The photos are: The newlyweds in the oak forest near Rossells' home, the Potters and Rossells with the bride and groom in La Verne, Norm and the kids cleaning up the yard for the Kaysville open house, and Sara's long hair being cut for donation to Locks of Love.
The past few weeks have been magical and marvelous! Michael and Eleanor were wed in the Los Angeles LDS Temple on Saturday, May 19, 2007. All our immediate family was able to gather from India, Korea, England-- where Daniel had been touring in May-- and Utah. Eleanor Rossell comes from a very large family, and they are wonderful people. We met many of them at Club Largo in LA, at a bluegrass concert and dinner hosted by Eleanor's parents, Craig and Theresa, on Thursday evening (May 17), and then the next night, Norm and I hosted a big family dinner at Grandad Turner's back yard and patio. Daniel and his sisters offered to make homemade ravioli (dripping in butter herb sauce!), and we added to the meal with COSTCO goods. It was all very delicious, and the family was in rare form.
Everyone enjoyed getting better acquainted. We had an impromptu testimonial session after dinner and before dessert, and most of the immediate family members on both sides stood up and spoke of memories and feelings about the newlyweds. It was touching, and entertaining too. We wiped away a few tears as we remembered Mom (Gram) who would have loved to be there---and probably was, now that I think about it!
Saturday was busy and beautiful. Eleanor's grandfather is an authorized temple "sealer" so he was able to marry the couple in a "sealing room" where about 65 people gathered, and half of them were standing behind the seated people, all around the perimeter of the room. Grandpa Norm Rossell spoke to Michael and Eleanor about the words of the ceremony, and how to apply the wisdom therein to their own lives to build a happy eternal marriage. It was very personal of course, considering he has known and loved the bride all her life!
That evening we all drove over to La Verne, near Claremont, for the big reception in the Rossells' home and back yard. They had worked very hard in recent weeks to decorate, repaint, and re-landscape, and it was very lovely. The evening was full of a couple hundred people, lots of desserts and fresh fruit, a little dancing, photos, and plenty of chatter. Good times for all!
The Utah event was on Saturday, May 26 at our Kaysville back yard. We turned it into a garden setting the best we could, with white lights, and we got some outdoor rugs to use on the deck and patio, and added some flowers and greens wherever we could. Neighbor friends added their own items to help with tables, chairs, decor, etc. and it was a big success with lots of good food, friends, family, and photos. We all worked reeeealllly hard for a few intense days, and deserved a break after it was all over Saturday night. So a few of the family were able to go to Park City for a few days relaxation at a condo, and then we visited the newlyweds at their first home in Spanish Fork on last Saturday, and made sushi for dinner.
Norm has returned to work in Korea, and I am on my way back home to Seoul next week. This month in USA has been a welcomed rest from the busy-ness of life in Korea, but we have some good times planned for the next several weeks, so it will be great to get back to a settled routine soon. Stand-by flying has come through again, with a few hiccups in our plans, but we cannot complain, considering that all 5 of us (everyone except Michael) used Delta flights to arrive in LA and/or Utah for wedding celebrations. Thank you, Rebecca!
PS: I have already told the three unmarried kids that I would really appreciate doing future weddings in just one city, not two!
