Day Five: PHX to ATL
I actually slept in this morning. Kristie came and woke me up, reminding me that I was to take Laura to the airport. I had also volunteered to return the tuxedos. When I got back, Pete had already packed my bags for me, and everyone was getting ready to leave. Matt's friend and coworker Adam arrived shortly afterwards to pick up Pete, Andrew, and myself to take us to the airport. After driving for about ten minutes, we realized we had missed our turn. We got back on the right path and he dropped us off at the airport.
I'm now back at 30,000 feet and heading east. My sister and her family are on the same flight as us, and are sitting behind us. It's a beautiful day in Phoenix, but thunderstorms and tornado watches will be waiting for us when we arrive in Atlanta. Hopefully, Michelle will be at the airport to pick up the three of us.
Day Four: The Wedding
I woke up early again. Even though I'm going to bed late for the east coast, I'm still waking up at my normal time.
A whole group of extended family members from the west coast came over to the house today to celebrate Grammy's 90th birthday. Mom and dad were in the Holy Land during Grammy's birthday, so they decided to put off the celebration for today. Dad is so selfless. He and his mother share the same birthday, but not once did he mention anything about it. Ever since Grammy moved in with mom and dad, they have done so much for her.
After everyone left, Peter, Andrew and I went to Candyce's house, where they guys were getting dressed for the wedding. All of the gals were getting dressed at Matt's house, since there was more room, and more than one bathroom. We had a five foot sub for lunch, but were still hungry afterwards. We entertained ourselves with the Nintendo Wii. Unfortunately, the only game they had was a cooking game. It was kind of humorous that the last thing Matt did as a bachelor was cook.
Once we were all dressed, we headed to the church and stood around for a while. The Wedding Mass was beautiful. Matt cried as Candyce walked down the aisle with her parents, and they both got choked up during the vows. The reception was held at the Wright House. One of Frank Lloyd Wright's many creations. It was all in the back courtyard of the Wright House. I left with my parents soon after the dancing started and went to bed.
Day Three: The Bachelor Party
Everyone went golfing this morning except for me and a few others. When Pete got back from a hike, he and I went out to some thrift stores. The Goodwill didn't result in much, but the Ace Thrift store was amazing. The place was packed to the brim. There were boxes of miscellaneous items, old tools, new tools, pottery, dishes, furniture, and numerous other things. Pete bought some great items, I just browsed.
We dropped the goods off at the house and went to the airport to pick up cousin Laura and Father Tim who flew in fro m Atlanta. We circled the airport several times before we found Laura. She and Father Tim were on the same flight, but he wasn't with her. After circling several more times, we finally found him on the curb. He had been looking for Laura at baggage claim.
One of Grammy's cousins lives in the Phoenix area, as well as her cousin's children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. They all showed up for dinner, which consisted of leftovers from the night before. It was just as good the second time around.
The bachelor's party was at a restaurant named The Monetary. It's a cool bar/grill where you cook your own food on outdoor grills. There were volleyball courts, horseshoes, pool, and ping-pong as well as many other games. Unfortunately, a very unexpected wind and rain storm came through the area. We spent most of the time inside socializing. Some of the guys ventured outside to cook their food. It was open mike night at the bar, and Matt Maher just happened to have his guitar in his car. The musicians who were playing were mostly just background noise. No one was paying attention to them, and they weren't that good. It wasn't really fair when Matt, who just signed a label with the same record company that signed Third Day, took the stage. He started off with a couple of cover songs, which were played just as well as the originals, and then played one of his own. He said, "This is a song I wrote the other night." By the end of the first song, everyone was gathering around the stage and singing along, including some people who were there for a birthday party. He closed with American Pie, accompanied by one of the earlier musicians on harmonica.