Charly was getting married on Valentine's Day. We came home late from districts, and I said goodbye to Daniel and Lizzy, picked up the other kids, and drove the 3 hours to Arkansas for the reception. We arrived at the hotel just before midnight and settled the kids in to sleep. The ceremony was at 9 AM, so we didn't get much sleep. Upon reflection, I should have just gotten up early and driven down. But the kids got to see their cousins for breakfast, so that was fun. I dropped the kids off at the church next to the temple with their cousins and a few games, then I headed into the Bentonville Temple.
It is a small temple, but the sealing room was ample. I sat with Mom and Dad as we waited to be called up to the sealing room. It was nice to catch up in person. Makayla sat with me, too. That was fun. We debated how much time the sealer would take. Some can be quite long-winded when presented with a captive audience. In the end, he didn't speak too long. He did say something interesting: that it didn't matter if he messed up or didn't say the words right, it was still valid. I found that courious as most temple ordinances have to be stated correctly or redone. After this, he invited the fathers to take their seats as witnesses, and he performed the ceromony, he did, in fact, mess up, so maybe his earlier statement was to excuse this? I don't know. In any event, they said yes, and we went outside for pictures in the gloomy day. The rain stopped for a bit, and we got some good shots. It was chilly, though Jessica looked Fabulous!
Waiting for the couple.
They arrive triumphant!
A proud Father.
I called Charles to release the hounds, ie bring the cousins over for pictures. Teddy was less than enthusiastic about this activity. He did like playing in the arches, though.
We were released to go to the church for the reception while they continued taking pictures. This was only a few minutes away, and as guests slowly trickled in, we tried to keep clean and be helpful. Luckily, as parents themselves, the newlyweds had provided toys and boggie boards to entertain the littles.
Using their capes responsibly!
My parents have a theory about cake cutting and its correlation to the success of a marriage. If they are polite and gentle while feeding their partner, they will have a long, successful marriage. On the other hand, if they are rude or forceful or smash the cake into the face of their companion, the marriage will inevitably fail. When it came to their time, Austen asked what the crowd wanted him to do. We were very loud in our support of a nice feeding, which he shrugged and acquiesced to. I don't know how that falls on the scale.
Teddy loved the frosting.
The Daddy Daughter dance was briefly disrupted by Terry Martin. He related to Jess and the DJ that for his own Mother Son dance, they did the chicken dance, so he had the DJ play that in the middle of the song he had started.
When that stopped abruptly, Rex called it good and was applauded for his efforts. He is not fond of dancing, and I bade him pull out his Saturday Night Fever routine. Which is just the finger-pointing bit.
The music and dancers were renewed with a new addition. Brandy joined in.
Henry spent most of the time either on his tablet or playing Uno. I could not convince him to eat anything, unfortunately, but he was quite content.
Jessica and Mom were able to coax Charles and Sean to dance. Devon was a harder case, but did stand up for a bit.
We wished them well with bubbles.
It took hours to clean up, and then we decided we would head to Texas Roadhouse for dinner. I called Mom and invited them. Our plan had a crucial flaw; it was Valentine's Day, and they had a 5-hour wait! Luckily, I spied a Golden Corral with a few empty parking spaces open nearby. I convinced them to go there instead. I was worried, as in general buffets have a bad rap, but I knew they had steak, which was a non-negotiable for Jounon. The boys had fun with the softserve.
After a filling dinner, we bade goodbye to everyone except Brandy and Jessica, who would be joining us for a few days. It was a long drive home, but the company made it easier. I hope Charly and Austin have a wonderful honeymoon!
