Mandi is now a married woman!

Yep, Mandi and her Tim got married yesterday. It was quick but that didn't make it any less real. I pray that she and her Tim end up with the kind of relationship that my Tim and I have after 22 years together.

We left at 10 PM on Friday evening, after I finally got another person to cover my overnight shift at work that night. We drove through one heck of a snowstorm (counted eight cars in the ditch over a 25 mile stretch of highway and three of those were upside down) to get there. Arrived at about 2:15 AM on the wedding day. We didn't have much difficulty getting there but I was glad when we finally did.

As of this evening, he still had not done the public proposal. Mandi had asked for one and he promised her he would do it. Mandi seems okay with it now that the rings are on their fingers, so no big deal to me. I just wanted her to have her special wedding day. She did indeed have that!

The wedding was beautiful; very small with only the parents, Crys & Ceci there with the minister and his wife. The wife played some music before the wedding and played the traditional wedding song as she and Dad came up the aisle. Didn't get a good photo of that so hope that his dad did.

Ceci did her best to steal the show, walking about the stage and calling each of us to look at her. She was so darn proud of herself! Mandi and Tim took it in stride and the minister just talked louder.

Tim and I purchased Mandi's wedding set (engagement ring with wedding band to match) up here on Friday afternoon. I called Mandi and described them to her. She gave his dad a basic description and he got Tim's ring. Imagine all of our shock when we put the set with his ring and found that they were the completed set! What a wonderful and pleasant surprise. Mandi was thrilled with her set and totally happy to have his match her's after all!

We went back to his dad's after the wedding for a family gathering. He had made ribs on the grill and then in the crock pot with bbq sauce. They were YUMMY! There was also potato salad, baked beans, bread and butter, veggies with dip, cheese dip with scoop tortilla chips, and deviled eggs. I didn't eat much but what I had was good. We hung out for a while and then headed back into town. They live way out in the country and I was afraid if I waited too long, we'd be snowed in. As it was, the blowing snow had almost closed the roads we had to travel. We almost got stuck once and I barely could see the road, but we did make it.

Went out for breakfast with my brother and his wife, Tim & Mandi, and Tim and I this morning. Afterwards, we went to visit my step-dad and his wife. I'm not that fond of either of them but they do ask my brother about us all the time so I felt we should go. Mandi and Tim went with and we visited a while. Then it was time for Tim and I to head on home.

Mandi and Tim are staying at a hotel tonight. His dad's wedding gift to them. They come back up here tomorrow and he has to leave out about 6 am on Tuesday. He goes back to Camp Pendleton in CA for three weeks and then on to Fort Knox KY for ten. After that, he thinks he's going back to Camp Pendleton and may be there for up to nine months. We have to wait for his orders to find out for sure. If that's the case, Mandi and Chloe will join him out there. I'm betting Mom will have to drive her out there but that's okay.

So that's the news. It was a very nice weekend but now bittersweet as the kids have to say goodbye again. Mandi is dreading it but I keep telling her at least she won't have time for him to get on her nerves and it is only for a while.