Earlier this month, my brother got married (technically he and Sewon were already married) in a ceremony at my parents’ church outside Washington, D.C. Maelle was the sweetest little flower girl, I got to see lots of cousins, and we even got my new paddle board out on its maiden voyage.
The wedding weekend started with a very late departure on Thursday evening, as we were planning to stop halfway anyway and Andrew got tied up with work obligations. Of course, we couldn’t leave the following morning without a quick dip in the hotel pool!
Aaron and Sewon got married in Korea last summer, and by a JP earlier this year, but it was important to both of them to celebrate with our family here in the States. I was thrilled, as a fair amount of my Rosene family members (most of whom I do not see regularly) were able to attend. In fact, I believe I hadn’t seen many of them in at least eight years! We had two families DRIVE from Louisiana and Mississippi, and another from Texas. Many others flew, and some of Sewon’s family traveled from Korea!
My parents hosted a casual rehearsal dinner in their backyard that Friday evening.
With all the families in town, my parents’ house was full, so the three of us (along with my other brother, Josh, his wife, Hannah, and their baby, Jack) stayed with a local uncle and his wife. It was a welcome treat to stay AWAY from the chaos of the wedding! It was also really nice to have extra time to visit with my aunt and uncle. They doted on both babies and gave them lots of sugar.
After a quick run and shower, I got our flower girl ready and we all headed to the church!
The wedding went off with barely a hitch, and both Maelle and the little ring bearer, Sewon’s nephew, incited many ‘awww’s’ and much laughter from the attendees. Afterward, the reception was held at the The Harbour Grille, the same venue we used for my grandfather’s recent birthday party.
I love this photo: Maelle dancing between my mom and dad, and in the background you can see Andrew, an uncle and a groomsman all having fun as well. It was that kind of wedding–lots of dancing and laughter. There was even a sandy spot outside where the kids were able to play.
Late–VERY LATE–that same evening, after putting the kiddos to bed, Hannah (pictured below, far left, standing), Josh (seating with glasses), Andrew and I headed to an aunt (below left, blonde hair) and uncle’s house to visit with the family members who were staying there. Our game of Spoons lasted late into the evening, and we had to begin single elimination just to wrap up before 3 am.
Most the our visiting family members left the following day, and we moved to mom and dad’s house for the rest of our stay. After remaking the beds and cleaning the bathroom, the house was *almost* back to normal. That evening, Andrew flew to Paris (!!!) for work, and Maelle and I stayed behind to spend a few days with mom and dad.
Maelle enjoyed both the kiddie pool in the backyard and the playground in their neighborhood.
Sewon is an excellent cook, and we always look forward to whatever special meal she has in store. This time, she availed herself of a freshly caught tuna (randomly gifted to my parents by an uncle after a fishing trip) and made poke bowls! (Poke isn’t Korean; it’s Hawaiian, but Sewon knows a thing or two about raw fish and all the fixins’ for bowls of all kinds!)
Maelle was excited!
We made it out on the boat once, which is always such a treat. Maelle has come to expect a trip on the boat each time we visit to ‘collect shark teeth.‘
Instead, we broke out my new paddle board! I got one for Christmas, but obviously haven’t had a chance to use it until this summer. It was extra nice having my parents’ help the first time around, as they are experienced paddle board-blower-uppers. (Excuse the below photo–it’s grainy and of course my father cut my head off in the only decent photo of me he took.)
The water was like glass and Maelle does so well! Other than the fact that even her tiny feet create a bit of drag in the water, she goes along for the ride and enjoys it just like her mama and Nana. One day she’ll have to get her own!
We’ve taken this same photo–Maelle asleep on me as we head back to the marina–for the last three years. (Last year, and two years ago.) It won’t last much longer, I’m afraid…
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