Last Thursday, my parents celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary.
Think of it: 50 birthdays together (100 birthday cakes!).
50 Christmases trees to decorate together.
50 years' worth of laundry together.
I could go on and on.
My siblings wanted to celebrate this fantastic milestone for them,
and Courtney took the reigns on this beautiful party,
taking care
of the logistics, and most of us siblings pitched in.
I was in charge of the decorations, flowers, and the tables.
A long table sat in the center of the room and
I covered it with white butcher paper and sprinkled gold confetti all over.
I placed gorgeous, colorful roses (ombre style),
birch stumps, and glowing candles down the center of the table.
We had one large table for adults and older children and another
for children and tweens. It turned out beautifully.
We held the dinner in The Bell room across the
street from the new Provo City Center Temple in downtown Provo.
It was a nice space for nearly 70 of us.
Every family member was in attendance except for a few missionaries
who obviously couldn't attend because they were busy sharing the gospel and stuff.
That's all nine of us siblings, along with spouses and children.
Throughout the night, babies were passed around, children ran all over,
and adults talked and laughed.
After dinner, my brother Andrew presented a darling slide show of my parents
throughout their 50 years together, including;
a photo of their first date, their school dances, their wedding, babies,
holidays, and pictures with children and grandchildren (and one great-grandbaby).
Afterward, they danced as grandchildren threw gold confetti around them.
(and on them, of course).
When I think back to my parents, I remember my mom writing yellow checks
practically every day for everything.
Back then, debit cards were not common, and my mom rarely had cash on hand,
so she relied on checks to make her purchases.
I recreated her yellow Central Bank checks and replicated
50 places around town where I remember we went together,
and I watched her write checks, sometimes for items that cost as little as $3.00.
As I got older, I wrote the checks for her.
I would go to the grocery store, the bakery, dry cleaners, etc.
Pretty soon, I got so good at her signature that you couldn't tell who was who.
I nailed it.
My parents (and siblings) had a good laugh reading them,
and I actually fooled my mom, who thought the checks were legit.
At the end of the party, Dad presented Mom with a gorgeous necklace
(that Lucy's husband, Andrew, made). Dad said some sweet sentiments
dedicated to my mom and was visibly emotional. I was, too.
Dad also acknowledged God's hand in their marriage- the ups and downs and
everything in between.
I love my parents and am so grateful for them!
Other exciting news while at the party:
-Nephew Clark asks his girlfriend to marry him (welcome to the family, Tara!)
-Nephew Clark asks his girlfriend to marry him (welcome to the family, Tara!)
-Niece Emma announces she was called to serve a mission
for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
in The Scotland/Ireland mission!
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