Fly over states

I fell in love with fly over states. Not just the song, but the states mentioned in that lovely ballad by one Jason Aldean. Okay so I only drove through one state mentioned, Nebraska, but I loved it.

Our view from the hotel

As a few of you know my brother married the love of his life on Sunday, May 20.  Beautiful bride and handsome groom.  The wedding was gorgeous and took place on Lake Eerie. To get to this locale we drove slightly over 1700 miles. We left after my physics lab on Thursday at two.  We drove through Utah, Wyoming, Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois and Indiana, and up to Ohio. We took a little drive up to Michigan (you don't have to go through Michigan to get to Ohio). We'll just call it a bonus state. I drove from mid Wyoming to somewhere in Nebraska, part of Iowa, part of Indiana, and a part of Ohio. The drive was long, hot, and I spent much of the trip in some sort of contorted position trying to make everyone else comfortable. Its easier to be in discomfort then hear people complain. Just love it and accept it.
The mid west is farms, more farms and when you think there couldn't possibly be any more, there are still more farms. I loved it, everywhere green, and cows, and corn fields, and wheat fields, and barns, tractors, old farm houses. 160 acres and a mule was no lie, tons of fields. I want to move there and farm, or ranch, or just live and be a field bum.
We got to Ohio somewhere around seven pm on Friday in time for the bachelor party.  I had been texting Eric and he had been giving us very exact directions via text.  We arrived at the winery where we were supposed to drop off Phil, and my phone died. So I got out to explore, and stumbled across a large group of boys sitting outside a building. Right away I recognized my brothers, as they jumped the fence to give me a hug. First time I had seen Jason in eight years. That is a crazy long time, my entire high school and college career. I was so happy to see all my brothers together.
I realized then my over protective little sister-ness when they wanted to take him to the bachelor party where he would of course taste wine. I worried all night, and could barely sleep.

Saturday was the BBQ, and I realized then that my brother's received only the best when they went away every summer. I love my family, but walking the cottage lane I wanted a tight nit family community they had.  Aunts, uncles, grandparents, and cousins only a house away. I got a taste of the eastern/mid west Catholic school kid attitude. I toasted with my brother's friends, and felt a little grown up. The last time I saw a lot of them I was in elementary and they were graduated high school. I still felt like a little kid. I made a fool of myself asking Phil if a couple of guys were a couple, turns out they very much weren't. That was the laughing joke throughout the night.
Sunday was the wedding of course we had to get there two hours before anyone thought of arriving. So we wandered the country club and took pictures. The judge was late, but that only gave people an excuse to start drinking early, so it all worked out. The ceremony was wonderful they did a sand ceremony joining the new couple. After was more pictures, and then dinner. Dinner was a buffet, it was really good. Fish and prime rib, everything a heart could desire. Eric gave a wonderful best man's toast, and then there was dancing. One of Eric's brothers brought fishing poles, so we fished of the dock.  I caught two fish, and Rory was catching fish like no other little girl. We threw rocks in the lake, baited hooks, talked and laughed.  It was probably the best wedding. I fell in love with the Allen's and wish there were more half brothers to be wed.

We left Monday morning dark and early, and drove.  I drove through Iowa and all of Nebraska and fifteen minutes into Wyoming I had to pull over and let someone else drive. We stopped at nearly every rest area and Mcdonalds, and finally made it home seven in the morning on Tuesday.  What a trip and all in six days. Wouldn't drive it again unless I was hauling steel on a three day haul.