Let The Wedding Week Begin

Under the shadow of Thy throne

Thy saints have dwelt secure

Sufficient is Thine arm alone,

And our defense is sure.

Those words from a great hymn stuck on Linda's brain as we began the last leg of the journey.  Once again, real danger had confronted us, and yet we were safe, and the people we encountered along the way were honorable.  We would remiss if we did not thank God publicly for His many blessings on us and our family, and for His protection of us on our journeys. 

On Saturday we finally made it to Cleveland, NY, and the lovely home of Raelyn's Aunt Valerie and her husband John.  They have a gorgeous house right on Oneida Lake, and they graciously asked us to stay on their property for a few days before the wedding. 

The only minor glitch of the day was a confused Garmin.   When we figured out that Garmin had no idea where their property was, we were 5 miles beyond their house on a 2-lane road with nowhere to turn around.  Eventually, we came upon an elementary school with a bus turnaround in the front and we headed back. 

Of course, we could have done the sensible thing and CALLED Valerie to make sure we knew where we were going, instead of relying on Garmin.  But that wouldn't have been nearly as exciting.

After we got Pooh II settled in and hooked up, we had a terrific evening sitting on the deck overlooking the lake, sipping Cosmos and noshing on yummy dips, chips and burgers.   You, dear reader may not have been able to share in the delicious goodies, but you can feast on these pictures of the Dziura Estate . . . a little bit of heaven in Cleveland, NY.

Spectacular View

Boating or fishing off the Dziura dock

Party Central

Just gorgeous

Pooh II enjoying her stay here

Raelyn's parents were there, and several of her other relatives as well.  Matt is marrying into a large family, and that is a blessing in itself.  Matt and Rae will drive in from South Caroline on Sunday morning, so for this night, it is just the families of the bride and groom getting more acquainted.

Once Matt and Rae get here, the festivities will begin in earnest.  This night was a good chance to relax, get to know each other better, and rest up for the whirlwind that will begin tomorrow.