Away for a Wedding (and Back Again)

1. Until I go out into the world, I forget that it's there.
1a. Lovely Ms. GPS kept trying to re-route us through rush hour traffic, which is great, unless it's New York City traffic. In that case, it's just plain annoying. The plus side to all that zig-zagging was that we got to see several blocks of Brooklyn that we otherwise never would have seen. Tidy, three and four story brick apartment buildings with awnings over the front entries lined the wide broadways. Doormen worked inside, I'm sure.
1b. We drove through a Hasidic neighborhood. Although the men were dressed the same in long black coats, black hats, beards and side locks, it made me realize what a rich and varied world we live in.
1c. Tess is positive that Steve's and my yelling about the GPS made its voice quiver.
2. The relief I felt when we reached our hotel three hours overdue was to the point that I could have kissed the ground. It was truly a welcome oasis.
2a. The family gathered in Long Island for the wedding of our niece. Three of our four girls made the trip as did many other family members and old, old friends. What a great time of celebration and visiting we had!
2b. The bride was so beautiful, she took my breath away.
3. The sunset over the ocean was beautiful even on a frigid January day.
4. We were caught unaware of the deadly road conditions for our drive home. Black ice and rain caused horrific conditions along the New Jersey route we attempted to use on Sunday morning. Audrey and Jared made it safely through on the wings of prayer.
4b. Bridge closures forced us to re-route. Out of desperation, we stopped at a Deli to use their bathroom. We ended up ordering food to go and were treated to some excellent New York City deli food. Yes!
4c. The eight hour drive ended up taking us eleven hours, but everyone made it safely home. We hold many wonderful memories of the weekend.
5. Steve's comment stands out in my mind. He said, "We're getting old. It used to be baptisms and now it's weddings."