Cowboy Weddin'

This past weekend was my cousin's wedding in Rowan, Iowa. Christopher met his Iowan bride a few summers ago when they both worked at an elite, upscale ranch in Colorado (costs thousands of $'s to stay & play there). Chris was a fishing guide and Abbey was a horse riding guide. Abbey is Christopher's perfect match as she loves the outdoors as much (maybe more?) than he does. This weekend was my first time to meet Abbey and although I had heard only positive things about her, she was even more adorable than I expected! She is an extremely outgoing & confident and super cute girl!

I somehow managed to get to Des Moines by 10:20am on Friday morning...this was even after a 1 hour layover in St. Louis. Basically I had to leave my house by 4:15 that morning - it was sooo early! My family spent Wednesday and Thursday nights in Columbia and then drove to Des Moines on Friday morning to pick me up. I knew I would have time to kill in Des Moines, so I had my old friend, Kerri, come get me for lunch. I can't remember the last time I saw Kerri - for sure not since college. We have not stayed in super close touch, but always exchange Christmas cards at the very least. Kerri and I grew up going to church together - she was 1 year behind me in school. One of my earliest memories is of going to Kerri's house for a pig roast. Our dads and other men had camped out in her backyard all night long roasting a pig in a fire pit they built. The next night, all the women and children showed up for the feast! Our families were always friendly with each other, but Kerri and I became closer on a ski trip my junior year of high school and then my senior year when we actually had Humanities class together and got to sit next to each other every morning during 1st hour for the whole year. Anyway, it was great to see Kerri and we had so much fun catching-up!

My parent's, sister & fam finally arrived to Des Moines to fetch me a little after 2:00 and we were off to the prairie land! It was great to see the boys for the first time in 5 months (that's way too long)! We checked into our hotel in Hampton, Iowa and promptly took naps! That evening we walked across the street for the rehearsal dinner at a steakhouse. It was a fun evening. Good food, family, toasts, etc.... The kids had a blast playing together - just wish I'd gotten more pics of the adults!!

Ryder is just a few months older than

Canon - they have such fun together!

Megan dancing with the boys

Megan & Beau look so much alike they could pass for brother/sister Beth & Ry

Amy & Jaxon

Saturday morning, we were able to take advantage of the free breakfast at our hotel. They even had a Belgian waffle machine - yum! My family spent the rest of the morning/early afternoon exploring the small town of Hampton and attending the Dow's Corn Day Festival in Dows, Iowa. The festival was really small-town Iowa!

We had fun eating free sweet corn, watermelon, and ice cream. Ryder had a blast on the bouncy obstacle courses and a riding a cute train.

Beau-diddleOnce again, we took afternoon naps and then got ready for the 4:30 wedding.

Abbey's grandma lives on a farm and that is where the wedding took place. Christopher's metropolitan cousins weren't sure what to expect from a cowboy/western wedding, but it turned out very cute and fun!

They had a bunch of golf carts that took people from

their cars to their seats - the system worked terrific! When we got to our seats, it was just as I had envisioned it - horses just off to the side of us! Actually, Abbey's family has mules, but they look just like horses.

The music for the entire ceremony was a mixture of country and bluegrass. The bridesmaids & groomsmen skipped down the aisle to the tunes and did a little twirl when they reached the front.

Two of my cousins were in the wedding as ring bearer and flower

girl and they looked so cute in their cowboy hats and boots. The sweet ring bearer bolted down the aisle at full speed!!

The ceremony was done by a cowboy preacher - that's what he calls himself. It was a very nice Christian ceremony. I loved watching the bride & groom - I don't think I've ever seen a more excited couple.

They both grinned the whole time
and there were lots of giggles, too. The best part was at the end of the ceremony when Chris & Abbey hopped upon their mules and rode away - very fast -- Abbey's dress and veil blowing in the wind!

The reception was fun, too. Bar-b-que for dinner, then ice cream sundaes for dessert since the B&G don't like cake. There was dancing all night long and it was fun to watch all the crazy cowboys/cowgirls doing their dances. Christopher said he doesn't dance, but I thought he did quite well! My dad was in an extra good mood that night and jumped up to dance with a bridesmaid, which took us all by surprise. He also grabbed my mom and I later. Since dinner was so early, they brought out snacks for the late-nighters and I thought that was a nice touch.

Abbey & Chris getting into a line dance

Christopher & his boys

Ryder managed to hijack the ring bearer's

cowboy hat for most of the evening

Ryder showin' off his moves

Sunday morning, we went back to Abbey's grandma's for a Pancake Breakfast courtesy of the local Lion's Club. It was awesome!! Poor Beau got sick half-way through the meal. Somehow it didn't totally gross me out - guess that's what happens when you love 'em so much!

It was a fun weekend and so great to see my family -- all of them, immediate and extended! I wish I had gotten some pics of my sister and I with our girl cousins :( We always have such fun together and I love their families, too.