Early (really, really early) Saturday morning, Alexandra generously drove Ryan and I to the South Bend airport so we could begin our trip to the big ole state of Texas. We were spoiled and got to fly down to the giant (tiny) Killeen airport via Atlanta while Chris, David, Annie and Becca drove from South Bend. I definitely delighted in the Biscoff cookie plus of having a kid under two!
Back when Chris and I were engaged lovebirds, my mother-in-law gathered all of the addresses for the groom's side of the invitation list. I looked it over and called to let her know that there were a few parties for whom I didn't have their full addresses. The address given just had their name and then a town in Texas with its zip code. No house number, no street name, no P.O. Box, nothing. "That's the full address," she replied. That is how small of a town my dear of a mother-in-law is from.
The "town" is one three way stop with one store and the nearest city is 24 miles away with a population of around six thousand.
Oh, it was so fun.
Grandma Pat and Opa would give you their shirts off of their backs and
their home reminded me of my growing up. Every thing on the farm has
value from the smallest empty spool of thread to the house under the shade of pecan trees.
Ryan played hard all day long with his seemingly endless number of aunts and uncles. As if the roosters weren't already sounding off enough, Ryan had his own crow of "Rooster! Wow! Neat!" He could have spent the entire day outside in the dry dirt speckled with chicken footprints and always looked like a cross between a thrilled Pig Pen and a soot-covered puppy. I kissed the top of his head every night only to get a mouthful of gritty Texas land.
So fun.
Of course, you will be treated with a lengthier recap than this little blog post so hold onto your britches. We are now in Dallas with Chris' dad's side of the family and Harrington Olympics await!
 |
| Feast your eyes on my brother-in-law, ladies. The happiest baby in the world. |
 |
| Vacation isn't complete with a shiner. |
Happy Anniversary (a day late) to my in-laws! Last Sunday we were able to go to Mass at the church where Chris' parents were married at the tender ages of nineteen and twenty-one. I bet they had no clue that in twenty-nine years they would be returning to the site of their nuptials with twelve in tow. 
