Travels of Mark and Pat: Saturday-Sunday, June 8-9

Good Monday morning....we Nomads were back on the road at 6:40 AM heading to Lake Worth and Luke.....long day of travel ahead of us and we had to move the clocks up an hour! Had some fog this morning and trying to outrun more nasty weather coming behind us! Here's a recap of past 2 days with all the wedding festivities AND rain!

Saturday - Whirlwind, fun weekend............we said our good byes to Ryan and John and left Pensacola at 10:00 under bright, sunny skies. Drove to Destin, parked the truck and walked around ending up at The Candy Maker where Mark had an iced coffee and we sat outside on the deck with a nice breeze.

Now time to walk across the street to the rehearsal luncheon at The Back Porch. What a fun place - we were upstairs (private room) with open windows overlooking the gulf. So good to see friends and of course, the bride, Kassie and her family. Food was excellent and so much - wine/beer, appetizers, sandwiches or full dinners and pink/white cupcakes.

Kassie and Kyle

Brenda (Mother-of-the-Bride) and Kassie (Bride-to-Be)

Sue and Jerry are here for the wedding, too, and after lunch, we 4 said our good-byes and shortly after, Jackie (Tiger Cruise roommate) and her friend, Darryl met us at the Back Porch. They drove over from Metarie, LA (3+ hours). We sat on a lower level with the wonderful breeze and enjoyed drinks and lots of chatter and laughs. Sooo fun to see her and meet Darryl.

Around 5:30, we walked across the street to the Candy Maker and all indulged in a yummy chocolate concoction sitting on the deck

Jerry and Sue enjoying their sweet treats

Darryl and Jackie

Jackie and Pat

We said our good byes to Jackie and Darryl and then drove to see Brenda and Pat's (parents of the bride) beach house they are renting for s week's vacation coming up. Their house on Santa Rosa Beach is lovely with 4 bedrooms, 4.5 baths and a gorgeous view.

Good friends at Brenda's beach house

Pat, Brenda, Sue

We had a 30-mile drive to our hotel in DeFuniak Springs, FL - staying at the Hotel DeFuniak, an 11-room boutique hotel with lots of charm and a very friendly proprietor, Tom. Sat in the library with Sue and Jerry for complimentary wine and snacks and joined by Charlotte and Curt (friends of Pat and Brenda from Dallas) who are here for the wedding. Have met them a few times, but been several years - great folks!

And then................here's Luke

Hi....I'm 2 months today!

Sunday - today is the destination wedding for Kassie and Kyle and oh icky poo.......it's been raining all day and just nasty for a beach wedding planned for 6:00 tonight! BUMMER......they had to decide by noon whether it would be moved indoors at Bentley's-on-the-Bay

Sue, Jerry Mark and I had a wonderful breakfast (complimentary) oat the hotel f a Belgian waffle with fresh strawberries and blueberries and sausage. The 4 of us then went to St. Margaret's for 11:00 Mass and then drove around DeFuniak which is a charming little town.....and the rain just kept coming down

Off to church

Back to the hotel and Tom offered us hot drinks and wedding cake which had been brought in from guests who were at a wedding in town yesterday. How nice and delicious!

It's 2:00 now and the rain is pouring down along with thunder and lightning - such an unusual occurrence in FL having an all-day heavy rain and on Kassie's wedding day!!!! How ironic that Andrea went across the state with nary a drop in the Panhandle. Mark checked with the folks at Osprey Marina in Myrtle Beach about Catrina....all is well! Had some wind and heavy rain, but nothing significant! So whatever current system is coming thru today, it looks like it will be hanging around a few days!

Despite all the rain, Kassie and Kyle's wedding was lovely. It was on the deck under an overhang and then indoor reception at Bentley's-on-the-Bay. Had lots of fun and here are some highlights...