The Chelaru Family: Chad and Krista's wedding week part 2

Alright, so at this point we have arrived in MN. Vic, Jack and I had a few days alone with all the family before my parent's arrived. We played games, watched movies, and just relaxed. I took Vic out and showed him where I grew up. I also took him and Jack to my old country church where my great grandparents are buried. This is always an emotional time for me. Growing up on that farm, with my grandparent's farm just a mile west of ours, and my aunt and uncles 4 miles NE. I spent so much of my life with my grandparents and cousins, that we all still have such a strong bond. Even my old church was such a huge part of my life. We were there almost three times a week with different activities. It was another extended home. I feel at peace when I am there. Vic said, "Although I don't think I could live here, I can definitely see the appeal. It is very laid back, relaxing and safe feeling." This was the first time in the ten years I have been with Vic, he has been able to make it back to my home. I am glad he could finally see where I came from, and how I lived my life. Every evening we went to one of my aunt's or gma's house for dinner. We were never without food. Poor Krista was so stressed with the wedding, I didn't get a chance to see her much. She and her mom were always doing last minute preparations. On one of said nights, my Aunt Sara thought it would be hilarious to let the boys play in a mud pit. It started out rather small, and Jack would always look back to make sure he wasn't going to get in trouble, and when he realized we were letting him do it, the gloves came off. He was CAKED in mud. I am sure I can still see some in his fingernails and ears. He had so much fun. Eli hated it at first, but after Jack started throwing mud at him, he got into it and had a blast. I will just let the pictures speak for themselves. My mom and dad also arrived by this point. It was a rough drive. My dad, by Pocatello, wanted to turn around and go back home. He was so sick and in so much pain, he didn't think he could make it. Mom was persistent and just kept driving, and they finally arrived. Dad was a trooper. You could tell he was in insane amounts of pain, but he put on a smile came out to every activity. I truly believe he was happier there. His attitude about everything changed, he laughed and smiled and seemed to enjoy the small things. It was really good to see him like that. He hasn't been doing well lately, and any smile we hold on to. He really loves his family more than anything, and being around everyone uplifted his spirits more than any medication could. On Friday night, we had the rehearsal and the groom's supper. Jack and Jaidy did amazing hold hands and walking down the aisle. We were actually really shocked. Vic and I had amazing parenting skills and bribed Jack with candy...don't judge people.
After the rehearsal, we had the groom's supper. It was really good, we made it BBQ themed, but it was chaos. I feel the "East" family took over the small town of Warren, but that is what we do. We are a very tight family and we will be there for any one of us. Here are a few more pics of our trip so far...