Use of a Cliche: "The Happiest Day of My Life"

I've had a great life.  I've had lots of happy days, but I believe Saturday January 19, 2013 will go down in history as my happiest day.  After 2 years together Travis and I were sealed in the Oquirrh Mountain Temple as an eternal family.  We spent the day surrounded by so many people who love us and I will never forget it.  To those of you who have gotten married you will probably disagree with me, but I had THE MOST beautiful wedding EVER!  Let me tell you a little about the day...

I need to begin a few days before.  Wednesday morning I woke up and had a weird tickle in my throat.  I felt totally fine, but spent the day coughing.  My coworkers got all sorts of panicked every time I was coughing, but in my "if you ignore it, it will go away" efforts that I always try first with a cold I denied the existence of any discomfort.  I spent the day saying, "I feel fabulous.  There's absolutely nothing wrong with me."  I got home from work and decided I'd better be safe than sorry, so I spent the evening laying on the couch.  I slept a little and woke up when Travis came to move in the last of his big furniture.  I lifted my head off the pillow to greet him and then resumed the position (but remember, I felt fine, nothing wrong at all).  I went to bed early. 

Thursday morning my alarm went off and I felt like death.  I literally could not sit up.  My entire body was in pain and I weighed about 5 million pounds.  I turned off my alarm thinking I'd just rest a little bit and then get up and get ready quickly.  6:45 a.m. rolled around and I knew I'd be late to work.  I texted the secretary and informed her that I was sick, but I'd be there as soon as I could.  I fell asleep.  7:30 a.m. I convinced my body to get in the shower.  By the time I finished that taxing task I knew I was in trouble.  Once again my entire body was in pain.  I got back into bed.  I slept on and off until 9:00 and finally crawled out of bed, pulled my hair up, got decent looking and headed to work (stopping for a Coldbuster smoothie at Jamba Juice).  I got to work about 10:30 and was a complete waste of space for the day.  I was receiving angry instant messages from my mom all day, she was furious that I was at work.  She threatened to come over and haul me to the doctor, she threatened to call my coworkers, and her last threat was to call my principal.  Somehow I convinced her I was fine and she let me stay at work (I guess being a nearly 30 year old adult wasn't reason enough to get her to relax a little).  I went home when the day ended and went straight to bed.  After a desparate Facebook post requesting cures my friend, Jeanna, showed up with Essential Oils.  My chest, hands, and feet had all sorts of oily smells coming from them.  But, I was going to try anything.  After Jeanna left my mom appeared at the front door with soup, crackers, and so much medicine!  She forced me to eat and drugged me and was on her way.  I went to bed.

Friday was a Student Non-Attendance Day at school, which means I really only had to be there for a few hours.  I decided instead of going at 6:30 a.m. (like I usually do those days) I would sleep in and go in later.  When I managed to open my eyes Friday morning I was honestly convinced I was dying.  I cannot remember ever being that sick.  I did not get out of bed.  11:00 came and my mom began texting.  When she learned of my condition she told me I was not going to work, didn't even give me the option.  I wasn't much of a fighter at that point because I was on my death bed (before you roll your eyes and think that I'm exaggerating, I'm not).  Poor Kjersti had wanted to throw a bachelorette party for me Friday night.  She called me and when I instantly burst into tears she immediately put the party on hold (date is still to be determined).  I felt horrible for letting everyone down.  I remembered that I had felt better after eating the night before, so I gave my legs a firm talking-to and we made our way to the kitchen.  I opened the freezer and a frozen object fell, hit my ankle right on the bone, and left me in excrutiating pain.  Apparently my body had enough at that point and the room began to spin and my eyes went black.  I quickly sat down in the middle of my kitchen and put my head between my knees.  My only thought was, "I'm going down here alone in my kitchen.  They're going to find me dead here."  After 10 minutes I was able to see straight again, but then the nausea set in.  I made my way to the bathroom and sat over the toilet for awhile.  At that point I knew I had done too much so I went back to bed.  My mom called at that point.  I fell apart again.  She insisted I go to the doctor, but I just didn't want to.  They would just tell me to get lots of rest and drink a lot of fluid.  I just needed a Priesthood Blessing from my dad.  My mom told me to try to get to their house and they would find a neighbor to help my dad give me a blessing.  By 1:00 I was standing in my parents kitchen sobbing, seriously sobbing.  "I'm going to ruin everything.  The whole day will be ruined.  All those people are going to come and I'm going to make them sick.  I'm going to get Travis sick and then we'll both be sick for our honeymoon. Etc, etc."  The neighbor, Jack, came to the door in the midst of the Sarah meltdown and tried to give me words of comfort and reassurance.  It was so kind of him to take time out of his day to help me.  I will never forget that.  My dad gave me a beautiful blessing as he always does.  He brought me a lot of comfort.  I am grateful to have a father who is a faithful Priesthood holder and who is willing to exercise that Priesthood when asked.  In my weakened state my mom hauled me to the InstaCare.

When the medical assistant took me back and took my vitals she asked me what my symptoms were.  My head was leaned against the wall and flopped over to look at her (by this point my mom had me so full of drugs I totally felt as though I was floating) I said, "I'm getting married tomorrow.  I need you to cure me."  She gave me a look of disbelief, and then when she realized I was serious she got me to the exam room and went to let the doctor know I was ready.  The doctor walked in and asked my symptoms.  I said, "I'm getting married tomorrow, I need you to cure me.  Oh yeah, and I'm flying out to a foreign country tomorrow night."  For a second I don't think he believed me, and then he said, "Are you sure you want to do that?"  He then told me that I hadn't had enough of some symptoms for it to be the flu.  His diagnosis... a virus.  Shocker!  I could have told you that!  His cure... lots of fluids and lots of rest.  When I sort of snorted (when would I have time for rest and fluids) he prescribed me a cough supressant and anitibiotic in case I developed a sinus infection with the changing pressure during the flight.  My mom took me to fill both prescriptions and then I was home and back to bed.  I became a firm believer in Mucinex-D, Sudafed, Tylenol, and Ibuprofen.

That brings us to my wedding day.  Much to my surprise I actually woke up Saturday morning.  Remember, I was convinced I was dying.  Not only did I wake up, but I was able to get myself out of bed.  I showered and started getting ready.  Callie got to my house and patiently waited because I took longer to get ready than I had expected.  I ate Pop-Tarts (it's the only thing that sounded good!  My mom later scolded me for that) while Callie worked on my hair.  She made my hair and make-up look beautiful, as I knew she would.  I didn't even look deathly ill.  My parents and then Travis arrived.  I went upstairs to get into a dress to wear to the temple, and after a brief meltdown my parents got us out the door to the temple.

We got there a little later than we were supposed to, but that didn't seem to bother the temple workers.  They got us in and going.  My mom served as my escort and my dad took care of Travis.  I got changed into my temple clothes and we met with one of the temple matrons and headed to meet Travis.  I love being in the temple with him.  I felt almost normal while I was there.  I wanted so much to remember everything.  There was so much to take in.  We got a little time alone together in the Celestial Room because everything was running about 30 minutes behind.  I didn't even notice that we were late.  I was just enjoying every moment.  We had the wonderful opportunity to chat with our sealer (who had been recommended to me from a coworker) and he was amazing.  He was perfect for us.  When he took us in to the Sealing Room I felt so at peace.  I knew I was in the right place.  He said the most wonderful things.  A lot of the things he said were about the Nauvoo Era and the Nauvoo Temple.  He had not been told that I had lived there.  How awesome is that?!  I was shocked that he was talking about my favorite place on the planet.  It was so incredibly perfect for me.  I wish that you all could have been in my head during that time in the Sealing Room.  I looked around and saw my family and a few of my closest friends.  The love that was in that room was beyond compare.  We were surrounded by our family here on Earth and those who have gone on before.  We were surrounded by angels.  I got to kneel across the altar from Travis and look into his eyes and see how much he loves me.  I wish you all could have seen what I saw that day.  I will never forget it.  Never.  It was perfect.  I wouldn't have changed a thing. 

After greeting our loved ones we made our way downstairs to change.  When we got into the changing room my mom pulled out a bag containing a water bottle, orange juice, crackers, cheese, and chocolate.  She said, "You need to eat something now, what would you like?"  I sucked on some chocolate and drank some water to make her happy.  The drugs were still working, so I was feeling ok.  I just wanted to get into the most beautiful wedding dress I'd ever seen.

I got changed and then got to meet back up with my new husband (still totally weird to say).  They took us to the west entrance where Callie, Merrilee, and Bob were waiting for me.  I was so relieved to see Callie!  I knew that if I was looking at all sick she would fix me.  When I got their approval we headed out to greet our families.

My mom got the task that I've never mastered of pinning the flowers to Travis.  Seriously, what would have happened with out my mom?!

 





I got a kiss from my favorite person in the whole world, Grandpa George.

 



Remember how we got married in January, not just January, but one of the coldest Januarys ever?  It was like 20 degrees that day.  Good thing I had on so many layers, and had found the most fabulous coat ever just a week before my wedding.

 



All of our loved ones who had come to support us.

 



Have I ever  mentioned how much I hate PDA?  Well, I do!  Yuck!  Way too much kissing in front of people.  So, enjoy the pictures here, because that's all you'll ever see!

 



Grandpa George and Grandma Syme, I am so lucky to have so many family members who are worthy temple recommend holders.  I am also so blessed to have such great relationships with my grandparents.  I love them so much.  They have done so much for me.

 



Travis' Grandma Maryln

 



My Posse for the day.  I was even lucky enough to have Carol and Everett there all the way from Washington!

 



This is my immediate family.  Really, there are no words for Taylor.  It took about 8 pictures to get a decent one of all of us.  But, I figured this one probably was the best description of us.

 



My parentals

 



What's a girl without her best girlfriends???  Kjersti, Kandus, Amber, D'Nell, and Jeanna were all with me in the temple.  I loved having D'Nell peaking between people to wave at me when I walked into the sealing room.  There are some fabulous pictures of D'Nell pulling faces.  Don't worry, I will post those some day.

 



My parents and Travis' mom, Janet

 



Travis' family.  Seriously, between our 2 families it was nearly impossible to get a decent picture.  Thanks Cory!  We tried to warn Ryan of the challenges he would face as our photographer.  I'm not sure he believed us until the day of...

 



Travis' aunt and uncle live in Morocco.  They were in town for one of my bridal showers and gave us a Moroccan Wedding Blanket.  It is so beautiful.  What a beautiful and thoughtful gift!

 





I love the Oquirrh Mountain Temple.  I have loved it since the day I went to the open house.  I knew the minute I walked into the Celestial Room for the first time that I would be married there.  I was so grateful that happened.

 



Oh bother, more PDA...

 



You'll notice by this point I'm wearing a rather fabulous coat.  It was unbearably cold.  When I first got out of the temple I felt great, didn't want my coat.  But, after the group pictures I was freezing!  Mindy and Lacey had been following me around with my coat and rubbing my arms with their gloved hands to keep me warm.  I finally gave in.  By this point my hands were so cold that they ached terribly!  Despite the cold we were blessed with a beautiful clear day (which is highly unusual for a January day in Utah).

 



It's ok if you avert your eyes...

 

P.S.  Aren't my flowers the most amazing flowers you've ever seen?!

 



Travis' parents, Russ and Janet

 



Travis' family...  Derick, Tricia, Russ, Janet, Mindy, Cory, Lacey, and Troy

 



Don't worry, I left out another kissing picture.

 



Isn't he just the handsomest husband ever?

 

After the temple we headed to the luncheon.  We got to eat at the Olive Garden, and the food was delicious.  My mom, dad, Travis, and I had prepared hot chocolate favors for everyone that turned out quite cute (my mom insisted on a cheesy saying, "We've got our love to keep us warm." and I will never let her live that down).  My mom had also created mad libs for everyone to fill out for us. It's been fun to read those.  It was a great meal and very generous of Russ and Janet to host us there.

 



This is just a snapshot of the amazing flowers at my reception.  Melisa Swapp did my flowers and she is AMAZING!!!  My reception was the most beautiful reception I've ever seen because of her.  The decorations were incredible.  When Travis and I got to Heritage Gardens I took a minute to wander through and look at everything.  I wouldn't have changed a single thing.  Melisa is so talented and I love her!

 



Travis didn't have much interest in all the wedding stuff, but he did want a grooms' cake.  When we met with the cake lady, Dorcas Woodward, he got super excited.  He designed his very own football field.  I insisted that there by some Utah representation too.  We loved it!  It was chocolate cake (so it would look like dirt when we cut into it) with blue vanilla frosting.

 



Oh look, miracles do happen!  A decent picture of my family!  We even look as though we like each other.

Emma looked so pretty in her new dress.  I do have to say that my mom and I picked perfect colors.

 



Travis' family, including neices and nephews.

 



The most beautiful wedding cake you've ever seen.  Just sayin'.  I had different flavors for each layer.  the bottom was vanilla and chocolate marble cake with chocolate ganache filling, the middle was almond cake with raspberry filling (Travis really wanted raspberry filling somewhere), and the top was chocolate cake with peanut butter filling (that one is currently in our freezer).

 



I only had desserts at my reception.  All of these delicious looking treats were accompanied by a hot chocolate bar!  How awesome is that?!  I didn't get to eat any that night, but they saved some for me, and they sure were tasty.

 



Grandma Syme got a new beautiful dress just for my wedding.  She looked so pretty.

 



When I got my wedding pictures Emma and Taylor were well represented throughout, this is one of the more charming poses...

 



Heritage Gardens was the perfect place for me.  The people were amazing to work with and so incredibly patient.  I had a hostess for the night, Sammy, and she took great care of me.  She helped everything move along as I wanted and made sure the night was totally perfect.

 



Lots of pictures of Emma and Taylor...

 



This was my toss bouquet.  Melisa made a candy bouquet using candy in my wedding colors.  What a fun idea!

 



Cake cutting made me so nervous.  I was terrified that Travis would make a mess of me (because he had promised to).  We cut our cake in the middle of our reception and I did not want to spend the rest of the evening covered in frosting...

 



...Therefore, Travis got a severe warning (check out my face in the mirrror!  Epic!)

 



It was fairly mild, I got Travis worse than he got me, luckily.

 



I'm pretty sure this is the last kissy picture, sorry!

 



Emma showing off my toss bouquet.

 



And Taylor also modeling with my bouquet.

 

Right before I threw my bouquet we untied the ribbon so it came apart into 4 pieces.  Another great idea from Melisa!

 





Kjersti caught part of my bouquet!  Here's hoping #14 is the lucky one!

 





Another wedding tradition I thought was stupid and desparately tried to get out of.  Travis insisted, therefore I had to endure it...

 



The garter toss...

 



Kaden caught the garter!  He doesn't look embarrassed at all does he???  (P.S.  I totaly love this picture of Travis!)

 



I had to include this because it's a fantastic picture of Mason and Taylor!

 



The whole day was just to much for Colton, and I don't really blame him...

 



...because I was beginning to feel the same way.  My medicine was wearing off, we had already gone 30 minutes longer than planned, and I still had stuff to pack before our 12:55 a.m. flight!

 



As we left Dad gave us big hugs.  I still don't know what he said to Travis as he embraced him...

 



Yep, we totally had a bubble machine!  I loved that part.  It was so cold that the bubbles were freezing!

 



Travis' brothers-in-law were planning to silly string us as we left, until they found out we weren't planning to change first.  Silly string on my beautiful dress, bad idea!

Nope, that's not my car.  It's not Travis' car either.  We knew our reception wasn't going to be over until 8:30 (that actually became 9:00).  Our flight to the Dominican Republic was scheduled to leave at 12:55 a.m.  We did not want to have to deal with a messy car, it would have made a busy stressful night even worse.  So, we devised a plan with my parents.  My dad was kind enough to lend us his car for the day.  By some miracle no one ever figured it out.  When we pulled up to Heritage Gardens Troy came out the front door with Landon.  He didn't even see us!  Dodged that bullet.  The nephews and brothers-in-law spent the night searching for our car, and trying to get whatever keys Travis had.  We were able to keep our secret safe.  We have been warned that someday they will get even, but we were just happy not to deal with it that night!

 

You wouldn't believe how many people came to our reception.  I was in shock.  We felt so loved!  People I haven't seen for years came to show us support.  Thank you to all who came.  Thank you to all who made the day the most perfect day of my life.  I would not have changed a single thing.  I was blessed with a lot of energy and comfort.  Heavenly Father and his angels carried me through the day.  I am happy to be married, but a little sad that it was over so quickly.  Weird that after 6 months of planning it's over in one day.  But, it certainly was one perfect day.

 

And, once again, the pictures are brought to you courtesy of Ryan Cummings Photography.  He was with us the entire day and got over 400 pictures!  I love them all and treasure them so much.