what a good time we had! I could go over EVERY detail, and how the Short's made us feel soooo welcome in their home! I'll try not to bore you too much, and just give you the highlights!

On Friday my dad was excited to take Ryan through the town he grew up in, and show him all the hot spots. :) Mom, Angie, and I ran some errands then went to the Ohio River. I enjoyed seeing all the state seals, and found it interesting that the Indiana and Mississippi seals are right next to each other. :) (They're in the order that they joined the union...)

We had a nice dinner at a pizza place for a birthday party for another friend of my dad's. I mentioned seeing the Casino Aztar while we were down at the river, and Rich said, "you want to go?!" SURE!!

It was...interesting...but fun! The casino is actually on a boat on the river so when you're on the boat you're actually in Kentucky which we thought was pretty cool. The boat used to move, but it now just stands still. We all just walked around and did some slots. It was fun. Mom put $1 in and won $20! It was hard for her to walk away, but we all made her!

Our time went so quickly here...the next day was already Jennifer's wedding day! My cousin, Ashley, picked me up and we went to get our hair done. Thank you to my cousin in-law, Mallory, who set up our appointments for us! It was nice to spend some time with Ashley, and get my hur did for Jenn's big day!

We all just kind of lounged around the house until it was time to get ready for the wedding. The wedding was gorgeous! The church was gorgeous. The colors were gorgeous. The bridesmaids dresses were gorgeous, and of course...the BRIDE was gorgeous! I don't have any pictures though. :( We took some with my parents camera which I can post later...

After a beautiful ceremony (and a little comical one..."I Jennifer..." (said by Jared)haha!) we got lots of family pictures taken! Then my other cousin in-law Alex was so kind to take Ryan and I to the reception hall with her and Serena. :) Jason and Alex's sweet little girl! Ryan was loving being around her! It's a good thing we went with her since Mom, Dad, Uncle Rick, and Aunt Erin decided to stop at a local pub on their way to the reception! Good thing my cousins Maggie, Andrew, and Mollie made it there! ;)

Everything about the reception was so fun. I seriously love being around my family, and had the BEST time with all of them! And Ryan just fit in like he was one of us...it can be tough being a Born! haha! ;) We had a yummy dinner, great cake, and an awesome time dancing!! The night had to come to an end...but not until my Aunt Peggy, Uncle Bill, cousin Nicholas, Aunt Shelley, and Uncle JC came back to Rich and Angie's with us! We stayed up until at least midnight...(the day started at 9!) It was a long day, but sooo worth it and sooo much fun!!

We were up early the next morning for a long drive back to Rockwall, TX! And boy was it a long drive! We were so anxious to get home, and get Puppy. Thank you to Missy & Elly for keeping him happy while we were gone!

So here we are...I don't know how I've made it this far through the week without falling asleep! STAAR testing was this week, and even though I teach 1st grade now I am still pulled for testing. Those days are not only exhausting for the kids, but for the teachers too! Tomorrow is Relay for Life so be looking for a blog again soon!

NIGHT, NIGHT!!