Dear blogger friends,
On September 19, our son Ryan was very happily wed to his bride Tina. It was a very wonderful day in Santa Barbara in so many ways. Their love for each other was so apparent to everyone there. Ryan met Tina at our church about 1 ½ years ago. Our two families have known each other for many years. Little did we ever know that our families would be joined together in such a special way. Both of our kids went to Santa Barbara Christian School, where I have been a teacher for 14 years. I taught both her sisters, and I taught Tina and watched her grow up from 1994 – 98, when she graduated from SBCS 8th Grade.
The wedding site was at the Santa Barbara Zoo. This last summer, all our days were very foggy, even up to the day before the wedding. The night before the wedding a thick fog hung over the Zoo. YET On Sunday we had an incredibly beautiful day. Absolutely perfect. Thank you Lord. The sun was out, the climate enjoyable, and the setting for this wonderful union was perfect in every way.
Thank you to the Clause family for hosting such a beautiful wedding, to Annie Williams who created beautiful flower arrangements with her wonderful crew of ladies, Rachel who created the bouquets for the girls, and boutineers for the guys. A young friend Shane created our video, and cousin Mike was our DJ. Soooooo much fun! The many talents of the Clause family was so amazing. From the invitations by Cindy, the wonderful Italian cookies by Tina's aunts, to Tina cooking and making all the carmel sauce for the favors of the wedding. Tina and her Mom's vision for the whole wedding was beautiful.
For me, in the midst of the joy of this union, was the bittersweet memory of my sister Jill, who had passed away only 4 days before. It was a very emotional time for me, as anyone could imagine. I am thankful that I had had some special time with Jill beforehand, say my farewell to my precious sister and that I was able to begin to grieve her loss ahead of time. I missed my family from up north, as they were not able to come. Ryan gave a short tribute to his Aunt Jill and Tina's Grandfather before they cut the cake. It was really touching for me.
For us, the wedding and especially the union of these two wonderful young adults was beyond anything as parents we could have hoped for. I am so amazed by it all. God is so good to us. Ryan and Tina went to Tahiti for their honeymoon and are now settling into married life in San Diego. "A man's heart plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps". Proverbs 16:9.
