Ben and Haley Got MARRIED!!!

It was a surprise to me when Ben insisted we set up our Christmas tree on Thanksgiving night. Glen and I were happy to have help, so we jumped right in on the plan.

Ben and Haley were getting married soon and they seemed anxious to have everything nice for their first Christmas together as a soon-to-be-married couple.

Haley worked like a champ to get the wedding plans in place and then the guests started arriving in town for the December 5th wedding. Abe was our first guest to arrive. He had flown in from a work trip in Florida.

Laurie flew in a few days early to be here for Haley's bridal shower. Jacob got here the morning of the wedding. I was happy to have a play day with Laurie before the shower. We went to the Festival of Trees. 

Laurie insisted I stand by the Mexican-themed tree to get me ready for my Spanish-speaking mission.

Laurie and I probably enjoyed the gingerbread houses even more than the trees. This house was made by a friend of Rebecca's.

This lovely three-house ensemble was made by my friend Becky Hanson. It symbolizes the struggles her little grandson has endured this past year as he's been dealing with a brain tumor.

Time for the bridal shower. Sarah hosted it at her house with Rebecca, Laurie and me as her able assistants.

We were so happy we had such a great turn-out of people attending the shower.

Meanwhile, back at home, Klarissa had arrived in town with Newland and Wynne. Her sister Mariah picked her up at the airport.

Wedding day found these cute little boys playing Legos together at our house.

The little boy cousins gathered together once again to play for a while at This Is the Place Heritage Park where the wedding festivities were being held.

 Presenting Mr. and Mrs. Thomas.

 

My favorite Jeff moment of the evening--and I didn't even know it was going on until I saw the following two photos.

Ben's buddies showing him some love.

 

 

We so much appreciated the efforts our family members from out of town made to be here for the big event. (We did miss Jacob's children a lot!)

Thanks to everyone who took pictures and shared them with me. CONGRATULATIONS Ben and Haley on your wedding!!!! 

Quotes of the Week

"We don't forgive people because they deserve it. We forgive them because they need it... because we need it. We all need it." 

 -- Janis Joplin 

"I've learned that you shouldn't go through life with a catcher's mitt on both hands; you need to be able to throw something back." 

 -- Maya Angelou 

"I'm taking all the negatives in my life, and turning them into a positive." 

 -- Pitbull 

"The thing that I think is the most important is taking moments to express your appreciation to your partner. A thank you or a quick kiss can go a long way toward affirming your relationship and commitment to each other. That's not hard to do even when you're juggling insane careers and three kids." 

 -- Michael Ian Black 

Thanksgiving Day

Turkey Day was delightful. My brother Mike had just finished putting on a huge addition to their house and he and Lorene were anxious to show it off. What better way to admire the beautiful new kitchen than to show it off with some delicious food accentuating the place?

Eli arrived looking very pleased with himself all dressed up in his Indian headband and necklace.

There's that cute little ambidextrous thumb-sucker.

Double turkey carving going on. It looked and smelled yummy.

Kathy and Wes were enjoying the big new family room while waiting for everyone to arrive.

The big sectional couch was impressive as it could hold a lot of people.

The huge couch looked exceptionally cute with two little boys perched on the edge watching something on the television.

Amanda was looking very festive wearing her turkey earrings.

Here's the food spread looking very delicious.

Even better than the food picture is this picture of the pre-dinner table.

Our after-dinner entertainment was a card game that involved this action during the last hand of the game.

It was a lovely day and we have many things to be thankful for at this time of the year.

Quotes of the Week

"Everything that happens to you is either an opportunity to grow or an obstacle to keep you from growing. You get to choose." 

 -- Wayne Dyer 

"A person may break your heart and damage your pride, but never ever give them the power to break your spirit." 

 -- Susan Gale 

 

"I like people with depth, I like people with emotion, I like people with a strong mind, an interesting mind, a twisted mind, and also someone who can make me smile." 

-- Abbey Lee Kershaw 

"Never be afraid to act. You never know how far away you are from your goal -- sometimes just reaching out and putting in a little bit of effort can be enough. And, even if it's not -- you tried, and that's far better than just sitting and waiting for a chance to present itself. If you want to achieve something you have to act, you have to take risks and you have to believe in yourself." 

 -- Author Unknown