To Go Before the Mast

It may come as a surprise; it may seem out of character. For many years I have had a love affair with historic tall ships; those that depend on the power of the wind to fill their expansive sails, those that were manned by accomplished sailors who navigated their courses by the nighttime skies. These ships, with their undisputed beauty, speak to me of adventure, of romance of times gone by, of courage, of stout-hearted men.

While certain that I am not hearty nor courageous enough to have sailed the seven seas in this manner, in my dreams I do long to take my spot next to the great captains which I read about in books. Indeed, I have already outed my obsession with Horatio Hornblower.

Last Tuesday, I had the unique opportunity to "go before the mast and on the deck of the world", to test out my sea legs and to feel the exhilaration of the wind in my sails. It fulfilled a lifelong dream, and despite the debilitating cold of our evening cruise, I will always treasure the experience.

We sailed out of the bay in Newport, Oregon, on the Lady Washington, an historically accurate wooden replica of the original Lady Washington, one of the first U.S.-flagged vessels to visit the west coast of North America. This beautiful movie-star ship has appeared in "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl" and "Master and Commander:  The Far Side of the World."

I appreciate my family and their patience with me as I pursue the things I love.  They are very supportive and adventurous as well, and I love them.  Together, we could sail to the ends of the earth, or wherever we decide to go.

"I did not wish to take a cabin passage, but rather to go before the mast and on the deck of the world, for there I could best see the moonlight amid the mountains. I do not wish to go below now."

~Henry David Thoreau~

Our State Fair is a Great State Fair

Perfect weather.  Manageable crowds.  Great company.  Good food.  Are you getting the idea? 

I got a call from Brian this morning asking me for a date.  He didn't have any meetings tonight and I needed a little carefree, spontaneous fun.  The State Fair opened today.  That's the ticket!

We had a few stowaways, but they were pretty cute so we let them tag a long.

As always, my children never miss seeking out the baby pigs when going to the Fair.

Make way for ducklings and baby chicks.

Perhaps the funniest thing I saw were these sheep in their unusual outfits. Spandex?  Really? 

One of the highlights was the Hypnotist Show.  One of us may have been too cowardly to volunteer because she knew she was very susceptible to hypnosis.

Turkey legs, onion rings, Gyros, french fries, scones, burgers, homemade marionberry and rhubarb pies.

And who could forget the Oregon Dairy Women's soft serve ice cream cones.  A State Fair Must!

It was a beautiful evening.  I went home without being exhausted, overheated, stuffed from eating too much, nor having spent every cent in my pocket.  Good day.

Honeymoons and Exotic Places

Should you, or shouldn't you?  That is the question.  Should you take a honeymoon to some exotic place, or should you spend this important "get-to-know-you" time in a familiar setting?

The data has been collected with this conclusion:  if the opportunity affords itself to go somewhere uniquely beautiful, DO IT!  Just DON'T DRINK THE WATER!

Brian and I have tried to send our married children off in a big way.  Using points from our Disney Vacation Club membership, our gift to the newlyweds has been a Disney Cruise.  Robert and Josalyn cruised in June of 2008 down the Mexican Riviera, leaving from a port in Southern California. 

Erica and Derek recently cruised out of Florida for a honeymoon trip through the Bahamas.

 
Brian and I, too, were fortunate to fly off to some far away, exotic place to begin our married lives together.  We were thrilled to have a week in Puerta Vallarta, Mexico.  For both of us, it was our first trip out of the country and it sounded very extravagant and romantic to us.  For the most part, it was.  Do have I any regrets?  Yes.  We had a lousy camera that took very poor photos, so most of our memories are stored on our internal memory discs.  And as unseasoned travelers to third world countries, naivete in drinking unsafe water and eating unsafe produce had very unfortunate effects.  When you are spending 24 hours a day with someone you adore, it takes away a little of the glamour when half of that time is spent in the bathroom....

My house is quiet....

I had forgotten.  This is how it usually is.  But I had forgotten what it is like to be mostly alone.  The company is gone.  The Honeymooners are gone.  I am left with an empty house and overflowing laundry hampers.

But, oh!  What an amazing week I have had.

Last Thursday we picked up Jackie, Robert, Josalyn, and Evelyn from the airport.  We traveled home to Salem where our dinner was mostly ready to go. (I love crockpots)  My mother, sister Suzanne, and my nieces, Malia and Lauren, came to enjoy our dinner with us.  We ate in the backyard.  Perfect evening. 

The following morning we arose early and went to the Portland Temple.  This was a special preliminary visit, a precursor to the wedding to follow, as Erica entered the House of the Lord to receive a special endowment of blessings from the Savior.  Such an amazing experience.  What a delight to be able to share this time with one's child who has prepared herself, has kept herself unspotted from the world in order to enter in that holy place.

We returned to Salem that afternoon to make final preparations for the Reception.  We met Derek's family at Copper Hill at 6:00pm and with their help we had everything ready for the party to start at 6:30pm.  Talk about miracles....

What a wonderful event.  It was delightful for me to greet all our friends that came to honor Erica and Derek.  I loved it.  And what a crowd!  I thought we would have lots of leftovers.  What was I thinking?  Every delicious morsel was gone, except one tier of wedding cake which I selfishly held back so I could take it home. (Mother of the Bride's prerogative...)

After the whirlwind of a party, we quickly "un-decorated" then headed home with our huge load.  Grateful for the chance to unwind, the family gathered to watch Erica and Derek open their lovely gifts.  Fun times.  Silly times.  The first gift opened was a set of Elvis drinking glasses.  Hmmmm.....what were we in for? 

Saturday morning:  SLEEP IN!  That was on all agendas.  What a blessing.  Rumor got out that our daughter, Jackie, an Esthetician with skills, was in town and willing to remove stray hair.  Believe me, more silliness!

At 1:00pm we gathered up everything needed for the rest of the day and drove to the Wedding luncheon at Macaroni Grill.  Perfect.  What a lovely, relaxing way to prepare for the next, most important part of our wedding weekend, THE WEDDING itself.

The Temple Marriage and Sealing Ceremony was the most sacred event I have ever witnessed.  Many tears of joy were shed as a beautiful bride and a handsome groom commited to each other not just for this life together, but to spend all of eternity together as husband and wife.  They were radiant.  They were blessed with an abundance of the Holy Spirit to sanctify this significant event.  I will never forget this special day with them.

After the ceremony, Erica and Derek came back "down to earth" and emerged from the temple, ready for whatever life would give them.  They were met by loving family and many photographers.  By this time on Saturday evening, the crowds had dissipated and we had the temple grounds to ourselves for all the pictures we could want.

After changing from their wedding clothes, they drove off together in their little red Toyota.  A fitting end to a perfect weekend.  A fitting beginning for the rest of their lives.

Couldn't say it any better!

Erica updated her blog yesterday, and I couldn't say it any better than she did!
So I will just add that we are so happy at our house.  This has been a long time coming, but in a day and age of widespread confusion, I am pleased that my daughter has a desire to be certain before rushing into something so important.  It took her awhile to see what I have seen from the very beginning.

Because their courtship has lasted so long, we already feel like Derek is apart of our family.  His love and kindness and generosity and goodness have won all our hearts, not just Erica's.

Welcome to our family Derek; it is clear that you belong to Erica, and therefore, to us!