
Welcome to our family Derek!
Our family has grown! We gained a wonderful son-in-law on October 13th! Congratulations to Sarah and Derek! It seemed like their wedding day would never arrive, then poof, in the blink of an eye, the long-anticipated day was here and every single moment of it seemed to pass all too quickly! I think this “mother-of-the-bride” experienced every single emotion possible on our oldest daughter’s wedding day. I don’t even know where to begin to describe how I felt when I saw Sarah and her dad coming down the aisle. She looked so confident and exquisite; he looked so proud and just as handsome (if not more so) as the day I married him! Seeing the two of them sharing a special father-daughter glance now and then, smiling at family and friends as they made the trip down the long aisle of our church, knowing David would soon give our little girl away to this wonderful man who stole her heart, made a flood of memories rewind so quickly through my mind! I was reminded of the day I walked down that very same aisle on my father’s arm 27 years ago . . . I remembered the day she was born and I held her for the first time, the day her little sister Beth was born and she became a big sister, when she graduated from high school and left for college (that’s where she and Derek met!), and the day she called to tell us Derek proposed and she said yes! Wow! It was a beautiful ceremony – the scripture readings, vows and music were very touching and added so much heart and soul to the day. My sister played the organ and I think the stained glass windows shook when she played the Bridal March – goose bumps – talk about amazing!! Have I mentioned that Sarah was the most beautiful bride ever? And that her sister, Beth, was the most attentive maid-of-honor there ever was - making sure her big sister's veil and gown were just adjusted just right with her every move! But the real beauty was in this amazing couple standing on the altar of this glorious church before God, their family and friends declaring their love for one another. When Father David introduced them for the very first time as Mr. and Mrs., I was squeezing David’s hand and thinking to myself, we are truly blessed! He smiled at me and I knew he was thinking the exact same thing! Welcome to our family Derek and congratulations to the bride and groom - God bless you always!