They Tied the Knot

My dad got married on Saturday. It was bittersweet and beautiful. I haven't seen my dad smile like that in a long time. It was a weekend full of tears and laughter and I found I really enjoyed spending time with our family, both close & newly extended. It hasn't been easy, to welcome others into the life I have known so well.

Friday kicked off with the rehearsal and dinner. King Wok was the restaurant of choice, and we definitely did the King justice. The final entree served was "Happy Family", a fitting tribute to the remainder of the weekend.

We woke up early on Saturday to Mimosas and coffee. A few lemon drops later, we had our pictures taken and folks were arriving at the church. I carried the Cross (thanks to a catchy tune from the Finkeldei girls, I had a pretty good beat walking down the aisle!) Sarah carried the Book and Kelley found her way to the alter to deliver the readings. Our guys were all in the wedding party, Eric standing as the Best Man and Tony & John serving as Groomsmen. Jake cleaned up well in a tux as one of the ushers and the other grandkids all looked smashing in their wedding finest!! We really do clean up well!

The reception was quite a party - lots of dancing (my dad has quite a few moves!), cake, toasts and pictures. It was great to see some old family friends, as well as lots of folks from the Alma community (going to Alma College got me a lot of mileage at this party....) Aside from a few sore toes, we all had a great time!

So, Dad & Gloria are off to Hawaii for their Honeymoon and the rest of us are back to work. I have come to realize through all of this that while it hasn't been super easy for any one of us, we all agree that happiness and love is what we all, even our parents, deserve.

Enjoy some pictures....http://www1.snapfish.com/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=233554179/a=17566229_17566229/t_=17566229