Wedding Weekend part 1

Brian managed to sweet-talk Kirsti into saying 'yes'.  Probably didn't hurt that Uncle Brian has a cute nephew who fell for Kirsti right from the start.  How could you not be flattered by a three year-old who runs up to you excitedly, grinning from ear-to-ear whenever he sees you.  It is funny, when Andrea met Jeremy, the kids claimed him right away, long before they even considered themselves a couple.  This did not happen with other potential suitors.  Matthew, in particular, was keen to encourage the relationship and even dispensed advice. Like Uncle Jeremy, the kids claimed "Aunt" Kirsti right away, so the writing was on the wall.  Brian and Kirsti just had to make it official.

And so they did.

Thursday we drove to Houston to meet the wedding party.  On the way we stopped in Giddings, TX to refuel and eat.  It's a tiny town so I thought the prospects of decent food were slim.  Especially when we pulled into parking for a dingy, hole in the wall place called the "City Meat Market."  "Well, it has good reviews on Yelp," Jonathan explained.  We were there, we were hungry, and really what other options are there in Giddings, TX?  So we tried it.  It was your standard Texas barbeque fare, brisket, sausage, chicken, creamed corn all on a slab of butcher paper, but the ribs, oh the ribs were amazing!  They were by far the best ribs I've ever eaten, and I had a lot of bbq since moving to Texas.  After lunch, we stopped next door for some homemade fudge made with cream and butter- divine!  The lady at the counter insisted that I needed to try each variety before purchasing, so Bubbles and I happily did.

Aside from multiple potty breaks and a minor Corinna meltdown towards the end, it was a fairly uneventful trip.  The kids were all relieved to see the hotel.  Hotels are awesome when you are small.  "Our kids would be great for a Residence Inn commercial; 4 out of 4 Ellis kids highly recommend!" Jonathan claimed as they ran around the rooms and checked out the bathrooms and kitchen.  We selected a room with 2 bedrooms and a living area.  The extra $100 was more than worth it so we all could get some rest.  Been there, done the all crammed into one room thing before, and it makes for an unpleasant night!

That night we met Ryan and Rita for dinner at a Thai place.  They used to live in San Antonio and we were friends with them through their engagement, wedding, birth of their first daughter, the beautiful Ruthie, and subsequent move to Houston.  Ruthie had a tough start to life, and still has a long road ahead, hence the move to Houston with the medical specialists able to help her.  They are an incredible family, and it was so nice to see them.

After we said goodbye to Ryan and Rita, we got the small fry to bed and ironed all the clothes for the big day.