A wonderful wedding day

Anyone who has ever had a child get married knows that you want their day to be perfect. And when that wedding is set to be outdoors, you find yourself asking everyone to say an extra prayer for favorable weather, and even find yourself putting a broom in your tree!

In a month full of rainy Saturdays and some cool temperatures, on May 21, God blessed us with an absolutely gorgeous day, with the sun shining brightly and temps in the 70s. This was the day our Lindsay Jo married Justin Trout.

But just a couple weeks before the big day, the forecast wasn’t looking too favorable, and Lindsay had read or heard somewhere that placing a broom in a tree would help to “sweep away the rain.” So of course we placed a broom in our backyard tree that was the backdrop for this wedding. We kept an eye on the weather from about four different websites leading up to the big day, and by midweek it looked like we were going to escape the rain. I didn’t want to remove the broom a minute too soon, so when the wedding party was outside taking pictures before the wedding, someone thankfully mentioned the broom and it was removed before the ceremony (and photos)!

Regardless of the weather, it was a gloriously happy day and exactly what you would want for your child. This was our second and last child to get married. Quentin and Ashley’s wedding day was equally wonderful — and let me add that a son’s wedding is a lot easier than a daughter’s. I just have to take a moment to thank Chris Simmons and her amazing crew, but also so many of our family and friends who offered a helping hand. Terrence and I are blessed to have great families and friends who are there to help at the drop of a hat. I can’t imagine having pulled this off without all those extra loving, helping hands. I know Lindsay and Justin would agree their day was just about as perfect as it could be, and was made even more wonderful by all those who were able to share in their special day.

All those things people say about enjoying your children while they’re young, and they grow up so fast, is no joke! There are a lot of things I can’t recall, but I can remember every detail of the day my children were born and recite it like it was yesterday. And now here we are all these years later, and our baby girl (yes, she’s 26, but still our baby girl) just got married! Where did the time go?

And then there’s the reward for our children growing up, and that would be our grandsons, Liam and Levi. I can’t submit a column without their latest funny comment(s). Recently Terrence and I were in the car with Liam, and as Terrence often does, he was turning around and aggravating Liam. This time Liam surprised us both with his comeback as he told his pop, “Turn around and relax, man.” And then as we were laughing hysterically, he came up with, “Pop, just focus.” That boy keeps us in stitches!

I hope everyone has a great summer and finds time to make some memories!

Faith, family and friends,

Kim