Give Thanks...For Helpers

 A week and a couple of days ago, family and friends gathered for a wedding. Months of preparation and planning came down to a few hours. So much hinged on things working out just right...for many, it was a stressful situation. At the end of the night, the hall was cleared, food put away, chairs folded and tables returned to their proper place. 

And we have so many helpers to thank, because with out them, it wouldn't have happened...

Or, been the success it turned out to be.

My wife, who did most of the planning, had an army to help. The venue allowed us to set up the day before. We had family fly in for the event and they spent that time doing everything they could to prepare for the big day.

Then, the day of the wedding, we showed up early and left late. If we had to pay everyone who helped, well...it would have been a big bill. Hours and hours of decoration, food prep and display, and the inevitable clean up. When the last car was loaded with the last box, we caravaned back to our house and unloaded. We were all exhausted, but happy.

I'm grateful for helpers, those who gave up their time and talents all to make the bride and grooms's night such a success. We couldn't have done it without them.

And We End With The Cake...

 We've had a whirlwind week, which includes some incredible food. That happens when you put on a big party. When people get together, they enjoy the companionship, but also the food. And because much of the organization originated from our house, well...we had a ton of food before the party, and we brought back more food than our little family can possibly eat...

Especially, the sweets.

Oh...the sweets.

Tonight, we brought out wedding cake. It was delicious. The problem is, it all was delicious, the mini-cupcakes, the min-sweet rolls, the mini-cheesecakes, all of it. And I can't forget the Utah Truffles. Of course, there's a dark side to all this deliciousness...

And I'm not just talking about the chocolate.

Over the past year, I've tried to stay active. This past winter was not a good one for me. Why? Because we did so much shoveling this year that I felt like I was getting good workouts in, sometimes several times a week. I then would indulge in the sweets because I felt I was burning enough calories with the shoveling. Turns out, my math was wrong, so this spring, I tried cutting back.

I did pretty well, too. It kind of all fell apart this past weekend and every day since. I think I'm going to use the cake as a bookend to a wonderful week of partying, dancing, celebrating, communicating, and eating...

Especially the sweets.

The Big Day...Is Finally Here

 Today, family and friends gathered in Cache Valley to celebrate a wedding, the union of two people to become one entity, a new beginning, a new family. They will be known as a couple and no longer single.

I had no idea how much work it would be.

Sure, I was married almost thirty-one years ago. It was a while back, but I still remember many things about the early 1990s. I don't remember all the things that make up a wedding, mostly because I didn't pay much attention at the time.

It was months ago when my then future son-in-law asked if he could talk to my wife and I before my daughter returned from work. We said, "sure," and he asked us the question. Flash forward several days and weeks and here we are, in a rented room, food and decorations and a borrowed arch all in place. 

I thought, when the question was asked, we had plenty of time to prepare--plus, a couple of years ago, our oldest son was married--that I was prepared. We survived my son's wedding, no problem. Having a daughter get married increases the the complication factor exponentially. 

I had no idea about that, either.

Things are different with daughters...plain and simple, and I'm not just talking about the responsibilities of planning and pulling off a wedding and reception. No, things are different. The term, "Father of the Bride" has forever changed in my mind. And even though it's my daughter and her husband driving away as a married couple, they're not the only ones who have changed.

I am a blessed man, a very blessed man. We've increased our family, expanded the stakes of our tent to included others. Close friends are now even closer. The sun will rise tomorrow with so many changes having taken place. 

I'm one of those changes. It was a good day.

Choosing A Daddy Daughter Dance...

 I Hope You Dance

Forever Young

Unforgettable

Daughters

Time After Time

We're sitting in our living room as dusk sets on our little corner of the world trying to choose a song...a song that will be played in less than a week, a song to continue a tradition between father and daughter for generations...

The Daddy Daughter Dance at the daughter's wedding.

It's getting close.

We've got to make a choice.

I love music, as do billions of other people. I'm no scientist, but I believe humans react to music in such a way because our bodies operate on wavelengths similar to those found in music. Though maybe not exactly like that, there must be something between music and people that affects them on a deeper level. How else do you explain that urge to jump up and boogie when certain music hits you?

This is just one song. There's other songs that need choosing before the big day/afternoon/night. We'll make decisions and the music will ring throughout the hall. It will affect each of us differently, as it should...we all react in our own unique way to outside stimuli. And when the time comes, I'll take my daughter's hand and lead her onto the floor and we'll begin moving as music mixes with words. It will be beautiful and poignant and tender and sad and lovely all at once...

Such is the power of music...

And the choice of a Daddy Daughter Dance.

How In the World Did A Yves Saint Laurent Tuxedo End Up At The Brigham City Deseret Industries...?

 Yesterday my wife and I ran errands. We still have a million things to do to prepare for our daughter's wedding next month. On the way to pick up a clothes steamer of all things, we stopped at the Deseret Industries thrift store in Brigham City, Utah.

It's where we found a tuxedo.

Made by Yves Saint Laurent.

I tried on the jacket...it fit extremely well considering it was the only tuxedo in the store. I held up the pants at the side of my legs and they looked to be the right length. Neither of us could believe it was a YSL tux. My wife asked how much it cost.

I said, "Thirty bucks."

"We're buying it," she said--no hesitation.

When we find something at a thrift store (or a yard sale...) that might be worth something, we come home a do an internet search so see if we've scored a great deal. This time, it's hard to say if it was a good deal or an incredibly amazing deal. If you search for Yves Saint Laurent tuxedo, the jacket can cost between $3400 and $4500. The pants will set you back $1350. I know this thing isn't worth that, but, well...if it is worth something close to that, how in the world did it get there? Who donated it? Where did they get it?

Another mystery is the only tag in the garments. It says, "Ancient Thai Silk Co., LTD. 100% Thai Silk." I thought the entire suit was silk, but I think it's wool with silk linings. I could be wrong--I've never owned a silk suit before.

So, we bought a suit that came with unanswered questions. There's someone out there who knows the answers to these questions. The questions make the whole experience more fun.

Took A Drive Down Memory Lane...Nice Day For A Drive

When preparing for a wedding, there's lots to do. Food, clothes, flowers, invitations...

Then, there's pictures.

It's not like pictures for a funeral, but it is an ending of sorts, even though when it comes to weddings, most focus on the beginnings. For the parents of the bride and groom, there's an ending, an ending of having their child at home, an ending of the family unit never quite being the same. We are beyond excited about the upcoming event, still...

Well, things change.

Today, I was given an assignment to help find pictures of our daughter for the big day. I started driving down memory lane and ended up thinking the same thing all parents think when they enter that road...where did the time go?

I know I'm old--even my body's giving me the signals--but I don't feel that old. Yes, to me seeing these pictures of my daughter takes me back, back maybe ten, fifteen years tops. Nope...they go back further than that, back to when we lived in the apartment in the house where I grew up, the house my dad never quite finished building, back to when all kids could fit in a sedan, back when my mother and my wife's father were still alive.

A picture is more than card stock and a glossy finish. It's evidence of an event, of a glimpse of time that is always in the past, but shows an eternal present. These images and others directed me down the lane of memories, on a beautiful drive through my past.

Cluttered...But With A Purpose

We're less than five weeks out from a big day for our family. Our daughter will be getting married which, in our case, requires a lot of self-created set up. 

Translation...

There's a lot of stuff at our house.

It's been stressful ordering things, putting things together, deciding what looks good and what looks better, and envisioning the final effect. But, it's also fun and exciting. We've worked with our daughter and future son-in-law over all the details we can think of. They've been great in compromising when needed. Like all families, we can't do everything we'd like.

Our house has become part assembly line, part warehouse as things come in and depending on whether or not they need an upgrade, they are processed, boxed, then moved to the holding area where they will be unboxed at the appropriate time. 

A few weeks ago we had the most clutter, but as time ticks on and we get closer to the big day, we've been able to clear things out. The storage area is becoming cluttered, which has freed up our living quarters.

We're planning on having a huge yard sale once the wedding has become a memory. It's going to be massive. No doubt I'll spread the word on this blog and if you're in the area, we'd love to have you stop by and check out all the clutter. Until then, got to keep going. It's going to be great.

Going To Build A Wedding Arch...Never Made One Before

 There are things in life that when you go through them, you forget stuff. For example, whenever we brought home a new baby, I remembered certain things. I remembered the feedings, the changing of diapers, but what I always forgot was how much sleep we did not get.

It always slipped my mind, until, of course, from the day we brought them home, I remembered sleep would be a much coveted commodity. 

In our family, we're preparing for a wedding. I've forgotten just how much there is to do to properly prepare for a wedding. Truth be told, we don't have a lot of experience planning weddings. There was the the wedding of my wife and I, but that occurred more than three decades ago. Then, a few years ago our oldest son got married.

Preparing for a wedding as the groom's parents is much different than preparing for a wedding as the bride's parents...

A world of difference.

My daughter wants a wedding arch...not an unusual or extravagant request. We could rent one or buy one, but both options would cost more than if we just built our own. We priced lumber at our local hardware store, did a little math, and we're going to do it. 

I think it'll be a fun project. We need input from the daughter, naturally, to make it like she wants it, or at least like she wants it with our budget.

Building a wedding arch...rest assured, I won't forget doing in the future.

Still Beautiful, Even After Three Weeks...Only An Eternity To Go

 Three weeks tomorrow...

That's how long it's been since our daughter got engaged and how long we've had these beautiful flowers brightening up our somewhat slightly cluttered home. The flowers are wilting...the blue roses fairing better than their red counterparts (we think the blue dye helped in their preservation...). This afternoon it was time to discard the bouquet before pedals started to fall.

Though fading, they were still beautiful.

What if, they stayed in their original pristine state forever.

Of course, that's not possible...all things in this life are doomed to their own destruction. Everything created must expire, everyone born must die. 

A rose is many things, a living flower, a part of several ecosystems, but it's also a symbol, and as a symbol it becomes whatever we attach to it. These particular flowers represent a friendship more than a decade long that's blossomed into something even more beautiful, and like almost all relationships, has the potential to last an eternity.

I took the flowers outside to the trash that, unless society completely breaks down, will be picked up tomorrow morning. I snapped a picture...just wanted to remember them. Looking at the photo it made me think that the newly engaged couple's future will hopefully last longer than any flower, any plant, any thing that now exists.

Nothing on earth lasts forever, but things not of this earth, can.

Give Thanks...For A Proposal

 They've known each other for years. Last week, they became more than just boyfriend/girlfriend and soon, they'll be something more. Our only daughter is engaged. Family and friends turned a yoga/arial/acrobatics studio into a place where magic happens.

Funny how a simple question with an even more simple answer changes everything.

My daughter is smart which made hiding the big event even tougher. The day of, my wife and I had a difficult time not giving even the smallest hint away. Thankfully, that didn't happen, or if it did, our daughter lied to us.

We have four children, but only one daughter. Things are different with daughters...there's no other way to say it. Our oldest got married two and a half years ago. There are obvious differences between sons and daughters and weddings. We were so less involved in that event, and not because we were "left out." It's just not the same with sons. With the daughter, my wife and her have spent--what seems--like every waking hour (and sometimes, sleeping hour...) thinking about, worrying over, and planning the upcoming wedding.

Growing up, I always thought I'd have a family and they'd grow up and get married themselves, but I didn't think much beyond that. I figured I'd worry about those things when they came. Now, they're coming and I guess it's time to worry.

Worry is not the best word...more like handle. When the time comes, I'll handle it. 

Funny how life works, sometimes. In a few months (exact time and date are forthcoming...), we'll gather in a beautiful location and the two will become one. Families will celebrate and guaranteed, there will be dancing. I'm grateful for this opportunity. I'm grateful to be connected though marriage with an incredible family. I'm grateful to be the father of the bride. It is truly an honor.

Funny how a simple question with an even more simple answer changes everything.