Dyeing Easter Eggs Tradition 2013

 Our Easter weekend was full of family and friends.

I have lots of memories of dyeing eggs with my family, and I was excited to continue the tradition with friends and my sister, Mackenzie.  My Mom always found the neatest egg dyeing techniques to try.

This year's favorites are the the glitter eggs and oil-based egg spinner. 

  

  Kathryn and Nataleigh showing off their favorite eggs.

  We took advantage of the beautiful weather to ride the electric bikes.  Mackenzie is on the Pedego Trail Tracker.  It's oversized wheels are designed to ride on the sand and the snow.

 Kathryn is riding a beautiful new Pedego cruiser.  These are two new bikes we are carrying at our store: www.eSpokes.com

...and Nataleigh had fun letting Liz play with and style her hair.

As the night drew to a close we lit up a bonfire and enjoyed a cool Spring evening.  

It was a perfect way to usher in Easter.

Putting it together, bit by bit

Tonight David and I host a BYU Soiree featuring Vocal Point, a opera performance, and a piano performance.  We've been planning it for about a year and we are excited to see it all come together.

More soon...

Morrison's farwell party

While I am still in the February/Valentine's mood, I wanted to share one of my favorite parties that took place in the lovely month of February.

My Mother's best friend, Eloise, decided to sell her spacious, beautiful home in Orange County, California and move to an equally beautiful, yet smaller home in Hurricane, Utah.  It was very sad to see the Morrison's leave and my parents wanted to send them off with a farewell party.  They were a bit hesitant, however, to host a party. I am a firm believer that despite what some would-be-hosts think, everyone can host a party or gathering.  They did a great job and here were a few of the ways they personalize the event.  These little details made all the difference.

1. Announcing Your Entrance

There are lots of ways to announce your entrance.  You can use balloons or flags or any kind of decor. The entrance helps to set the mood.  For this party we asked the florist to create two heart-shaped wreathes full of fresh flowers.  I loved how they turned out.  This may be my favorite part of this party.  They were beautiful, festive, and unique.

The floral wreaths provided a great back drop for taking pictures of guests as they arrived.  After the party we gave the Morrison a copy of all the pictures.  It was a great memento of the event.  

2. Personalizing the Event

When the guests entered they saw a display featuring pictures of the Morrison's California home and also their new Utah home.  This was a little thing, but seeing their new home helped the guests get a sense of where the Morrisons would be in the future.  

3. Decorations

For the decorations we ordered some beautiful fresh flower arrangements, but we also wanted to add some color and create a festive environment.  We decided to fill the ceiling with balloons.  It took a lot of helium and were had sore fingers from tying balloons, but it created the desired effect.

On a side note, the next day the grandchildren had a blast playing in the balloons as they started to fall. Here is Nataleigh and Ethan enjoying the sea of balloons.

4. Something To Do

There is nothing more awkward than being at a party with nothing to do.  One would hope that guests would naturally talk and interact with each other, but it is a good idea to have something for guests to do.  Picture displays at weddings or a funerals help give the guests something to do or look at. For this event we created a note writing station where guests could write well wishes or advice for the Morrisons.  Prior to the event my Mom had asked people to write a letter to the Morrisons and include a family picture.   She put the notes and pictures together in a book which she gave it to the Morrisons that night.  We also added these "valentines" to the book.

5. Menu

We kept the menu very simple. We served sandwiches and pasta salad that we ordered from our favorite caterer. The cater also rented to us some of their serving dishes.  This worked out splendidly.  We choose not to have serving staff, which meant guests serve themselves and we had to replenish the food and clear the plates.  Serving the food this way save us a little money and also helped to keep the evening more casual.

6. Program/Entertainment

The purpose of the evening was to have guests interacted with each other and said farewell to Eloise and Dave.  We didn't need to do much else.  We did have a little program where Mom presented the Morrisons with the book of memories she collected.  Then Dad toasted the Morrisons and wished them well on their new adventures.

 6. Meaningful Party Favors 

 We wanted to give the guests a taste of Hurricane, Utah, so I called a shop in Hurricane that made jams and ordered an entire basket full.  We then attached the Morrison's forwarding address to the jams and handed them out as guests left. It took a little effort and some advance planning, but it was well worth it.  The guests loved having something from Hurricane and they also appreciated having the information they needed to keep in touch with the Morrisons.

For two hesitant hosts, they did a fabulous job.

 

We were grateful to be a part of the festivities.

  

It took a combined effort, and we all had a great time.

Craig, Brooke, Ashleigh, Jackie, Brianna, Megan, Mackenzie

February 2006

Wedding festivities

My parents had painstakingly designed the entrance to our backyard where the reception would be.

This Instagram pic shows the tent they rented which housed the guests from any inclement weather. I've seen way too many backyard weddings be rained out.  I always recommend a back up plan, and the tent was our back up plan.

These paper lantern decorations gave us a run for our money.  We couldn't put them up the night before because of all the rain, so after we returned from the temple everyone raced to put things in place.  A large part of the crew were assigned to hang these beauties.  It took a colossal effort, but they looked great.

This is the rack. 

 It originated at my wedding.  I wanted to make sure that everyone had their wedding attire for each occasion and tried to limit any last minute rushing as we looked for little girl socks, slips, or skirts.  I made a personalized hanger for everyone and we kept all the clothes in one place.  It was a great idea then, and even though we are older and supposedly more responsible, the rack is still a great idea.  Because we were setting up until minutes before the reception began, it was helpful to have clothes in one place to help with the quick changes.  Mackenzie set the record for quick changes when she got dressed in 5 minutes right before our family picture!

Hard to believe from this picture that just one hour prior we were all in our best clothes at the temple.  As soon as we got home we put on our work attire and got to work making sure all the details were in place.  Actually, this was one of the most fun aspects of the weekend--working together to a common goal.   Yes, there was stress as we raced towards the deadline, but no one stressed out. We respected each other and worked together as a team.  It reminded me of being on the houseboat at Lake Powell.  The Captain calls out the orders and we all say "Aye, Aye" and get to work.  We have to work together.  This is my favorite aspect of coming from a large family; working together for the common good.

The bricks were swept, the carpet laid down, the engagement pictures were printed and framed.  The decorations hung, the cake delivered, the photographer busy and the flowers were in their place.

All that was left was to light the candles.

Guests came in through the archway,

  

listening to the sound of harp music,

they glanced at this terrific engagement picture that was taken just 48 hours prior.

They took a heart shaped cookie favor as they came in,

and this dapper gentleman helped them place their presents in a safe place.

The next day the guests would say that the entire evening was lovely.  

The couple was engaging, the wedding party excited, the food was good, the dancing was fun, and the setting was simple yet perfect.

 I actually don' t have very many photos of the reception.  

I was happy to greet guests and interact with people I hadn't seen in years. 

These are the only two pictures I have: both with my Thacker cousin, Bryan.

Brittany and Seth cut the wedding cake with a sword that Brittany earned while serving her LDS mission in Spain.  She was excited to incorporate that Spanish tradition for her wedding.  If you look closely, you can see Ethan in the background wearing white gloves.  He was the sword bearer; a responsibility he took very seriously.

One of my favorite moment of any wedding reception is the Daddy/Daughter dance.  Just like in the wedding movies, this is the one chance the Father-of-the-Bride and Bride get to be together.  It is one of the most special moments of the whole weekend.  Brittany choose "I Loved Her First" which was first release in 2006 the American country music group, Heartland.  The lyrics written by Walt Aldridge and Elliott Park are perfect:

...I loved her first, I held her first

And a place in my heart will always be hers

From the first breath she breathed 

While she first smiled at me

I knew the love of a father runs deep

And I prayed that she'd find you someday

But it's still hard to give her away

I loved her first...

Then it was time for the Bride and Grooms first dance. Brittany was radiant. She was so comfortable in his arms and I thank heaven they found each other.

I don't have any pictures of the dancing, or the grand exit.  Imagine the brick walkway lined with well-wishes and long sparklers sending the two love birds on their way.

Dad rented a historic car and driver to whisk them away.  

It is reportedly the oldest running car in the country.  It was beautiful.

Then in a flash, the reception was over. 

The flowers, vases, and decorations were collected.

The guests were thanked and the evening drew to a close. 

 It was so kind of family to travel great distances to celebrate with us.

 As siblings, we were grateful for the opportunity to be together again.

This is what was left of the yummy chocolate mousse cake.

Grandma Scott was a real trooper. 

  I had to include this picture of Merrick because it is a great example of how we all felt.  He didn't want to go to bed because that would mean leaving the party, but he was so tired that as soon as he sat down he feel asleep.  

It was a wonderful whirlwind of a weekend.

Congratulations Brittany & Seth