We got on a plane late wednesday afternoon with the rush of the day still on my shoulders we boarded our flight to visit with Rob's mother Joyce (now my mom, too) and the family to share cousin Kristen's wedding celebration. I hadn't seen most of Rob's family since our wedding so it was nice to reunite with some and get to know more of the others. I thought my family was extensive. Although, I do believe this little mini break proved me wrong. Joyce & Sonny welcomed us with open arms late last Wednesday night and we were quickly brought to visit with some family already in for the weeknd events. It was nice to see some familiar faces when I walked into the room. The following day Joyce & Sonny took us down to Ft. Laurderdale beach. We walked around and took in the sights oceanside.
Here is Rob & his mom Joyce posing for the camera woman. The weather was slightly overcast Thursday. It wasn't the 77 that we left back in the desert but we made the best of it. When I return to the ocean, I realize how much I miss it every single time...the small of the beach, the wide open Atlantic Ocean...even though I have been out in Arizona almost 15 years a part of me still considers the ocean smelling like home. Thursday night we met up with more of the family for a big pizza dinner in Deerfield Beach. Sixteen of us, some tables and some good Italian food hit the spot which made for a perfect first full day in Florida.
Friday morning we started the day off with a great big breakfast and relaxed at the condo. The clouds were starting to part mid day before we started to get ready for a cocktail party at 7:30. We got there early and walked around viewing the night life and ran into tennis pro John McEnroe in the middle of Atlantic Avenue...wasn't expecting that. We soon made it to the cocktail hour location. This is where we saw all of Rob's family. There were 180 people invited to the wedding. I would say that at least 100 were there at the Calypso Restaurant that evening. I have never gotten so many hugs and kisses in one evening, they all welcomed me into the family, it was the best feeling ever! Everyone was getting really excited to celebrate the big day for Kristen and Mike (who, I found out lived in Newton, MA). Many of his friends were in from that area too. I tell you it's a small world. 
Saturday morning we had a quick breakfast followed by getting ourselves ready for the wedding. Since we were 25 minutes from the wedding location in Delray we wore clothes for the wedding at 2 pm and made plans to change at the resort (reception location) at 6 pm. With our evening best in the car we were off to Delray Beach. We stopped for a deli sandwich break, what a tasty treat and made it to the church on time. The interior was all wood with bright lamps scattered across the tiers of the ceiling for a beautiful traditional setting for the wedding vows.
With a classic church wedding and the I do's said and done we met everyone poolside at the Delray Marriott Resort for drinks and relaxing before the cocktail/hors d'oeuvre hour and reception. We were able to catch the bride in the foyer of the resort. Here is Rob and his cousin Kristen posing for me before the reception. She made a stunning bride. Remember her mother Grace read a Navajo poem at our wedding. We were very happy to be part of her daughter Kristen's wedding day. It was a beautiful wedding weekend. I believe Kristen & Mike are still enjoying their honeymoon in the St. Lucia islands, ahhh the honeymoon days ☺ The wedding lasted well into the night. We were filled with great food, great memories and great fun! The next morning we woke up early to go have a breakfast with Sonny's daughter and husband who were in town too. We quickly turned ourselves around, all packed and ready to go to Boynton Beach to meet with Rob's family for a bbq. This is where we finalized our Florida vacation time. Thanks to Joey & Wendy we got another couple hours to hang with everyone and say our goodbyes with lots of food in our bellies. I am very lucky to have married into such a great family, they all made me feel like I've been a there for years...what a great feeling that is.☺ A great big thanks to all my extended Mazza & Tardy family! A special thanks to Joyce & Sonny who put us up during the 5 days...we miss you!
From left to right: Joyce, Sonny, Aunt Barbara, Uncle Tony, Aunt Annettee & Rob in the back.
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