Time for our Wedding!!!

7-14-2016 6:00 PM

 Just 2 hours to go before I take my little Fiance's hand in mine and slip a ring onto it making my best friend my wife! I better get cleaned up and get down to the beach so Cindy can have free reign of the house and get ready herself. Being a man getting ready for a very casual wedding ceremony I was done in 15 minutes! I finalized plans with Jerry who was in charge of bringing Cindy down to the beach at a 8:10 PM. Amy was going to ride down with me to help me set up the easel with the sign that Cindy had made. Everyone else was going to arrive at the beach at 8 pm.
 Amy and I arrived at the beach after helping Wendy, the officiant, find her way back down from the bluffs to the beach as she got confused on the location change. When we pulled up at the beach I saw one last surprise waiting on Cindy. High school friends of Cindy, Scott and Mary Brown who we went to Michigan the very first time to see and sail with, came up from Bear Lake MI to attend the service were at the beach waiting on us. Our photographer for the evening, Emily Leuenberger, arrived right behind us so it looked like everything was coming together. Just one small snag potentially developing. As we stood on the edge of the sidewalk and looked out over the lake to the northwest I could see a line of storms bearing down on us. A quick call to Jerry to let him know that arriving with my bride sooner than later might be best then we all hoped for the best.
 The up side to the storms was that they made an awesome back drop!

 Amy and I got the sign set up and luckily I had snuck my multiplier onto my belt as it got used on the sign. Never let the groom dress himself ;-)

 Everyone arrived a bit early and soon it was time for the bride to arrive

 After everyone got in place Cindy walked down with her daughter to meet me

 This is when we almost had a boo boo. I am so used to kissing Cindy each time we meet and we were both so happy we almost locked lips when she got to me!

Then Libby, the Beach Patrol, jumped in and stopped us in just the nick of time!!!

  That was close!!!! Wendy, our officiant was probably thinking we could not wait LOL! We regained our composure and proceeded on with the ceremony. Windy did an awesome job and even let us a hug a couple of times as long as we promised not to kiss. No fear as Libby had her eye on us the whole time!

 When I was finally given the ok to kiss my beautiful bride I did not waste any time!

  The guest could not throw bird seed so instead we had a sea gull fly over!!! They took to the sky just as we finished the kiss

Here is a group shot of everyone who helped pull off the surprise!

It could not have worked out any better and the rain even held off long enough for us to take pictures.
Here we are with Dottie who was the real reason the surprise even got started as she was really upset with me that she was not going to be there as originally it was just going to be Cindy and myself.

 Emily took over and guided us through various poses with our guest and ourselves trying to preserve this very special moment in time for us.

 Amy had made us a life preserver sign and brought it up for us.

 We found a pile of rocks on the beach and together we made a impromptu prop in the sand

 At some point the urge to pick up my lovely lil wife got the better of me ;-)

 Cindy begged me not to drop her as it seems she did not think a wet dress would look that good in the pics

 Emily wanted to get the sky in the back ground so she had us walk away from her down the beach

 We wanted to get some by the lighthouse as we love lighthouses. I don't remember what Emily told us to do but at one point she told us to get a room LOL!

 We were having a great time enjoying the moment and Emily was super to work with. This is one of my favorite pics as it captures Cindy peeking up over my shoulder and you can just see the happiness in her eyes.

 Still no rain :-)

 But it was getting closer

 So we headed over to Joe's Friendly tavern to meet up with everyone for dinner and drinks. I had called ahead and got them to stay open late for us which worked out great.

 I had Beth Schultz make a cake for us and Libby brought it up with her. I don't have a better pic of it than this as I had already released Emily for the night before I remembered the cake. It was an awesome cake and Beth did a great job on it!

 I am not sure how the wedding could have turned out any better. Cindy loved the surprise and having her friends and family there made it so much more like a wedding for her. In the end I got all that I wanted. My best friend is now my wife and I can't wait to start making new memories as husband and wife! It was a long time coming but sooooo worth the wait!!!!!!

Life is uncertain,
Like a little boat rocking back and forth in the sea.
Good times are followed by tuff times,
And tuff times are followed by glee.
Unexpected obstacles will block your path,
You need to be able to change and adapt.
There will always be resistance,
Success requires persistence.

The key is to find a good partner,  one who will stand by your side,
Who will sail with you through the changing of the tides.
With them tuff times are not as ruff and will eventually pass,
Then much longer the good times will last.

May you find someone who will never leave you shoreward,
Tackle everything as a team and always move forward,
For life is but a dream.

 When I heard this poem I knew that no truer words have been written when it comes to the lady of my dreams. If this is all a dream my one hope is that I never wake, and that Cindy is by my side till the end of time. May we sail the seas of life, together as a team, till the winds of time blow no more.

Our Wedding Day has Arrived!!!!

7-14-2016   8:00 AM

 Just 12 hours till go and counting! One last breakfast as a single man LOL

 I made a pig of myself while Cindy went out for a run then I had to make another lap of the fruits once Cindy got back and set down for her breakfast. Can we say stuffed? They make the best breakfast for a B&B at the Cottonwood Inn that we have ever found. Being a breakfast person I am big fan! We are huge fans of the blueberry French toast casserole!!!
 While we ate we run over the itinerary of what all we need to do before the wedding. First we have to run to Suttons Bay to pick up our marriage licensee, then to Traverse City to pick up Cindy's bouquet that she had made, then back to the inn to get ready before the service. I also needed to run down to Empire Surf Shop and see if I could find someone who could reserve a fire ring for us on the beach so we would be sure to have a place for a fire after the service.
 So while Cindy got ready I went in search of someone to help us out. I stopped at the Surf Shop where Beryl, pronounced Barrel, told me about a young man just up the street a few houses. So I ran up there to see if he would be interested in making some quick cash. After talking to Sarah, his mom, she decided that since he was working in that she and her husband would make sure we got the fire ring that was closest to the grass as it was the best pit area. I greatly appreciated her doing this for use and felt much better knowing we were going to have a fire pit waiting on us after the service on the Bluffs. She and her husband just lived right around the corner from the beach so they set up beach chairs and went back several times through the day to move things around to make people think that someone was using them.
 Back to the Empire Inn to pick up my fiancé and then off to Sutton's Bay.
 One our way to Suttons Bay we got sidetracked by a winery that was right on our way. How convenient? We enjoyed a glass of sweet white wine as we talked to the workers and shared the reason for our visit.

 Nothing like being on vacation and drinking before 10 am! Soon we were back on the road to Sutton's bay. A quick stop by the clerks office and we had our license in hand. Down to 9 hours to go.
 We turned left at lake and headed north up to North Point for lunch at a small lake side bar called

 It was a beautiful setting at the north end of Grand Traverse Bay with a nice harbor area right in front of the restaurant.

 We both agreed we needed to comeback and sail Grand Traverse bay! After lunch we headed back down along the west shore of the Leelanau peninsula en route to Traverse City. Once there we had to stop and shop at the Momentum store before picking up Cindy's bouquet. By now we are down to just 5 hours to go!
 We headed back west to Empire but once again a winery got in our way and we had to stop and check it out.
 It was a little after 4 when we finally arrived back at the Cottonwood Inn. We were just going to make a quick pit stop then run down to the beach and check on the fire pit to make sure all was good before we came back to get ready for the ceremony. We had to stop short as Keri's car was in the drive as she came back to the inn to water the flowers. We were just going to be a second or two so we just parked behind her in the drive and ran inside. Cindy led the way and once we passed through the back dining area off the kitchen Cindy stopped in her tracks. There, sitting in a chair, across kitchen, was her sister Dottie!!!!

 Dottie was 10 days out of a knee replacement surgery and never did Cindy expect her to make it but she did! Then her other sister Peggy and her husband Gordon came out of the porch area behind Dottie! Then off our right we heard screaming as our friends Amy and Libby with their husbands Jerry and Bill came running out. They girls were all hoping up and down as Cindy started to weep. But wait! There is more! Off to our right again out walk T&T, (Cindy's son Trent and his wife Twinkie (aka Bethany))!!!!

 Cindy looses it at this point and starts to make a puddle on the floor with happy tears!

 Little did Cindy know but I had been planning this surprise since last October! I knew Cindy really wanted at least her sisters and kids to be there and of course her friends so I got with everyone and started planning the surprise. The only one I was not able to get in on it was her daughter Erika as she came out and asked if she could come before I could get to her and get her in on the surprise so Cindy knew she was coming. In fact they arrived about 5 minutes after we did and got to partake of the celebration before the wedding as drinks started flowing early ;-) Here are the three Besties

 Here is my little Fiance coming up to thank me for her awesome surprise!

 I am pretty sure that is her happy look! I still needed to spring a bit of  a plan change for the wedding on Cindy as she was not aware that we could not have the ceremony on the Bluffs like we had planned all along. In the process of me planning the surprise I needed a place to hide everyone's cars at the bluffs parking area as the surprise was originally going to be sprung on Cindy there. I found a large parking lot for the park maintenance workers about 1500 feet east of the bluffs parking lot that would have worked great. Being a good guy I tried to get permission to park five cars there for one hour. After multiple phone calls to the Sleeping Bear Dune parks department I was eventually denied permission from the head of law enforcement for the park. I thanked him for his time and told him I would find someplace else. To which he answered me with a question about if I had a permit? Thinking he was referring to our marriage license I told him we were picking it up the day of the wedding. He then informed me that we needed a permit from the park to have a "organized gathering" in the park. I was like "Organized gathering? It is a small wedding with 15 people for a 10 minute service". It did not matter as a "organized gathering" was 4 or more people meeting at a set time at a set place in the park. Long story short, my application for a wedding on the bluffs was eventually denied because the bluffs were not an "approved site" for an "organized gathering" and I did not have 18 months for them to attempt to approve it. So I went with our second choice which was the beach at Empire, hence the need for the fire pit. After a quick phone call to the village clerk, I filled out a application and emailed it back to her, I had the signed permit returned to me the next morning. I knew Cindy would be fine with the location change especially since everyone was now going to be there. So I told her the change and of course she was fine with it. In the end it turned out to be a good thing as there was no way Dottie or Peggy could have walked the trail to the bluffs and this way they only had a short walk from the parking lot to the beach site.
 Just 3 hours to go so with Cindy and everyone celebrating the surprise and the upcoming service I took a minute to catch my breath as the surprise worked perfectly! All the fears of someone slipping up and letting the cat out of the bag never materialized and it went off without a hitch. Cindy had no clue and was totally surprised. It will be a long time before I top that one. I though my surprise proposal in the snow, at midnight, on New Year's eve on a trail in the UP was a good one but this one took the prize.
 While the others partook of libations Jerry and I ran down to get wood for a fire on the beach after the service and to check on the fire pit. The chairs were still there and all was good so back to the inn so I could get ready. Just 2 hours and 30 mins to go now!

36 HOURS AND COUNTING!!!!

7-13-16  8:00 AM

 Just 36 hours to go till our wedding and we are all loaded up and ready to pull out on our journey north to Empire MI!!! Hard to believe the day is almost here as we started a count down timer on my phone with like 256 days to go. It seemed so far away when we did that but one by one the days came and went.
 We have the Memory Maker all loaded and prepared for our honeymoon sail on the North Channel, all the clothes we will need for the wedding and the next two weeks, plus props for the wedding. You could say we are packed to the gills.
 Our wedding will be Empire MI on the bluffs overlooking the beach and Sleeping Bear Dunes to the north at sunset on the 14th of July. It is going to be a very simple service with just myself, Cindy, her daughter and husband, the officiant, and the photographer. We wanted to have a very simple service to match our lifestyle. I have been preparing and researching for this trip for the last year. I have done everything to the boat that I can think of in hopes of making this a trip Cindy will remember for ever. I have added things to our 20 foot sailboat that you would normally find on much larger boats in hopes of increasing Cindy's comfort level. I am hopeful we have a great time and make lots of memories.
 We pulled out of the driveway and head north a little after 8 am. By 9 am you know who has decided it is time for nap.

 

 

Pretty typical as it is very seldom that Cindy can make it to Indy and still be awake. We continue our journey north and soon pull into one of favorite little beach towns, South Haven MI, for a break. Soon we are sitting at the outside bar at the Idler River boat

 as Cindy sips on a nice cold glass of SHIT (South Haven Iced Tea) as the locals call it.

  No trip to South Haven is complete without a selfie at the lighthouse

 After a quick stop by Divana G's boutique we are back in the truck and continuing our trek north. We are in no rush as we just want to get to Empire by dark in hopes of seeing the sunset and we have plenty of time so we drive at a relaxed pace. The boat is riding fine and all seems to be going well, even if we are missing the Cirrus Satellite radio we normally have to listen to.
 The sky becomes covered in stratus clouds as we get further north so seeing the sunset is probably not going to happen. We pull into the Cottonwood Inn about 9 pm and find a place to park the boat and truck. After dropping the trailer we run down to the beach in hopes of seeing a glimpse of the sunset but we missed it. But we did get a awesome shot of us with the moon!

 Down to just 22 hours to go before two best friends become Mr and MRS!