Showering Harmony...

It's almost impossible for Greg and I to believe, but our "little" niece (who served as our flower girl almost 14 years ago), is getting married next month!  We are excited to welcome her fiance', Chris, to our family.  It seems like he's already part of us because they have been dating for a few years, and we've been able to celebrate several holidays together.  We are thankful that God brought Harmony and Chris together, and are excited to help them begin their lives as a married couple!
On April 16th, I hosted a family bridal shower for Harmony.  It was so good to see many of our aunts and some cousins again, and to be able to meet Chris's family.  Here are a few photos of the day:

The happy bride

Greg's cousin, Pam, works at a bakery, and their shop did the cake.
 It was beautiful!  I think they used it in their demo book.

Kristen, Kaitlynn, and Allison with their creation

Gaylene, Harmony, Amanda, Tina

The food was great!  My wonderful extended family usually
brings a dish to family showers, and they were happy to
participate in this one, as well.  That greatly lightened
my load!  We had shredded ck. sandwiches, pasta salad,
fresh fruit trays, fresh veggies, and fruit salad, along with
a terrific "Taste of Home" punch that Alberta put together.
 Chris's mom, Kim, allowed us to use her daycare center.
 It was perfect!

Another creation  :)

Aunt Marlene and Alberta - Aunt Sarah was to the right, but I think
 she was in the middle of a blink when the photo was captured.  Aunt Joyce
was able to make it, too.

Really great (and useful) gifts!

Lovin' her cake!

Amanda getting into the game

One of the younger party guests - Chris's sweet little niece

Chris's grandma playing the purse dig

Sisters

And that was the really great part of the trip...but there was a "not so great part", as well.  We had debated whether to take our 5th wheel up with us (260 miles) and leave it at Greg's parents until the wedding, which is in late May.  After calculating fuel costs, hotel rooms, and overall comfort and accessibility for visiting, it seemed like it would be worthwhile to go ahead and haul it up.   So...we left our home at about 5 o'clock that Friday evening, hoping to make it to Cedar Springs by no later than 10.  It is normally a 4 hour trip, but we knew that it would take a little more time to pull.
Starting out, things were great.  Greg had done a little work to the truck, and he and the boys were thinking that it was pulling a little better than last year.  This was my first time to actually ride with them, since I usually follow along in the van (a more fuel-efficient and comfortable vehicle for riding around while camping, etc).
We stopped just north of Findlay to pick up a bite to eat and grab some fuel.  About Bowling Green (just a few minutes north), so popping noises started to be heard, and as we continued, it became worse. 
Thankfully we were able to get to an Advanced Auto store, and the employees stayed with us until almost an hour after closing, trying to help diagnose/fix the problem. 

Daddy's helpers

See if you can tell what is going on here :)

It became worse instead of better, so we called our 'emergency hotline' - my dad.  :)  We had a couple of options, but decided that they would bring his truck up to us, and we would switch off.  He has a 5th wheel as well, so it worked out well (besides the embarrassment of having to 'borrow' a vehicle - grrrr.)  We were able to continue on from there, and arrived in Cedar at 3:30 in the morning.  I sat in the truck with Kaitlynn asleep on my lap and Allison in the car seat while Greg unhooked and set up the camper.  By the time we were able to go in, it was 4 a.m., and we were starting to see double.  Fortunately, the shower was set late, at 2 that afternoon, so we were able to rest up for a few hours before the party!  We are thankful, though, for a safe trip.  Long, but safe.