The wedding took us from Helena, MT to Lakebay, WA. In Lakebay, we would meet up with Cousin Dave and his wife-to-be, Marita, whom I had yet to meet, to discuss the photo plans for the wedding. Our plan was to drive straight through, eating in the car, and stopping only to get gas and to go to the bathroom. Cousin Dave said it would take about 12 hours to get to his house.
We pulled out of Helena at 6:45 a.m. Our goal was to leave at 5:30, hopefully meaning 6:00, but actually meaning 6:45. We never leave on time. 6:45; that's life. Thinking that we probably drive faster than Cousin Dave, we could still make it for dinner, no problem. We would also gain an hour.
We arrived in Gig Harbor, WA at 3:00 p.m., only 40 minutes from Lakebay. Since Cousin Dave and Marita were not expecting us until probably 6:00, my husband said, "Hey, we better stop at Tide's Tavern." Tide's Tavern has a long history in our family and is also a place we are quite fond of. Our cousins taught us well. The tavern sits on the water, one of the most beautiful harbors in the world. Did I forget to mention it is a really fun spot and holds a lot of great memories? "Great idea, we haven't been there in a while, we must stop."
At Tide's Tavern, we met Crystal and Brett, our servers. We ordered up some local fish & chips and a shrimp cocktail to go with a glass of wine and a local beer. It was the perfect snack and beverage to refuel for the last 40 minutes of the drive. Crystal was from Port Orchard, which we really had no idea where it was when she told us that. We discovered where it was when we missed the Purdy exit and had to go down the freeway a ways to turn around. Now we know. If you are ever in Gig Harbor, you need to stop.
We arrived at Cousin Dave's around 6:00, right on time. We walked into the house, when what to my surprise were people and babies everywhere. I knew Marita had kids, but I didn't know Marita had kids with husbands and more kids. Shoes, and car seats, and blankets, and toys, and movies, and fish crackers everywhere. I was overwhelmed by just the introductions. There was Marcie, married to Erik, with almost 2-year-old Greyson and 3-week-old Owen. Breanne, married to Josh, but Josh not there yet, with Maddison, 3, Kate, 2, and Emerson, 5 months. Jennie married to Jason, but Jennie not there yet, with Cole, 2. Missing was Marita, but she soon arrived with Jennie. Fortunately, none of Marita's daughters look alike, so that helped keep them straight. I took notes, studied my notes, and mastered everyone's name by the next day. I pride myself in my ability to remember names and to spell words backwards (obviously, not all, so don't purposely set out to see me fail).
That night we stayed at Marita's house, along with Marcie, Erik, Greyson and Owen. Marita has a fabulous house. It was a fun, memorable night. Probably the reason it was most memorable is because the heater wasn't working, which no one realized until many hours into the night. Marcie's clan was up at 4:00 a.m. freezing. At 6:30, unable to take it any longer, they headed down to Cousin Dave's to get warm. Cousin Dave then ran up to the house and restarted the furnace, which took all of about of 30 seconds.
As the old saying goes, "If you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen."
I like to say, "If you can't stand the cold, go down to Cousin Dave's."
One day down, three days until the wedding. See you tomorrow.
