[Note: Long post. I'm longwinded. I know. I'd like to say I'll change but let's face it... I won't. So too bad.]
Sorry I'm so slow at posting. Life around here has just been crazy lately. I can't believe how much their always is to get done and how their always seems to be so much more.
I went down to Utah a couple weeks ago for Alyssa's wedding. It was such a wonderful time.
I went down on Sunday and helped Grandpa work on his and Grandma's life stories. He needed help with the scanning and pictures and I was happy to help. I also spent a bunch of time playing with my cousins. We set up a plastic slide on the hill and had a water slide. They loved splashing and soaking me and I loved listening to them giggle every time that they did.
Tuesday night I went with Grandpa to the Hale Theatre and we saw the Wedding Singer. I loved it. It's set in the 80's and the music and costuming were just fantastic. My parents would have loved it. It was just such a fun show.
That night and for the rest of the week I stayed in Kaysville with Alyssa and her family. We were trying to figure out where everyone would be staying and it was going to be so crowded and expensive to have everyone in hotel rooms and I knew that my great-aunt and uncle had an empty house that we might use. They are serving a church mission and so I called and they were of course very willing to let us stay. My mom's cousins washed sheets for us and got everything ready. It couldn't have been more perfect - the house was two blocks from the stake center and only minutes from Dan's home in Layton plus we had a yard for the kids to run around in and plenty of space for all of us. We are so grateful to my aunt and uncle for their kindness and generosity in letting us stay with them.
Dan and his brother Matt took us out boating on Wednesday. I tried wakeboarding for the first time. I didn't quite get up but I didn't want to take anymore time away from the rest of Alyssa's family. None of the kids had ever been out skiing before and I wanted them all to have as much time as possible. I'm going next week with Grandpa and later in the summer at Lake Powell and so I didn't need to take up their time. It was such a fun day though. There is no happier place to me than on the water.
Thursday we spent at Temple Square while Alyssa and Dan did a session. The rest of us watched the Joseph Smith movie and went through the visitor's centers. I love temple square. It has so many feelings of wonder and awe from my childhood, memories of peace and love from trek and a million happy thoughts from visits in between.
There was a dinner at Dan's grandparents that evening which was fun. I'm so glad for little kids. I didn't really know many people there and there wasn't much reason to be meeting new people and so I was happy to listen to stories and throw footballs instead. The little boys were impressed that I could throw a decent ball. :)
I stayed up late with Lyss and Dan that night working out last minute details, taking flowers to the decorator, ironing tablecloths and doing other little things. I finally got to sleep around 2:30 and woke up around 6:30 to go do a bunch of those little things - dropping off tablecloths, picking up the bouquet, etc. We got Alyssa and her parents out the door and then got the rest of us ready and drove to the temple.
Look how cute the people I got to be with are!
Waiting, waiting, meeting people whose name I probably will forget, trying to keep kids out of the fountain, waiting, keep the bouquet out of the sun, pinning the boutonniere on Chris, fixing the boutonniere, waiting, and then...
Here they come!!!!
So happy and so in love. I am so excited for them. Sealed together for eternity. I want that - more than anything else.
These are just a few pictures that Laura and I got that day. They aren't the best quality or the best angles, etc... but they show what we looked like and how happy it was.
After we finished pictures Eva and I drove down to Salt Lake to pick up the cake from someone Lyss knows from school who did it. This was an adventure to say the least. We had to have the A/C on freezing cold to keep the cake cool (buttercream frosting will melt) so we were so cold during the whole drive. Secondly we had to balance a HEAVY three layer cake on a HEAVY wooden stand on my lap. Then Eva had to drive my Grandpa's car (which she had never driven before but she was not about to take the cake) through stop and go traffic between Salt Lake and Layton. Oh and the stand only had about an inch on each corner that I could use to hold onto. And did I mention that it was HEAVY. Every bump, stop and corner the cake would wobble and lean. It was crazy. By the time we got to the reception my blood pressure was so high. Never doing that again. I could just imagine a sudden stop or a fender bender and my face ending up in the cake and I didn't think Lyss would appreciate that very much. But we got it there safe and sound and I even carried it in without dropping it. Wonderful day. It was crazy but it will be one of my favorite memories with Eva (second only to
the bean war) because just like that night we alternated yelling with laughing and had the best time. I love that girl. So much.
The reception was nice. The gym looked incredible. A lady in Dan's ward decorates and she and her sister-in-law had done it all. It was gorgeous. And we didn't have to do setup. The food was extravagant but yummy. But excepting the families I knew a total of about three people there. Luckily all of us kids went out and decorated the car for a good chunk of time. They accidently left it unlocked and we even got the inside too. Funny story: I had some things that Dan and Lyss needed to take with them and I went to ask them if they just wanted them in the car. Dan said yes please and reached to give me his keys and I said oh I don't need them - it's unlocked and just smiled. They both looked at me and I nodded yep, done. :)
There was some dancing, some bouquet tossing, some streamer throwing and then they were gone.
We cleaned up and went home. The next morning we cleaned up the house and I went back to Grandpa's. We spent the evening watching old family videos. What a treat. I just laughed and laughed. Megan and I used to be exactly the same as we are now. Except that Megan used to eat dirt. :)
I came home on Sunday. I definitely got a speeding ticket when I was this side of Boise almost home. I was anxious to get back for Sunday dinner and had just sped up to pass someone and hadn't slowed back down when the cop clocked me. Bummer. I guess pretty much everyone gets one at some point right? :(
Some thoughts when all is said and done:
I'm so happy for Lyss - she has been a roommate and best friend for the past three years and I'm so glad that she found someone so wonderful to spend forever with. And I'm so happy that person was Dan because he is such a good friend as well.
I'm so excited to go the temple someday. I don't know when it will be but until then I will do all I can to be patient and prepare and be worthy to go inside. I can see how much it has blessed the lives of my parents, other family and many friends and I'm looking forward to the day when I can go farther than the baptistry.
I'm so glad that I got to stay with Alyssa's family. They are the most beautiful people you will ever meet from the inside out. I was so glad for the chance to get to know them more. I was also really grateful for Alyssa' parents and how much I learned from them even in just a few short days. Chris (Alyssa's dad) sat and talked with me about boys and career goals. He listened carefully to what I had to say and then gave me heartfelt advice. It was really helpful to hear some ideas from another perspective. They are such good people and it was a privilege to be with them.
I have a few thoughts about weddings and receptions. Last summer I was pretty close to a couple weddings and I was intimately involved in this one and after them all I don't think I will be doing it the traditional way. Mormon receptions are typically expensive gift drop offs and since we try to put them on the wedding day and are very frugal it usually means that those closest to the bride and groom - family and friends are busy running around getting things ready and then see nothing of the couple. I think that's stupid. I'm not suggesting scrapping it altogether - I want to do something for sure. I love people and would love to see friends and family that won't be around for the wedding. But I would much rather have a casual backyard party a little while after the fact. We'll see how this idea develops and changes as I go to more weddings and grow up and as I actually plan it all with someone else. :) But seriously. Too much too fast never made anyone happy.
Lots has been happening at home since then and I'll get around to writing about it at some point. Until then... go outside and enjoy a beautiful summer evening. That's I'll be doing.
