Birthdayness

We celebrated Howie's 28th birthday last weekend. One thing that we've established in our marriage is that I'm not really capable of keeping a secret from him. So - he figured out early on that I was planning to get him a hybrid golf club. And then, he also guessed that I planned to take him golfing so he could try out his new club.

It was a day without many surprises - but a good day, all the same. This was the first time I've actually played a game of golf, instead of just practicing on the driving range. We played a simple par 3 and just nine holes. And we went in with the agreement that we would cheat when needed. We had a really, really great time!

Then, we went out to lunch at the Cheesecake Factory. Howie left me with too good of a clear opportunity to talk to our server - so I made arrangements for them to decorate his cheesecake and for the staff to sing to him. He HATES attention, so he promised all kinds of revenge... But it was a good memory. Don't know that I'll ever pull that one off again.

Finally, we had Howie's family over for dinner. Howie loves homemade chicken cordon bleu... and his mom brought his favorite german chocolate cake. Sunday, we celebrated with my family at Sunday dinner.I'm pretty sure he got the message... but just in case he missed it, I'd like to throw out a happy birthday in the world of blogs. It's been another wonderful year with you! I'm so lucky to have you in my life.

Fireworks in the rain

Have you ever watched fireworks in the rain? Well, we did it for the first time last Saturday.

My family all goes to the fireworks in the town where my parents live each year. And every year, since I got home from my mission, Howie and I have taken his sister and niece with us to these fireworks. This year, even Howie's sister was on her honeymoon, we decided that we should still take our niece. So we picked her up in the early evening. She helped me cook dinner, and then we went to meet my family at the fireworks.

The skies looked ominous all afternoon and, well, just as we were arriving, the heavens opened and it started to rain. It was only heavy for a bit, and then just started sprinkling. But, all of my family was there sitting in their cars, so we decided to wait and see. (Calling each other on our cell phones and running between cars to talk, share treats, and play games.)

Minutes before the show was due to start, the rain stopped. So, we climbed out and went to watch. But, just as Rihanna's "Umbrella" came on in the music accompanying the fireworks came on, it started to rain again. You would have thought it had been ordered that way. Fortunately, the grand finale came next, so we didn't mind so much staying there and getting wet. Besides, it was one of those moments you'll probably never forget.

Family Wedding (Introducing Brian's Family)

I posted earlier that Brian's sister was engaged to be married. The wedding was about a week and a half ago, now - and I thought that writing about the wedding was a good way to introduce his family. So here are some of the highlights from the wedding, and a little bit about the family.

Brian's the youngest of four children - three boys, one girl. His family lives all over the country. His parents are just 10 minutes away from us (so long as it isn't rush hour). His only sister, who just got married, lives just a few minutes away from them. His two brothers live out of state. He also has grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins out of state.

However, scattered across the country as they are, his family is one of the closest I've ever seen. And here's the trick. Whenever something brings the family together in the same place, it is an event! You put other projects on hold - taking time off work, if possible - and you spend that time together.

Family started arriving for the wedding on Thursday, which was also Brian's company Lagoon day. So, we got tickets for all the family that was in town and interested, and we all went together. After a late night, we slept in on Friday, but by noon, went to visit temple square.

Brian's second brother lives all the way on the other side of the country. He has two daughters, ages 6 and 4, and a 1 year old little boy. Both of the girls are very smart - the result of some very smart parents. Because they live so far away and can't visit often, this was a first visit to Temple Square for them. It was fun to experience it through their eyes.

When we got back, Brian's oldest brother had arrived, and all the men went off for a tux fitting. Brian's oldest brother lives in the neighboring state, so they can visit a bit more often. He has two girls, ages 7 (turning eight very soon) and 6. His wife is very shy, but we're pretty good friends. In fact, if it weren't for her and how well the two of us work together, I don't know how Sunday's barbecue would have gone... but we'll get to that.

I'm slipping in a picture of my father-in-law at the tux fitting. He's a very funny man. Usually very quiet and reserved... but very pensive. He liked to really understand things, and isn't afraid to ask whatever questions come to his mind. He's usually not too eager to get in front of a camera, so I had to throw this in.

Saturday night we got a real treat. For the first time since I got married, Brian's family was able to go to the temple together. His parents, brothers, sister, sisters-in-law, grandpa, aunt, uncle, and cousins were there! It was the first chance I've had to be in the celestial room with them all together. (Since I was endowed before my mission, we didn't do an endowment session before our sealing). This picture was taken after we left the temple. It's a bit dark... but still fun to have a picture of us all together at the temple.

Saturday was the rehearsal luncheon. Brian's sister was divorced about 5 years ago, after learning some pretty surprising things about her husband. Since then, she and her 6-year-old daughter have been living with Brian's parents. About two years ago, she was set up on a blind-date with her now-husband by, of all people, his father. He's a really great guy! A good dad for our niece, and a good fit in the family, since he's a computer nerd as much as my brothers-in-law. (Only this sister has resisted the family's love of computers.. and her new husband brings balance to the family.)

The rehearsal luncheon was our first chance to meet his family. Their family is much smaller and more reserved than Brian's... which is funny because Brian's family is INCREDIBLY calm and reserved compared to mine. They treated us to a wonderful lunch, and then surprised us all by shared a family tradition with us. Each member of their family gave a small hand-me-down gift to the bride to welcome her into the family. Each gift was something they already owned, but each has a special significance. I was really impressed by this and vowed to adopt the tradition when my own children are married.

Sunday was Brian's family's turn to host. And, since Brian's mom loves hosting parties - especially weddings - she decided to throw an elaborate Sunday barbecue for all of the extended family. And everything that could go wrong tried to. Fortunately, one of the things I share with my mother-in-law is that we think a lot the same when it comes to hosting parties... so with a little work and a lot of convincing I was able to shoo her out of the kitchen and my sister-in-law and I took care of things while she entertained her guests.

And finally, the wedding was Monday. We arrived early to tie bows on chairs and help where we could. Since there were plenty of people taking care of the bride, I got to hang out in the bride's room and take care of the bride's mother (my mother-in-law). She doesn't often wear makeup... so she had me help her get made up. (Which is funny because I don't wear much... Just the basics that a mission companion of mine who sells Mary Kay introduced me to).

The ceremony was beautiful! By a waterfall... Both bride and groom teared up when they saw each other. The reception afterwards was also beautiful... After a while they opened up a dance floor and my nieces danced the night away. Brian and I were supposed to take extra pictures, which we did for a while, until we got distracted with decorating the car.

After so many late nights, and so much fun, we absolutely crashed! Family visits are always fun, but it always takes us about a week to recover from it. Which is part of why this post took so long to get up.

Bridal Portraits

Howie's sister is getting married the first week of August. She's gone through the ringer trying to get her wedding dress altered just right. She got the first alterations back the same day as her scheduled bridal portraits. However, between bad alterations and some sloppy photography, she wasn't happy at all with how they came out.

So - Howie offered to do a new set of bridal portraits for her. Howie loves photography! He was a yearbook photographer in high school. About a year ago we bought him an Digital SLR camera so he'd have a really good camera to work with again. And he takes it with him everywhere.

We met at the state capital. Howie's sister has a 5-year-old daughter who Howie calls "spoiled baby". She came dressed up for portraits, too. Also with the entourage the maid-of-honor, also a photographer taking pictures, and Howie's mom. We took our time and had fun and Howie took a TON of pictures! (Enough to fill a 1G memory card, and half of a second).

That combined two of Howie's favorite types of photography... bridals and children.

Howie did an amazing job! I followed him around adjusting the dress and hair.

When we came home, we played around a bit with the pictures in Photoshop to see what we could do. That's one of my favorite parts of Howie's hobby. I am pretty versed in Photoshop so we put his photo printing experience and my software and design know-how together we can turn out a pretty good picture. Here are a few of my favorites.