I'm baaaack

I'm back from vacation, and it was so nice to sleep in my own bed.  What?  You didn't know I had gone anywhere?  For security purposes I try not to announce ahead of time when our home will be vacant.  So where did we go?  We took the family up to Rochester.  My cousin was married on Saturday the 9th, and we had friends and family coming in from all over the nation.  Not wanting to miss an opportunity, my little brother, the General, held a barbecue on Saturday the 2nd for our family to meet his girlfriend's family.

We adore his girlfriend, and it was nice to meet so many members of her family.  SB had a great time in the General's pool with FGW's(that's future General's wife, for anyone keeping score.  Little Bro: if you're reading - give her the ring already) nephew who is also 6.

Even Buster got dressed up for the meet & greet.

We snuck away Sunday night to watch the fireworks up at the cottage.  This wasn't part of our original plans, but the kids have never missed the fireworks over the water, so we had to go.  The evening starts out with cottagers shooting off their own displays as the sun sets, each cottager lines the waterfront with flares to create a ring of fire at 9:30, and the official show is shot off from a barge in the middle of the bay at 10:00.

SB had a great time with his Cali uncle playing in the pool, and playing Kinect sports.

SB won.  There may have been a little gloating.

Midweek we returned to the cottage with my parents.  We enjoyed a boat ride,

and the kids went turtle hunting.

I love that our parents get along so well.

SB was pretty hyped up about his official ringbearer duties, and I told him that this was an audition for possibly, maybe, another wedding. (Hint, hint, give her the ring already.)  He had so much fun playing with the flower girls at the church for the rehearsal.

Here we all are the morning of the wedding.  SB was starting to get a bit nervous.

This next pic may be a shocker for anyone who's seen this guy raging out at the clubs, but the General was ordained online, and was the officiant for the ceremony.  Here he is at the rehearsal.

This wedding was definitely slightly left of traditional, but absolutely uniquely theirs.  The bride & her groom's maid of honor at the rehearsal.

The groom, and his bride's best man just after getting their boutonnieres pinned on.

Me pinning on SB's.  I ended up pinning on most of the men's boutonnieres.

SB and the General starting the processional.  They were followed by 2 pairs of flower girls hand in hand.

The bridal party.  I have no idea why I don't have a closeup pic of the bride, but her floral and lace fascinator was so pretty.  I'll have to show a closeup of it when I get a hold of everone else's pics.

There was an awful lot of drinking at the reception, and 0 pics taken by me.  We took this pic of my parents and all the siblings at the post wedding brunch before we all had to head back on the road.

I know that was a lot of pictures, so a big thanks for popping in and checking out my week in pictures.  Coming up posts will be some more outdoor sprucing up as well as some projects that have been on the backburner for awhile.