A Time To Smile

There are so many ways I could write this post. I could list the firsts I've had since October. I could start out by discussing the title. I could do the photos chronologically and supplement with narrative, or I could write a narrative and supplement with photos. Or I could write three or four or maybe more separate posts. I could attempt to write seriously, or I could attempt to do it humorously. I could continue going on like this until I lose everyone who might otherwise have read it. I guess I'll just go for it and see what happens.

What to call such a post? Something boring like "Ryan and Grace's Wedding," is uninteresting (obviously, since that's the definition of boring). (That's for a title, of course. As an idea, you could think about it all day.) Besides, I wanted to use smile in it, to tie it all together and because...it's just appropriate. It will be very long, and when I say very long, I mean very long, but no one's forcing you to read it. So, I'll start where my last "Smile" post left off, and there will be as many pictures in this one as there weren't in the last.

I have no idea how that can be, but it means a lot.

As things have transpired, I've thought about time a lot. Three months seemed like a long time when it started. Seven weeks left seemed like a long time. Suddenly the time disappeared and there were three weeks. Three weeks? That means that  there are only two more Saturdays...the next one being the bachelorette party, the one after that the wedding... Those three weeks passed quickly, with more wedding things for me to do than before.

On the 20th, we went to the Olsons' to put together the programs. I considered it the start of the wedding week. The first of eight days in which I would see Grace every day except one. This to make up for the three or four following weeks. ;-)

I like how this is focused on the verse on the front.

They were probably the coolest wedding programs I've ever seen; if you got one, there's a good chance Melody tied the ribbon, and 100% chance I punched the holes.

There were a lot of programs to do. When we had done half of them, I asked how long it had taken us. "Don't tell me!" Grace said.

It had been about four hours that we were working. "We'll be done at 6," I said.

"I told you not to tell me!" Grace groaned. I reassured her that really we were well over halfway, since there were a lot partially done, and we actually ended well before five.

Grace made me hand over the camera.

After the programs were done, we put together the kids' bags.

I have a tendancy to make my pictures too dark, I notice.

It was quite a fun day, and added to my list of firsts.

The next day, Saturday the 21st, we returned for the bachelorette party. Only seven days to go!

It's sad when you take a nice picture but then realize you didn't have the camera set properly (especially if it's a picture you can't redo or of someone who doesn't generally cooperate ;-).

Mercy's delicous blueberry casserole

The Olsons' big mirror is cool for taking pictures

I love this picture. It makes me smile every time.

Grace reached for the camera again. I thought she wanted a heart sucker, which I had been throwing out (with my lovely-and when a Beerbower uses that word, it's usually sarcastic-aim), and even when I realized what she meant, we continued throwing the sucker back and forth.

When I did give the camera to her, I put the shutter speed at 25 seconds. It was amusing, for she didn't realize even though she took two pictures, except that she saw me and Ashley laughing and asked what I did. When I went through the pictures later, I forgot and wondered why there were two completely white photos.

Afterwards, we went bowling.

The pictures of me are ones Grace took when she took the camera from me again.

Ryan apparently couldn't stay away ;-).

When Grace saw me taking their picture, she smiled.

When Ryan saw me taking their picture, he...did this.

Ryan bowled for Grace some.

Ryan, seeing the candy hearts, had an idea for a "sappy photo for Jeannette to take".

I kept taking photos without really looking at what I was doing and so cutting people off. This one actually turned out pretty well, though I wish it was up a little bit more.

The Olsons and Browns posed themselves:

And the "no public showing of affection" picture:

Last that ever need be taken!

There's a lot of flash in such a low light, as evidenced by these three pictures taken at varying times.

My bowling skills are even better than my throwing skills. I am very consistent; almost every time, one of my two rolls hits some pins and the other is a gutter ball.

The second game I improved. By two.

The 22nd. Only six days to go, and the last Sunday...

Monday was the day I didn't see Grace or have anything wedding-related scheduled, but I worked on wedding signs.

On Tuesday, the 24th, Deanna took me to Toni and Guys where we met the Olsons to do nails. (Not Tuesday the 28th, as Grace wrote when she asked if I wanted to go. I asked her, as she was getting married Saturday the 28th, what year she wanted to do nails. "Good thing people are pretty forgiving of my mistakes right now," she said.)

This was the first big first of the wedding week for me. As far as I remember, I had never been in a hair/nail place before. I took notes for my cousin whom I give hand massages to as the girl gave me a massage. I liked it well enough, though I wouldn't want to do it regularly.

It's an interesting place. You could just sit and watch the activity for hours there.

When I took out the camera, I messed my thumbnails up, so I put it back for a while, so there aren't many pictures at the beginning.

Mercy did a practice hair thing. It was funny because she sort of looked like me from the back with her curls.

When we saw this figure head, we decided we should all get our makeup for the wedding done like it, only in blue for the boys and silver for the girls.

It was fun to see her in curls. Mercy's so pretty, and she looked so nice with her hair done.

Wednesday, the 25th, was exactly three months since I got the email that started my excitement! We went to a party store to get balloons for the signs. I'd been in a party store in Connecticut before. It was a fun store, and not as expensive as we thought it might be. They even had some cheap candy so I got pixie sticks.

I considered Thursday, the 26th, the start, sort of the end of the countdown, though of course how many days were left was very obvious. It was the day of the rehearsal.

Obviously the pictures I could take were limited. Unfortunately I didn't think of walking down taking pictures. I should have since I couldn't really during the wedding.

These pictures Rebekah took.

Mercy made origami flowers out of the wrapping paper from Grace's shower

We were cold ;-)

Apparently I wasn't smiling, because I was told several times to smile. Rebekah told Mercy to smile too. Both of us said we didn't think it would be a problem during the wedding.

The rehearsal dinner was at Uncle John's Pancake House. They had reserved a little room in the back. It looked beautiful with the low light, candles, and pretty touches of blue and silver.

"Ooh! What did I do to deserve that?" Pastor Bayly asked after the flash.

I wonder how many pictures I have of people taking a picture of me. I probably have a couple dozen of Rebekah alone!

It was fun to see the Olsons' relatives in person (though unlike Ryan I did believe Grace's brothers existed before I saw proof of them... :-). Myles, her nephew who was the ringbearer, is really cute!

We did a "How well do you know Ryan and Grace" questionnaire. One question-how many houses has Grace lived in-was funny because Grace didn't remember all of them. "Oh, I forgot about that one," she said several times as Mrs. Olson named them for her.

Ryan spoke while we waited for the food to be brought out.

Unfortunately, though dim light makes for cool pictures, most of the time I had to choose between the affect and blurriness or using flash and ruining the affect.

Then Tim Varner talked about Ryan. They were both nice speeches.

The bridal party were given beautifully wrapped necklaces which included the cool (I keep using that word, which annoys me) silver hair pieces as part of the wrapping. I thought that was a very cool idea. (Ah!! Did it again.)

Here's Stephen sporting the hair piece and the tie which the groomsmen were given. At least he didn't wear the necklaces. ;-)

The flower looks better on Bethany than Stephen ;-).

Did I mention Myles is cute?

All the food was good. I especially liked the vegetables and the bread.

We had fun with Emily and the camera.

Rather than using cool again, I will say that I strongly approve of the ties.

We waited until some people had gone, and then Ashley asked Grace and Ryan to come.

We set out two chairs and Rebekah handed them our gift.

"Do we have to be this far away?" Ryan asked before pulling her chair closer.

"I know what this is," Ryan said.
It wasn't surprising, considering the three it came from.

It was what Ashley, Rebekah and I unbiasedly consider the best scrapbook ever, even if we made it ourselves of a favorite subject. Starting with an overview timeline Rebekah did, with help from our insider, Mercy, of their relationship from meeting until October 2011, it is of the proposal, followed with an ending timeline up to the wedding.

 As we made it last December, we had the same conversation multiple times.
"They're going to like this!"
"They'd better."
"If they don't, we'll rotate it amongst the three of us and enjoy it ourselves!"

But Ryan said they would treasure it until the plastic fell off.

It was fun to be able to finally show it to them, and pretty much the last of my secrets.

Friday, January 27th. The day before the wedding! I was glad for a busy day. I finished the signs that morning. In the early afternoon, the older kids went to the church where the reception was to be, bringing Kristen, since Mom and the younger kids were at school, intending Mom to drop off Tim and pick up her. They ended up all staying.

As I entered the church gym, a sudden wave of excitement and happiness swept me, as if I suddenly realized it was really happening, that tomorrow was really the wedding.

"Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing psalms."

Well, I didn't exactly sing psalms. Instead, as we set out tables and chairs, I sang, "One Day More," from Les Miserables, which of course came into my mind. I think I sang "Tomorrow" from Annie as well.

"One Day More" ran through my head often that day.

Grace went around with a plastic "crown" Tim gave her on her head. ;-)

A group advising on the placement of the lights behind the head table

The little girls helping Mrs. Bayly set up the drink table were pretty cute.

Mrs. Bayly passed out gummy bears they had decided not to use. Kristen came behind her, her arms full of bags of them. Overall, she was actually good and pretty helpful.

It was gratifying to see the signs up, looking striking, easily read across the room.

I like this photo.

Mrs. Varner and Leo setting up the photo booth

Sonya had not given permission to take her picture that day ;-).

The little kids had fun playing together after most everything was set up.

Ryan liked the box full of extra chocolate. At first he rolled his eyes when he saw me taking his picture, but then he did it again for me.

The older kids had fun trying out the games, which were cleverly done with kisses to use for playing pieces, wrapped in the appropriate colors.

Mrs. Holder working hard getting the food set up

When Dad saw this picture, he asked Kristen if Ryan was trying to drop the gummy bear in her mouth. "Yes," she said, "but I shut my mouth tight."

Then Ryan tried to throw it into his own mouth.

I told Ryan I thought it was funny they used the balls in the vases. "It's all because of you guys," he replied. Last year at the Fulton County fair, Ryan and Grace came on Monday. In one of the merchant buildings they had some little balls that grow when you put them in water. Ryan liked them and got some. They got a bunch of clear ones to put in vases with a candle for the tables.

There was a big tub which had a lot of balls left over afterwards. Ryan told Kristen she should take her shoes and socks off and put her foot in it. She said, "I have bare feet on. You don't have bare feet on." She meant socks.

Later he showed the Varner girls. Their reactions to the cold water and funny-feeling balls were cute.

Signs for the next day!

I started singing, "I'm getting married in the morning" to Grace, though I don't think she heard, and Mrs. Holder said she had just done the same.

Isn't she pretty...

"Go to Bible study tonight and have something to do," Grace told me.
"I will," I said. I was glad to have Friday Night that evening to use up the time.

I didn't think I was excited that night, but as I laid down, I felt my heart pounding and my breaths were heavy. It amused me. I got up when Ryan called Melody about recording the wedding, and when I returned to bed, it had stopped.

This is so exceedingly long that I shall do a separate post for the wedding day.