It happened, we went through with it and it went incredibly well with a couple minor setbacks or issues. Friday was a beautiful day right up until the time that we wanted to get things started. We had 50 chairs in the backyard, tables set up, guests waiting patiently, and than the clouds decided to empty anything they had as fast and as hard as possible. It rained in sheets for several minutes which made us think that we may have to force things inside for a standing room only crowd. Kari was noticeably upset but ready to roll with the punches as was I. As soon as we were ready to move things inside, the rain stopped we got the chairs to dry and everything got started.
With the cloud cover it made things scary as we were waiting for things to get wet all over again but somehow the rain ceased just long enough for us to get things going. The ceremony went perfectly except for one small issue...did anyone else know that in LDS civil marriages that the couple is supposed to write their own vows? This was news to me! I took a glance at our Bishop's notes and when I read to that point I turned white as a ghost and asked him quietly to skip that part. Who knew?? Either way, the ceremony was beautiful and for a few minutes as we were exchanging rings, the clouds parted perfectly and Kari had the sun shining directly on her, she was beautiful. We joked later that maybe Michelle was manifesting her approval once more. :)
Kari's family is fantastic, I had an opportunity to meet her brothers and her sister altogether and had a fantastic time getting to know them better. I am excited for future opportunities to get together with them. I have so many in laws!! My Mom and Steve, Dad and Patti, and my brothers were there along with Lori, Leon and Tyler and Tosha. Mindy and Nate had made plans months ago for a family outing but we know they would have been there if possible and they were missed. I am so grateful that Michelle's family was able and willing to attend. They are as much a part of my family's life as my own immediate family and it meant a great deal to both Kari and I that they were there. After a short reception we took off to Park City for the weekend.
We stayed at the Westgate at the Canyons. What a beautiful resort. The room was big, beautiful and the rest of the accomodations were very nice. My best friend was kind enough to call me at 3:00am to make sure that all was well and to see if we needed anything or had any questions. When I saw his name on the caller id I should have sent it stratigh to voicemail. Short of that minor interuption, our first night together was amazing. Saturday we had a fun day together going down to SLC for some shopping and a movie followed by a trip down the Alpine slide. We went to the University of Utah student store and got Kari all outfitted for her first season of Utah football. I don't know if I've ever been as attracted to her as I was watching her put on all that red. I took the liberty of getting some necessities for myself for the upcoming season so I'd like to think that we are all set for another magical season on the hill. Saturday night we went to an outstanding restaurant in Park City called Ghidotti's compliments of Steve, my Mom's boyfriend. Tremendous meal, service, the works. I would highly recommend it if you are in the area.
From there, Sunday we scrambled to get out of our room on time as we didn't wake up until 10:00 and had to check out by 10:30. We went back down to SLC and took a walk around temple square and got excited at the thought and opportunity of being sealed together in a year. The tentative plan is to go to Hawaii for our one year anniversary and taking care of it than. We than went to dinner at Rodizio Grill which was Kari's first experience there. She LOVED it, says it's her new favorite resaurant, and honestly who could argue with her. Unless you are a vegan, you gotta love it. We than picked up all the clothes from Kari's house, glad we bought a Yukon or I have no idea how we could have fit everything! Sunday night introduced us to the first night with all eight of us. Navigating through piles of clothes to get 6 little ones to bed was difficult but not as bad as we thought. Bribery sometimes works wonders! The boys went down and stayed down without a problem. The girls unfortunately, different story. In their defense, they are now living in the basement in one big bedroom. Brit and Matti were scared and Brooklyn was having seperate issues. It took a couple hours and a few visits to get things under control and finally they were asleep. So 2.5 hours for all six to fall asleep we guess wasn't too bad for day one.
We know it won't be easy but we know it's going to be worth it. We are dedicated to making life as normal as possible for all of us but especially the kids. They seem to be doing well but we know that there are going to be hiccups along the way that we will have to negotiate. Nothing we can't handle. Kari impresses me everyday with her calm demeanor. Must be a trait of a teacher because I have never had it. She'll definitely be the calm one of the two of us. Leave it to me to overreact and yell while she calms me down. I love being with her. We have had so much fun getting to know each other since we've been together.
With the cloud cover it made things scary as we were waiting for things to get wet all over again but somehow the rain ceased just long enough for us to get things going. The ceremony went perfectly except for one small issue...did anyone else know that in LDS civil marriages that the couple is supposed to write their own vows? This was news to me! I took a glance at our Bishop's notes and when I read to that point I turned white as a ghost and asked him quietly to skip that part. Who knew?? Either way, the ceremony was beautiful and for a few minutes as we were exchanging rings, the clouds parted perfectly and Kari had the sun shining directly on her, she was beautiful. We joked later that maybe Michelle was manifesting her approval once more. :)
Kari's family is fantastic, I had an opportunity to meet her brothers and her sister altogether and had a fantastic time getting to know them better. I am excited for future opportunities to get together with them. I have so many in laws!! My Mom and Steve, Dad and Patti, and my brothers were there along with Lori, Leon and Tyler and Tosha. Mindy and Nate had made plans months ago for a family outing but we know they would have been there if possible and they were missed. I am so grateful that Michelle's family was able and willing to attend. They are as much a part of my family's life as my own immediate family and it meant a great deal to both Kari and I that they were there. After a short reception we took off to Park City for the weekend.
We stayed at the Westgate at the Canyons. What a beautiful resort. The room was big, beautiful and the rest of the accomodations were very nice. My best friend was kind enough to call me at 3:00am to make sure that all was well and to see if we needed anything or had any questions. When I saw his name on the caller id I should have sent it stratigh to voicemail. Short of that minor interuption, our first night together was amazing. Saturday we had a fun day together going down to SLC for some shopping and a movie followed by a trip down the Alpine slide. We went to the University of Utah student store and got Kari all outfitted for her first season of Utah football. I don't know if I've ever been as attracted to her as I was watching her put on all that red. I took the liberty of getting some necessities for myself for the upcoming season so I'd like to think that we are all set for another magical season on the hill. Saturday night we went to an outstanding restaurant in Park City called Ghidotti's compliments of Steve, my Mom's boyfriend. Tremendous meal, service, the works. I would highly recommend it if you are in the area.
From there, Sunday we scrambled to get out of our room on time as we didn't wake up until 10:00 and had to check out by 10:30. We went back down to SLC and took a walk around temple square and got excited at the thought and opportunity of being sealed together in a year. The tentative plan is to go to Hawaii for our one year anniversary and taking care of it than. We than went to dinner at Rodizio Grill which was Kari's first experience there. She LOVED it, says it's her new favorite resaurant, and honestly who could argue with her. Unless you are a vegan, you gotta love it. We than picked up all the clothes from Kari's house, glad we bought a Yukon or I have no idea how we could have fit everything! Sunday night introduced us to the first night with all eight of us. Navigating through piles of clothes to get 6 little ones to bed was difficult but not as bad as we thought. Bribery sometimes works wonders! The boys went down and stayed down without a problem. The girls unfortunately, different story. In their defense, they are now living in the basement in one big bedroom. Brit and Matti were scared and Brooklyn was having seperate issues. It took a couple hours and a few visits to get things under control and finally they were asleep. So 2.5 hours for all six to fall asleep we guess wasn't too bad for day one.
We know it won't be easy but we know it's going to be worth it. We are dedicated to making life as normal as possible for all of us but especially the kids. They seem to be doing well but we know that there are going to be hiccups along the way that we will have to negotiate. Nothing we can't handle. Kari impresses me everyday with her calm demeanor. Must be a trait of a teacher because I have never had it. She'll definitely be the calm one of the two of us. Leave it to me to overreact and yell while she calms me down. I love being with her. We have had so much fun getting to know each other since we've been together.
