The Rankins: June 2010

Today I finished a novel titled The Same Sweet Girls written by Cassandra King. I had originally picked this book up because of the cover (as I do most books) but I am sssooo glad I checked it out. Ladies, this is a must read. I'm not kidding. Read it. I feel like going to Hastings and buying multiple copies so I have them as birthday gifts! The story is of 6 women who met in college and have had bi-annual weekend getaways for the last 30 years. It is told from the point of view of 3 of these women: Julia, Lanier, and Corrine. It is a love story between friends, spouses, and parents and children. Most importantly, these women learn to love themselves. The book is full of happiness, excitement, frustration, and sadness. There were definitely parts of the story that were difficult to read, but I read every word. Slowly. Many times I will read quickly through scenes that don't really advance the plot, but not this time. In fact, I put it down last night because I didn't want the book to end! To say I cried though the last couple of chapters is an understatement.... Cassandra King made me feel like I was sitting in the cabin with these women. I felt like I had known them for 30 years as well. She answered all of my questions and didn't leave me wondering at the end.

I frequently think of a personality test we had to take in school where the question read, "Do you think about books after you have finished them?" I'll never forget that question. I wanted to scream, "YES! I totally do!" Well, I'll be thinking about this book for a long time.

This post took me 2 days...I did not edit it...there are probably errors....

A couple of weeks ago we traveled to Green Lake, WI for Tyler Hartenbower's wedding. Tyler is a high school classmate and partner in crime. When Brian was asked to be a groomsman I prepared myself for a a 4-day "vacation" with a 9 month old. As the wedding approached I became more and more nervous about this. You see, we were going to share a rental house with 3 other families. That's 8 adults and 5 kids ranging from appoximately 4 years old to 5 months.... Luckily we decided to fly! I began wondering how Logan would be on the plane. Would my kid be that kid? When he be the kid screaming in the midlle of the night and waking up the house? But then I decided, who cares!

A group picture of the families who stayed in the house...

We went up Wednesday night and stayed in KC (courtsey of Brian's sister and her Hilton points...Thanks Stephanie!) and were shuttled to the airport with Ryan, Mollie, and Ellie Bloom for our 7:50 AM flight. We barely arrived and began boarding. Somehow I boarded with business class. I truly thought it was my turn! I obviously wasn't paying attention but I handed her my stroller, boarding pass, and Logan and I walked onto the plane. It worked for me! The flight took about 1 hour and 15 minutes and went wonderfully! The flight was empty so we got the whole row which was an added bonus!

Logan got his own seat for a while but doesn't sit still long enough for me to take a non-blurry picture.

He has a thing for hair....

He slept through both landings!

We arrived in Milwaukee, got our rental car, and drove the hour and a half to Green Lake, unpacked, and headed to the "Welcome BBQ" at Tyler's future in-laws. Following the BBQ was the Bachelor and Bachelorette parties, but the mom's took the kids home and put them to bed.

Friday started with a couple rounds of golf for the guys and a semi-disastrous lunch outing for the moms and kids. (Let's just say we ordered in lunch on Saturday...) After lunch we strolled around the area and checked out the lake. When the guys came home they showered, ate, and headed to the rehearsal. We met them after for rehearsal dinner. Unfortunately the night was cut short due to a thunderstorm, but it was nice to have an early night and Brian there to help with Logan whose health was going downhill quickly.

Saturday was the wedding day and it was a beautiful wedding! The wedding began at 3:00 and Logan and I watched approximately 5 minutes of it. It isn't a wonderful time for a 9 month old to attend a wedding... After the wedding, Molly and I took Ellie and Logan home for naps. When they woke up, we headed over for cocktails, a three course served meal, and dance. The bartendar made fabulous margaritas (don't worry I only had a couple at the beginning of the night), I had a wonderful steak (Brian enjoyed his walleye too!), and the dance was a blast. Surprisingly, Logan fell asleep shortly after supper and so I was able to dance a little too.

My two handsome guys.....

The bride and groom didn't kiss when people clinked glasses. If you wanted them to kiss, you had to sing a sing that had "love" in it. The groomsman started the night out with "Love Shack"...this is a blurry picture but you get the idea.

This wedding was totally up my alley! The guys wore the cream/light tan tuxes with navy ties. The girls wore simple navy dresses and carried a bouquet of pink peonies, orange roses, and white tulips. I honestly believe it was the prettiest color combination I have ever seen. (Even next to my own!) There were also arrangements of hydrangeas, peonies, roses, and tulips with little bulb lights made to look like twigs by wrapping the cords with brown tape. Really creative!

Complete wedding party....

The flowers....

Me and my handsome date!

The guys with Halley...

Tyler and the guys....

Group picture....

The wives minus the new wife...I don't know where she was...

A family picture....

I took Logan home early and Brian came home after the dance. By this time, Logan is feeling the worst he has ever felt. He can't breathe, is coughing, and doesn't want to be laid down. I spent several hours that night holding him in the chair. I cannot sleep in a chair so I spent several hours starring at the clock and praying for the morning.

The morning finally came and we packed up and headed out the door. The car was returned, we boarded (in order) and we were off! This time the flight was FULL and Logan was miserable! He was screaming before boarded, while we boarded, and for nearly 20 minutes into the flight. He finally crashed and slept through the landing. We grabbed our bags, grabbed the shuttle back to the hotel, and said our good-byes. Logan fell asleep the minute he got back in his carseat and so I made a 10 minute stop by the Carter's outlet and bought Logan some "jammies". We were home by 6:00 PM and all went to bed early.

Overall, we had a great weekend. We enjoyed sharing the house with the other families and wedding was gorgeous. The "vacation" (more of a vacation for Brian...a 4-day playdate for me....) was a good time to connect more with the other wives and the kids loved playing with each other.
Thank you Angie for some of these pics!