Those missing days in Michigan and Indiana…happy memories…

Astute Tribulations fans might be wondering what happened to the tales of those latter days in Muskegon at the end of August, our serene drive to Freedom, and –most importantly– my brother’s beautiful wedding.

So, before the memories totally fade away…a few tales…and a few photos. (Let me also give credit to Jeff for taking MOST of these shots…they are magical.)

Our week in Muskegon flew by much more quickly than normal. Not only was our trip cut short on end (due to the wedding), but the beginning was clipped as well by our arduous trip into Chicago.

Nevertheless, even a shortened stay with family is an occasion to unwind and enjoy. We did some of our typical summertime favorites: big family dinners, movie nights, Whippi Dip, and another lazy kayak trip down the White River.

On Friday, Jeff and I flipped families. We re-packed and headed to Indiana for an evening wedding rehearsal with my family. Emily–our Garmin GPS–guided us south along Lake Michigan, west to Gary, Indiana, and then south to Indianapolis. No problems. Then we turned west again, and headed towards Freedom and Spencer.

About 30 miles out from our destination…in the midst of endless cornfields…Emily died. Technically, she lost satellite communications, but she might as well have flown out the car window and jumped under a Mack truck. Emily never returned…she still thinks she is on I-70 in Indiana. (Jeff is currently dealing with Garmin on a replacement after hard reboots and firmware upgrades failed.)

In spite of losing Emily to the children of the corn, we arrived at our hotel in Spencer, Indiana…the historic Canyon Inn in McCormick’s Creek State Park…where my family converged for Cliff and Jodi’s wedding. Jeff, my dad, and I kept Cliff occupied prior to the wedding…Cliff and I even found time for a puppet show in the Nature Center.

The wedding took place in nearby Freedom, Indiana, at the charming United Methodist Church. Jodi’s family hosted a reception at the local community hall…where the highlight was CLEARLY my best man toast 🙂 Afterwards, my family re-convened at the Canyon Inn for a quiet evening of conversation by the pool.

On Sunday, we returned to reality…the harsh reality of travel. Let’s not dredge up unpleasant memories…let’s just say that we hit horrendous traffic in Chicago, missed out flight, were rudely dismissed by United customer “service”, and arrived home late…again.

Let’s focus on something happy…like my nephew Benjamin’s laugh 🙂