200+ Followers! Wedding Weekend with my "Cuzzins", the Statons

Can you believe it??? I now have 204 followers on my blog!!!  

I don't often pay attention to the actual numbers, 

but I noticed the other day it was over 200----

Thank You 

to each and every one of you for tuning in 

and checking out my nonsense!

Sometimes it's camping, 

Sometimes it's gushy grandchildren posts,

Sometimes it's fiber stuff 

(like my weaving or spinning or sockknitting)

I guess you must like what I write 

and see the projects that Steve and I do to our motorhome?

My stats page says I have had almost 115,000 page views on my blog!!!    On top of that, some of my readers are also not on the actual page as followers, but people that I copy and paste each blog into an email and send to them.  Their numbers don't show up in the stats. The counter I added on the page was some time later from when I started the blog.    Since I started hosting the Google Adsense ads, it also earns me a little income each month too if they are clicked on when it's something interesting to my readers.  I don't see which ads are put on, as I am not allowed to click on them myself.  They are supposed to be kinda geared to the content of each subject I post.  This one will be about wedding stuff I am sure!

We skipped going camping this weekend and planned to go to my cousin John Staton's wedding down in Saukville, WI. He is marrying his lovely gal Judy, and we wanted to join in their celebration.

We were thinking of taking the motorhome there for the weekend, which then the dogs could go along and we didn't have to pester someone to come to our house and let them out. There aren't any campgrounds open this time of year down in their area near Milwaukee.  We could have parked in the nearby Walmart overnight, but that is a long way to go in the motorhome for just an overnight using up 40-50 gallons of diesel.   Saukville, WI is about 120 miles from here.   Instead we decided to go in the car and leave the dogs at home.  Erin and little Chelsea came over during the evening to let them out, as we expected to get back late. (Erin later said Chelsea was soooo confused why Granmuddah & Granfaddah weren't home?)

Saturday morning, Steveio was out checking fluids etc in the car for the trip.  He decided to rotate the tires on the Saturn and discovered both tie rod ends on the front were bad!  Whew!!!  I had noticed a strange feeling when turning corners, and that must be why.   He called the auto parts store and luckily they had them in stock.  He ran into town with the Tracker and got them and he had them all installed and done by the time he had to hop in the shower before hitting the road.  What a guy!!!!  He works so hard all week and then all weekend to keep us safe and sound.

We got dolled up and left about 1 pm to get down there by 4ish.  It was a wonderful day with sunshine, warm temps and pleasant fall scenery.  I knit socks and hats the whole way down there for the 2 hour trip.  Gosh that little Saturn car is SOOO uncomfortable after travelling in the comfy seats of our motorhome for  long trips.  We were stiff and sore by the time we got there, something we never experience in the motorhome.  Sigh.   Guess we are getting old, huh?

We got to Saukville in plenty of time and visited with all the cousins before the ceremony began.

My mom and their mom (Rita and Lois) were the only siblings in their family,  and our grandfather (Harvey) passed away before many of us grandchildren were born.   Our grandmother (Beatrice) devoted the rest of her life to helping her two daughters and being the Benevolent Matriarch of the family.  Between Mom and Lois living just a few miles apart, we grandkids were very close growing up.  Mom had 6 kids and Lois had 6 kids.  So us 12 "cuzzins"  were a real tribe!  We often ALL went to Grandma's house and had sleepovers, play days and good times.   Grandma babysat us almost every weekend overnight when Mom and Dad did the Milwaukee Sentinel Sunday paper route every Saturday night into the wee hours of Sunday morning.  Often the Staton kids could come over too, and we bunked all over in Grandma's tiny house!  We would all vie for the big feather tick to sleep on the floor.  My oldest brother Butch has it now, all these years later.  She passed away 16 years ago and was a real important part of all our lives.  She was always fair, never had to raise her voice, and we all adored her.  I am striving to be as good a Grandma as she was!!!!  What memories.


Back to the wedding-----

Upon our arrival, we were greeted by all the "Cuzzins" ---  we reminisced about our childhoods, caught up on our busy lives, and how we all missed Grandma Kafehl....

Aunt Lois and Uncle Sam, as well as my parents, now live down in Florida.  They didn't make it up for the wedding, so I sent immediate photos one at a time as the events unfolded, via my Galaxy Tablet emailed down to mom's computer.  Lois and Sam live a few doors down from Mom's, so Auntie Lois was over to her house in Florida watching as each photo came across the screen.  Mom's printer was printing them out as fast as they came in.  Ahhh Technology-----  The next best thing to being there, I guess! We sure wished they had been able to come up for the wedding, though. 

Formal pictures with the photographer were posed outdoors because it was such a wonderful day.  I stood over his shoulder and snapped a few of them myself!  

If you want to see ALL of the photos I took, here is a public album I put on Facebook

(you don't have to be a Facebook subscriber to view them) 

Link:   Album of Mr. and Mrs. John Staton wedding

This shot is one of my favorites that I snapped of Judy 

while they were waiting for the guys to have their pictures taken

This photo is for the folks in Florida: 

"Hi Mom and Pops!" 

The ceremony was sweet and they were all so happy.   John, always the clown, during the part where the minster asks if anyone has just cause to NOT see this couple wed, speak now.....    well, he turned around and glared around the whole room, raising one eyebrow, checking to see if anyone dared to speak!  LOL .. the place erupted in laughter at his antics.  It sure was cute and sooo typical of John! 

Yes, they were pronounced married..... 

and to kiss the bride

Dinner was served and we had a nice time chatting with Roger and Meg and Lance at our table.  Later Meg's family joined the table too.  We laughed and made the bride and groom kiss of course. 

With John being a Harley Lover, and recently buying my folk's Harley from them...     my mom found this little figurine that was soooo fitting!  She sent it up from Florida so John and Judy had it put on the wedding cake!!!

It was time for some cousin pictures.....   

First all of the Staton siblings

(l to r) Roger, Laura, Pam, Bruce, John and Dan

Next shot added in all their children who came.... 

And now they added in all the spouses and grandchildren! 

It was a fun evening of wedding festivities, laughing, telling stories, and some dancing.  These are my two favorite photos.....   the Bride and Groom tenderly dancing... and cousin Bruce dancing with his little granddaughter... .awwwwwww!

It was great re-connecting with all my "Cuzzins" again...  We swapped emails and promised to friend on Facebook pages.  We sure wished more of my own siblings had been able to come down from Michigan for the wedding too.  The stories would have been wild, and the memories shared would have been even more priceless.  It was a great time and all too soon, we had to head on home in the dark of the night.

I HATE driving at night, and even riding in the car with the oncoming headlights really hurts my eyes.  My nighttime driving is really kept to a minimum.   I kept my little LED light clipped to my seat belt and looked down to knit all the way home, instead of looking up where the headlights were.  We find that we prefer travelling in daylight now that we are over fifty.  Such old farts, huh?   Once we got off the interstate, it was easier travelling on the country roads to our house.  But then again, it's deer rutting season so we had to keep an eye out for roaming wandering Bambies crossing the road and in the ditches.  It seems as soon as you get close to the deer, they leap into the path of the oncoming cars.  The deer have *other* things on their minds than being cautious and wary of cars.   We made it home safe and sound about 11pm.  

Thanks again for letting us share 

in your celebration!

.