The Wedding Day

 Trying to remember Laila's wedding day... Even if I want a wedding day to be more like 80/20-- this won fell right in line with the 50/50 mode.  

The first 50%.....

The sunshine coming out after the 7 minutes of rain was glorious.

Watching all of the cute flower girls lined up and trying to hold still for their turn to go out.

Being with Laila alone in the bride's room helping her into her dress and looking at my gorgeous girl.

Walking Laila down the aisle with Wayne under an umbrella.

Addison couldn't stop laughing while we all sat in the rain..it was ridiculous.

Seeing Landon with his jacket, Terry Welch with an umbrella and Tim Wangsgaard with an umbrella tying to help all of the bridesmaids and their hair survive the rain. 

Laila and Markus wedding vows to each other were perfectly perfect.

Loved dancing with two year old Elsie, she has all the moves. And baby George loves to dance too.

Loved watching Wayne and Laila with daddy/daughter dance practice in our kitchen earlier in the day.

Facetime of George and Eileen... earlier in the day. Having our Gilardi's show up from Scotland was a big ask and they did it!

Felt the love from many people who came to our circus.  Even if all I said was, "Welcome, glad you are here." 

Watching Jenna and Savannah race for the bridal bouquet. They almost tackled each other.

Sophia's face when Markus is taking off the garter under Laila's dress...and her comment, "What is going on?"

The cake smash in Laila and Markus' face.

The Family dance to "21st Night of September"... was a riot. So proud of Sophia and Andrew joining in.

The shoe game turned out fun and funny.  People actually quieted down and listened. 

Costume change.  Great to get Laila out of her wet clothes and into something comfortable to dance in.

Liz and Al staying til the bitter end... such great support.

Laila and Markus celebrating through the sparkler send off.  

Love Shack playing from the convertible parked on 500 south. Laila digging it. Markus driving off in the "surprise" convertible that Tru arranged.

 -------I think I have a little PTSD???

Now for the other 50%.......

RAIN-- Laila being determined to be married outside even in the rain. Only half the people had umbrellas.  None of the wedding party had an umbrella.  SO WET! 

Not being able to see who was at the ceremony because so many were huddled under an umbrella or sheltering against the building. 

Laila's dress got soaked.  We were wringing water out of the bottom of it. 

Veil got ruined-- so many holes and jewels missing.

We ran out of food.

Sound system not working for the song that Dusty and Charsti sang, or for the song as they celebrated back up the aisle.  Coming in and out.

Paisley had to cut her ceremony words short...every paper drenched. 

We couldn't stick to the schedule. Needed to start on time, or needed to say reception at 6:30.

Had the B-team at Canterbury to help us...everything was a struggle from getting the slide show to play, to taking charge in moving chairs, or wiping off wet chairs, or having umbrellas? 

The dance songs and building echo were so loud, had to be in hallway to be heard.

Hub-bub- in the parking lot between Markus mom and stepmom's families.  What?!?

Almost missed Markus and Laila sparkler send off, cuz I was trying to light 3 little girls sparklers who were sad.. 

Laila lost my diamond earring.

The jambook -guestbook didn't work out great.   I made the sign wrong with the instructions.    Plus, we  needed to have info on each table in the food hall to remind people and help them through the process.  

I'll end with something beautiful. 

Poem delivered by Addison and Bre during Wedding Ceremony:    Pablo Neruda Sonnet 17

   “I love you without knowing how, or when, or from where.

I love you simply, without problems or pride;

I love you in this way because I do not know any other way

Of loving but this In which there is no  “ I “ or you,

So intimate that your hand upon my chest is my hand,

So intimate that when I fall asleep your eyes close.”

George and Eileen talk

 Laila woke up on her wedding day with a priority on her to-do list... facetime George and Eileen. 

They were thrilled and Laila's smile never left her face the entire time.  George and Eileen  were so excited to see her and shared their love.  They said , "Grandma Sheri and Grandpa Lyle are up in heaven bursting. "  George gave some sage advice:  " The greatest advice I can give you is a secret...that I only share with everybody.  Be Happy.  Anger is a choice.  You choose to be angry.  So too is Happiness.  You choose to be happy.  Look for the good things.  You'll find it. "  Eileen:  "George always promised me, that we would always have enough love to give away, and that's why we had enough to bring Karen into our lives.   Every waking minute of George's life is really spent  thinking of ways to make me happy.  His only choice to make him happy is to make me happy. And I just want to do everything to make him happy.  Put each other first.  Sometimes you are just looking at each other, lying there, thinking, does it get any better than this?"

It was all very sweet. 

Bridals

 

Laila WeddingTribute

Laila’s Wedding tribute delivered at her wedding dinner....   Sept. 20. 2022

Sunrise, Sunset from Fiddler on the Roof. SING:   Is this the little girl I carried , Is this the little boy at play.  I don’t remember growing older..when did they? When did she geet to be a beauty?  When did he grow to be so tall?  Wasn’t it yesterday that they were small?  Sunrise Sunset    Sunrise Sunset swiftly fly the years. One season following another, laden with happiness and tears. 

Laila… I’m speechless…. So … I asked friends and neighbors to give me some words to describe her… Permanently optimistic. Friendly and inclusive to all. Sincerely interested in others. Soft and tender with a core of STEEL! Cheerful, loyal, caring, a drive to be better, sweet, beautiful, happy, independent, Confident, Kind, Mature, Determined, spiritual,  tender-hearted, hard working, someone who loves whole heartedly, an absolute joy to be around, loves family, big smile, even bigger hugs, very empathetic, unfair treatment of those she loves hurts her deeply, thinks of others first, over-comer, stubborn, family first, generous heart, Spunky, thoughtful, compassionate, smart.   

Uncle Adam: “She could be hanging out with the coolest high school friends or popular people she knows and she would stop what she was doing and she would recognize us and say hello and give us a hug.” 

What’s cool about all of these attributes is you could say the same things about MARKUS.  They are a great match!

The last time Laila lived alone with a boy it was her imaginary friend Jarret in the cereal cupboard.  Laila loved to clear out all of the cereal and sit in the dark cupboard with him.  She had decorated his home with stickers and colored markers on the wall.   “Jarret is very smart”- she tells us he is so much smarter than her and Laila talks to him a lot.  She is very sad if the boys pretend to step on Jarret or say that he’s not real.   She actually cries.  When she wanted to stay home and not go with me places, she would say, "It's ok Jarret will tend me."   He tells her bad jokes and she reminds him to be on Jesus' team and not make the devil happy.  She loved Jarret so much.  HE even had a whole family that she would report on.  She talked to him for years and  played with him and then he  had a tragic ending.   And now Markus has taken Jarret’s place…. so watch out.... !

Time is fluid and my memories flow back and forth from baby to teenager …

I see her the first time our eyes met at the adoption agency in Philadelphia– she was the most beautiful black curly haired baby I had ever seen.

I see her selling rocks to the school kids as they walked home from school

I see her dancing as a bumble bee in her first ballet recital.

I see her afro hair bobbing while  shaking her booty to “Hey sister, go sister”… Lady marmalade.

I see her saying the most sincere prayers.  “And please, please, please bless all of the butterflies that we can never catch them so they will always be happy. Amen." 

 “And thank you for all of the animals that give us food, and all of the animals that are just to look at. And just, thank you for everything...except black widows. Amen.”   

 "Thanks for Earth so we don't have to live in space, cuz it would be really hard to find stuff. Amen.”  

I see her putting on Tinkerbell wings knowing they are magic and that she will fly.

I see her needing my shoulder.. She said it “ folder”…to help her stop crying.

I see her wearing the same utah sweat shirt jacket and athletic shoes every day in 4th grade.

I see her making McDonald’s friends easily…and always wanting to bring them home to play.

I see her watching all of the Peter Pan movies  over and over… (Peter Pan the Cartoon, Old Broadway Peter Pan, New Broadway Peter Pan,  “Woohoo girley” the movie Peter Pan, and Hook.)

I see her stripping off her clothes as soon as she comes in the house and heading to her room

I see her  cheerleading at games for MPJH and BHS

I see her and MARKUS in sumo wrestling costumes jumping on the tramp.

I see her eating cheap powdered donuts with her dad on his motorcycle.

I see her in her carseat  singing with me at the top of our lungs a song from Spelling Bee.  “I love you” 

I see her being the leader of her I Hate Pickle’s club…. But she would let those who liked pickles in the club too.  She’s always been inclusive.  

When Laila was little people would ask about her family.  She would say,   "I have 2 moms and 3 dads and lots of brothers and sisters."  The sisters include cousin Lindsey Welch, cousin Becca and friend, Gina Nickl.  She would go on to explain, "I have my birth mom and my mom mom.  My birth dad, my real dad and my Heavenly Father and my brothers, Addison, Landon, Truman, Monson and Jesus...but I don't get to see him very much."

IT was all very sweet and a little confusing. She always understood that we are all brothers and sisters here on earth and we need to help each other, love each other  and have each other’s backs.  

And now Laila gets to add more people to her family and what I know is she has the heart for it. It won’t be hard for her.

Once we were talking about adoption and reminding Laila that Jesus was adopted.  Mary had Jesus and then Joseph, his earthly father, adopted Jesus. Laila's eyes got wide and she tearily said, "I'm just like Jesus...only whinier."  

I would like to end with another song.  I wrote a song for each of my kids as I rocked them to sleep at night…this is  Laila’s song …

Laila Laila, Laila look what you’ve done for us

Laila Laila Laila turned on the sun for us

Since you came our way, It’s Christmas..

Christmas every day.

Oh Laila you’re gorgeous, funny, happy, adorable too

Oh Laila we all love you. 

 

 

 

 

Labor Day weekend 2022

Labor Day weekend was great. 

We were in Carlsbad, California with Tim and Linda Wangsgaard.  – We spent the weekend at many beaches, making sure we saw the sunset each night, eating a ton of Mexican food… The Taco Stand, and Mike’s taco stand were the stand outs, having Salt and Straw ice cream twice and Side Car Donuts.

Wayne made it back to his favorite Kite store at Seaport Village in San Diego and got himself a NEW kite...  

We went shopping at Nordstrom Rack,  and played a lot of games by the pool.  We watched the Utes opening football game.  It was in Florida and we should have won… we lost in the last seconds with an interception from Florida….. All heartbreaking. 

On Sunday we went to Brunch with Tru, Laila and Van Welch.

It was really hot this weekend, an unprecedented heat wave… so Tru and Laila were in her very hot, NOT air conditioned apartment in Oceanside and we were happy to be at an air conditioned hotel in Carlsbad. 

ON Monday  we were playing and filming a Tik Tok dance video of “Eat the chips, abuse those hips, Kick the child and pose.  Double losers, take a picture, throw a tantrum, napkin shirt, magic spell, magic spell.”  Tim Wangsgaard is always the one instigating all of this... my kids always think it's me, but it's Tim.    We were laughing and having a great time at the La Jolla tide pools, enjoying the ocean and then…..   I slipped on a mossy rock and went tumbling into a water filled crevice soaking myself and  hurting my hip, my shoulder and skinning both elbows.   Yikes.   It was another reminder that life truly is 50/50.