Weddings and Such

I knew this year would hold three family weddings.  So why have a family reunion with all of those family get-togethers?  We thus cancelled it for the year.  The wedding whirlwind began in March with grandson James and his marriage to Alejandra.  This month brought two more.  Grandson Scott (brother of James) was sealed to his sweetheart Jessica (yes, another Jessica!) on April 14th, in the Provo Temple.  Scott's Jessica comes from a large Mexican family from Texas.  Most of them were at the sealing, seriously outnumbering the family Galbraith.  They were a loving, friendly bunch and very protective of their girl Jessica.  It was a lovely ceremony, with a warm, happy spirit filling all of our hearts as we watched Scott and Jessica give their lives to one another for time and all eternity. 

The Ramos family provided a joyous reception in a nearby Church building.  Since the wedding and reception were both held in Provo, where almost none of either family lived, the attendees were mostly those who were also in the temple.  Smallish.  But so much fun!  There was food, and, most important, dancing! Those Ramos folks can dance!  I managed to drag Layne to the dance floor several times and get into the rousing rhythm of music that begged to be danced to.  I think Layne
even enjoyed it.  Here's the Bride and Groom.

Chase and Morgan came, with son Hunter.  They do live in Provo.  It was so fun to visit with them.  While we were, my nephew Brent and his girl Shannon came.  It was the first time we met Shannon.  We liked her right away.  She and Brent are to be married in May, in Salt Lake.  Of course we will be there!  As we visited, Reed and Dorothy joined our circle and talked and laughed with us for most of the reception time (except for our occasional dancing).  It was great fun.

Here are Scott and Jessica Ramos Galbraith.

Bob and Maryanne came to the sealing with us. We spent our down time with them, including Sunday.  That was fun too.  It has been awhile since all four of us have gotten together.  Maryanne is a genealogical genius.  Each time I visit, we go through some sort of family stuff--from pictures to records of all sorts.  Her mind is an encyclopedia of family information.  I am well out of her loop of knowledge but manage an occasional dip, which I try to record for future reference. 

On Monday Layne dropped me off at the Salt Lake Airport, then drove home.  I flew to San Francisco, after some delays of course.  The SFO airport is almost always delaying flights due to "weather."  It is most frustrating. But the good news is that I did eventually get there.  Since I was going stand-by that is always an issue.  I planned to take BART to Pleasanton, where Audrey, or some family rep, would pick me up.  But somehow at the transfer station I misread the rotating message containing destination information and wound up in Walnut Creek before I discovered my mistake.  So more delays while I took a train that actually took me to the right station in Pleasanton. 

Rayne's fiance, Dom, and his family picked me up there.  His mom, new step-father and younger brother were all piled in Rayne's small car.  It was a cozy ride back to Audrey and Cliff's, but fun, as we talked all the way.  With lovely British accents, they told me a little about themselves.  I so enjoyed them.  They felt good.  Imagine traveling all the way here from England, to be here for the wedding that they cannot witness.  Dom is a convert and the rest of the family are non-members.  But they were lovingly ready to support him by being here anyway.

I offered to come to California early to help Audrey, Rayne and family finish wedding preparations.  There was much to do.  Our days were filled with activity.  We worked on clothes, decorations, food and even the wedding cake, as the baker Rayne chose backed out too late to get a replacement.  Friends of Rayne and Audrey joined me as house guests.  On Thursday Layne, Gerald, Seth and Angelica arrived, adding to our household numbers.  It was crowded, busy, and fun. 

Building the cake became a group project.  Here you see the household girls putting candy pearls all over the cake.  It took quite awhile!

We got all preparations done and, on Friday, headed for the Sacramento Temple, where Rayne and Dominic were to be sealed.  The "google girl" took us on what appeared to us to be a circuitous route, but we still made it there early.  The grounds around the temple are somewhat wooded, with the temple located at the top of a hill.  The angel Moroni appeared atop the trees as we approached.  This may be the loveliest setting for a temple that I have seen so far!  Dom's family were there too.  I told them a little about the temple, its purpose, and what the ceremony would be like, hoping that they would feel comfortable about it.  But I worried that they would be sad to be outside as we all entered the doors of the temple without them.  I soon realized that....I had forgotten my recommend!  I rushed inside the temple to see what could be done and they were so kind and helpful.  With no hesitation the temple president allowed me to enter, and offered to talk to Dom's family, in the temple waiting room, about the Temple.  That turned out to be quite wonderful, and just what they needed.

Here is Dominic's family, the Rickards.

The Sacramento Temple is lovely.  We were led to a beautiful sealing room, where I was allowed to sit in the groom's Mother's seat.  Audrey and I thus sat on either side of the Bride and Groom.  That was a sweet privilege.  Rayne looked radiant as she knelt across from her handsome Dom.  Their vows were sweetly exchanged amid the embracing spirit that fills the temple.  It was lovely and inspiring.

Mr. and Mrs. Rickard, just exiting the Temple.

All of us gathered outside the temple to greet the emerging Bride and Groom.  Pictures followed.  Then we hoped for a quick drive home, as Scott and Jessica's Open House began just two hours after Rayne's and Dom's wedding.  It is a two hour drive, so we knew we'd be late.  Once again, the "Google Girl" took us on a merry ride through country roads that led us back to our starting place.  How does that happen?!  With some re-programming we finally made it to the Open House in Brentwood.  It was lovely.  We were late, but we were there! 

Mr. and Mrs. Galbraith, at the Open House.

Dorothy ordered tons of food, so much was left over.  We decided to use the leftovers at Ben and Jessica's on Sunday, as we planned to gather there for an extended family bond.  Now, no cooking was necessary!

Saturday morning Gerald left, to fly back to Taiwan.  He had been with us for several weeks.  When he comes, he stays long enough for me to get used to his company.  So when he leaves I feel the emptiness of it.

Saturday afternoon was Rayne's and Dom's reception, held at a garden location in Livermore.  It was a lovely place, and framed the happy occasion beautifully.  There was a ring ceremony, which included words from Rayne's dad and Dom's mom.  It was held outside, surrounded by trees with a pathway lined with rose petals for the Bride and Groom to walk through.  A meal followed, provided by Cliff, with some assistance from the family.  We met old friends and new ones there and had a lovely time. 

Rayne and Dominic at the Reception.

Here are my three Jessicas:  Jessica Ault Galbraith, Jessica Ramos Galbraith, Jessica Galbraith Gendreau.

Three grandsons served as ushers:  Miles Gendreau, Vincent Galbraith and Seth Galbraith.

Great-grandson Hunter (grandson of Audrey), all dressed up for the Reception.

Newlyweds James and Alejandra at the Reception.

The planning for these things takes months, but it is all over so quickly!  But forever memories are made by these happy events.  We spent Sunday at Ben and Jessica's, as we all met for dinner and visiting.  The cousins chased, talked and played around us as we visited and ate.  I love being with family.  We moved away from these events and I often regret it.  It takes effort now to be with family.  I love them and miss them.  All of them.

Grandkids bonding at Ben and Jessica's.

We are home now and have spent the week getting back to normal.  I'm tired, but happy.     

A Visit From Taiwan

"Would it be OK if the folks visit", Gerald asked me in an e-mail.  He was referring to his in-laws, Frances' parents, from Taiwan.  Of course, we agreed.  We really like the Changs.  A couple of days later, they pulled into the drive-way!  So we spent last week entertaining our Chang family.  The folks Chang don't speak any English so we were dependent upon the kids, Gerald and Frances to translate.  But even without their help, we found a way to sort of communicate.  In a non-verbal sort of way.

We quickly planned some outings and spent last week touring.  We went to Boise City, a mining town that was once booming and is now set up for touring.  The oldest home there was built by Galbreaiths, but with a slightly different spelling.

Here we are in front of the Galbreaith house.  Papa Chang, Layne, Mama Chang, me, Gerald.  The picture was taken by our in-house photographer, Frances.  Here's a cute shot of her by another of the Idaho City houses.

The kids were in school when we took the Changs to Idaho City.  As you may remember, the kids were not very impressed with their experience there.  But this time we happened to meet up with a local lady who served as our tour guide and discussed much of the local history with us.  This became our best trip yet.

Later we took everyone to Walter's Ferry, which I've discussed in this blog before.  It is an interesting property once owned by a doctor and his wife.  When the doctor died, Cleo, his wife, turned the property into a meandering journey filled with all sorts of statues and bird houses.  Many of the statues are religious, with Christ's tomb re-created, as well as a small praying chapel and a rainbow on the hill above.  It is always fun to walk through this place.

Here we are in front of one of the statues of the Savior.  Papa Chang, Layne, me, Gerald and Mama Chang.

Layne and I surround Einstein and give him kisses.

The Chang folks.

We spent lots of time driving around town and taking it easy at home with these lovely people.  How I wish we could talk heart to heart but the language barrier is just that.  Still, we managed to make a generally sweet connection.  I think the folks wanted to check out the arrangement for their grandchildren and make sure it was going well.  I think they were pleased.  But of course I'm not sure of that!

Frances and her mom spent quite a bit of time shopping. That girl loves to shop!  I don't blame her though; prices here are much cheaper than in Taiwan.  She comes home from each shopping trip with bags of purchases.  "These were so cheap," she assures me.  And always, she gets something for me.  This time she bought me a plaid jacket.  I like it!

In addition to shopping for clothes, Frances also shops for Chinese food.  She bought a bunch in California, on their way here, and has filled my pantry with all sorts of Asian snacks.  I'm not sure we will get through them all, but I challenged the kids to try.  The good part of all this food is that Frances and her mom took over the kitchen the whole time they were here.  I did not cook at all!  Frances is a wonderful cook so it was a week's treat to eat her Chinese meals.  

Frances took this picture with our house in the background.  Here are Angelica, Mama Chang, Gerald, Papa Chang and Seth.

In our living room, Frances took this of all of us, except her.  Here are Gerald, Papa Chang, Mama Chang, me, Layne, in front:  Seth and Angelica.

Everyone but Gerald left on Tuesday.  So I'm cooking again.  Chinese.  I've got to since Frances left a collection of left-overs in the fridge.  But tonight Gerald and I made American sweet rolls.  We feasted!

Easter

Here in Idaho Spring Break came at a great time; the week before Easter.  Snow greeted us at the beginning of our free days.  Not quite a spring greeting.

But in typical Boise style, it was almost all gone by the end of the day.  And look what greeted us after the snow melted!  Our yard is exploding with new life. That is the joy of changing seasons, as we experience here.  I never tire of seeing the magic the change of seasons brings.  It reminds me that, like the plants that seem to die in winter, we too will die and awaken to new life one magical day when we leave this mortality.

New life includes ground squirrels (in Idaho language, whistle pigs).  They are running all over the back field.  Layne has begun his war with them, as they invade our yard as well.  He began with a pellet gun and has moved on to gopher bombs.  I think he has cut down on the population but we still spotted some digging in the lawn.  So the battle continues.

As we anticipated a week with Seth and Angelica at home, we tried to plan activities to fill their time and be fun for all of us.  We started by going to see Black Panther.  We loved it!  Layne is not a movie guy so he didn't go, but the kids and I went.  So fun!

We thought it would be fun to take the kids to some of the local sights, so we began by taking them to Idaho City, an old pioneer town that boasts some pioneer Galbraiths.  In spite of all our enthusiasm, they were underwhelmed.  

Here we are in front of the oldest home in Idaho City, built by Galbraiths!  Spelled differently but still a part of our family...somewhere.  There was a decided lack of enthusiasm by the kids.  Can you tell?

They perked up though when we took them out to lunch at a nearby restaurant.

Nothing like food to cheer kids up.  That effort at entertainment didn't work out so well.  So I decided not to take them out sight seeing anymore.  They like food so we went out to eat various things on several of our days.  We spent a day baking.  Cupcakes.  We also spent time shopping which was great for Angelica.  We reviewed the life of Christ every day too; presenting His activities during the last week of His life.  We had movies every night.  That was fun.  I wound my life around those kids for the week.  But now the week is gone and the kids head back to school tomorrow.  

I could say that this next week will be good for relaxing but it wouldn't be true.  Gerald and Frances are coming tomorrow and bringing Frances' parents, the Changs.  So our coming week will be a busy one.  We will take them on the sights we were going to share with the kids.  Maybe they will be more enthusiastic about it...what do you think?

Easter is a wonderful time.  We are spending Easter day watching General Conference.  I'm loving it and the influence it has upon me.  I feel grateful to know that Jesus Christ is a real person who loves me and was willing to dedicate His entire life to the welfare of all of us.  I feel a renewed desire to be better and do better.  It is such a temptation to just let down and relax.  But, while a little of that is OK, I want to use up my life in doing things.  Good things.  I'm trying to talk myself into doing more of that.