Wedding Bells were in the Air (As was a below freezing wind chill)

So the wedding post is finally here. I was just talking to Emalei because I am waiting for Leisa to get back from her trip to SLC and she said that she is still waiting for the wedding post. To be honest, I had totally forgotten all about it.

So the whole weekend was really great. We got married on a Saturday and the whole week just crept by because both of us were done with school for the semester and pretty much just waiting for the big day. The Thursday before, we traveled to Manti for our friend's (Brady and Lacey) sealing. That was great for Leisa and I to see so close to our big day. Then Friday family started coming into town and that night we had an awesome family dinner. We loved spending time with those who have meant a lot to us getting to this point. The food was great and the desert even better (homemade sugar cookies by Mom). The night ended early though because the next day was going to include a lot, including our sealing for eternity. I think that deserves a new paragraph.

Sealing at 9 am, that means bride and groom arrive at 8 am! For me that means wake up at 7, get ready in 20 minutes and grab a quick bite on my way out to the car to head out to West Jordan, to arrive right at 7:58 (I looked at my watch). Leisa is probably rolling her eyes as I know she got up at 5:30 am to do all of her getting ready and somehow ended up at the temple at around...oh....8:15. Now, I knew with about 99.9999% assurity that she wasn't going to back out, but when it is 8:14 and she isn't answering her phone and is rarely late to anything, you maybe begin to entertain thoughts you wouldn't otherwise entertain. And then add to that all the cute little temple workers making "cute" little comments about her being late and "Did she get cold feet?", etc. you begin to worry a little. So she did show up and she looked so beautiful and had such a huge smile on and it made things all better. We got started with the technicalities and then changed. I met with the Temple President (Bridget's dad, Pres. Layton) for some instruction and wise words. Then, I was headed up to the Celestial Room to meet my STBB (soon to be bride). We were allowed to sit there for a while and ponder and talk and hug each other before we were to perform our various ordinances. It was so nice to sit there and know that we had made it. Not that it was a long engagement by any stretch of the imagination, nor was it a rocky one, but we had forces working against us and it was nice to know that we had persevered.

One of the feelings and images I remember most was initially walking into the Sealing Room and seeing familiar, smiling faces. There were those there that I knew were going to be there and was glad to see. But there were also faces there that I didn't know would be there and it was extra special to see them. Pres. Layton had some beautiful words to share with us and his message came from the Bible, talking about the blessings of Abraham, Issac, and Jacob and also the Abrahamic Covenant. He even shared the story from Genesis 12 when Abraham goes down into Egypt and tells his wife, Sarai, to say that she is his sister, otherwise they would be jealous and kill him and steal her away. And he says that "my soul shall live because of thee." He tied that to us and how, now that I have found Leisa, my soul shall live because of her. That was deep. I loved his words and how he tied the scriptures to us and our lives. Great words! And as quickly as the ceremony had started, it was over. Tears were flowing and hugs were being given.

I guess the favor returned to me as Leisa claims she was waiting for me to change for about 15 minutes in the bride's room. When we finally got together, we stepped bravely out into the cold to greet family and take pictures. The wind was whipping and nipping. Leisa was a trooper and held it together. She finally got a cape on and it helped, but didn't solve any problems. We took about an hours worth of pictures at the feet of our fearless leader (thanks Abbie) and then we couldn't get inside a warm vehicle fast enough.

Now, for those of you who don't know, Leisa is from a small little town near Roosevelt, Utah called Neola. All that is important to know about that place right now is that it is 3 hours east of Salt Lake City. So after checking into our hotel and dropping our suitcases off and changing, we headed to Neola for the reception that night. It was a beautiful reception that was well represented. After the reception from 6-8, we were back in our car to head back for our hotel by the airport (because our flight left the next morning for Spain).

Overall, the day was truly the best day of my life. I know that sounds cliche, and to leave it at that may be so. There have been certain other days which have been important to me and which have been filled with exciting, fun events. But as far as the importance of this day and the joy of being with my love for the whole day made it the best day of my life. The feelings I felt that day easily top any feelings I have ever felt.

As far as posting pictures here, I think I will just refer to my sister's blog for photos. She was our photographer and she did an awesome job!