...When a Groom gets married...

One week ago today, August 11, 2012 my oldest little brother was getting married to his sweet bride Chantel. We all met in the cute little town of Grand Haven, Michigan and made such precious memories. 

Mr. & Mrs. Brooks(ie) Groom ; )

Things you should understand about my family- 1.when we all get together, we cherish it. Since 5 of the 8 of us are in the military, knowing when we will see each other again is never a for sure thing. 2.there's never JUST 9 (now 10) of us... usually we make reservations for 16 or 18 people at restaurants just because.. my mom has such a magnetic personality and will make friends anywhere and my siblings seem to make some of the most incredible friends and invite them along with us.. it's not something you'd want to miss if you were around. I always feel SO lucky & blessed when we're all together. I secretly think that everyone around us wants to join our party (which, if you are ever around us- just jump in.. really..nobody will think it's weird. just be ready to hear about some many family memories, stop in a thrift shop or two or twelve... and don't be surprised if you pray after the "touch your nose first or pray" game, or if my dad tries to give you one of his "million dollar" bills very randomly). : ) 

Table for 19 at Panera

"here, let me give you a small tip"

Since this was my first real Army leave, i was just so excited to get away with Drew, forget how to tie my combat boots, NOT wear a uniform, paint my nails and enjoy the whole week with my family.. 

The entire trip was just so enjoyable and filled with SO MANY sweet memories:: 

• getting to see how TALL my littlest sibs are getting

littlest siblings, mom-mom & cousins sam&lilly

•  seeing my mom, dad, siblings && grandma (mom-mom)
•  hugging my cousins Sam & Lilly (Aunt Bev, Uncle Brian and Brian- We missed you!!
•  meeting all of my brothers college friends (the ones who are now household names after some of the stories brooks&kit have told us about them)
• hitting up EVERY thrift shop and antique store in the area 
• jumpin'java coffee shop- filled with all kinds of frog themed art & drinks that make you feel embarrassed to say them out loud when you order them : ) 

Dad, Mom, Bryanna & Steph getting Jumpin'Java after a morning at the Y

• the local YMCA (also, if you come on a vacation with us, expect to feel twinges of guilt if you are the sole individual who does not get up before the sun to go for a jog or swim or workout...especially if my sister, Kelly is there- she'll be up at 0430 and will already have run a marathon before you've even pulled back the covers-...don't worry- i've been the sleeper-inner many a time) 

Bryanna and I getting in a workout on the Tandem stationary bike

• seeing Drew just be such a member of the family : ) -  during the week my mom told me that he just blends in so well with us and how much they all love him. how much he's like my dad. quiet, funny, goes with the flow, makes people feel at ease.. you know : ) made me smile. 

Drew with Stephi : ) 

• preparing the rehearsal dinner- mom brought so many shells and sea glass and leis from Hawai'i - it was so cute. Even though it was cold and rainy, nobody had a bad attitude, nobody was upset- we just moved the rehearsal into the conference room of the Days Inn where we were staying (mom and dad had made friends with the front desk workers) and we set up the dinner in there. Perry Como was playing "magic moments", (my dad's favorite) while a slide show of pictures reflected off the screen..i couldn't watch the whole thing because i knew i'd start crying. 
• my dad's speech during the rehearsal... man, even if you don't cry.. I'm pretty sure i could've caught you wiping your eyes. He told my brother Brooks how proud of him he was, and how he and my mom have always prayed specifically for "future spouses who love the Lord", his voice started to crack a little then he said, "I can't believe that you're all grown up now. I have such a vivid memory that feels like just yesterday. I was pulling in the driveway coming home from work and saw a little pair of training wheels lying on the ground.. i thought 'why are these here? who's could those be? There's no way they are from Brooksie's bike!'.....then, I looked up to see You flying around the corner on your big boy bike, smiling and so proud of yourself... It just went so fast"... see? now I'm all teary again! 

~1993 (?)Fort Ord,Monterey California- Brooksie and Mouse getting the morning paper~

fastest wedding set up ever

• the frantic beach ceremony set up: mom, dad, kel, mom-mom, little sibs, cousins and drew and i arrived at the beach where the wedding was to be and couldn't find the chairs that the rental company had dropped off. after about 15 minutes i called the renal company and they told us they had dropped them off on the sidewalk..annnnd it was also then we realized the wedding was set to begin in about 20 minutes. set up panic follows. It was just such a funny&&not so funny moment watching my cousins, dad, mom, grandma running all carrying these chairs and decorations down the beach.my sister tying tulle around sticks, my brother and cousin digging holes in the ground, drew trying to figure out music set up, my dad unwrapping all of Chantel's beautiful < handmade > starfish decor.. priceless..Drew and i decided on a good location and bam..that's where they got married....about 15 minutes later : ) it was a beautiful wedding. so sweet and full of love.

• the wedding night: usually when couples get married, they say their goodbyes and drive off straight into their honeymoon..but with brooks & shay : ) they text us asking if they could come be part of family dinner that night : ) we made reservations for 15 and headed off to a tiny, hole in the wall restaurant to meet up with the newest Groom's! The restaurant was already full to begin with & we made it feel borderline crazy house. But it was such a sweet time with the whole family. Afterwards we took these pictures.-The first three were after we discovered the timer took 5 shots at a time- The last 3 are jumping pictures : )  They make me laugh SO hard. 

• Brooks & Shay then had us all come over to their incredible beach side B&B..yes, that's right. all 13 of us went to the honeymoon b&b for a full tour. we took beach pictures and laughed and joked. wrapped up in blankets because it was SO cold. sat in the old fashioned living room and told stories for a few hours. it's not traditional- no. but that's what made it be just US. i think we all knew how special that time was. how in the morning we would all go our separate ways. i believe all of us were trying to make the time slow down just a little bit more. I just wanted to sit back and take it all in. Remember smiles, laughs, looks on faces, moments together. I loved looking over at my parents laughing. hearing brooks and kit tell stories about family vacations. my sister taking pictures of everyone. watching drew hear stories for the first time. mom-mom laughing at us all. i laughed until my stomach hurt. it's during these moments that i have always wished i could freeze time.. i will make notes in my iphone describing all the tiniest details of what's happening- hoping to preserve it better in my memory.. it was such a bittersweet moment when we realized it was time to leave and say goodbye to brooks & shay as they started their new lives together- on their way to Ft. Benning GA.

mom-mom being forcefully bundled up

some of the people i love most in the world

a panoramic picture that kel took of us all (lilly's head got lost in the transition)

To sum it all up, it was an amazing week with family and i was so sad to see it come to an end. It was so special for me to have Drew with me the entire week- made everything even better than it could have been. 

Times like this always make me reflect on how MUCH i've been blessed with. how gracious GOd has been to my entire family. It's not that we haven't had struggles or trials- but i realize that compared to some families these are small. The neatest thing is.

 it's not because we earned it

it's because of Jesus. and what HE did. and how He lets us have these moments and relationships in life. 

i also believe it has much to do with my parents and the devotion they have towards their relationships with Christ.

my parents have always prayed for us. individually. for our future spouses. for our family. for their marriage. for others.

for the past 26 years, i can remember walking down the creaky steps of our house(s) to find my dad at the kitchen table faithfully reading his Bible and keeping notes in his meticulous way. My mom could be found out on the porch, sunroom or lanai doing the same thing. with her well worn Bible that she keeps tiny dates and notes written in the spaces between. Below is a picture of an older journal entry of mine describing this: 

 i believe that's why GOd gives us such special times when we are together. AND apart. I know that there will be things that i don't anticipate being part of GOd's plan.. or things that will leave us torn and upset as a family.. But ultimately I know that I'll see these ones again.. that makes everything be ok.