Wisconsin, weddings, and a whole lot of fun!

This past weekend, the Gourleys traveled to Milwaukee, Wisconsin to celebrate the marriage of one of my oldest friends, Colleen. Colleen and Chad were married in Hawaii in May and they hosted a reception at their home this weekend. As a gift to them, I created and sent the invitations above.

This marriage is extra special to me for many reasons.

First, I have know Colleen since I was 13 years old. We've been through a lot together and we've grown up together. We once lived together at her Aunt Beryl's home, we shared joint custody of 3 rats (and many more when they had babies), she tried to teach me how to drive stick shift, she was in the car when my uncle Jeff tried to teach me to drive and I got his Firebird stuck on the grass median, she was my maid of honor, I was at her baby shower when she was pregnant with Josh, and she was at my baby shower when I was pregnat with Aidan. We've been there for each other through the years and I was thrilled to be there for her to celebrate her marriage!


Second, I have also know Chad since I was 13. He is such a great guy and I know that he loves Colleen and Josh (Colleen's son) very much. I am so happy that these two friends found each other. Third, this marriage wasn't just the joining of two people, it was the joining of a family. A growing family... Colleen and Chad are expecting a little Techtmann this spring.

We had so much fun, the food was delicious, the cupcakes were sweet and all over my kids' faces. I reconnected with old friends. It was so much fun to watch my kids play with Colleen's son and my friend Cindy's kids. I looked at Cindy, who I have also known since high school and said, "We are really adults, aren't we?" I was so blessed to be able to introduce my family to Colleen's family. Having grown up together, they are almost like a second family to me. As I always say, "Good Times!"

We headed home on Sunday stopping in downtown Milwaukee to visit the Harley Davidson Museum. The kids (and Daryl of course) had a blast. Aidan put on his toughest face while he "rode" the motorcycles. Reese, being the tough chick that she is, "rode" too.

Later in the day we met my Mom, Grandma and brother, Gideon for lunch to have Chicago-style pizza. We took advantage of driving through the windy city and were able to spend some family time together.

The kids were exhausted and frankly, I was too. We had fun taking detours, but it was such a long trip home. I was so thankful for the DVD player, which kept us going. I was also thankful to my friend Holly who spent 2 hours on the phone with me. It was great to catch up with her and it kept me focused and alert for 2 solid hours of driving. It was all going well until my iphone battery was out of juice. Oh well, all good things must come to an end.