Michelle and Zak's Wedding

While Paul was still in France, I needed to find a way to get to my sister's wedding in Utah. A friend of ours graciously agreed to watch my oldest three for a day and a half so I could just take Lydia on the flight during the overlap between our trips. It was Lydia's first time flying, and she did great that first stretch!

She even slept for a good chunk of it! I was patting myself on the back for having over-packed my bag of entertainment, but it probably had more to do with the plane being nearly empty and there being lots of room to spread out.

We were there by 8:30 that morning, so we had the day to help a little with wedding preparations. I spent the morning meeting and getting to know my soon-to-be brother in law, Zak. I also got to have lunch out with my brother, Nathan- because honestly, after that entire trip last month, Cafe Rio never happened- and that needed to be remedied!
My sister Michelle requested that I make her bouquet, which was a little surprising since  a) I have zero experience with flowers or arranging them, and b) my Grandma who lives fifteen minutes away from them is a trained florist. Her mother was a florist too, so it's in her blood. Anyways, I agreed as long as I could collaborate with her, and had a marvelous afternoon doing it. She is a jack of all trades, and I love any chance I get to learn from her.

And here was our finished bouquet! Michelle and I found an inspiration image on Pinterest that we both loved, and went from there. I think it turned out perfectly for the look we wanted. 

Lydia was back at my parents house during all this, and got a few minutes in with just Grandpa.

I think they bonded. :)

The next day, we celebrated my brother Nathan's birthday. It was a fun morning with several of my siblings there.
Then we got ready for Michelle's wedding! The ceremony was perfect. I loved being there in the Salt Lake Temple, reliving some of my own memories and being a part of hers. It was nearly ten years ago that Paul and I were married there. How time flies!

Michelle and Zak looked radiant! They really do seem good together.

The kiddos did great outside the temple during the ceremony with some of my cousins. But while we were taking pictures, Lydia was hard to keep track of. There were something like 87 weddings that day, and she just had a knack for getting lost in the crowds of bridesmaids and photographers.

We were lucky to have seven of the eight siblings there together. We were only missing Rachel, who unfortunately could not get there. She was in the middle of a move with her young family - from Germany to England, and there was a problem with her visa. We missed her!

The reception turned out great. Michelle and Zak even got to spend a good chunk of the evening dancing as they had hoped.

I had a marvelous time catching up with lots of family and friends who I hadn't seen in years.

The centerpieces that I also helped plan (not assemble) turned out really pretty, although I don't have a decent picture of them. We used old vintage books, hydrangeas in wide glass bowls, candles in assorted glass jars and lace layered over linen. 

Lydia was a trooper. She had a looong day, but she made it. She even got to dance with the beautiful bride herself.

The next day was Sunday, so I got to go to church with my Mom and Dad and two of my brothers- David and Bryan. Lydia had some great bonding time with everyone, I thought. She is so cuddly and affectionate. We also had dinner with Zak's family, and they were really cool. Michelle and Zak will be living near his parents, so it was nice to get to know these people who will be so much a part of her life.

That evening, Lydia and I boarded our flight to head home. I'm sure I was a little overly confident after the first flight, but I could not have been prepared for how disastrous it was. First of all, the flight was almost completely full. I counted it a miracle that the middle seat in our row was empty, because I couldn't see any other empty seats anywhere. Unfortunately though, that one extra seat wasn't quite enough for Lydia to spread out like she likes to when she goes to sleep. She spent the first hour and a half just wiggling and thrashing and occasionally screaming- trying to get settled. When she finally did, she only spent about twenty minutes asleep before she woke up SCREAMING from the air pressure (probably coupled with teething pains in her two bottom molars) for maybe an hour. And there was nothing I could do. The lady next to us had been somewhat understanding the entire time, but I could tell she had reached the end of her limit and was crouched into fetal position, eyes closed, plugging her ears. I have never felt so helpless. It was awful. Lydia finally quieted down once we landed, and I apologized profusely to everyone. And then I just cried and cried on the way home from the airport to Paul, who I hadn't seen in over a week. It was a great reunion! ;)

So other than the flight home, it was a marvelous trip for me. I was so grateful to be there and to witness that special ceremony. Nothing quite like it.