Annalee and Pat Leach Wedding in MN

Bobby Dale and two generations of Morans.

Archers stand strong and wait for the bride to arrive!

I was so excited when the invitation turned up for Annalee and Pat’s wedding!  I love an excuse to get together with family, and that is what the Archers are to us – Family!  Because I am planning to take some time off around the holidays, it had to be a quick trip back.  Thursday night I was in lab all evening processing a western blot and when I finally got home, it was 11PM.  I packed and set my alarm for 4AM – a quick night of sleep to say the least.

The exchange of vows between two beauties!

Husband and Wife!

Not too long ago, I was blogging about their wedding! Baby ArchMiller in the making!

Another happy couple in front of the wedding arch!

Paul was kind enough to drop me off at the airport on Friday morning at 5:15 so I could catch the first flight out to Chicago.  We arrived late to Chicago, so I was the “sprinter” and ran from one side of the airport to the other to catch my flight to Appleton. I made it and shortly after was greeted by my parents in Appleton.

The glowing bride and her glowing parents!

The newlyweds!

I just love this family photo of Annalee and Pat!

We drove to Seymour, because no trip back to home is complete without a pit stop at Don’s Quality Market for some food and cheese curds.  From there I had the chance to see all of the progress that Dad made on our basement with finishing that off – it was sure looking nice!  Next we stopped at Maplewood Meats – hands down the best meat market I have ever been into.  The smells are phenomenal. Their business is absolutely booming and we helped out by buying 20lbs of hot sticks and summer sausage, my all time favorite items from Maplewood.  I needed to bring them back to Wisconsin for my first thesis committee meeting – an absolute necessity.

Prepare for a beautiful fall evening feast!

Gorgeous centerpieces!

More DIY and Hugh wood working!

Such and adorable wedding book!

Hand crafted bar for the occasion!

Ohh the details and DIY!

Cheers Jackie!

It doesn't get cuter than little ones in flannel! Brian and his addition!

The Archer and Marsh Clans unite!

We hit the road and shortly after were in Bemidji where the festivities began!  We stopped over at Morgan’s place to hang with the wedding crew as they prepared for the big day and socialized for one last hurrah!  It was so nice to catch up with everyone and grab a bite to eat.  The last time I had the chance to see their faces was at our own wedding last year, too long of course!  We then went back to our room at Ruttger’s Birchmont Lodge – the view of the lake from our room was beautiful, but the chilly temperatures made it difficult to spend much time by the water! 

Sure, I'll try about 12 flavors of pie!

Father and Daughter dance!

Smile, it's a photo booth!

Not too bad for a wedding reception fire!

Saturday was the big day, and before we could do anything else, we all had to make a quick trip to Target to stock up on some warm clothes and wedding gear to prepare for the outdoor ceremony and reception on this chilly Minnesota weekend.  We founds some clothes for everyone of us and after a summer sausage snack with Laurie, Doug, and family, we were on our way to the ceremony in the Krause back yard.  The set up was gorgeous and the amount of time and effort that went into making all of the arrangements, furniture, bar, etc was impressive!  Having just planned a wedding myself – I’m surprised they slept at all!  Matt lead the ceremony and we walked over to the church after they said I-Do for the reception, meal and dancing.  The evening was chilly and wonderful.  We caught up with all of the Moran kids and grandkids, and were able to officially meet Dennis’ girls and their families. The night sure warmed up after dinner when they started a large campfire – a little too large for marshmellow roasting.  By the early evening, the fresh air, dinner and dancing had us exhausted and it didn’t take much for us all to decide to go back to the lodge for a good night sleep.

The Bride and Groom! Congratulations!

Joanne and Mother dearest - all smiles and laughs!

Hugh: The party host and dance machine!

After what felt like only a few hours of sleep, my alarm went off and we were on the road again for the twin cities. We had lunch together as a family at Applebee’s and I was back in the air on a plane to Pittsburgh.  It was a short weekend that was well worth the travel.  I feel so grateful to have another family to connect with – and hopefully the Archer – Marsh tradition will continue for many more generations!

Not a bad view from our hotel!

Another reason I love Bemidji, MN

Marsh Clan in Minnesota!

ArchMiller Wedding in Minnesota!

"Love Is In The Air" - June 23, 2012

It was a bit of a snap decision to head back for the Archer wedding - and boy am I glad that I did!  We had an absolutely wonderful time in northern Minnesota celebrating Althea's marriage!  I had been looking at flights for a while to try to get back home without burning any of my summer vacation, but flying into Duluth was kind of pricey... Then something clicked and I pulled a Haus/Winsand - use my Gold Member miles!  I found the perfect flight in and out of Duluth where mom and pops could pick me up on their way to the wedding!

Beautiful remembrance of Jerry & Joel.  Salt and Pepper symbolize the proposal story!

Curty, Huey & Nathan talking something manly?

While in the Pittsburgh airport, I was frantically making calls and trying to charge all of my electronics so I could score us a hotel in the Duluth area.  Everything was fairly full - because of the recent flooding in Duluth the hotels were full of crews that were coming in to makeover and restore the city!  I found a hot deal on my phone and made a phone call - I didn't even have to convince them and they gave me a half price discount - perfect!


After arriving in Detroit - the flights and airport was in complete chaos!  Apparently one of the traffic control towers on the east coast had a fire so the domino effect took control over the airways - delays, delays, delays!!  Luckily we were only delayed and not canceled!  I met a lot of neat individuals waiting for the plane though - gotta love the crew heading to Duluth!

Wedding Worker Bees! Diane and Joann!

Father and Bobbie Dale

Early Saturday morning we made the rest of the trip up to the wedding location.  It was a morning ceremony, and we made it just in time.  It was so wonderful to see the Archers and to be greeted by their smiling faces.  With school and all of life's crazy, it was much too long since we last saw one another!  Ohh how I miss that family!  The ceremony was adorable and full of happy tears - and whatta' know, the first song that comes out of the Ipod was "Red Solo Cup"!  Mom and I looked at each other with wide eyes knowing what Buck was up to.

Morgan, Annalee, and I out on the "pontoon that could"... chug, chug...

Curty by the refreshment boat with the beautiful bride!

We spent the rest of the afternoon taking in the scenery, watching the fishing tournament, and spending time in the company of great friends.  There was a lot  to catch up on and I was so excited to finally have that opportunity with the Archers.  I even had the chance to meet all the new little young family members of the next generation!  The family has grown in so many ways!

Annie and Althea

The day was finished to the tune of an excellent local band and a table full of pies!  I ate so much pie I could barely move, but that was no match for what Nathan was able to eat!  We were able to eat pie to the sound of the bridal party singing "And I Will Always Love You" by Whitney Houston - hitting the high notes and jamming on the saxophone!

Yeah, I'll have too much pie - it's my birthday right?  Go Nathan! Tin & all!

Serenading the bride and groom...

Dino's clean up crew!

I also forgot that the wedding day was my Birthday!  It the perfect place to celebrate amongst friends - and when the secret got out that I was turning a year older... the wedding sang to me!  Cripes!  I was a wee bit embarrassed, but it was so nice of everyone to send their well wishes!

We took off the next morning and said our goodbyes while making plans for the next time to cross paths.  I flew out of Duluth in the afternoon after some craft store and wedding dress shopping with mom and dad.

It was a wonderful, fast weekend and I am so pleased that I was able to attend the wedding!  Congratulations Althea and Matt ArchMiller!

Until next time Minnesota - stay beautiful!