Wedding on the Road

On Saturday, the Chopins made a trip to the grand metropolis of Vinton, Louisiana for a family wedding. For those of you unfamiliar with Louisiana state geography, Vinton is in between Lake Charles and the Texas border. We went to celebrate the marriage of Bradley & Tina Thibodeaux. Brad is Dad's cousin on Gigi's side of the family. It was a lovely ceremony at the Methodist church with a reception to follow at the American Legion. The kids had a blast! I was quickly reminded how much wedding receptions are fun for kids. There were red balloons everywhere, mostly for decoration, but they quickly became high-octane entertainment for all the kids in attendance. The boys ran and played with their cousins. Gracie was absolutely enamored with Tina and her bridesmaids. Often times, when we couldn't find her, she would be right near them, staring and begging them to notice her (it bordered on stalking). I think she wants to be a princess. The reception was a lot of fun. Families got a chance to hang out and chat. Mom and Dad also had a chance to practice a skill we both had little experience in--cake cutting. We volunteered to cut pieces of the bride's cake for those in attendance. It is a very delicate skill and the pressure's on not to screw it up. But, it was also an opportunity for Mom and Dad to laugh and spend some time together. As the night winded down, we huddled up the kids and started on the trek home. The kids took a little longer than normal to fall asleep; it was mostly because they couldn't stop laughing. Nothing like a wedding to bring joy to family! Congratulations Bradley and Tina! We will be praying for your marriage to be enriched by God.