Paige’s family drove down from their home in Alabama to meet us in Florida just a few days after Tim and Queenie’s wedding.
I was so stretched before this trip that I did some research about what a person needs in order to reset. I liked this list of three things,
Is anyone still with me after this long break? Here are some photos of Tim and Queenie’s wedding day at the Draper temple, the wedding luncheon, and the reception. We were busy, we were joyful, we had fun; my heart ached because Mark wasn’t with us.
We love our newlyweds!
I am taking a break from updating my blog during the next few weeks. Weddings call forth many private emotions and so many errands. You can picture me in the aisles of Hobby Lobby on (another) “last trip for the wedding,” running errands, facilitating a big luncheon for family and friends, and preparing church lessons, etc. It’s a time to celebrate Tim and Queenie and to cherish the covenants of the temple sealing. While I am busy, I know that no detail of the wedding matters more than those few minutes in the temple being sealed as husband and wife for eternity.
Dale and Richard greet each other on the phone with this drawled phrase, “Now, what’s goin’ on?”
Richard decided he wanted to spend some time with his parents over the weekend so he made it happen. Happy faces.
Each year, Paul adds new calls to our dance, and these pictures show that this isn’t your grandma’s Virginia Reel. (I’m pretty sure our grandmas would love it, though.) We had great participation this year at the Sanchez reunion.
What you see here is my effort to be a better family member. I wear Grandma’s red boots for this annual dance and I fiddle my hands off to offset the classical violin music I foisted on the family in the past, as well as other annoying firstborn behavior.
Richard took Daniel, Tim, and Queenie to Marysvale to pick up our truck where it broke down three weeks ago and was getting repaired. It was a tender mercy that the mechanic was so convenient and kind. He even stored our trailer and three 4-wheelers at his house.
Richard arranged for a do-over for the activities from the Ross reunion that our kids missed three weeks ago. They stayed in the usual campground, took a ride on the mountain on the four-wheelers, had a picnic, and got rained on.
So many details need to be juggled on trips like this and it takes great effort. Our kids have the kind of father who handles these details, and he was even prepared with matching rain gear. 😁
This was one of the calls I had with Paige on her birthday this week. We mix and match people who can participate for any given thing. Of course we miss the other members of the family not included in this shot and others. I took for granted being a 6-person unit that I could count on to see each day, but as much as I miss them, I don’t want them to clip their wings for me. They are doing amazing things in many places.
Paige is worth celebrating!
Paige is a wonderful mother, a peacemaker, a kind friend, and a keeper of traditions. She is what a disciple of Christ looks like. She’s strong, patient, steady, faithful, and a listener. She has developed many gifts. She’s a talented professional illustrator, a foodie, a dancer, a musician, and a wonderful daughter. And so much more.
Tim and Queenie had some early wedding photos taken last week, and I was surprised and honored that Queenie chose to get ready at our house. She asked McKenna to do her hair and makeup, so our dining room became a salon for a few hours. I was occupied with preparing food for the family reunion the next day, so I enjoyed the company while I worked. Daniel and Tim were there, too, Tim trying to tie a bowtie for a lot of the time.
As I’ve said before, this phase of life is either eerily still or bursting with activity. Observing McKenna and Queenie, I felt deep gratitude for these two women.
I am glad that I went to the Ross reunion and that I could see how Richard’s family is doing. I am glad that Queenie and I had a good talk driving to and from Marysvale. I will remember witnessing the terrible Monroe fire not far from where we stayed. I am thankful for Richard’s mother who worked hard to alter Queenie’s wedding dress. This year, we had a smaller group of people, but the core Ross family was there. None of my children could attend, but Queenie represented our family well. One way we remembered the people who were missing was to do a puzzle made from a picture from 3 years ago.
I am thankful that we took two cars. And someday soon, we will retrieve our truck from the auto repair shop in that tiny town 3 hours from home. 😬