I'm long overdue on the "i do" report. Jenna and Deric were married on Friday, September 26th in the Spokane, Washington Temple and as far as I could tell, the day came off without a hitch. Jenna was nothing short of gorgeous and Deric is very easy on the eyes, so they made a lovely couple. The cool thing is of course the fact that they have a love built on friendship that has developed over years (first kiss was shared on the Jr. High bus) and that they were married in the temple with an eternal covenant that includes God as a partner and protector. They can look forward to a lifetime and beyond receiving promised blessings as they build an eternal family. Marriage is generally not celebrated much in our culture these days (at least not beyond the initial fanfare and expense) and I'm just really happy (and proud) of Jenna, for approaching this day with the respect it deserves.
How special is this? This is one of my 'present' pictures and it reminds me of this wonderful girl, the time she spent with my family and the way she loved my daughter. We were so blessed to have her in our home. This one for some reason is my favorite photo of Jenna and Deric together. I was of course on Addie duty and was not able to take very many photos, but I like the sense of them at the center of the wedding party, looking off -- plus, hello ... Jenna has a movie star profile!
Here comes the bride (and groom) -- shutters were flying as Jenna and Deric stepped outside the temple. I had the opportunity of helping dress the bride (with her mother and two sisters in law) and it was such a special experience -- especially for a mother of boys. I won't get to do this again for a long time, so I savored it!!