You can have your cake.....

....and eat it, too and we did and it was sooooo good. (Is this just the most beautiful cake ever?...thanks, Jan. Amazing.)...and I want to do a little editing to this post and let you know the "truth" about this wedding. One of theeeee most agonizing experiences of my life.....because I HAD TO MAKE DECISIONS and they all seemed to be the wrong ones because deciding is not one of my strong points and I spent many sleepless nights perplexed over every one of them knowing for sure there was something better lurking out there but too late to do anything about it......but this cake was not one of them, in fact, it's the best thing that ever happened to a wedding and JoEllen's sister Jan, is an amazingly multi-talented busy woman that has done this two times for our family. If I have to pick my favorite part of this day (other than the whole temple experience) it would have to be this beautiful cake.
I have to be honest and admit that I was sleep-deprived and in pain with worry clear up to the big day but the decisions had already been made, the chairs and tables were placed, the tent was up, the video was finished and the cookies were in the jars.....(Lauri has given her chocolate chip cookies to about everyone on the planet so in honor of her, we decorated with "her" cookies).....

...(and a few other favorites to add some flair).....

....and as I arrived at the Alumni House about 12:00, after the pictures at the temple, it was like magic....every decision I'd made in the last 3 months was the right one....no, not just the right one but the "perfect" one. Things couldn't have gone more smoothly....the food was plentiful and good (better too much than not enough), the colors were bright and very "Lauri", the day was perfect, the guests were fun and it was just awesome to be surrounded by my family for the whole week-end and have their help and support (I did miss Spencer and Traci's families). Jason stayed with me the whole day, asking me several times what he could do to help me and ever-so-willing to do anything I asked. The boys had a few minutes before the guests arrived....a little "Dew" time to catch a breath before the crowds arrived.

Lauri is beautiful.....

James is a happy man.....

D'ya love the bow ties?.......Kyle's idea, professor that he is, but not willingly accepted by his brothers except for this picture. Thanks, guys, for humoring us a bit.

Thanks to my sister and Cynthia for letting me moan and groan about this for 5 months, to my children for helping me with "last minute" preparation and for clean-up, to my boys for doing all the heavy stuff (Kyle, thanks for the tent; it was perfect), to Traci for arranging the flowers so beautifully and professionally, to Jan and crew for the cake, to JoEllen for helping me make decisions and cookies and to Grandma Tobler's for coming to my rescue because I got tired of making cookies and to all the friends and family that came from far and near to help Lauri and James have a wonderful day. It was lots and lots of fun and as I know for sure, it's the hard things sometimes that are the most memorable. This was hard because it was miles out of my comfort zone but sometimes I can do hard things and I'm sooooo glad it's over and something we can look back on with a smile. The hardest part of anything like this is a few "regrets" and the biggest one is the thought that I may have left someone out. Hopefully, I will be forgiven.....but I'm grateful for the few I'd neglected sending invitations to that came anyway because they wanted to for Lauri, and I hope in the future I can learn from that and be one to support those I love. Thanks to anyone and everyone that not only helped us get through this but helped make this day shine.

I just love little girls and their twirls....some day it will be their wedding.