HAPPILY EVER AFTER

We have attended more weddings this year than we have total in the last five years. Love must be in the air, and it is so encouraging to see young couples in love, their feet on the ground, and their heads in the clouds.

Weekend before last, my nephew, Robbie, married his sweetheart, Kylee, in a beautiful, just-before-sunset, outdoor wedding. They will both soon graduate from college and are adorable together. I thought you would enjoy these pictures.

Kylee and Robbie - With This Ring

My sister, Marsha, with two of her boys, Jonathan on the left, and Robbie, the groom with the pink boutonniere. The wedding colors were chocolate and this yummy shade of pink. Just a perfect evening - a lovely Texas twilight, a host of family and friends, and a celebration. The reception was starlit with a million twinkle lights, a great dinner buffet and an evening of dancing. There's just something about a wedding in Texas - all those tapping feet and the warm hospitality of Kylee's family. Thanks for including us - we loved it!

God's riches blessings to you, Kylee and Robbie.

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Ball

The wedding party hung back amid the pillars and cushioned benches, taking a moment to catch their breaths before their grand entrance into the Magic Kingdom Ballroom. Evening clad friends and loved ones filtered in two, six, and eight at a time through heavy doors, flashing their table numbers for the greeters who checked names from the master list. The grand ballroom was lit by Never Land lamps on round tables topped with fine linen and gleaming china, and you could almost see pixie dust in the air. Guests bustled in to get a look at the topsy turvy Mad Hatter wedding cake, find tablemates, and snap impromptu photos with their pocket cameras.

Seated below the sweetheart table, Max and I were enjoying a bit of awe ourselves when Nancy, the bride’s mother approached.

“There’s a woman at the door whose name is not on the guest list. Do you know a Ruth Grumbacher? A last minute friend or relative we didn’t get on the final count?”

“I don’t think so.” Puzzled, I turned back to the Oklahoma friends who shared our table, recounting the lovely ceremony, admiring the nearby groom’s cake—an enormous white creation with the University of Oklahoma logo in red icing. An appropriate addition since both James and Allison, the honored couple, had graduated from OU. I sank back into my chair, anticipating the evening yet ahead. Truthfully, I wondered if my feet would make it through the dance I would share with my newly married son, a handsome groom that would make any mother proud.

Nancy approached again. “That woman is still here. Do you think you could have a look at her and just see if you know her? Over there. With red hair.” She pointed to the table across the dance floor.

Henna hair would be more like it. Shoulder length. A woman who’d hadn’t seen forty in a while, but neatly dressed. Wouldn’t stand out in a crowd. She stood when I came to the table . . . or rather when I made a beeline for her.

I smiled and held out my hand. “I don’t think we’ve met. You are?”

She lifted her chin and without a stammer, “Ruth Grumbacher.”

I frowned, curious now. “I don’t remember seeing your name on the guest list. How is it that you know the bridal couple?”

“I’m friends with the groom.” A matter-of-fact reply as if that settled everything.

Ha! I raised my eyebrows. “That’s funny. I’m the groom’s mother, and I don’t believe he’s ever mentioned you. Where did you know him?”

“Oh.” She perked up. “Back in Ohio.”

Knowing James had never stepped foot in Ohio, I gathered steam. She had some nerve. Obviously she’d mistaken the big red OU for Ohio. Wrong state, my friend. I blundered on, “Tell me then, what is the groom’s name?”

Her face fell, and if she’d been wearing dentures, they would have lost their grip. She stammered, “I . . . I don’t remember.”

My most apologetic smile. “I’m sorry. This is a private party, with a restricted guest list. I’m afraid you’ll have to leave.”

By now, I was aware that a number of people were watching, staring really, and in my rampant imagination, I thought this might be where our brassy Ruth Grumbacher would tip over the table or make a run for it. Wrong. She kept her composure and picked up her purse as calm as a summer’s day. I waited and said, “I will walk you out and help you find the escalator.”

From the corner of my eye, I saw Max follow a couple of steps behind me as we went through the double doors. I stayed with her. “Here, I’ll walk with you to . . .”

She turned and in a gruff voice said, “I know where the escalator is.” Her hips swayed as she marched off in the right direction.

I turned back to the ballroom, shaking my head, almost laughing. My first gig as a “bouncer.” Now that’s something you don’t get to do every day. However, in Never Land, you just never know.

Now, before you ask, YES, this really did happen. The Disney security folks made sure our wedding crasher left the building, but what if she had moved surreptiously among our cozy gathering? How many evening bags would she have pilfered through? And all those gift cards in gleaming white envelopes on the gift table? Surely she couldn’t have resisted taking one or two on her way to the buffet. And yes, I'm still curious. Who is Ruth Grumbacher? And what was she doing in the Magic Kingdom Ballroom?

Every wedding needs a funny story. This is ours. And somehow, I believe that Ruth Graumbacher is out there, scoping out her next party invasion. She’d better hope I’m not on the guest list.

Welcome to the Family

On August 2, 2008, Allison Janan Danielle Garner repeated her I Do’s and became Mrs. James Stewart, the lovely wife of our youngest son. It was a beautiful ceremony in the Rose Court Garden at the Disneyland Hotel in Anaheim. There were so many tender, beautiful moments. Lovely music. The sacred vows sealed with holy communion. The gathering of family and loved ones to wish these two precious people well.

Coming from a family with only her parents, one brother and a sassy sister-in-law, Allison committed an act of great bravery entering our family of countless in-laws, aunts, uncles, grandparents, nephews, nieces, and cousins. What a girl! We are thrilled to have her and celebrated with her and James last weekend. So, for family and friends, to those who have endured our endless litanies about wedding and travel plans, we love you. Enjoy the wedding pics.

Nancy and Jan, Allison's gracious and wonderful parents

Carla and Max (who are fortunate to be the parents of four great boys!)

The glass carriage for a fairy tale wedding, of course.

Members of the wedding party. They're not as innocent as they look :-)

Ceremony in the Rose Court Garden

The bride and groom at the sweetheart table at their reception

The Mad Hatter Wedding Cake

The groom's cake. The recessional at the ceremony was "Boomer Sooner" - what else? They're both University of Oklahoma grads. Sure makes us proud, don'tcha know?

Allison and James Stewart

I'll have another post soon about a VERY bizarre thing that happened at the wedding reception. Stay tuned!

THE GATHERING

For more than a year, James and Allison have been planning their wedding. Finally, last week, we packed our bags, boarded airplanes, stuffed SUVs with belongings and children, wedding attire, and wads of extra cash and began the journey west. James arrived first. On a Tuesday. On the day that SoCal had their biggest earthquake since 1996. James and Allison were filling out their marriage license papers when the quake hit. It’s nice to have something significant like that to seal a memory, isn’t it?

In the end, of course, there was no major damage, although Allison’s family lost a few knickknacks, and their belongings shifted from their usual places, We arrived the next evening and enjoyed a couple of days of last minute details, welcoming family and friends, and loving the balmy 80-degree days.

Here are a few pics to get you started.

The palms along Katella Ave.

An evening at Bubba Gump's with the Cowan's and Matt B.
Friends from Texas enjoying California hospitality at the Garner's
Our twin grandsons in the surf at Newport Beach

A fairy tale wedding is not complete without terrific shoes--Here's a taste of what's to come. I'll post more wedding and California photos in the week to come.

Right now, they're about ready to boot us from our hotel room, and we have a flight home this afternoon. Can't wait to share more about our trip and some of the fodder I've acquired for future writing.

Blessings!

One Week from Today—THE Wedding

It’s hard to believe that after a year of anticipation and preparation, our youngest son’s wedding is just around the corner—one week from today. James and Allison have had a storybook romance and now are mere days away from their fairy tale wedding.

All our lives have been a whirlwind of activities (wedding showers, engagement pictures, gift registration, planning, shopping, more planning). I’ve made endless lists of people to invite to the various functions, things to buy, phone lists for those who are coming. Now, I’m down to the final task: packing.

Since most of our friends and relatives live in either Texas or Oklahoma, there will be a major migration out west next week. We’re delighted that a number of friends and almost all of our immediate family will be there. We’re especially honored that my dad and Max’s mother (James only grandparents) will be there.

I don’t think I’ll cry during the ceremony, but James is my youngest, the last son to marry the girl he will love and adore the rest of his life. And I have been known to cry at seemingly odd moments, so I just don’t know. What I do know is that is has been pure enjoyment to see all our sons choose girls who’ve completed their lives and become my friends. I’m confident the tradition will continue. Allison is already a part of our family, and we love her.

One of the best things about having a wedding in California is that we will be able to enjoy the mild outdoor temperatures. Mild compared to the 110 degree index we’ve been burdened with here in Oklahoma the last few days. Max and I are hosting the rehearsal dinner on Friday night at a jazzy Mexican restaurant with an outdoor patio. Then the wedding ceremony will be in the Rose Garden of the Disneyland Hotel, followed by the dinner reception in one of the hotel ballrooms. I’m sure it will be an enchanted evening, and I will post pictures here as soon as I can.

The day after the wedding, our twin grandsons will be celebrating their 5th birthdays at Disneyland. For them, the trip to California is all about having a birthday with Mickey, and okay, while we’re there, we’ll go to James and Allison’s wedding.

Oops! The dryer is buzzing, and I really need to get started on that packing list. I’ll keep you posted on our California adventure.

Wedding Fever

This past year has been a whirlwind of weddings for the friends of our youngest son, James. Over the weekend, we attended that of Tanessa and Braden, two sweet kids who attended our church when we lived in the Panhandle.

What made this wedding unique is that Tanessa (the bride) and James (our son) have been good friends since second grade—through church, school, AND college. They fight like brother and sister and defend and protect each other in the same way. When Tanessa transferred to OU and needed a roommate, James’s girlfriend, Allison, became the logical choice, so the three of them were then best friends. Tanessa even chose Allison to be her maid of honor, and James, a groomsman.

Tanessa and James

Allison’s parents came from California for their first ever trip to the area where James grew up, and we got to be their official tour guides and introduce them to the many people they’d only heard tall tales about.

Of the two hundred or so people at the wedding, we knew probably three-fourths of them and have special memories with each one. Mark and Becky, the kids’ former youth pastor came so Mark could perform the ceremony, and hearing Tim and Margie Ramsey sing together once again was, in itself, worth the trip. Love, love, love those two songbirds and can’t even begin to tell you how much mischief we’ve been into over the years with them.

Also, our former family hairdresser, Kevin, was there (doing hair for the entire bridal party, and I heard it was QUITE the party), and his and Dyan’s children participated in the ceremony by reciting I Corinthians 13—absolutely enchanting.

Most of James’s guy friends from the youth group graduated before him, so by his Senior year of high school, it was just him and a slew of girls. They’ve all stayed in touch and were in the wedding party. Max and I had so much fun catching up with them and their parents and letting Allison’s parents get to know them. It felt a little like a family reunion, only better. We are related by our love of Jesus and each other. Precious memories intertwine our lives, and while we’ve walked through various trials and victories together, this was one of the loveliest of times.

James and the girls (his fiancee Allison 2nd from left)

Jan and Nancy (Allison’s parents) and Max and I are counting down the days until James and Allison’s own fairy tale wedding at Disneyland (less than two months). Lots of these same folks will be there to share in our joy as our kids repeat their vows. My eyes are tearing up already in anticipation.

Love. Honor. Cherish. Don’t you just love a good wedding? Any advice for this soon-to-be mother of the groom?

Story Book Romance--Fairy Tale Wedding

Seven months from today (on August 2), our youngest son will marry a wonderful, spunky girl from Orange County, CA. So how did a West Coast girl end up with a rural Oklahoma kid who graduated with a class of nine students? Providence, I’m certain. I began praying for my son at an early age as all moms do, but specifically that he would marry the girl God chose for him. What a wondrous answer to prayer.

James and Allison met the day before their first day of class at the University of Oklahoma more than four years ago. They began dating soon after, and the rest is history. They are perfect for each other, and it’s been fun to see them in love. Allison has spent five Thanksgivings with our family, gone on vacation with us, and attended a mammoth family reunion without flinching. Not only that, she loves my son. That’s good enough for me.

The fairy tale wedding will take place at the Disneyland Hotel next summer. Plans are well under way. The dress has been purchased, the menus selected, the engagement photos taken, and the save-a-date letters sent. No doubt the next seven months will fly by in a flurry of even more preparation. I’ll keep you posted.

We love you, Allison.