The Wedding

I arrived in Phoenix around 10 am on Wednesday, got my luggage, and checked-in to get my rental car so I could drive the to the wedding. I had reserved a full size car because I figured I'd be chauffeuring people to and from the various venues. When I got to the ticket counter the lady asked if it was just me that was going to be in the car, to which I replied, "Yes."

She then asked, "Would you mind upgrading to a convertible for no extra charge?"

In less than a second I replied, "Yes," to which she said, "Yes, you would mind or yes, you'd like the upgrade?"

"Yes, I'd like the upgrade."

The first thing I did when I got into the car was put the top down. My dad had teased me about being a single woman driving around Arizona in a convertible, and here it was coming true. This was going to be a good trip.

I had to stop by the dress shop to have my dress pressed and steamed and to pick up the bride's and other bridesmaids' dresses, so I had lunch at a great little Thai place while I waited. Once the dresses were ready to go (and the top of the convertible was up) I drove up the hill. It's amazing how much the vegetation and temperature can change in only two hours of driving. You watch the cacti disappear and the pine trees begin. It's an amazing drive up Interstate 17 that I would recommend everyone should take sometime.

My brother (Bro) was waiting for me at his and my future sister-in-law's (SIL) new house which is absolutely gorgeous with a fabulous back yard. He couldn't wait to get his hands on the keys to my convertible so we went over to the maid of honor's house where I was staying to drop off the dresses. He was very cute and went into the other room so he couldn't see SIL's dress, which I found quite amusing.

We met up with Mom, Dad, Grandma and Grandpa when they got into town. Some of SIL's family came over to their house and we enjoyed getting to know them. Bro barbecued some chicken breasts and burgers, and we had some salad and baked potatoes. Have you ever read the directions for baking a cake and it gives a longer baking time for high elevations? It's really true - the potatoes took about an hour and a half to bake, but they were well worth the wait.

Thursday I met the family at their hotel and we drove down to Sedona for the day. I loaned the convertible to Bro (hey, it's his wedding) so he could drive down the hill and meet us there after his meeting at work. I love Sedona - it's so beautiful. Here are my pictures, which ended up being the only pictures I took the entire trip. I rode in the convertible back up the hill with Bro and it was amazing. We met SIL's family at a brewery in Flagstaff for dinner that night.

On Friday the family went to the Grand Canyon since they'd never been before. I had been twice before so I stayed and helped with preparations. I enjoyed my morning and had some coffee with a newspaper, then I met up with Bro to run some errands. I had a manicure and helped get the namecard holders together. The family returned a little bit late from the Canyon because they got lost in town for the third time of the trip. Since Dad wasn't at all comfortable driving around town without my help, I rode with them to the church for the rehearsal.

After the rehearsal Bro surprised us by getting baptized. My parents decided that they wouldn't have us baptized when we were babies because they thought it was a decision we should make on our own. I honestly never thought it would mean enough to Bro for him to ever do it, but he said wanted to and not because SIL wanted him to. Imagine my shock when he ended up bawling like a baby during the ceremony - not that I've never seen him cry before but because it had such an emotional impact on him. This of course made me bawl and remember how emotional it was for me when I chose to get baptized at 15. Of course now that we're adults it looks like my brother and I have switched our views on religion.

The rehearsal dinner was at an historic home north of town. There was a lady at the house giving tours to everyone who was interested. The builders of the house were an intellectual husband and wife at the university and definitely ahead of their time. They enjoyed entertaining and had several guest rooms with their own bathrooms. I've never seen so many bathrooms in a house that old. It was beautifully crafted with Native American influences throughout. Oh yeah, dinner was excellent too.

Saturday was the big day. I had appointments to get my hair and makeup done (I felt like such a girl!) while my mom and grandma were also getting their hair done - that was fun. They brought in sandwiches for lunch, and afterwards we went to the church to get dressed and for pictures. I snuck away and went to see my brother, who was provided a touch of liquid medicine to help him get through the ceremony.

My friends know how emotional I can be - it runs in the family. My dad is the emotional one and both my brother and I seem to have inherited that trait, but I guess I can't control it quite as well as the guys can. Well I was the first one down the aisle, and I was really trying to hold it together but it was hard seeing my brother up at the altar about to lose it. It didn't last long because he started crying when SIL was walking down the aisle. She tried to not look at him but as she looked out the window above the altar the clouds parted and she felt the presence of her father, who passed away when she was 10, and she started crying too. At one point during the ceremony Bro and SIL presented their mothers with roses at which point my brother and father, two big, strong men, completely lost it, which pretty much made everyone else lose it. Boy there were a lot of happy tears at that wedding.

The reception was at a local country club. Instead of people clanking their glasses for the couple to kiss, they had to make a putt on a putting green. The groom's cake was in the shape of a golf ball. Sense a pattern here? Everything was beautiful, elegant and classy, exactly what I would have expected from my sister-in-law. I had a lot of fun talking and dancing with Bro and SIL's friends.

On Sunday we had brunch at the bride and groom's house then we went back to the hotel to nap and relax. We went back over to their house for pizza and to watch them open their presents that evening, and on Monday we left bright and early to catch our planes in Phoenix. It was a very emotional weekend but a great weekend none the less.