Wedding in San Fran

This past weekend was a momentous one for Jay filled with many "firsts." Matt's good friend Phil who he met and became friends with at Seattle Pacific University (and a groomsman in our wedding 3+ years ago) got married to a WONDERFUL woman, Ashley, and we were privileged to be invited to witness their union. Matt was asked to be an usher and the Old Testament scripture reader.

So here we are on Friday morning at the airport waiting to board our flight. That is Mark on the right, another good friend from Seattle Pacific University who was also asked to be an usher at the wedding. We were on the same flight as him going there and we shared a rental car for the weekend with him.

Away we headed with Jay sitting on my lap for his first flight of his life. He did TERRIFIC! He took the bottle of formula I had prepared for the ascent and happily drank it down. He fell to sleep and took a 45 minute nap, then woke up happy and played quietly until it was time to drink another bottle for the descent (to help his ears pop).


We met up with Phil (the groom) and James (his best friend) for lunch at T-Rex, a great BBQ/Burger place. Left to right: Mark, Phil, Jay, Matt, and James.

After lunch we checked into our hotel.

Jay took his afternoon nap right on schedule and Matt and I had time to unpack and refresh/change our clothes before heading to the church for the rehearsal.

Phil's older brother Jeremy is married and has two boys, Jonah and Lincoln. Jonah was the ring bearer in the wedding (he did GREAT) and Lincoln is just 15 days younger than Jay. Jay had the BEST TIME playing with those boys. Jonah hugged and kissed and cared for Jay just like he does his brother. One moment Lincoln decided it would be fun to tackle Jay, so he did. Jay didn't know quite how to react - he looked mostly confused more than anything. It was pretty funny. Here are a few pictures of the boys playing together. Jay in this first picture has his hands in his mouth as he is laughing.

Above: Mom Michelle, Lincoln, Jonah, Jay and Matt

The rehearsal dinner was held at Bette's Oceanview Diner - they closed the restaurant down for this private dinner party. What a fun place! It also happened to be the diner where Phil met Ashley's parents for the first time. Our friend Joel had the great idea to utilize the mirror in the diner to take a picture of our family. Here are the results (one w/out the flash; one taken w/ the flash on):

Phil and Ashley wrote a really great "ode" to honor all those involved in their wedding day. Here are pictures of Phil and Ashley sharing with all of us.

Matt took this picture at the diner of a very tired Jay enjoying his last bottle of formula for the evening. He just laid his head back on my hand and stared at the ceiling - zoning out for a while. (I nursed him when we got back to the hotel after we put him in his pjs just before putting him to bed for the night.)

Despite being up late the night before, Jay woke up "right on schedule" Saturday morning. We fed him breakfast and then put him in the stroller and Matt and I walked to a nearby Starbucks and had breakfast. Matt then met up with "the guys" around 9:00 (meanwhile Jay took his morning nap). When Jay woke up from his nap I fed him and then the two of us put on our swimsuits and enjoyed a dip in the hotel's pool. Note: this was the first time for Jay to be in a swimming pool.

Jay was like a wet cat when I first dipped him in the pool. He clung on to my arm/shoulder/swimsuit strap for dear life as I slowly walked the length of the pool back and forth several times. I really wanted to get a picture of him in the pool, but with the death grip he had on me all that time I wasn't sure how I was going to accomplish it. I then decided to try to sit him on the pool step and guide him to hold on to the side of the pool and it worked (obviously)! When I picked him up from the step he decided to trust me more and I was able to hold him at arms length and let him float and glide in the water.

Jay and I walked to a nearby cafe and enjoyed lunch together and then I put Jay down for a nap. Matt got back and we hopped in the car to be at the church by 4:00 for pictures before the 5:00 wedding. It was a beautiful wedding ceremony - a wonderful testimony of their desire to build their marriage with God at the center of it all.

The wedding reception was held on the 40-acre grounds of a 37-room mansion the city has restored. The grounds provided a beautiful backdrop for wedding party pictures.

Above: The Dunsmuir Mansion

Below: The reception hall/building (separate from the home)

Below is a picture Matt took of Jay and me as we walked up to where the wedding party was gathered.

Above: Cameron (Phil's almost 13 yr. old son from his first marriage), Phil, and Ashley

Ashley's family

Phil's son, Ashley's Mom, Phil, Ashley, Ashley's Dad, and Ashley's brother

Above: The entire wedding party

I love this sweet picture above of Ashley and Phil walking down the path

Our good friends, Joel and Arlene, were in attendance at the wedding. Arlene just gave birth to their third child, Robert, 2 weeks ago (4 weeks before his due date). Here is a picture of sweet Robert in the arms of his grandparents (Joel's parents). (The two older girls stayed with friends of theirs.)

Thanks, Mark, for taking these two family photos (below) for us at the wedding reception!

Don't pay any attention to the bruise on my right arm. It is just a "war wound" from a bite from Jay that happened earlier in the week. Jay is teething (his eye teeth are about to come through the gum) and I guess he decided taking a bite of Mommy's arm would help. I'm doing my best to teach him that is NOT okay to bite.

Above: Jay, me, and Matt enjoying a visit with Dan - Phil's Dad

Below: Our good friends, Joel and Arlene, visiting with Phil

Here are a few photos of Phil and Ashley's first dance. They had a TERRIFIC band called "Bust A Groove" that provided great live entertainment/music.

Below: Phil and Ashley cutting a piece out of their wedding apple pie

THANKS, Phil and Ashley, for inviting us to be a part of your special day!!

The next morning (Sunday) we arrived at the airport for our flight home.

Above is a video of Jay enjoying sitting on my lap on the plane as we traveled back home. Again he was a great traveler - taking a bottle of formula on the ascent and descent with a 45 minute nap taken in my arms.

We couldn't have asked for a better trip! My prayers were answered for a smooth, uneventful, fun trip. Thank you, Lord!