June brought us to Ohio for our son’s wedding. As parents we would all like to be able to do the “picking” of our children’s spouse. Joe and I are very fortunate. We couldn’t have picked better for any of our kids. Our son Zach moved to Ohio seven years ago at the age of 22 to take a job that his Uncle Art offered him. I remember watching him drive out of our Jordan drive-way by himself, car packed with clothes and a few essentials for the 800 mile trip to Ohio. I thought “he’ll be back”. He moved in with his Uncle’s family for a few months before he found an apartment. Joe and I then packed up a U-haul with all of his belongings and made the trip to OH to move him into the apartment. I think Joe and I thought there was still a chance that he would move back to MN.
A year or so later he bought his first house. A house would make it a little harder for him to move back but it was still do-able. But then Lauren came along, the love of his life. The first time we met her we knew that he would be staying in OH. She was like one of our kids, loved animals, loved camping, and loved gardening but most of all loved Zach.
So we had a wedding in Dayton, OH and what a beautiful wedding it was. The bride, our new daughter-in-law Lauren, was stunning. Our son, Zach, was so handsome in his tux. They had a beautiful evening service at Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Dayton followed by the reception and dance at the Engineers Club also in Dayton. Mary and Bob, Lauren’s parents, helped the kids plan a magnificent wedding. Our daughter, Amanda, and son, Eric, were part of the wedding party. Our daughter, Cassie, along with her husband, Aaron, and of course our precious granddaughter, and future son-in-law, Ron, also helped celebrate Zach and Lauren’s wedding. All of Joe’s siblings attended; Art and Nancy from Dayton, Betsy and Tom from WI, and Bonnie and Tim from MN along with my sister and her husband, Nancy and John, from CA and my 90 yr old dad from CA. I think they all enjoyed the evening with wonderful food and drink, and a little dancing. I know Joe and I had a fabulous time and was so proud of all of our family. Little Cate had the best time and stayed up way past her bedtime dancing the night away in her diaper.
We stayed in OH for a week after the wedding to watch Zach and Lauren’s Great Dane while they were on their honeymoon. We were the lucky ones – Lauren’s parents had the other three dogs and the cat (I said Lauren liked animals). With our new life style we hope to spend a little more time in OH visiting with Zach and Lauren. Maybe they will even get tired of us hanging around.
One wedding done and one more to go – Naples, Florida, November, 2012 here we come!