I'm going to be honest here...I wasn't thrilled about this weekend. My cousin on my dad's side was getting married in Shell Knob, Missouri and had invited me. She doesn't have a ton of family, and I knew it was important to her that I be there, but driving six hours to a wedding, staying in a hotel, and coming back home the next day did not thrill me. Unfortunately fundage wouldn't allow for much more. In hindsight...I'm so glad we came!
The drive wasn't bad; we came through Joplin, and when we were looking for a sporting goods store we ventured into the area where the tornado hit. Wow. It's been one year, but the damage is still apparent. Laced in with the newly-built homes are boarded-up homes, and the high school is still just a pile of rubble. We got to see the "Hope" high school sign and an awesome tree that had died but someone had painted. The amount of new and rebuilt businesses was awesome; good to see business providing services to such a hurting place! Maddie is such a lover of storm stuff, I think it was good for her to see first-hand that it's not all fun and games, but serious too. Makes you thankful for what you have!
As for the wedding...perfection. Both of my cousins were there; we grew up seeing each other during summers and sometimes on holidays, and they are my dearest family members. The closest thing to a brother and sister I have! Our life choices have taken us far away from each other in more ways than just distance, but there's still a glue there. Our Grandma Cherrie was an amazing woman, someone we all loved and respected, and I'm so thankful she gave us each other. I have always felt like an outcast on the other side of my family, but with these two...I'm right where I belong. I don't have to prove anything, I don't have to feel uncomfortable, I can just be who I am. We had a great time at the wedding; it was wonderful to meet the new groom and my other cousin's girlfriend, and to be in such a beautiful place (Table Rock Lake). We ended the day with someone trying to convince us to come back to the lake tomorrow; we'll have to see, and playing in the hotel swimming pool. It reminded me of something that occurred to me last summer that I had forgotten during the school year; my girls are growing up fast, and right now, when they still want me to play with them sometimes, I need to do it, because soon enough they won't want me there. It also reminded me to enjoy the little things, like giggles in the backseat as we go up and down "roller coaster" hills. Such a thankful day!
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