After landing late Friday afternoon on separate flights (another interesting adventure, but different story), a wonder dinner and beer sampler at Raccoon River in Des Moines, we crashed at our hotel.
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| Olivia eating spicy salsa that turned her face red. She is also drinking milk out of a glass. Miss Independent. |
On Saturday morning, we (when I say we I mean O) had one thing on our mind: the P-A-R-K. We're still using spelling trickery until Olivia learns how to spell. There was just one thing in the way - breakfast.
But you are not reading this because you want to know that Grays Lake in Des Moines is lovely on a fall morning. An hour at the park, check. Quick trip to Target, check. Lunch at bland-should-have-driven-all-the-way-to-better-Mexican-food-at-Carlos-O-Kelly's, check. Back at the room flipping through college football games to round out a perfect fall Saturday, check.
That's when Michelle started doing here hair and things got a little bit blurry that I may have temporarily forgotten the reason we flew 1000 miles. That's where we pick things up.
3:00pm: Benny realizes he needs to get dressed, oh, and Olivia too.
3:30: Pulling out of hotel parking lot, we spot another one of Michelle's cousins leaving the parking lot and follow him until the GPS provides us the directions
3:50: We stop following the cousin because they took a left and the GPS says the church is on the right (one of the few times we'll solely side with the GPS)
3:55: Arrive at the church
4:00: Wedding
4:01: Olivia talks during ceremony, asks for the usual snacks and juice
5:00: Return to reception at hotel - try to occupy Olivia with cheese appetizer
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| Family Photo |
5:18: Olivia wants to do photo booth, again, this time with her cousin Isabella (Michelle’s cousin’s daughter)
Since Olivia doesn't get to see her Great Grandma from California often (or since it was only the second time she's seen her since she was six months old), she was a little skeptical of giving hugs to family outside of the Dad, Mom, Grandma and Grandpa circle. That's when I recommended Great Grandma lure Olivia in with a cake pop. Soon after, Olivia's speed dramatically increased, and she circled the reception room and wedding party table even faster.
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| We discover Olivia's love for cake. |
5:20-7:00: Olivia runs circles around the reception room, and takes more pictures at the photo booth
7:00: We get Olivia to sit still to eat a little bit of dinner, coaxing her to the table with a wedding cupcake
7:20: Back a the photo booth
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| Auntie Colleen and O in the photo booth. |
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| Around and around in the circle these 2-year-olds girls go. |
11:00: Olivia asks for the Fruit Loops that were in her snack bag provided by the hotel. I oblige. She sits up on the bed, propping herself up with her pillow, extends her legs and crosses them, and proceeds to enjoy her sweet breakfast cereal snack as if she's watching a movie.
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| Seriously, you're not tired? |
11:06: "It's just you and me, kiddo, and you are not going to outlast me too."
11:07: Olivia asks to watch baseball. Thankfully there were no games on. Had we been on the east coast, the Brewers/Cards game could have still been on.
11:08: Lights out. It's not clear who fell asleep first, me or O.
But since O was the last one awake in the morning, and she slept most of the way back to Grandma and Grandpa's house, I'd be willing to bet there is a good chance that she outlasted both of us. And to think the original V-Team duo used to close down wedding receptions. Apparently we passed that torch to Olivia and didn't know it.
This story is based on real events and timelines are estimated based on authors recollection, which can be blamed solely on the cold and refreshing Boulevard beers he enjoyed that night.
