The girls woke back up about 7:30 on Friday morning and because of our tire ordeal, we were behind schedule. We just pulled over at a nice convenience store, changed their diapers and clothes, gave them breakfast and then drove for another couple of hours to Tampa. We checked into our hotel, Ryan immediately went to sleep (he had stayed awake to drive us the whole time!), and I played with the girls. They pretty much stayed on schedule, going down for naps as expected, eating when expected, etc. We had a very low-key day resting and a delicious dinner at Bahama Breeze.
On Saturday morning, Ryan needed to take the car to have the tires looked at. Luckily, we were able to talk to Grandma Jan (who, unfortunately, we weren't able to connect with in person), and she recommended a local tire place. Ryan took it in and found a good deal on putting the spare back in the car while getting four new tires. They also handled it in about a hour which was great. After he had the car fixed, we decided to get out for a little bit...Lily was getting a little stir-crazy in the hotel suite. We went to a local mall to just walk around for a bit and burn some energy which was great. After that we stopped at Walgreens to pick up a few needed items...milk, yogurt, etc. And, we picked up silver duct tape so Ryan could do a very redneck thing that I always laugh about...he put the duct tape on his car (luckily his car is silver so it's not totally obvious)! We realized that as we were driving, the air was pulling the bumper. We were nervous it would do more damage just from routine driving, not to mention driving on the interstate more later in the week so...bring on the duct tape. Classy, huh?
We headed back to the hotel for nap time, and I got ready for the 4:00 wedding. Ryan stayed with the girls during the ceremony but then the bride's sister had arranged for one of her friends to keep the girls in the hotel for the reception. I love weddings, and I was so excited to attend Erin's wedding! It was beautiful! No surprise, but Erin looked gorgeous. It was a Greek Orthodox ceremony that was lovely and interesting; I had never attended one before, but I am so glad I had the chance to go to this one.
After the ceremony, I drove back to the hotel to meet the babysitter and pick up Ryan. Amy seemed like a very nice young woman who I was completely comfortable leaving the girls with. Lily, however, wasn't so sure. She is such a timid little girl around new people, and here we were leaving her with a new person in a strange hotel; I know she was nervous. She was crying, hard, when we left which made Mia upset and start crying too. I'm sure Amy was about to cry too! She told us when we got home though that it only last a few minutes, and she and Lily quickly became best friends. I was so grateful Meagan arranged for her to keep the girls, so Ryan and I could both go to the reception.
The reception at the Rusty Pelican was wonderful! It sits right on Tampa Bay, so the view (we're coming up on sunset at this point) was amazing. They had a couple of private rooms reserved. The first had an open bar, a cool ice sculpture and yummy appetizers. We were able to talk to Mrs. Giesa (Erin's mom) for a little bit which was great. Then, they opened the door to a ballroom that was beautifully decorated in white and cobalt blue. We found our assigned table and met our tablemates who were all very nice and friendly. Erin and George shared their first dance; they seem so happy together. Typically at a wedding, if everyone starts tapping their glasses, the bride and groom share a kiss. This time though, they decided that the entire table had to sing a few bars from any song about love to have them kiss. Erin's mom was the emcee that took the mic around, and I think she loved it! Our table performed "Stop! In the Name of Love." It was a great icebreaker! Then they brought out our delicious dinner (salads, beef, chicken, veggies - yum!), and we enjoyed the chocolate-covered strawberries on the tables. After that, they started the party filled with dancing and all sorts of fun. We had a great time! We were able to talk to Erin for a few minutes (see our picture below) and meet George. It's always great to see your friend so happy.
We wish them all the best in their marriage, and we truly appreciate the chance to share this wonderful day and evening with you. We love you!
Coming up in "Florida, Part 3"...our time in New Smyrna!
No comments:
Post a Comment