Charlotte and Mou's Wedding

This last weekend we traveled to Sacramento to see my best friend, Charlotte, get married.  It was a busy whirl wind trip but I am so glad that I got to go.  It was great meeting Charlotte's finance, Mou, and it was too late to disapprove of him so it was a good thing that we loved him.  Mou is a little shy at first but he has a big personality and makes Charlotte laugh.  I am so happy for them both.  Here is how our weekend went. 

Thursday: I was a little stressed this morning because Elizabeth and my dresses were not done (Mom, Nedra and Rachel made them).  We ended up changing the accessories and decorations on Elizabeth's dress last minute and my zipper just wouldn't cooperate- but it all worked out. Ben got off work early and we packed and headed to the airport. In the car on the way to the airport Elizabeth was looking a little glassy eyed but we kept her awake, hoping she would sleep on the plane. Once we got to our gate she ran circles around the terminal; which was good, get her energy out, right? 

The two hours in the plane were not too bad but she was definitely awake and definitely full of energy.  As we were landing she started to scream that her ears hurt; I tried hard to give her a sucker or a drink from a straw but nothing worked. After about 15 minutes of screaming we landed and then as we were taxing to our gate she fell asleep. She slept through baggage claim (yes, we checked a bag- heaven) and car pick-up (Ben got to pick the car and it was like a kid in a candy store, he was so excited. We also got free gas because it took them so long to find us a car seat.). She slept until we got to the hotel and got to our room and then she woke up, like it was a nice nap and she was AWAKE. As we started getting settled (we moved one of the beds to allow Elizabeth's bed to be in a darker/quieter corner), Elizabeth found the mini-fridge and "Don't put your books in the fridge" became part of our regular conversation.  We tried to lay down, turn off the lights and even cuddle her but we just couldn't get her to sleep. Finally at 1am I put Curious George on, on the kindle, and Ben and I fell asleep;  I am not sure when she finally fell asleep but she slept in until 8!! 

 Friday: We had a slower morning, enjoyed sampling every item at the hotel breakfast and then headed to Charlotte's house.  We spent most of the day running errands with Charlotte; she had a list of things she needed to pick up and then some of her friends, who were at the church setting up the reception, would call her and have her pick up things.  It was fun to be with her and get to talk and talk to her; I am not sure we were much help but we were able to help her be productive and not worry too much about everything.  We had In-and-Out for lunch (Ben said he wanted to go 6 times before leaving CA) and savored every bite.  In the evening we helped set up at the reception a little.  Charlotte had done so much work for the reception and it looked great. We got home late and Elizabeth went to bed much easier. 

 

 

 

Saturday: We got up and got going to that we could get to the temple; I went a little early to help Charlotte get out of her dress and into her temple clothes (they did couple pictures before).  They were married at the Sacramento California Temple and it was beautiful. The temple is in the middle of a beautiful park with tall trees; it made the temple look like it had always been there because it was surrounded.  The ceremony was beautiful and emotional; when seeing a temple sealing it always reminds me of the covenants and promises that Ben and I made when we were married.  It is wonderful to remember and be reminded of those things and it was great to have Ben with me in the temple (Charlotte's Mom and Dad watched Elizabeth). 

 

After the sealing there were pictures, Elizabeth stole the show as she ran around in her huge poofy purple dress. She was in love with Mou and we had a hard time keeping her away from him so that they could take pictures.  After pictures we went out to lunch (at In-and-Out) with the Price family, an amazing family who Charlotte grew up with and who introduced her to the church.  They are so fun and it was so great to see them (I think they *might* have convinced Ben that we need to go to CA for a vacation next year). 

 

 

  We then went to the ring ceremony; Charlotte is the only member in her family, so they had a traditional ring ceremony.  It was beautiful and Charlotte's dad was so happy (the only hitch was the pianist- sorry but she was really bad).  Then we went straight to the reception.  Mou is Tongan and Tongans are a loud, happy, boisterous people and they LOVE to party.  The reception was beautiful, the food was delicious (and there was so much of it), the music was LOUD and the people were so happy.  We left half way through to run an errand for Charlotte (and get me some more comfortable shoes- ouch) and so we missed most of the performances.  Elizabeth was so tired by this point in the day that she fell asleep on the dance floor but woke up once the party was over and got to play under some tables before we left. 

 

 

We went back to the hotel and were beat BUT it was only 7:00 so we went swimming at the hotel pool.  It was an outdoor pool and as warm as the bathtub (kind of gross but it made Elizabeth way more comfortable).  

Sunday: We had a slow morning and packed up and left our hotel.  We were going to go to church but missed the sacrament meeting, so we were going to go to the other meeting (but we missed that one also-oops), in the mean time we decided to tour around Sacramento.  Sacramento is the capital of California but it is small, much smaller than other California towns.  It was the main city when the state was formed but it is now a small-ish (for CA standards), clean city in the middle of CA (no ocean, no...anything).  We did go to Old Town Sacramento, a couple old streets with old historic buildings; we went into a candy store that gave away free samples (we learned that bacon taffy is not so good) and into an old toy store (old toy stores are so much better than new ones).  Sacramento is on the river; again as we looked out on this river we commented on the calm clean feel of the city (no dead bodies like you might find in the Hudson).  

 

We then went to the California State Train Museum and it was really cool.  There were life sized replicas (and some were actually real) of old trains.  There were tour guides working that would stand by a train and tell you all about it. We got to go into a sleeping car that was moving, so you felt like you were on a train, and it was so small and cramped.  It was also cool to read about and see the history; because of the railroads, CA wanted to become a state but that meant they had to determine if they were a free or a slave state.  That decision was one of the tipping points of the Civil War.  

 

 

 

 

 We then went to lunch at In-and-Out (where else) and then headed to the airport (a little early than expected but it was fine).  A family with another young boy were sitting next to us in the terminal (and a couple rows behind us on the plane) and Elizabeth played with him during the wait and they talked, loudly, over rows while on the plane.  This flight went much better with her and we were soon home.  We went from 90 degree California weather to a 50 degree Colorado, brrrr, but it was great to be home.