Emily's wedding

On 22nd January, Abe's youngest sister, Emily, got married to Roeland. We drove to Tucson for the wedding.

The journey there went really smoothly, but left us all pretty tired. We'd planned to break the 12 hour drive into two days, but Leo was so good that we just kept on driving. I was pretty sore - I guess I'm not used to sitting down for so long - but arriving at our destination more than made up for any discomfort felt.

It was great to see everyone and we all had a fun weekend. There were a few problems with the hotel that hosted guests and events, but luckily the Connally crowd are not easily deterred from having a good time.

The wedding was beautiful, with a lovely outdoor setting and stunning bride. Abe and his uncle Bart performed the ceremony jointly- how often do you hear the words "I married my sister today, and so did my uncle."?

I wish we had gotten more photos. But somehow we didn't get around to it, what with being tired from the trip, managing Leo and his wayward sibling, and enjoying the festivities.

The highlights for Leo were playing with his cousin, Arlo (especially when Arlo played some tunes on the piano), and borrowing his uncle Bart's Ipad. There were of course other great times, like pretend farting with his grandpa at everyone who went by, but those are more commonplace events.

Congratulations Emily and Roeland, and thank you for putting on a great weekend.

After the wedding, we went to spend a few days relaxing with Jim and Vickie before heading home. Leo was amazed to find out that Santa had come to their house as well and left him something there. This Santa dude is pretty impressive.

For more photos, click here.

Shelly's Wedding

The second part of the trip took place in Arizona. We had a long day traveling from Florida to Tucson. It seems like Leo just got used to the three hour time difference and then we came back. Oh well.

Abe's second eldest sister, Shelly, was getting married, and pretty much the whole Connally clan came to share the day. All the siblings, the parents, uncle and aunt and two cousins.

We had a family party on Saturday night, where the Connallys got to hang out with their new in-laws. It was a lovely evening.

Then, on Sunday, we all went down to the river for the ceremony. It was really sweet and simple, in a scenic, tranquil setting. An obviously happy and well-suited couple, and we're so glad we were able to witness their vows to each other.

Then came the reception. Again, everything looked great. Everything about the wedding was what would be called low budget, in that they did all the catering and decoration themselves. To be honest though, it was the most beautiful and stylish wedding I've been to.

Leo was awesome. He barely cried or whined at all, despite being super tired. He seemed to make friends everywhere he looked, especially on the dance floor. I eventually took him back to Shelly's house early and he crashed.

Everyone had a great time. Just like my family, these are people who really enjoy each other's company and make the most of each time they get together. There were smiles and good times all around. I think it's generally accepted though that Zane is not allowed to mix the shots again!

Congratulations Shelly and Donna.

For more photos and videos, click here.