We look damn fine!

Why don’t we celebrate the things that matter?

#youaregoingtotellusallaboutit

You bet I am. This past weekend, the sister of our daughter’s boyfriend got married at this really awesome venue in southern Iowa. It had been on our calendar for a while. The drive would be about 10 hours, round trip as we were picking up the other daughter in Ames.

We took off Saturday, my wife on her laptop as she’s writing an online curriculum for the State of Iowa and the Department of Education. This is worth a post all of itself, but I digress (it’s not a good story either).

#eek

We picked up our daughter and had a great conversation on our way down. We’ve seen both our daughters more in the last couple of months, which is not a bad thing. School gets started and our schedule gets shut down pretty hard. Having the opportunity to reconnect is never a bad thing ((though sometimes I get the feeling they get annoyed with us for being around too much 😂).

The hotel wasn’t much, but it was clean and comfortable. We’d thought about driving the camper down, but decided against it. We cleaned up and relaxed a bit before the party bus picked us up.

#uhoh

Oh yes. The party bus with the name “Bar Fly” spray painted on the back was quite a treat. But, we didn’t have to drive as the venue was about 20 minutes away, way out in the boonies of southern Iowa. It was a beautiful place for sure. The ceremony took place in front of a picturesque lake, surrounded by cottonwood and birch trees. It was a hot day, so we took seats in the shade and watched as friends of both the bride and groom came down the pathway to the site. In the bulletin, it specifically said to “be present” and “turn off devices”. Did people do this? Oh hell no! So the officiant got on the mic and very politely reminded people to follow the dang directions. Several people looked sheepish, with good reason.

#inserteyerollhere

No kidding. As the father of the bride walked his daughter down the aisle, they were just beaming. We found out later that they were both trying so hard not to cry. Everything went off without a hitch and then, they were married! We had the chance to talk with and meet other members of our daughter’s boyfriend’s family, which was nice. The meal of delicious, the drinks flowed (open bar, no driving), and an epic evening of dancing and just allowing ourselves to celebrate ensued. Was that five-hour drive home Sunday painful? Oh hell yes! However, when it comes time to celebrate, you celebrate.

Now, the question of the day: Why don’t we celebrate when we should? Why do we allow “stuff” (mainly work, both other things as well) to get in the way? We’ll be traveling to another celebration in October and honestly, it may be a four-day weekend because I don’t want to feel shortened because I have to “get back” because of school.

Why do we allow life to get in the way? We need to make the drives. We need to drink the drinks. We need to make those connections. We need to allow ourselves to just have some fun.

That brings me to our drive home. We don’t get out much and don’t let our hair down much because we both are teachers and “held to a higher standard”. My wife made the comment about how she felt embarrassed about being on the dance floor as much as she was, laughing, smiling, dancing, and just not sitting watching things happen. Why do we think that we can’t have fun? Why does being a teacher have to play into the enjoyment we have in life? I get we are teachers and we are role models, but yet, why does that mean we can’t let loose from time to time?

Anyway, we had a great time at the wedding and it was just a time to let off a little steam. Summer is coming to an end and the stress of school is already starting to build. We needed this for sure. We’ll have Iowa Irish Fest and the State Fair to celebrate friends and family.

Because we need those memories to get us through the year!

So, go, celebrate, let your hair down, and just enjoy life. 🙂