After-Christmas Weddings--Including Preston's Wedding

Christmas break. 'Tis the season for weddings. Two days after Christmas we attended the wedding reception of Ben's friend Chase Elwood and his new wife Melissa.

The next day we attended the wedding of two of our missionaries, Garrett Sanders and Silvia Nieto, in the Provo City Center Temple.

We had enjoyed visiting with a former missionary, Kenna Pierce, in the heated rotunda while waiting for the bride and groom to emerge from the temple.

I was elated when Glen let me pick the restaurant for our after-wedding meal. I have enjoyed our dining experiences two other times at La Jolla Groves and was eager to dine there again. It did not disappoint. I loved everything about the time we spent there.

The atmosphere makes you feel like you are in a grove of lemon trees. You could reach up and pick a lemon if you wanted to do so (provided you want a plastic lemon, but you get the picture).

We had a doting waiter. We had delicious food. We had a great dining experience. But, I must say the crowning point of the meal was at the very end when the waiter placed a very small ceramic white dish in the middle of the table. In the dish were two lemon drops. Those two candies just made my day!!!!

Love has been in the air for bridal couples, as well as this couple who both served in our mission, Ethan Murdock and Madeline Moore. She was at the airport waiting for him when he very recently returned home from his mission.

We do so much enjoy the romances that blossom from serving in the same mission.

The next day we attended a wedding reception at the Joseph Smith Memorial Building and saw two of our former missionaries there. They are the BEST of friends. Ever since the mission.

A man has now come between them...but, Braden Shill promises to share his wife Miah Froisland with Ciera Bradley even after their marriage. Lasting friendships are so dear.

The reception room they were in was on the top floor, so we were able to look down over Temple Square and see the festive Christmas lights from that viewpoint.

In the lobby we spied the Light the World Giving Machines. This is when there was a line and Glen didn't want to wait. Scrooge!!

On Sunday we had a visit from one of our former assistants, Trae Jordan. It is very nice when we are able to stay in touch with some of the missionaries. They don't all reach out to us, but for the ones that do, it is nice to get caught up on what they are doing in their lives.

One week following surgery, on New Year's Eve day, we were back in the cardiology office at University of Utah getting my stitch(es) removed. The wound is right where the pacemaker is located. 

The bandage got removed along with two of the steri-strips used to hold the wound together. Then the medical assistant gave a long, continuous pull on the end of the thread and that thing was the length of the wound and came out all in one piece. ICK!! I had never had stitches (or should I say a stitch) like that before!

My pacemaker was checked and found all well with it--except for the fact I have no upper lead wire. But, at this point, I guess we give up on having that possibility become a realty. 

I did share with the Medical Assistant in training and her supervisor that I was still having a hard time filling my lungs, but that was the extent of that.

When we got home, we found a bottle of bubbly on our front porch. It was left there by Jan Evans so we could have a rip-snorting, snazzy, exciting New Year's Eve celebration. (Those descriptive words were mine--not hers. She was just being very kind.)

Soon Jan was on our front porch handing me a beautiful bouquet of fresh flowers. How doubly kind of her!! The flowers are beautiful and I do so enjoy looking at them every time I go in the kitchen. What a dear friend!!

We had not one thing planned to bring in the New Year, so we were just duds spending that evening at home.

There was one thing that got scheduled on our New Year's Day and that was dinner with Patricia Morgan, our friend from Albuquerque. She was in town for a wedding. Steven was supposed to join her, but his flight out that afternoon got canceled.

There was a big snowstorm that was supposed to come on New Year's Day, all that night and continue into the following morning--on the day of my nephew Preston's wedding.

We awoke to a little bit of snow on New Year's Day and then no more precipitation the rest of that day, none during the night and no moisture on the wedding day. HURRAH!!

We picked up Dallas and Rebecca so they could go with us to the Brigham City Temple. Ben, Haley and Kade were there as well.

I enjoyed the view from the temple looking across the street at the beautiful Brigham City Tabernacle.

The married couple stepped out of the temple to the group of expectant family and friends.

Then it was photo time.

The wedding breakfast was at Jeremiah's Restaurant in Ogden. It was a true breakfast and was so delicious. It had to taste extra delicious to Rebecca who had been saying for 2 hours that she was starving.

The wedding reception was held that evening at a church building in North Ogden. It had a very rustic feel to it and was so beautifully decorated.

Amanda made the beautiful pine cone quilt.

Amanda made the wedding cake. Maggie did all the flowers for the occasion. We were admiring the pine cones worked throughout the bouquets, the boutineers, the cake and the table decorations.

Sam and Kathy were sitting at our table and I was getting a kick out of Kathy getting two chocolate doughnuts. She said one was for Wes. She was taking both of them home to him to see which one he would pick before she ate one. Such a kind mother!!

Since she is such a chocolate lover, I was teasing her about her choice of doughnuts. She pointed out she chose hot chocolate to drink over the hot cider. At the end of the evening, I noticed she had a chocolate mint on her plate. I love her passion for chocolate.

We had earlier been talking about public displays of affection. Kathy said she and Sam don't even like to hold hands in public. Even that's a little too much PDA for her. With a little prodding from Sam, he showed me that he will hold his wife's hand in public. 

It was a fun and beautiful wedding day.

I love my brother Andy and his family. It is a wonderful thing to now have Danielle a part of the family.