A Tale of a Wedding

"Has Eliza asked about me yet?" I asked my Mother in law for the 10th time. I was meandering through the Detroit airport, waiting out a four hour layover. Hoping she wouldn't offend me, she replied in a quiet voice,

"She hasn't said a word about you." I concentrated on the portion of relief I felt. Although my ego took a small hit, it mattered more that my daughter wasn't in tears over my absence.

"The tears will come." I consoled myself. "She'll miss me; way more than I'm missing her." I was totally lying to myself and I knew it. I felt a longing for my two travel companions as I observed other parents strolling their children to their departure gates. I felt guilt as I watched the red tram zoom past, knowing that Eliza would get a huge kick out riding it. Eliza loves traveling. She loves airports.

"Henry on the other hand," my mother in law's voice brought me back to the present. "I can tell, he misses you a lot." That made me smile. I pulled out his picture. I passed on the opportunity to talk to Eliza on the phone. Not wanting to spoil her happy state by reminding her that I wasn't home, we concluded our call. I returned to the all important task of "wandering" through the airport; keeping up the facade that there was somewhere important I needed to be. I ordered myself to enjoy the rare childless circumstances.

That's when I found the spa at the airport. Disregarding the Elder Hale's talk I had read on my flight to Detroit (the topic had been on the importance of provident living), I made an immediate appointment for a pedicure.

It was the first, and best, pedicure of my life. I enjoyed chatting with the pedicurist and her co-worker. We talked about our kids, exchanged recipes (seriously) and admired my delightful looking feet. Having assuaged a portion of my sadness/guilt, I boarded my final flight to Salt Lake.

Putting that type of distance between myself and my kids was hard. Spending time at my Mom's house Wednesday night was harder. As I watched my nieces and nephew play in her backyard, I felt guilt knowing that Eliza & Henry were being deprived of that experience on a regular basis. Again, I tried to focus on the positive. I enjoyed visiting with my family and looked forward to my first night (in three years) of sleep, knowing that there wasn't a chance of being woken up by one of my children.

I woke up happy. It was the morning of my best friend's wedding. I had been invited to help her get ready. I don't know how much I helped. As she opened the door in her pajamas, I yelled out a loud and enthusiastic,

"SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" of excitement. Laughing, she put a finger to her lips. A few of her siblings were still sleeping. After a round of yoga, she hopped in the shower. Meanwhile, I searched you tube for all songs wedding day:

"Going to the Chapel of Love," and "I'm Getting Married in the Morning" - courtesy of My Fair Lady, filled our ears as her dear friend Sara masterfully worked on her gorgeous red locks. I greeted her tear filled parents and filmed the moment Devin picked up his future bride to escort her to the temple.

I sweated off my make up as I hustled a massive lot of flowers from the car and into the JSMB building for the wedding luncheon. With only a minute to spare, Sarah, Jacob and I made it to the waiting room of the temple. The ceremony was beautiful. It's hard to say who was beaming more between the pair of them. They left that sacred room as a new family. My decision to come had been validated ten fold. My gratitude for my Mother-in-law who was helping care for my kids sky rocketed.

Pictures followed. I reunited with roommates on temple grounds, enjoyed their cute kids, and indulged in our friend's incredible happiness. The wedding luncheon followed. Family and friends honored them with stories and then, for the best part, Karina and Devin serenaded and expressed their love for one another.

The reception provided me another opportunity to visit with family and friends. The weather was spot on perfect. The yard was beautiful, the food too good. Karina and Devin cut the cake, danced and greeted their guests.

Devin informed the crowd at 8:30 that they were leaving. He literally whisked his bride away before anyone had the chance to formally say "Goodbye." A chase ensued and hugs were demanded.I woke up the following morning, excited to be on my way back to see my kids. Still, the trip to Utah felt unjustly short. My emotions, once again, were conflicted. However, getting out of the car and racing to see my little family was a prized feeling. After the reunion, my attention turned to preparing for our little get away to Ridgeland, SC. Our trip to the plantation, is coming up next.

NOTE TO CARRIE ANNE: I hope I did your request justice. Head over to Audra's blog for more photos, etc... if you're interested.