Surprise Wedding

The wedding wasn't a surprise for us, the timeline for the wedding may have been a surprise, but not really--when I met Amanda for the first time, I came home and told my tribe, "Joel is going to marry that girl." They all looked at me like I was half crazy, but I had no doubt. Their whole story--the parts that I know at least (lol)--are worthy of a Hallmark movie to the point that it became almost unbelievable. When a couple can plan a wedding in a shorter amount of time than any reality TV show and show up at the wedding still glowing and completely relaxed, I'd say that they'll be able to move whatever mountains they want to together. Last weekend was all about celebrating Joel and Amanda. 

Immediate family attended their wedding and the surprise was for the social media world. Nothing was posted about engagement or wedding. So our pretend social pre wedding social post:--"Ready to celebrate the happiest couple on earth today!"

There were a couple wedding day complications that gave us time to hang out and take pictures. Isaiah's shorts were dirty before the ceremony. In the process of taking a picture in the bridal suite, Karen managed to sit on a candle and burn and hole in her dress. She's always prepared and had needle and thread to a quick repair. I'm so thankful that she was not injured. 

The rain stayed away and the temperature was cool, but just warm enough to be bearable. The venue was so pretty with a creek running around the property and plenty of room for all the nieces and nephews to explore and play.

Jeremy's brother, Josh, and his family were here from Texas. It was so good to see them and these cousins had the best time playing and making memories to last another year.

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Aliza and Anna got to be the big cousins. Evelyn and Florence kept them busy playing and my girls loved every second.

The story of my family within the bigger wedding story still makes me tear up. My heart and my girls' hearts...our hearts are so soft and so big and we feel and love so deeply, innocently and completely. We had a lot of talks before the wedding. It's hard to gain an Aunt in a very short timeline. So tears and feelings and smiles and big hearted LOVE were all welcomed and honored.

But these two...the complete love, the undeniable joy and gratitude that they brought to this day. We are so completely happy for them.  It's been a joy to watch Joel flourish under Amanda's love for him and to watch Amanda soak up all of Joel's affection for her.

https://moxiemusephotography.mypixieset.com/

https://moxiemusephotography.mypixieset.com/

Both families...

https://moxiemusephotography.mypixieset.com/

Heslop family...

A fajita bar was just the right way to continue celebrating. After eating, the children went back outside and we didn't see them until it was time to leave. A son of the host showed them a bridge he had built across the creek and from there they were busy exploring. 

Amanda loves succulents so they were a fitting wedding favor (and one that I loved). Her mom brought me this one and said she picked it out just for me. So sweet. Now I have a new pot of wedding succulents to watch multiply.

And just like that I have a new sister in law who looks--and feels--a whole lot like a sister! We still have plenty of getting to know each other to do but I'm looking forward to all the conversations we will have and memories that we will make. It's going to be fun!

Allll the niece and nephews.

We got to spend the rest of the weekend with Josh, Sarah, Evelyn and Florence. I savored the time that Florence sat on my lap looking at pictures and watching videos of Aliza and Anna's dances.

It was a full weekend that left my heart even fuller...and I slept really well after we got home! And for some reason...I've been asked more than once this week...WHEN are we going back to West Virginia??
 

Joy Dare::April

 8001.  When I have to write a list because there just wasn't enough time to talk about everything

8002. Children being so responsible

8003. Anna loved being surprised when her friend who moved showed up at dance

8004. Making more progress on those bricks

8005. Snuggled up with the girls to watch American Idol
8006. Friday nights at home--together
8007. Yard work day
8008. Jeremy and Josiah got all the bricks out
8009. Easter with family
8010. All the candy trading deals
8011. The girls' worship dance
8012. Grandad.
8013. Sisters that don't mind impromptu demo work
8014. A sister that shows up with snacks
8015. Josiah pretty happy that he finished science for the year
8016. Siblings working together
8017. Josiah reminding me so much of Jeremy
8018. Finishing off the day with Rita's
8019. Isaiah woke up happy and energetic
8020. Catching up with a dance mom
8021. All the after youth group hype
8022. Watching Anna and Josiah teach Isaiah to skateboard

8023. Talking to Janell for a few extra minutes
8024. Josiah still cries when I leave for the weekend
8025. Jeremy and I talked the whole drive
8026. The cutest getaway condo
8027. A lovely day with Jeremy
8028. Exploring Old Towne Portsmouth
8029. Seafood dinner
8030. So many beautiful orchids

8031. Being stretched and learning about myself
8032. Josiah not leaving Jeremy's side
8033. Isaiah excited about word searches

8034. Taking a day off school
8035. Aliza asking good questions
8036. Trying again
8037. Walking and talking
8038. Blooming trees in morning light
8039. Trying to take the day in stride
8040. Playing with friends on Roblox was so loud I found another room to be in
8041. Boys with fresh haircuts
8042. Staying in bed a little longer because Isaiah crawled in and snuggled up

8043. Faith story over lunch
8044. Snooping on one of Brian's projects

8045. The solitude of mowing
8046. Family work day and everyone was fully invested
8047. Jeff and his truck
8048. Supper with friends
8049. Sunday rest
8050. Aliza's summer calendar is exciting!

8051. Rainy afternoon calls for baking
8052. Shorter school days
8053. Whiffs of honeysuckle
8054. Holding a baby
8055. A fort building kind of morning

8056. Little girl notes from so long ago
8057. The most fun Yahtzee game with Josiah and Isaiah
8058. All the excited nervous feelings Aliza has
8059. Taking the extra time to catch up with Janell (again!)
8060. Aunt Meghan to do hair
8061. An evening with a friend
8062. Hearing all about the formal
8063. Grandmas, aunts and uncles at dance recital
8064. Aliza and Anna danced beautifully
8065. Recital made me cry
8066. Sitting around the table with Jeremy's family
8067. Pulling out some old scrapbooks
8068. Aunt Janell and Amanda to my rescue for dance hair and makeup
8069. So many memories from the weekend
8070. Evening light
8071. Sean had a good day with us
8072. An outside kind of afternoon
8073. Parking lot visit with Mom
8074. Holding so many feelings
8075. The magic a Mom holds to settle a daughter's heart
8076. Doing extra work to get school done
8077. Mom hanging out with us for a while
8078. All the silliness when electricity is out
 

Dance Day!

 After going to bed really late Friday night, it was time to get up early on Saturday for dance recital day! Anna needed to be at the recital venue at 8:15am! Thankfully Janell had to be there for Renee and she took care of Anna so that I could go home and get Aliza for her 10:00 rehearsal. Anna's class sat together while they waited. They were the cutest and had so much fun together.

Rehearsal was over about 10:40. We dashed home to eat lunch, do hair and makeup, pick up some friends and have Aliza backstage for the 1:00 recital! This Mom gets a bit stressed out with time schedules like this!

 

I am not a good hair and makeup Mom. (That comes as no surprise for anyone who knows me!) But I have some great hair and makeup people in my tribe! Janell did Aliza's hair while Amanda did Anna's hair. Anna did her own makeup. Aliza had decided that she wanted bright red lipstick for the stage. She asked Amanda to bring some and then let Amanda do all of her makeup. A first for Aliza.

 

 

 Dance Unlimited divided the studio into 2 recitals to meet guidelines for building capacity. Aliza and Anna were in both recitals. In the first recital, Aliza's class performed the lyrical dance that they didn't get to perform last year. It was Undone by Tommee Profitt. That dance made me cry. And I have no picture of that dance! 

Anna's jazz class danced in the Mama Mia showcase to Waterloo. She did that dance at the end of the first recital and that number opened the 3:00 recital. Anna smiled through every one of her dances. It was so much fun to watch her.

Aliza's jazz this year was Anything Goes. An upbeat, super cute dance.

Anna's favorite dance this year was her tap dance to Top Hat, White Tie and Tails. She LOVED her costume and they danced with canes. It was super cute.

Anna's last dance was ballet. I was impressed with how much she learned this year. Ballet isn't her favorite, but she wants to do Pointe in a couple years.

Aliza's lyrical dance was the last dance of the second recital to Rescue by Lauren Daigle. So so good.

There were no class pictures this year so afterwards someone got Anna's class together for a picture.

Aliza and Anna invited Maddie and Alaine to watch the recital. It was fun to have them with us!

Most of Aliza's class. All of these girls are homeschooled. Aliza has been with them for 8 years now and I cannot believe that.

Anna and her sweet friend Jillian.

It was Chick Fil A for supper and sitting around the table telling the most ridiculous jokes that could be found. It was a fun evening. One of my sisters thought that it was me on the right on the next picture at first glance...it's definitely not! lol. That is Amanda, Joel's girlfriend. She slipped into our lives and hearts just as seamlessly as I slipped her into this blog post. It's been quite a story to watch develop. We think she's great...we love watching Joel smile...and we really love Amanda too.

 

Homeschool Formal

 Last Friday was a day where the whole day was planned. I started the day with an eye Dr appointment that I was not looking forward to. Yes, I'm getting glasses for reading. Yes, it took me forever to pick out frames. 

When I got home at 11:00, I was super thankful that everyone was finished with school. It's soooo nice to have bigger kids to help Isaiah with school when I have to do something away from home in the morning. 

We had lunch and I continued the cleaning for company that I had planned for the day. I took a minute to relax and I heard a truck stop and then the backup beeping. I knew what it was. I KNEW that on the busiest day our lumber would be delivered. I had even told Jeremy that it was going to happen. The delivery guy was so funny...he couldn't believe that all this lumber was coming to our house. It took a phone call and a minute to figure out where to have him unload it.

 

It was an "oh my goodness! This is actually going to happen!" moment.

Not much later it was time for Meghan to come over to do Aliza's hair for her homeschool formal. I finished cleaning bathrooms and making beds for Jeremy's family.

Aliza wanted her hair in a waterfall braid. At the last minute she decided to go with straightened hair instead of curls. Her friend had a dress for her to borrow and it fit perfectly. How is this almost grown up beauty my daughter?!

The formal was held at an event venue about 50 minutes away. We carpooled with her friend, Alena, and met at her house to take pictures before.

Janell made wrist corsages of paper carnations and rose buds for Aliza, Alena and Maddie. Maddie met the girls at the formal so we didn't get her in the before pictures.

Alena's mom, Melinda, and I showed up with matching colors so a picture was in order! At the last minute, Melinda and I decided to eat out and spend the evening closer to the venue instead of driving back and forth. We walked around downtown Cambridge and ate a Chinese restaurant.

Meanwhile at home, Jeremy's parents arrived and Josiah, Anna and Isaiah broke in the piles of lumber by climbing all over them and jumping off them. Isaiah was limping the next day from twisting his ankle in a jump.

The formal theme was a masquerade. When we drove in, another guy from youth group pulled in right behind us. Parents weren't allowed out of the cars, but we grabbed a quick picture of the 3 of them out the window!

This group of friends has been such an incredible gift to Aliza. She treasures these friendships. It has been such a joy to watch them encourage each other. They had SO much fun together that night. They danced the whole time. I told Aliza that I'm sure she had more fun in her one formal than I had at all the formals I attended combined.

Knowing that Aliza and Alena had a really big Saturday ahead of them the next day, we headed back to the venue a little early. It worked out perfectly because on our way the girls texted that they were FREEZING and ready to head home. The entire event was outside which I didn't realize was the plan. 

When we got home, Grandma and Grandpa and Joel and Amanda were here because dance recitals were Saturday and I'm saving that for the next post...
 

Taking Out the Deck

 The last piece of demolition was the deck. Originally we did not plan to remove it ourselves, but Jeremy was glad that he decided to do it himself. We saved a lot of the boards under the deck. Now that lumber is the price of gold, we were not throwing away any piece that could be used for another project (like raised garden beds).

Jeff came with his truck and helped Jeremy with most of the project. The first order of business was to move the deck steps to the porch so that we could use the front door.

That plan worked out perfectly.

Next step was to attempt to save the flat piece of deck to reuse. Jeremy knew it was just sitting on beams, but he wasn't sure if it would hold up being drug off the beams. It did! Jeff pulled it off with his truck and moved it to the back of the yard.

Then it was a matter of deconstructing the remaining piece of the deck. They cut it in pieces and used the truck to pull them off the foundation.

At the end of the day we were left with a bare space where the deck used to be! Jeremy left the step out of the doors and will take them out at the last minute. We have 19 years of habit going out the back door to break!

Now we wait to get to the top of the mason's list for the foundation.