You couldn’t have asked for a nicer day on Saturday for a wedding.
This weekend, my cousin got married at one of the cutest little venues in Mercer County. It was an outdoor wedding, and the weather couldn’t have been more perfect. This was the first time that I’d heard of the Amazing Grace Barn, but I have to say that it is an amazing place to have a wedding.
Mercer County makes for a nice weekend getaway, and that is what some of us did, staying at the Hampton Inn located in nearby West Middlesex. In Sharon, you have plenty of nice little shops, and one of them is Daffin’s Candies. Reyer’s was in town but has moved to the Eastwood Mall in nearby Niles, Ohio. The original Quaker Steak and Lube isn’t far away. Just make sure the wings you order agree with your tastes.
Back to the wedding as we all gathered outside around 3:30 to look at the seating area. Had it rained on Saturday, the enclosed portion would have been where the wedding took place. A well-picked wedding party it was, for sure, and how about those ring bearers. P and H looked the part in their matching suits.
The wedding soon gave way to the reception held inside. The spread was perfect, with charcuterie to start us off. Youngstown BBQ provided amazing food for the reception, and I just loved that brisket. The dried food hit the spot as did the ham that was cut for us as we asked for it. It was nice to see our family from State College show up, as they made the journey across I-80 (always interesting). Disco music is a welcome earworm at wedding receptions (and also after Toastmasters conferences). We heard some of the best and this was the first time I danced in a while. I think the Spring conference was the last time. It’s a great way to close your activity rings.
Being in Mercer County on Saturday took me back to my college days as well as when I was working at WIS. I traveled up to Hermitage a few times to count the JCPenney that is now closed. The mall that was a retail destination for years is gone as well, torn down to make way for new shopping meccas. In my college days, we visited a church in nearby Transfer and sang songs of worship. As a group, we all saw the Passion of Christ at the Shenango Valley Cinemas in 2004. I also went to school with students who lived in the area.
We only went up for the day and came home later that night. Everyone else would make it home Sunday. Overall, a full weekend. We definitely some of our best moments the next day.
To close off the blog, I’ll highlight my Sunday morning. I started off at Caleese, where I enjoyed the Pumpkin Banana Bread Latte that was their weekend feature. Afterwards, I attended church at Mountain View Ministries as was in my plans. It was a nice experience, and I stayed after for lunch (those who were with me made me feel welcome). This season of my life is making its comeback, and I’m excited to see what happens.
Even though I missed the bonfire, it was a good weekend and plenty of football lay ahead on Sunday.
