So many celebrations are in May! School's out, so there are graduations, end-of-school-year programs, weddings that have waited for school to be out, and gatherings before summertime brings vacations.
A big celebration that had been long awaited was our granddaughter, Maddy's, wedding!
So, off we headed to Gilbert, Arizona, to join the festivities! We went a day early so we could be fresh for the Rehearsal Dinner, so we got to see Great-Granddaughter Charlotte (Anna and Jack's) at Ryan's and go see the site nearby where Ryan and Emily are building their new home.
Roger drove out to the Gilbert Airport to see the mounted T-38, one of the planes he instructed in when we were in the Air Force. It makes him happy to touch in with flying memories.
The Rehearsal Dinner was held at Ocotillo Golf and Country Club the night before the wedding. We were seated at the table with the couple's two other grandparents, Grit Young and his wife, Sherry, and Kieth Merrill (filmmaker) and his wife, Dagny; and the groom's father's (Greg's) sister and her husband.
Here is our beautiful soon-to-be bride, Madison, with her handsome fiance, Dane Porter.
Mom, Stacy, and Dad, Tom, are so happy to welcome Dane into the family!
Maddy's sisters and husbands, Tucker and Jake, are so excited for Maddy and Dane!
Tom and Stacy, are ready to toast the new couple with Martinellis.
Brothers, Max and Luke, are excited to get another "brother" in the family! Brother Jake and Mira weren't able to come from Sweden to the wedding, because Mira was too close to delivering their twin girls.
Next day was a busy one, and, though it was the first part of May, temperatures were well over 100 degrees! A wedding ceremony was held in the morning before the temple sealing that afternoon, so that all family members on both sides could attend, and the guest list was limited to family, which totaled 175 with Maddy's friends and a table each of the two moms' friends! Maddy had dreamed of a garden wedding. My thoughtful daughter, Stacy, knew I don't tolerate heat well, so she had arranged for me to sit in the building in front of the ceremony and watch through the window. I was so grateful - it was HOT out there!
Dane's dad performed the ceremony. We cracked the door open so we could hear it.
Our kids and attending grandkids (minus Stacy's immediate family) grabbed some lunch at Torchy's Tacos between ceremonies. Mindy and Jeff wanted to go there because it was a favorite place for them when they lived in Houston and it recently opened in Gilbert.
The marriage sealing at the Gilbert Temple was lovely, and afterwards, we waited in the front entrance area before taking pictures out front of the temple. Ryan's Ben is hugging Sydney and Jake's twins, Poppy and Rosy, and behind them is the mother of the groom, Kaele, holding her little granddaughter. Maddy's wedding colors were fuchsia and chartreuse.
Roger and I had a little time to chat with Syd and Jake's Henry and Charlie - all of their kids are so precious and growing up. They live in Florida, so it's such a treat to be with them!
Abby and mom, Jodie, got a little Poppy/Rosie time!
Here they come!
Bridesmaids' greetings! I haven't gotten any pics of the wedding party at the temple from the photographer yet, but there were close to 120 people at the marriage sealing!
The dinner and celebration that evening were back at The Acre, where the ceremony was that morning. There were food stations with Maddy's favorite foods, bruschettas, artisan breads, yummy beef sliders, turkey sandwiches, salads, pastas and her most favorite, various gelatos for dessert.
The immediate families were there early for photos, so we got to hang out in the AC before dinner started.
Cutting the cake
The Groom/Mother Bride/Father dance
The new Mr. and Mrs. Dane Porter dance
The Bride and Groom's exit/farewell
Off they drove in a Lamborghini and they soon left for their Honeymoon in Bora Bora!
Next morning was Mother's Day and Stacy had a Mother's Day Brunch for immediate family members at their home. We couldn't believe she had any energy left, but then I realized she is Roger's daughter! When we were at Maddy's bridal shower two weeks previously, Mindy gave me the most gorgeous, dazzling bouquet she made out of flower legos for Mother's Day. She bedazzled the flowers and the vase they were in. I couldn't have been more thrilled!
Here are some photos of it, taken back home.
Isn't it magnificent? I love it and her, and, oh my, the hours it took to make it! Such a dear daughter!
Back to Mother's Day at Stacy and Tom's home. Steve, Tom's brother, had made this banner featuring the immediate family mothers in the Young family. Stacy's photos on it (turned in by Tom) are farther away shots, but what a cute idea!
I adore this daughter of mine! What an amazing hostess she was all weekend for all of the events for her last daughter to get married. I don't know how she can even be standing after it all. Every detail was thought through and executed beautifully. They couldn't control the heat wave weather, but it was such a lovely wedding! Her house was full with her kids and grandkids.
Ryan and Emily slipped over to bring me a gift and wish me a Happy Mother's Day.
Brothers Steve and Tom are solving the world's problems.
After the delicious brunch, we had a delightful chat with Syd, Stacy and Barb before we had to head home to Utah. Syd won the role of Sandy in Grease at a theater in Pensacola in September and she's so excited!
Early the next week, Mira delivered twin girls, Malva and Lykke in Sweden, where Mira is from. They are both on blow-by oxygen in the pic, as they were a little premature, but they are doing well. I don't know if they will be coming to Arizona any time soon, but we look forward to seeing them someday! Jake and Mira are overjoyed!
On May 19, we headed up north for Mindy and Jeff's son, Jack's, high school graduation.
While Jess did my hair that evening, Roger met up with his sister, Chyrrl, and they slipped out to the cemetery to put flowers on their parents' and Gordie's graves for an early Memorial Day.
The graduation was held at the Marriott Center in Provo, as it is a large high school with about 2,500 students. My favorite highlights were the Nation Anthem being arranged and played by a student on the saxophone (amazing talent), the band's musical number and the principal's speech (a wonderful and beloved man).
Charlie and Fiona had important things going on at their school, but Addie really wanted to be there to see her big brother graduate. Jack is really going to be missed while he is in Japan attending Temple University!
The proud grandparents - Roger and Pam Stratford and Rosie and Brent Lind
Jeff has a photo of when he graduated, of his two grandmas laughing on each side of him, so we replicated it!
Mindy and Jeff treated us all to lunch at a local restaurant in Provo, Communal, then we headed for St. George.
Two days later, Ryan and Emily, with their daughters, Becca and Sarah, came to St. George to spend Memorial Day Weekend. They arrived Friday night, and son, Ben drove down from Provo, where he is attending summer school. They all went to the Red Cliffs Temple early Saturday morning to do temple work, then they changed and all headed to the pickle ball courts with Grandpa.
They hiked and shopped that afternoon, then I fixed a dinner of Maid-rite sliders and my shrimp pasta salad before they left to go to Tuacahn to see Les Miserables. They said it was fabulous and they loved it! They are always done so professionally, and seem to get better every year!
We went to church together Sunday morning, and I sang in a quintet, Peace in Christ.
After church, cousin Ellie came over and Roger barbecued salmon on the grill and we had baked potatoes with homemade Ranch sauce, steamed broccoli, pickled cucumbers and onions and Nielsen Custard cones for dessert. They are all big fans of Nielsen Custard!
Roger's taking orders for which flavor of Nielsen's Custard cone they want!
They drove to the St. George Temple grounds Sunday afternoon.
Such a cute Daddy/Daughter pic!
Monday morning, Memorial Day, Ryan golfed with Roger and his Monday morning golf buddies (one of them couldn't be there, so it worked out to a foursome). Ryan kept commenting on how fun it was and Roger's buddies did the same when we saw them!
Ryan treated us all to lunch at The Smoked Taco, a new place in St. George we hadn't tried yet, before they left to return home to Mesa. Ben left to go back to Provo the day before. We really did enjoy having them visit and stay with us and we got caught up on each others' lives. The older we get, the less we know the details of our kids' busy, growing families. After all, they are now grandparents too, except Mindy and Jeff, and it takes one-to-one visits!
We closed out May with a fun get-together with our Gamer Group!
We have so much fun with these guys each month, not being parents, grand-parents or great-grands, just being Pam and Roger!
I really do expect June to be much calmer!
