One year ago today, my beautiful daughter married her Prince Charming and set out on what would be a year of profound and memorable emotions. As you'll read in the post published the day after their wedding day below, things could not have been more perfect! The catch here is the timing of the wedding and as they say my friends, timing is everything.
You see, Whitney & B.J. had made the decision to marry in September because he was scheduled to deploy on his third tour back to Afghanistan in October. They had an amazing, beautifully romantic honeymoon in their favorite city, Las Vegas and came back home to savor the time they had remaining until he deployed. September flew by and October was just beginning when I got a phone call. It would seem that Las Vegas was indeed a magical place for a honeymoon. Whitney & B.J. were on the phone giving me the most exciting, unbelievable news! She was pregnant, and I was going to be a grandma!
I was so overwhelmed at the thought that my daughter (who seemed to be just a baby herself) was with chid and marveled at the magnificence of God and all his miracles. It wasn't until later in the day, when I had a chance to regroup and put my thoughts together that I had my first wave of panic. It was October 3 and Whitney was pregnant and B.J. would be heading off to war in less than a month!! How on earth would they get through this? Next, I did what anyone would do. I called my mommy. I knew that she could help me fight the sense of panic I was feeling about the whole situation. How would Whitney manage being pregnant for the first time by herself without B.J.? How would B.J. handle being in the heart of war worrying about his wife & unborn baby? Why would God do this to them? My mom who has raised 8 children and never had an easy life, calmly told me to put it in God's hands. She made me realize what a blessing having a child is, no matter the circumstances. It was then that I made a vow to myself to never question why this happened and to be as supportive and positive as I could for both of them.
B.J. deployed on October 31st and the sense of sadness and gloom hung over all of us like a bitter,heavy cloud. How on earth could we make it though an entire year? To say that I am proud of my daughter & son in law would be the understatement of the century. Whitney threw herself into her work as an incredibly talented hair stylist & B.J. served his country with pride and determination. The holidays were definitely hard, but we all persevered and in retropsect, Whitney being pregnant was indeed a Godsend. It seemed that she didn't have time to feel sorry for herself, it was all about the baby.
Fast forward to May and Whitney was pregnant and about to pop! B.J. was scheduled to come home on leave for baby Ella's birth at the beginning of June. Well, as they say, God had other plans. Whitney went into early labor and B.J. was granted an emergency leave to try & make it home before Ella arrived. As luck would have it, he arrived in Houston on Saturday afternoon and Ella was born on Monday afternoon! He coached Whitney through her labor and was their to cut the cord as their little miracle baby came into the world! Their little family was complete and for the first time they could see light at the end of the tunnel.
Fast forward to today, September 3, 2011 and thankfully the last year is but a blur. Whitney, B.J. and the most adorable baby ever, Ella Harper, are settling into life as a family and anticipating wonderful things ahead. Most couples have their challenges during that first year of marriage, but these two have conquered what sometimes seemed to be insurmountable obstacles and they've come through it with flying colors. You hear this saying all the time, and in this world that can sometimes become negative and jaded, you may question the validity of it, but today I am hear to shout it from the rooftops and revel in it's message. LOVE CONQUERS ALL. Happy Anniversary Whitney, B.J. & sweet Ella. You did it! Now go have the best life ever, knowing that if you got through this, you can handle anything that life throws at you. And they lived happily ever after.
WHITNEY & B.J. BECOME MAN & WIFE SEPT. 03, 2010
Hello to all my fabulous peeps and Happy Labor Day Weekend! I know that I had promised to blog every day leading up to Whitney's wedding, but things got pretty crazy, pretty quickly and I thought it better to actually get the wedding planned than blog about it. I'm funny that way!
Well folks, let's just say my faith in love, humanity and all things good were more than restored Friday afternoon, when my beautiful daughter married her handsome Prince Charming.
The chaplain was the most amazing, articulate, calming, perfectly placed person to gently lead them (& us) into the next stage of what promises to be a wonderful life. He reminded us that we are surrounded by angels in all forms, and just because they may not look like angels and you may not recognize them as angels, they are angels nonetheless. Here comes a shout out to all the angels who played a part in a wedding never to be forgotten by all who attended.
Angel #1. Whitney was frantically searching for the perfect place to get married on such short notice, & the beautiful Stephanie Hooten Carroll, selflessly gave her all of the information about the Chapel Dulcinea. You see, it turns out that Steph & her hubby David were married there in a very intimate ceremony; just the two of them and the pastor. Whitney & B.J. decided that would be perfect for them as well. They would go to Austin and marry there, and it would be small and intimate and quaint. Enter the family & friends. Everyone was all in for quaint, just as long as quaint included them! To make a long story short, their wedding now became a "destination wedding" and the clock was ticking! We quickly reserved the last remaining spot at the chapel which happened to be September 03, 2010 at 1:00 p.m.
Enter Angel #2. Whitney's step mom Randa and I have always had a strained relationship at best. Don't ask me why, because truth be told we are so much alike, we could almost be sisters! For the sake of Whitney & B.J. we decided to join forces and make this wedding as perfect as we could! Between the two of us we were like a well-oiled creative machine! We worked in perfect harmony and had so many "aha" moments during the planning that Oprah was probably jealous! Well, here it is two days after the big event, and I can honestly say that aside from my daughter finding the love of her life, one of the things I am most thankful for is my new relationship with Randa! I Love Her! My sisters love her! We have somehow morphed into one big sincerely happy family and we will never look back! I can say without reservation, that from here on out, Erik and Randa & I will show "our kids" what it really means to have a family that has no manufactured, unnecessary drama. We are so lucky to have realized this while we still have time to celebrate the discovery!! This wedding was a life changer in more ways than one, and we are all winners because if it!
Enter Angel # 3: Many of you often hear to me refer to my "bestie & business partner" Sharon. There are not enough good words on the planet to describe or thank this amazingly talented, generous woman that I am privelaged to call my friend. From the moment she got the 911 call about having to plan a wedding in 40 days, she never looked back. Not only did she physically help me stuff bridesmaids bags, tie ribbons on bubbles and hand fans, and purchase and create all of the wedding bouquets, she orchestrated the entire pre-wedding ceremony. You know, the one before the actual ceremony, where the bride can't see the groom, and people need their corsages pinned on and the photographer needs to get a good shot of the bride to be...yeah....that kind of stuff. I am so blessed to have her in my life on a daily basis and trust me, this wedding was the storybook affair that it was due in large part to her! Everyone should have a friend like this that they can count on no matter what, and Sharon, I am so lucky that you are that friend to me!
Whitney spent her last night as a single woman with her mommy. As I kissed her forehead and told her goodnight, I could feel the tears start to well up in my eyes. In less than 12 hours my funny, precocious, independent best friend on earth would belong to someone else. Where had the years gone?
We awoke to the sound of a steady, pouring rain in Austin, Texas. Mind you, it never rains in Austin, Texas. I look out the window, see the rain, pull the curtains shut and tell Whitney that if it rains on your wedding day it means good luck. She is not impressed or amused and asks if it's too early to order a mimosa. (That's my girl!) We decide that 6:30 a.m. is probably a little early to start the party and decide to make the best of it! Inside, I was panic stricken. The Chapel itself was covered, but all the guests would have to walk up a gravel path to get to it, and Whitney & her bridesmaids would also have to walk up the "bride's path" to get there. I put on a happy face and prayed for a miracle.
As we drove to get our hair and makeup done, I swear my windshield wipers were on high. We made a mad dash for the mall and thankfully got lost in a sea of hairspray and a rainbow of eyeshadow. Rain or no rain, by the end of the day Whitney would be a married woman and nothing was going to put a damper on our day! We actually ran late and realized that we had to kick it in high gear to get to the Chapel. As we were driving in the steady rain towards the Chapel, Sharon called to tell us that she was there and that it had stopped raining. I glanced at my dashboard and noticed the temperature had fallen to a cool, crisp 72 degrees!! Suddenly it hit me; this rain was in itself a little miracle. You see, just two weeks earlier I had made a trip to Austin to check out the chapel. My son Jake went with me and the day we were there it was a sweltering 102 degrees!! I literally cried when I saw the path our guests would have to walk up and had visions of people passing out and the bride looking like a sweaty mess! I came home and ordered mongrammed hand fans and personalized water bottles and decided not to tell Whitney about that path she'd be forced to tackle. As we pulled up to the chapel, I realized that things were going to be just fine!
We had delicious bedlam in the Bride's changing room, laughing and dancing, sharing flat irons and breath mints and then it was time to head up the path. This path that had permeated my nightmares for the last two weeks turned out to be one of the best memories of the day! Whitney, her bridesmaids, Sharon, my sister Beth, Randa, Whitney's daddy and I all headed up the path together, singing "Over the River & Through the Woods to Whitney's Wedding We Go"! Laughing at and with each other, we were almost giddy with anticipation, barely noticing that the photographer was in front of us, walking backwards capturing the whole thing! PERFECTION!!! Lustre Photography is also a certified group of angels! Their willingness to capture each and every special moment, along with their attention to detail, have all of us waiting with baited breath to see the finished photos!
Enter Angel #4: Chaplain Larry Todd was listed as one of the "service providers" at the Chapel. I now know that it was no accident that Whitney & B.J. chose him to marry them. Almost every person at the ceremony was moved to tears and personally thanked him afterwards saying that it was one of the most genuine, touching meaningful weddings they had ever been to. He was so engaging; funny at times but serious when he needed to be. I am not making it up when I say that every time he mentioned God, Whitney's veil would flutter in the breeze. Everyone left that chapel knowing that these two kids had found something special and our two families were instantly and forever connected.
Enter the angels @ The Belmont where we had our reception. Kate Morgan was so gracious and organized and pulled off a beautiful reception even though we were communicating from Houston. Her boyfriend just got back from Afghanistan, so she knows first hand the challenges that lie ahead for Whitney & B.J. She could not have been any nicer and we will always be grateful to her. Matt Thompson is the 27 year old owner of The Dakota Room in the Belmont where the actual reception took place. To say that he treated us like V.I.P.S is an understatement! The place was beautiful, the food was delicious and the service impeccable! If you are looking to have an event in Austin, trust me, this is the place to go! You will be treated right! A big shout out to Richard who painstakingly decorated the Cake Table with our assortment of votives and favors and flowers! It looked absolutely picture perfect! Finally, hats off to our awesome, personable D.J. Dave. (davrosmusic@yahoo.com) He totally went out of his way to play what we wanted and make any announcements, and he even stayed a little later for us! He set the tone and kept things moving all day and I would wholeheartedly recommend him for any event!
Can't forget my angel of a friend Lee! The slideshow you made of Whitney & B.J. will be forever cherished and enjoyed by each and every person that watches it. I feel so honored that you gave of yourself and did that for us!
Finally, thank you to all of the friends and family who offered kind words or posts on Facebook. This whirlwind of a wedding has made me feel like the luckiest woman on earth to be surrounded by so many genuinely good, caring people!
And so it goes. Friday, September 03, 2010. I didn't lose a daughter, I gained an amazing son who loves, adores and will always take care of his new wife. Like the chaplain so eloquently put it, "Here's hoping your life together will start with "Once Upon a Time", and end with "And They Lived Happily Ever After".
No comments:
Post a Comment