Joe's Wedding

Hooray! MJ's good friend from West Point, Joe, the confirmed bachelor, finally got married! We absolutely had to attend to see it in person. Plus we knew there would be a ton of other West Point friends there, and we always have such a great time with them.

Especially Calvin and Marella. Calvin and MJ have stayed particularly close, so it's always special when we can all hang out together.

Major thanks to Pepere, who came and stayed with the kids so MJ and I could go. MJ had been on a business trip in NY the week prior, so he and I flew to Chicago separately and met up there on Thursday night. Friday morning, we rented a car and drove to Iowa for the wedding. Calvin and Marella arrived shortly after, and the four of us headed out to see the sights, which mostly included the Mississippi River and the John Deere Museum.

The museum was small but pretty cool, I have to admit. And it was nice to have Calvin, a farmer, with us, so he could explain all the huge machinery. Some of the tractors were unbelievably massive!

Then we walked along the river and headed back to the hotel for dinner. During dinner, several more of MJ's classmates walked into the restaurant, so it seemed like every few minutes we were having a reunion! It was a fun night.

The next day was the wedding, and it was really fun. It was a huge wedding, and even the priest made comments about how so many people attended because they had to see Joe actually say his vows. Afterwards, the reception was a riot. So much laughter!

Another big thank you to Carol, who let me borrow this very special dress. I paired it with some navy espadrilles, and magically, I had a complete wedding outfit in very little time.