Now for the rest of the story.

So we ended up broke down in the middle of Del.hi, LA with two toddlers and a U.Haul. Fun times baby, fun times. We had Duchess' GPS unit so we plugged in the nearest mechanic and said a little prayer. Good news was he happened to be about a mile away, bad news was he didn't think he could get the part until the following day. He got our number and said he wanted to make some calls and would call us back. About 10 minutes later he called and said that the sole auto supply place had the part and if we could get the part and get to him he'd be more than happy to put it on. Turns out the store was literally across the street from where we were and they were so nice they even gave us a discount on the part. How cool is that? We managed to get the Tahoe going (barely) and made it to the mechanics, Mr. Cade. He told us to come in and have a seat, his wife put the TV on PBS for the kids, and they got busy on the Tahoe. I couldn't believe how nice they were! During that time my aunt had her sister-in-law head our way to relieve us of the U.Haul and take the strain off the Tahoe. They were just finishing on the Tahoe when she drove up. Perfect timing. The Tahoe passed the diagnostics test, the U.Haul was transferred to the other vehicle, and our total for part and labor was only $104. Mr. Cade, you were our angel, you saved us that day! We got back on the road and things were finally looking up!

We made our way to Jackson and were just about to meet up with my aunt when the engine light came back on. The Tahoe was running great so we continued on and drove the rest of the way to Starkville. Around 8 that night my phone rang with a number I didn't recognize. It was Mr. Cade wanting to check on us to make sure we were OK... see I told you he was an angel! We finally made it to the hotel 24 hours after leaving Texas. 700 miles in 24 hours... not very good timing! The hotel was awful, but we were sure grateful to be out of the car! We got everyone fed and in bed, with full intentions of going to a better hotel the next day (and boy did we).

Early the next morning we packed up and made our way to the new hotel. It was awesome. We had diagnostics run on the Tahoe again and although she is sick, she will be OK. The CD player is out and there is a loose cable, but nothing that will keep her from running. She will be making a doctor's appointment later in the week. We did make it home safe and sound late Sunday night without any more drama. However, at this point I'm definitely saying no more road trips for quite some time!

Now on to the fun stuff. On Friday night we had the rehearsal for my cousin's wedding. I had really hoped that Chase would cooperate, but apparently hoping isn't always enough (I should have known that). He was just plain pissed and did not want to have anything to do with it. He cried, he pouted, he screamed, he yelled, it was very dramatic. I felt awful. I kept reassuring them that Saturday would be different but let me say, my confidence was really wavering. Being the awesome parents we are we broke out the bribes big time. Bright and early Saturday morning we sped off to Walmart and let him pick out two toys with the agreement that he could not open them until after the wedding, IF he walked down the aisle and stood at the front like he was supposed to. We also told him that he could go stand by the girls if he got scared since several of them were also cousins and he knew them... unlike all of the boys. He agreed and the deal was sealed.

We ran around like crazy the rest of the day and before we knew it was time to get ready. Chase looked adorable. Really adorable doesn't do him justice. He looked so handsome, like such a big boy. The entire Georgia State soccer team was also at our hotel and some of them were in the elevator with us. They fell in love with Chase and went on and on about how cute he was and how pretty Mads was. Of course Chase just got mad and shot them with his lasers (a whole story in itself). We had to have Chase at the chapel three hours before the wedding. Anyone who has a toddler knows that three hours is a long time! He reluctantly took pictures and did as we asked. Then literally minutes before the wedding he decided he was tired and he was threw. ACK! I almost panicked and again I remembered the sign, "Trust in the Lord, he will see you through." He did. When the time came Chase walked down the aisle perfectly. Then he spent the entire wedding entertaining. He would jump down the step and then up the step, then down the step, then up the step. He would lay on his pillow and stretch. He realized there was a small hole in his pillow and quickly looked up to tell me. He sat with his hands on his knees and his chin on his hands. He was perfect. Meanwhile one of the flower girls busted the handle on her basket and sent beads everywhere. They spent the next 5 minutes picking them up and then putting their baskets on their heads like hats (there were two of them). Oh the things kids do.

We got so many compliments on how handsome Chase was and what a great job he did. I agreed with everyone of them. I was so proud of him and he certainly earned his rewards. It was a beautiful day and a beautiful wedding, although I can't say that I'm looking forward to another one soon!

For closing I will post some pictures of our handsome little dude. My cousin (yes I have a lot of them) was the photographer and I am emailing her to get some good ones from her. I'll definitely post those too when I get them! But for now, enjoy and remember that every day has the makings for a miracle!








***I am grateful for
1) good friends and good family
2) my test results came back benign (no I didn't blog, but there were prayers)
3) clean hotels
4) handsome little boys
5) miracles, no matter how small