New Year's

I can't remember the last time I actually stayed up until midnight to ring in a new year.  Well this year was the first in quite a long time. I wish I had pictures to document all of this because it was a great party. But unfortunately I don't, sorry!  Lance and I dressed in our Sunday best and went to a wedding.  Our really good family friend Jason married the woman he loves at midnight.  We were told to arrive around 8:30 p.m. and I figured the wedding would be first thing and then the reception and party to follow.  Well it was the exact opposite.  We arrived to find everyone else in casual clothes.  At first we thought we were the only ones over dressed for the occassion but later on many others would arrive wearing their Sunday best also.  So we pretty much hung out from 8:30 p.m. until midnight. We had many of our good friends who were there from our previous ward and it was so much fun to catch up.  Some had had new babies and I got to hold and cuddle with them for a little while.
There was also a family there who is from Middleton, about 5 minutes away from our home.  They are members and about a year ago they were suprised to find the Extreme Makeover on their doorstep.  They have an incredible story to tell. They have 4 children who were all diagnosed with a digestive disorder and they are not allowed to eat any food.  They are fed through a tube that is inserted into their stomachs and it is a very serious disease.  When the Extreme Makeover came to their home they were completely shocked because they figured it would never happen.  Well it did and they came and they built them an amazing house. I remember watching it and when I saw them at the party I remembered who they were so we got to sit and visit with them.  Quite a remarkable family.  The father, Ryan, has suffered from really serious headaches. He said that if you have ever had a migrane it would be 10x's worse than that.  So he has had 4 operations in San Diego on his brain.  One surgery they almost lost him due to a staff infection.  Anyways, a neat story.
Then midnight finally came around.  We were in this extremely wealthy home and it was big enough to house an army.  We headed upstaris for the wedding.  It was a very nice ceremony. I can't remember the last time I attended a civil wedding.  Our bishop from our previous ward was there to marry them.  It was a very sweet thing to witness.
Let me introduce this couple. Jason, the groom, has been married twice and has three sweet children.  His first wife left him, his second wife left him and third times a charm.  Jason works with Lance and has become family to us. In July of last  year, he and two of his three children were baptized into the church. I think it was the most touching baptism I have ever attended in my life.  His youngest daughter will be old enough to get baptized this year.  Tiffany, the bride, was married once before also.  Her husband got into some really bad things and made some terrible choices in his life and they divorced.  She has two children from that marriage. Well they were introduced through a mutual friend and started dating last spring.  They thought it out long and hard and decided that they wanted to marry.  So New Year's just seemed like a good time to do it.  They started the year off right.  They will go to the temple in July when he has been a member a year.  That will be a great experience for their families as well. 
They looked so happy and I was so happy for them.  It wasn't that hard to stay awake.  We didn't get back home until almost 1 and then I didn't fall asleep until almost 2 am.  Then it was up at 7 with the kiddos.
It was a great way to bring in the New Year.  I am so happy that they invited us to be a part of their special day. 

Congratulations Jason and Tiffany!!!!