Ashli and Mack's Wedding

There is no way I can express all my feelings about my only daughter's wedding in one blog entry. When I look back on Ashli's wedding, I will always remember the love and peace I felt. I certainly had moments of stress. We did everything from the engagement photos to the server aprons to the yard work ourselves. But every time it got to be a little bit overwhelming, someone would call or drop by with something we needed. My friend Jennifer called one day wondering if we could use some white flowers and greenery. Jolene dropped by and said she had round tables. Kelsey had table decorations and flowers for the arch. Lisa called, texted or Emailed atleast once a week even when it was mini-drill or when Macy was in ICU. Candy came over as soon as she got back to town after some stressful events in her own family.

Carrie Baxter and her Mom made Ashli's cake exactly the way she wanted it. They brought us a sample cake top the week before the wedding and showed up with this perfect cake a couple hours before the reception. We didn't have to worry about a thing.

Our friend Phil Harold hauled all of his DJ equipment to our home and provided the perfect background music for the reception as his gift to the bride and groom. He played "My Little Girl" by Tim McGraw as Kurt danced with our daughter.

He played"Just Look at You Girl" by Chris LeDoux while Mack danced with his new wife, "After all These Years" by Journey while we old married couples danced, and"This is Where the Cowboy Rides Away" while Mack danced with his Mom, Amy, the amazing woman who came into Mike and Mack's life with aunts and uncles, grandmas and grandpas who surrounded Mack with love from the moment they met him.

My sister called me about a week before the wedding and said "I quit my job. I'm coming down to help you get ready." And on Monday morning, when Tami arrived in Nephi with extension cords and white lights, money to buy shepherd's hooks and a beautiful little girl with a heart as big as the ocean, I knew everything would be OK.

I'm the oldest, but Tami has always been our Mom. She and Brooklyn did everything that needed to be done the week before the wedding. I don't know how many times they raked up leaves and picked up plums and apples from the lawn only to have the wind come through and blow more down. So they'd start all over again. We did get the teenagers to help us a lot-Mav, Zack and Ty cleaned the "office",which is really just the room where we put every random stray item from our house- but Tami and Brooklyn were tireless.

On the day of the reception, my family just appeared out of nowhere and went to work. The men set up tables and chairs. Suzie sat out in the hot sun for hours and taped down tablecloths. Grandpa Peter used a log to pound holes with a metal rod for the tiki torches. Grandma Becca, Kylie and Amie decorated tables. Tawni made hundreds of little cucumber dill sandwiches. Joey helped the bride with her hair and me with my dress. I'd be busy with something, look up and see someone else I love there for me and Ash. Jade put on her flowery little server apron, Logan his usher tag. Throughout the reception, Tara and Anastyn would know just when to send a plate of brownies or drinks over to the line.

It was the Juab County Fair, so when I saw Lisa Woodland in the waiting room at the temple, I knew she'd made a sacrifice to be there- then Brett and Andrea, Vernice, Ben & Jerilyn, Travis & Taunya, Sam Memmott-all made the time to come to the reception even though they were busy with the Fair.

But perhaps the person who taught me the most about love and friendship throughout the whole wedding process was my friend Amanda. I found out about ten days before the wedding that our photographer wouldn't be able to do it. I knew we couldn't afford to hire some of the people she suggested we call, and I was worried about finding another photographer that close to the event. When I asked Amanda if there was any way she could do it, she didn't hesitate at all. She just said "Tell me what time and I'll be there". And I KNEW she would. I knew I didn't need to worry. I thought back to all the times that I hadn't been a very good friend to Amanda-the times that I took two or three days to return her calls, the times I asked her to hold Presidency meetings in her house with four babies under the age of 7. Yet here she was coming through for me at a time when I needed her most. So, at 1:30 in the morning, crying as I read and re-read a message from Amanda, I found out who my friends are. I didn't even know until four days after the wedding that Amanda's family was in the midst of preparations for Amanda's little sister to undergo surgery donating a kidney to her toddler son. She had every reason to tell us "No" when I asked her to be the wedding photographer, but there she was from dawn to dusk the day of the wedding.

When I saw this picture that Amanda captured of Ashli, I knew that noone else could have done it. Our photographer was someone who loves our family and she did an amazing job. She said her photography was her gift to Ashli. Wow! What an amazing gift-I have this moment captured forever of my gorgeous daughter as she stepped out of the Manti temple after being married for time and all eternity to the man she loves. And whether you believe in temple marriage or not, you can't help but see the radiance and peace on Ashli's face. I'm so proud of her for living her life the way she has, for finding a man who loves her enough to want to spend eternity with her. And I'm so glad I had the chance to learn so much about love and friendship from my friends and family as we planned this wedding.

I cried a lot on Ashli's wedding day, but in the end, as I danced in the arms of the man who helped me give her life, we just felt joy. We're so happy for our daughter and son-in-law and hope our next 20 years are as meaningful as the past 20 have been.