Wedding Recap: Happiness abounds

This weekend, my little brother and my beautiful new little sister tied the knot.  In my eyes (and hopefully theirs too!), it couldn't have been a more perfect weekend.

But let's, just for a moment, clear the air.  Because I know what everyone has been thinking as I discussed attending my brother's wedding over the past months.  I've seen the hesitation, the slight slip of the tongue, the questioning "younger?" look in eyes that have trouble hiding what they're thinking.

And for a moment (just a moment) I almost sunk into the trap.  I didn't write any blog posts last week because I wanted to stay out of my brain.  I was a little worried about what I'd find if I delved too deep.  But that was silly.  I should know myself better than that by now.  Because the moment I walked through my parents' front door and saw my little brother on the day before his wedding day, I felt nothing but joy.

Because here's the thing: why on earth would I allow anyone else's happiness to diminish my own?  I am happy.  I have been happy since I stepped foot in Seattle.  And the fact that my little brother now gets to celebrate a lifetime of happiness with his new wife only serves to increase my own happiness.  I live my life with the knowledge that one day I'll meet a man who will realize just how amazing I am, and he will somehow manage to sweep me off my feet.  Until that happens, I do not intend to spend my days waiting around, feeling sorry for myself.  I have learned how to live my life full of happiness just as I am, and I will never allow seeing others celebrate their own happiness to belittle mine.

But let's stop talking about me.  Because this weekend was not about me.  It was about Nathan and Annalise.  High school sweethearts who have been dating for 10 years.  And after being engaged for 3 years, it's about time we got to officially bring Annalise into our family.

The weekend was amazing for so many reasons.  But what I think I will remember the most is just how amazing my family is.  Of course, my mom and dad, brothers and sister are the best, but so is everyone else. I got to see aunts, uncles, cousins, and other relatives I haven't seen in years.  I saw my grandma, who I haven't seen since I graduated from college 7 years ago.  I got to watch my dad's side of the family interact with my mom's side of the family for the first time.  I got to meet the plethora of new family members that are joining us for the future.  And the best part of it all was, we had a blast.

I haven't seen a single picture from the weekend that didn't include ear to ear smiles.

Me and the groom on the way to the chapel.

Me and my big sis.  Nothing but smiles as my littlest
bro/ best man delivered his best man toast.

Proud ma and pa.

More big smiles with littlest bro and girlfriend doing some sort of sitting
dance that involved lots of hand waving and laughing.

The bride at post-wedding brunch, obviously prepping
for what may happen a couple years down the road...

The rehearsal dinner was full of catching up.  The reception was full of laughs.  And the ceremony was perfect.  My big sister and I played a role in the ceremony as Annalise had asked us to put together a reading.  Which brings me to the point of this post: reprinting it here for everyone to see.

It took us many hours of Sunday morning (or late Sunday evening for my sister in Sweden) FaceTime, many drafts, and many re-writes, to put together the final reading.  

Here it is, unedited:

A good author can say in a short string of words, what it’s taken a lifetime to build.  Today, we've borrowed the words of some childhood favorites to help us share our thoughts.

We’ve watched your love grow throughout the years, and the Velveteen Rabbit describes it best.

     "What is REAL?" asked the Rabbit one day, when they were lying side by side near the nursery fender, before Nana came to tidy the room. "Does it mean having things that buzz inside you and a stick-out handle?"
     "Real isn't how you are made," said the Skin Horse. "It's a thing that happens to you. When a child loves you for a long, long time, not just to play with, but REALLY loves you, then you become Real."
     "Does it hurt?" asked the Rabbit.
     "Sometimes," said the Skin Horse, for he was always truthful. "When you are Real you don't mind being hurt."
     "Does it happen all at once, like being wound up," he asked, "or bit by bit?"
     "It doesn't happen all at once," said the Skin Horse. "You become. It takes a long time. That's why it doesn't happen often to people who break easily, or have sharp edges, or who have to be carefully kept. Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in the joints and very shabby. But these things don't matter at all, because once you are Real you can't be ugly, except to people who don't understand."
     "I suppose you are real?" said the Rabbit. And then he wished he had not said it, for he thought the Skin Horse might be sensitive. But the Skin Horse only smiled.
     "The Boy's Uncle made me Real," he said. "That was a great many years ago; but once you are Real you can't become unreal again. It lasts for always."

We’ve seen your relationship mature.  We know you are meant for each other, and A.A Milne explains why in Now We Are Six.

     A soul mate is someone who has locks that fit our keys, and keys to fit our locks. When we feel safe enough to open the locks, our truest selves step out and we can be completely and honestly who we are; we can be loved for who we are and not for who we're pretending to be. Each unveils the best part of the other. No matter what else goes wrong around us, with that one person we're safe in our own paradise. Our soul mate is someone who shares our deepest longings, our sense of direction. When we're two balloons, and together our direction is up, chances are we've found the right person. Our soul mate is the one who makes life come to life.

Or, as Emily Elizabeth in Nathan’s favorite childhood book, Clifford The Big Red Dog, puts it:

  

     One day I gave Clifford a bath. And I combed his hair and took him to the dog show. I'd like to say Clifford won first prize...but he didn't. I don't care. You can keep all your small dogs. You can keep all your black, white, brown, and spotted dogs. I'll keep Clifford...Wouldn't you?

But we also know that love is compromise, which isn’t always easy.  We think this is best described in one of Annalise’s favorite childhood books, Where the Wild Things Are.

     And on our way... I can show you your kingdom. This is all yours. You're the owner of this world. Everything you see is yours. Oh, except that hole over there, that's Ira's. The tree's yours, but the hole is Ira's. But everything else is yours. Except for that rock over there, that's not yours. That little rock next to the big rock. But everything else in the kingdom... except for that stick. That little stick right there, that's not yours.

Love is also a risk and a leap of faith, as two little leaves show us in the book The Little Yellow Leaf.

     And then, high up on an icy branch, a scarlet flash.
     One more leaf holding tight.
     "You're here?" called the Little Yellow Leaf.
     "I am," said the Little Scarlet Leaf.
     "Like me!" said the Little Yellow Leaf.
     Neither spoke.
     Finally… "Will you?" asked the Little Scarlett Leaf.
     "I will!" said the Little Yellow Leaf.
     And one, two, three, they let go and soared. 

But the best part of it all is when you find the one that you know you can’t live without, like Pooh and Piglet.

     “Pooh” whispered Piglet.
     “Yes, Piglet” replied Pooh.
     “Nothing,” answered Piglet,
     “I just wanted to be sure of you.”

     “If you live to be a hundred, I want to live to be a hundred minus one day, so I never have to live without you.”

     “It’s so much more friendly with two.”

     “Pooh, promise me you won’t forget about me, ever. Not even when I am a hundred.”
     Pooh thought for a little.
     “How old shall I be then?”
     “Ninety-nine.”
     Pooh nodded. “I promise,” he said

.
     “Some people care too much, I think it’s called love.”

And after today, we get to watch as you change and grow together.  And, as with The Giving Tree, you can take comfort in knowing that you’ll always be there for each other.

     And after a long time the boy came back again.
     "I am sorry, Boy," said the tree, "but I have nothing left to give you--My apples are gone."
     "My teeth are too weak for apples," said the boy.
     "My branches are gone," said the tree. "You cannot swing on them."
     "I am too old to swing on branches," said the boy.
     "My trunk is gone," said the tree. "You cannot climb."
     "I am too tired to climb," said the boy.
     "I am sorry," sighed the tree.
     "I wish that I could give you something... but I have nothing left. I am an old stump. I am sorry..."
     "I don't need very much now," said the boy, "just a quiet place to sit and rest. I am very tired."
     "Well," said the tree, straightening herself up as much as she could, "Well, an old stump is a good for sitting and resting. Come, Boy, sit down. Sit down and rest."
     And the boy did.
     And the tree was happy.

Congratulations Nathan and Annalise.  I can't wait to witness all the happiness that the rest of your life together will bring.

Hopefully it'll all be as fun and classy as this post-ceremony
limo bus celebration.