Keira and Adam's wedding

So, it's been almost two weeks, but I still wanted to take a moment to report on Keira and Adam's wedding. As far as weddings go, I think it was a good one. There is a tendency in our culture to put so much time and effort into making days like this special that we lose track of what made the day special to begin with. However, Keira and Joyce and co. did a good job making the day a pleasant experience.

About twelve hours before the actual sealing, things didn't look so positive. Josh had been fighting a bad cold all week. Despite nearly overdosing on Airborne, both Joyce and Keira came down with the same cold Friday night.

The temple held a few special experiences of its own. Neesha and I had to park on the street due to the crowded parking lot. Evidently, the weekend of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, or Human Rights Day, or whatever we choose to call it now, is a big wedding weekend. I proved to be the gallant gentleman and carried Neesha over the sixteen foot snowbank between the street and the sidewalk. A few hours later I performed the same feat with The Boy. Not as impressive, perhaps, but The Boy found it amusing ("Ditty (silly) Daddy!").

Once inside the temple, it turned out there was a question about whether or not either the bride or the groom had their respective wedding rings. However, this proved to be a small issue when we realized the groom had also misplaced his father. We did find him, or at least a man who was willing to act the part, as well as a couple of rings sufficient to the deed, and it looked like all would go well.

Then the ceremony started. The sealer was a gentleman that Randy and Ryan home teach from the Born's ward. As is customary, he offered some worthwhile advice to the young couple prior to performing the ordinance, which they were too busy being in love to hear or remember (also customary). Unfortunately, during this time I came down with a coughing fit due a slight, dry tickle in the back of my throat. Neesha thinks it was due to oxygen deprivation from scaling the sixteen foot snowbank. Have you ever tried to not breathe or cough for thirty minutes? I'm not sure what the protocol is for interrupting the sealer during the middle of his lecture to get a drink, but I imagine it can be encapsulated in the word, "don't;" especially when you are sitting on the opposite side of the room from the door. Gratefully, Grandma and Grandpa Godfrey passed over a peppermint candy and a tissue and I survived.

Oh, and Keira and Adam were married. That was nice, too.

The luncheon was held at the Eaglewood Reception Center. I believe The Boy was the only person there under the age of 16, and he was less impressed with the chicken dinner than he was with the buttermints at each place setting. He went from seat to seat, and then table to table, looking for them. It was also here that I discovered that The Boy had learned a new skill from Neesha's cousin, Christina: "Pound It." The Boy first demonstrated his new ability on a public level by going down the head table, raising his fist in the air (barely clearing the edge of the table) and saying, "poud it," to each person seated there. Randy and Joyce were, of course, more than happy to oblige, as were Keira and Adam. I found it most amusing, though, when The Boy, my shy little boy, went up to Adam's mother and the man filling in for his father from the temple, fist in the air. They, too, were gracious enough to return the favor.

I didn't get to see much of the reception. I was assigned to the nursery, where I decided I never want to be a single father of four, six-year-old boys, three girls (aged seven, five, and three), and two toddlers. Actually, the three girls and two toddlers were just fine. Mom and Dad stopped in for a moment to say, "Hi," though unfortunately The Boy's diaper blew up at the same moment and I didn't get to talk with them long.

The best part of the night came at the end of the reception. Adam wanted a dance, so after the line ended Ryan put on some appropriate music and Adam was able to dance with his new wife. Neesha and I joined them on the floor and I got to dance with my old wife for the first time. I'm sure I looked awkward (being 6'8" doesn't lend itself to grace), but Neesha looked amazing in her red bridesmaid dress with her hair done up. Thank you, Adam and Keira.

All in all, the day was a success. By the time we turned off the lights, all the people who were supposed to get married were married, and to the right people. They looked young, naive, and blissfully happy. It reminds me of another couple I knew about six-and-a-half years ago. Thank you, Neesha.

m&n