Celebrations on the road
Recently we took a weekend trip to the Chesapeake Bay area to attend a family wedding. This kind of trip has its own minor challenges, coordinating family arrivals at several area airports from different locations.
One of the more important events aside from the wedding was celebrating a four-year-old’s birthday in the midst of all the other festivities. The father of the bride was also celebrating his birthday the week of the wedding, so the storyline of “Sixteen Candles” came to mind more than once during the weekend.
As the airlines continue to find ways to supplement income from ticket prices, it is important to pack with care wherever you are going. In an effort to reduce the charge for extra baggage, we put all the things that would not pass through security into one suitcase. The only problem is that we didn’t decide to do that until we were in the line to get our boarding passes. Trying to keep unmentionables “under wraps” while pulling out cosmetics and nail scissors, etc., and people in line fuming because of the delay was a cartoon I’ve seen somewhere but didn’t find so amusing at the time!
Upon arrival in Baltimore we picked up a rental car that had been reserved. Observing people at the car rental counter who did not have a reservation made me glad we hadn’t made that mistake.
There is only one bridge that connects from the Washington, D.C. area to the east side of the Chesapeake Bay, so we were prepared for a lengthy drive during rush hour traffic. With construction delays and the usual rubber-neckers, we made the trip just in time for the evening’s social hour and rehearsal dinner at a lovely bed-and-breakfast outside of Chestertown.
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- The birthday boy on his fourth birthday
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- The Bride and her parents process across the lawn.
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- The bride’s niece and nephew performed beautifully as flower girl and ring bearer.
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- A beautiful setting for a wedding, overlooking the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland
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- Dinner was served in the comfort of the tent, cooled by fans.
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- Such fun to have family together!
Now we’ve made it to Saturday with a four-year-old who needs to celebrate his birthday. How to do that encamped in a Holiday Inn Express? The advantage of it being a wedding weekend is that all the cousins were there, so they and their parents were invited to the indoor pool at the motel for a swim. Hurriedly-purchased small gifts (that could be easily packed for a return flight to Oklahoma) and a tasty birthday cake from a nearby Walmart made it seem like a carefully planned party and a good time was had by all. The birthday boy certainly didn’t feel neglected!
The wedding followed at 5 p.m. with guests seated facing the bay on the grounds of the bed-and-breakfast. While the weather was quite warm and humid, guests were provided Chinese fans to help with the heat. A social hour followed under the trees, and huge fans cooled the air in the tent where a dinner buffet was soon served. An evening of speeches and visiting and dancing topped off a wonderful weekend.
While the Chesapeake Bay area temperature was no warmer than what Oklahoma was experiencing, the humidity made it feel warmer. The men were more than happy to remove their coats and ties, and my lovely purple dress showed the effects of the humid heat.
If you should plan a summertime trip to that area, be sure you take light-colored, lightweight clothing that will help you feel cooler. And if a child’s birthday celebration is in order during a vacation, it isn’t hard to accomplish a party that makes him/her feel celebrated!
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