In my life, I can't always take a lot of time off work. I don't live "too" far from my siblings in the midwest, but far enough that it's not an easy weekend trip. But, my niece is getting married, so I worked out a whirlwind 3-day and we took a road trip.
Friday morning, we headed out early for the 12-hour drive north to Girard Kansas. Of course, I wore my most comfortable traveling clothes.
INKnBURN all the way. When we arrived at my brother's house, we were greeted by Jazmine. She is a farm dog for sure and seems to have a close relationship with skunks. But ... oh, so sweet and really wants to be scratched. Must wash hands quickly.
The Rebel (my brother) lives in the country ... 15 minutes from the nearest town. The town has like a small main street. Yep, this is the part of the country I was born and raised in. As we headed out do dinner, I was reminded of the beauty of small towns in the countryside. No real light pollution and wide open spaces, so you get to see beautiful skies. The Rebel's girlfriend visiting from New York. And, yes, the theme song from Green Acres played in my head all weekend.
Facebook makes the world a small place. I had met a friend through INKnBURN in said small town and she told me about a 5K the following morning. The
Victory over Violence 5K had a superhero theme. I didn't have a superhero costume due to poor planning, but MightyMe goes all out. Cute as a button. I did wear a cool INKnBURN kit, though. So ... off I went early for a run. And yes, my family thought I was nuts. It was a little chilly and a lightly misting so I wasn't sure I wanted to do this. But, it's for a good cause, so I paid my registration fee and hung around until the start. I am on a return to run program until I can get the hip feeling better, so really limited to 5 minute run/2 minute walk. I don't really enjoy it, but I'm trying to actually listen this time and heal. It's going slower than I want. When the race started ... MightyMe ran her pace and I hobbled along. But, I did try to run when I saw a camera. I won't complain too much, I did come in 38 out of a whopping 53. It was a fun little easy flat course with two loops around the park in a small town. Reminded me of my childhood. The old houses, the mature trees.
After the run, I had to rush off to meet the family for breakfast. Oatmeal for me, because small town Kansas is not very vegan-friendly. I should have taken a picture of the ginormous cinnamon roll, though.
Then, time to rush around and get ready for wedding festivities. The rest of my sibs were there. So, we really just did spend time with each other. They see each other every few months, but for me ... it's a rare reunion seeing all of them at once.
Funny ... they all asked how was the trip? Of course, the usual answer ... I was well rested and The Musician was ready to be out from behind the wheel. It's a family joke because when I was a kid ... the moving wheels were instant sleep ... well, not much has changed as an adult.
Not all of the nieces and nephews could make it. They are growing up and have busy lives. But, two of them were there. The nephew recently got engaged. His older sister and her husband are just as adorable as ever.
My siblings and their spouses (I don't know why I didn't get a picture of The Comedian. His wife was unable to make the trip and I got pictures of couples. Sorry.) But it was nice to see The Protector and his wife, the Nicest Person in the World, the Rebel and his city girlfriend, and The Scrapper and her SuperWife.
The wedding was absolutely beautiful. My breath stopped when I saw my niece. She is really a stunner. Her husband seems gentle and kind. They thought about so many lovely details. Because of the rain, the ceremony was held in the barn. They had so many lovely and personal touches in the ceremony. The minister was their youth minister who watched them meet and grow in their relationship. Her sisters were her bridesmaids and they are just as beautiful. Then, a quick turnover of chairs and tables and the reception was also in the barn. The centerpieces and cakestand were all handmade by the wedding party. The groom is an artist with wood. We were prepared for the barbecue and brought our own food, because, well ... it's Kansas and meat is a pretty major part of the diet. I did have some wedding cake though. Three flavors. I only ate one and it was AMAZING!!! One of my nieces was maid of honor and gave such a sweet speech. The groom's father was best man ... which is super cool ... and his speech was so sweet and really showed the sweetness of the family she joined. The Doctor gave a speech and when he mentioned my dad, we all choked up a bit. But, he didn't cry. The bride and groom danced. The bride and her father danced. The groom and his mother danced. Each song was clearly perfectly chosen. They had a sweet slideshow of each of them growing up and then of them together. Also perfectly chosen songs for each sequence. My niece is a teacher. Her kindergartner's showed up and seeing the little ones dance was so cute.
It's always bittersweet when these events come to an end. I hate saying good-bye to my siblings again, especially with such a short visit. The Rebel and I are very close and he had several good-byes. His oldest married and moved away. His middle little moved and is starting PA school the next day. And, between the two of them, they took most of his furniture and his house is big. His littlest little is moving in full-time, though for college.
After playing with Jazmine a bit, we hit the road early for the 12-hour drive ahead. It turned out to be a beautiful day, although I did sleep through most of it. And, yes, comfortable in more
INKnBURN.
You may have read my reviews of Little Lace Box before. I really like this subscription because it is different from others. All boxes are curated around a theme and you can really tell the three sisters that designed this company put a lot of themselves in each package. They exploded and had a few growing pains in the past few months. They handled them in an amazing way. They made an announcement in April, that they were going to a bi-monthly subscription, but that current subscribers would get a little surprise in May ... what a surprise it was!!!
And finally, Brode Electrolye Vitamin. I keep thinking I'll give this a try for a long run or bike day. I am always looking for a good balance. But, I have to admit, I'm not sure I will notice a difference with a single use. Worth a try though. 
