Rainy Days and Mondays

Last blog was sort of left with a cliff hanger. We had so much to do to get ready for the wedding that I wasn't able to post any pictures. So, without further ado Thor and Frannie's wedding update. Thor did an amazing job getting his home and backyard ready for the main event. The wedding. There was a LOT of food, fun and friends. The head count was close to 180 people, even though that was a lot, no big problems happened on their beautiful day. Hubby and I met Frannie a few years ago. When we stayed in California in 2021, Thor and Frannie came out to see the rig and have lunch with us. She is a doll, and we are happy for both of them.

The groomsmen and Thor years before.

The groomsmen and Thor now.

Frannie and Thor.

"Some people are worth melting for." Olaf, from the movie Frozen.

Beautiful San Diego sunset.

Sunday, we helped clean up and watched the 49er game. It was fun. After that, we met up with my cousins and had a late lunch. Went to hubby's brother and sister-in-law's to eat some more wonderful food and we had a nice visit with them. 

I wore my George Kittle jersey all day. Hubby bought it for me for my birthday and 

this was the first time I was able to wear it. Michelle, Tim, myself and hubby.

I found a very nice couple that let me ride in their car. Love this car.

Now we can share our trip home last Monday. "Keeping it real" we got up at 4am so that we could return the rental car and get to our flight on time. We were checked in, went through security, got some breakfast and sat by our gate. Diane, who we met on our trip to San Diego was also at our gate. She was heading home as well. About 8:30am we were able to board. We sit down ready to leave and get back home at a reasonable time. We get on the tarmac and the pilot informs us that there is a problem. One of the engines would not "fire up" so we go back to the gate to see if the maintenance crew could fix it. Nope, we all had to get off the plane and try to figure out what to do next. There was a very long line at the gate, so we waited to only hear that they would get back to us. Diane found us and so we hung out together until further notice. Well, hubby got an update on the app and we found out that we were placed on the next flight that would leave San Diego to Chicago at 12:30pm. We found a place and had an early lunch. It was about 10:30am. Diane and I sat and waited, we are flying Southwest and as you may know, they don't assign seats. On our 8:30am flight we were in group A and now on this FULL flight we were in group C. You can't really blame anyone for that, the other passengers had booked this flight, we were just trying to get back to Michigan. Hubby and I were separated, because we all had to sit in the dreaded middle seat. We were in the same row. Two friends were at the aisle seat and would trade with us so we could sit together, but we declined and had fun talking for around the 4 hour trip to Chicago with our new friends. Once we arrived in Chicago, we had another flight at 10:30pm to head to Grand Rapids, Michigan. 

Southwest Airlines originally was incorporated in Texas in 1967 and 

began customer service in 1971. They served three cities during that time Houston, 

Dallas and San Antonio. The grew to become a major airline in 1989 

when it exceeded the billion-dollar revenue mark.

So, we land in Grand Rapids around midnight and waited for the hotel shuttle to pick us up. It was a quick trip back to the hotel and we got in the truck and hubby began the hour and a half drive back to Berrien Springs. I must confess, I drifted in and out on our trip back, hubby was a rock star and drove us home. Basically, we fell into bed around 3am. It was a long day, but God got us back safely, we met new friends and of course, had an adventure.

Tuesday was a rainy day and I basically felt like I had been run over by a truck, but we got ourselves together and after hubby finished work we went grocery shopping for the rest of the week. 

On our way to the grocery store, the rain lifted a bit, but it poured while we were in the store.

Oh, also, in all that was going on, our tv broke and we had to get a new one, we did that in Ohio, kept it in the box until we could take down the old to put up the new. Hubby was able to get the new one back on the stand of the telivator on Tuesday, but then we found out that we needed a new mount for it and got that on Wednesday.

If you look closely, you can see hubby working at his desk.

We arrived in Berrien Springs September 7th, set up the rig and then drove to Grand Rapids so we could fly out for the wedding. Berrien Springs was originally named “Berrien” after the honorable Attorney General John Macpherson Berrien, once a member of President Andrew Jackson’s cabinet. “Springs” was added to the name in 1835 at the request of merchant Robert E. Ward, after mineral springs were discovered near the town. Serving as the county seat of government from 1837 to 1894, the village continued to grow. The Village of Berrien Springs was plotted in 1831 but was not officially incorporated until 1867.

Attorney General John Macpherson Berrien

 

From its beginning, Berrien Springs has been essentially a rural farming community, with only a few light industrial entrepreneurs. The Village enjoyed a mild success as a tourist resort in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. In 1901 Berrien Springs became the home of Emmanuel Missionary College, a Seventh-day Adventist institution. This institution, renamed Andrews University, is now an important part of the community. Currently, the villagers are working hard revitalizing the Village through a combination of historic preservation and aesthetic improvements. Through the teamwork of the villagers, its businesses, and Andrews University, revitalization is well on its way to success.

Downtown back in the day.

Current downtown picture.

Berrien Springs Village covers approximately 0.9 square mile, straddles two townships, and is located within the central region of Berrien County. The St. Joseph River, which gently flows along the eastern and southern boundaries of the village, has put its mark on the friendly landscape and has proved to be a year-round haven to many amateur fishermen. St. Joseph River runs through our RV park and hubby was able to fly his drone on Thursday.

Thursday was so beautiful and we had cool weather.

Hubby's drone picture of St. Joseph River.

Our Michigan picture for the map. St. Joseph River is behind us.

Fun fact: in 1995, Berrien Springs was named the Christmas Pickle Capital of the world, in large part due to the yearly festival that had become known across the region. It was a big dill (haha).

Here is the Big Dill.

Just wanted to show you it is a real festival.

Friday, hubby worked, we went out to dinner and closed-up the living room area for our huge road trip on Saturday. Hubby drove over 6 hours to get us to our spot in Iowa. We only stayed one night and now today we are traveling to Nebraska. On the next blog I will add a few Iowa pictures and facts about the state bird, tree, flower and motto.

Another new state! Here are the state bird, tree, flower and motto for Michigan.

 
*Michigan: American Robin (Bird), White Pine (Tree), Apple Blossom (Flower), "Is Quaeris Peninsulam Amoenam, Circumspice" ("If You Seek a Pleasant Peninsula, Look About You") (Motto). I didn't really understand what this meant, I am not sure if you do or not, but I had to look the motto up. Basically, this reference was to the Lower Peninsula, because the Upper Peninsula was not added until after the Seal was adopted in 1837. It was in compensation for the loss of a strip of land on the Michigan southern border which was obtained by Ohio when Congress recognized Michigan as a state. 

American Robin

White Pine

Apple Blossom

"Like apples of gold in settings of silver is a word spoken in right circumstances." Proverbs 25:11 (NASB).

Well, our adventures last week were amazing, annoying and all under God's control. It will be nice to be in Nebraska for a week to get caught up on rest, renewal and reorganizing my pantry.

If there is something special you would like me to take a picture of, please let me know!
 
Drop a comment for me and let me know your thoughts on the blog.
 
God, the RV & me...