Back when we planned our stay in San Diego a while ago, we knew that we would have to travel to Miami for our niece Natalie’s wedding, the Wedding of the Century.

This was to be the first time we left Island Girl by herself and the first time we’d be separated from Angel since we began our journey about a year and half ago.  And it turned out for the best as our campground neighbor looked out for Island Girl and Angel stayed at our friends’ Gloria and Michael’s home while daughter Jocelyn took her for daily walks.  So she was in a big house with a big yard, with a great family taking care of her and two doggie friends to play with.  What could be better?

So off we went to Miami – the lowest airfare we could find was from LAX to Fort Lauderdale and it was also a nonstop flight.  But that meant a 2½-hour drive from San Diego to LAX, a 5-hour flight and then a 1-hour drive from Fort Lauderdale.  Add in an arrival two hours before the flight and you have a ten+ hour trip.  Ouch!

But we had a smooth flight and no problems.   The friend and family tour began immediately upon arrival.   Number one priority was Hector’s mom and we spent quite a bit of time with her.  And luckily, we were able to connect with quite a few of our friends.  Starting with our wonderful hosts Al and Bonnie who we stayed with.

But of course, the reason we were there was for the Wedding of the Century.  With over a year of meticulous planning, everyone was anxiously anticipating the event.

We had a nice dinner with Natalie, Hector’s brother (her dad) and her mom, along with Hector’s sister and her husband early in the week and saw Zach briefly the night he arrived from Cincinnati.  It was nice to have a little private time and get a sneak peek at some of the wedding accessories.

Of course, several of the get-togethers with friends and family included yummy Cuban food, and there was lots of food and drink along the way.

The couple had a fun meet and greet event at a local restaurant/bar so that Miami people (including Natalie’s family) could meet Cincinnati people (including Zach’s family) as well as other out of town friends of both the bride and groom.

Then it was time for the wedding and, as anticipated, it was grand.  The church was beautiful, the bride was beautiful, the groom was dashing and the ceremony was lovely.  And the best part was that the bride and groom looked so happy together!

On to the reception, another lovely setting with gorgeous flowers, good food and, of course, lots of loving friends and family.

After dinner, the real party started and it didn’t take long for the dance floor to fill with raucous crowds of people dancing to salsa/polka/80’s music/samba/disco/hip-hop and I don’t know what else.

Then came the stilt walker and all kinds of shiny, glittery props.  The photos tell it all.   We had a blast!

The next few days we continued to meet friends and family.  We met our friends Carlos and Ana; Carlos happened to be back in town all the way from South Africa, where he’s on a work assignment.   And we had a great afternoon with our dear friend Bob who took us on a lovely boat tour of Biscayne Bay.  Dave from Tampa was in town to visit too!

 

And we had a lovely waterfront lunch with our good friends Barry and Michael.

And so we returned to the West Coast, sleep-deprived and carrying a little extra weight but happy to have spent time with good friends and family.

~ Brenda