I Love Weddings!

One of the happiest things in the world is to see people you love genuinely happy.

This past week, I got to see a dear friend from college the happiest I've ever seen her. Granted, I haven't seen her in years, and I didn't know her nearly as well as many others, but she's one of those girls that you could not see for 10, 20 years, and would still want to meet up with for coffee if you found out you were in the same city at the same time. She's a genuine, kind-hearted, selfless woman who loves the Lord and shows it. She's just beautiful on the inside and out.

My brother and I drove to Greeley, Colorado this past week for two nights to see this girl marry the man of her dreams, the perfect lid to her pot, as our wonderful hosts, the Dissellcones (I'm pretty positive I butchered the Dutch spelling), put it.

We drove up Wednesday and the wedding was Thursday. We stayed with the lovely aforementioned couple who had hearts bigger than Texas, a sense of humor that had me laughing all weekend and the sweetest love for each other, nearly 50 years after they first met. They had meals twice the size of any normal one three times a day, treats available every time in-between, great stories and zinger one-liners.

For example, when Arlin found out we were both pastor and doctors' kids, he said: "You know what they say; if you're a doctor's kid, you're sick for nothing. So if you're a pastor's kid, you must be good for nothing!" He also said something about Winnipeg being renamed Winter-peg and some insulting Dutch phrases (poking fun at himself). They also had a ping pong table. Winning.

Anyway, the wedding was Thursday. Now, I've been to weddings before where the bride is so overwhelmed with stress and worry that she forgets to be happy, and you'd almost think she wasn't. Weddings where the brides have their priorities focused and are able to look past the little details that may not go perfectly make the happiest ones.

Now, I know weddings are potentially one of the most stressful endeavors a girl will ever undertake, but some handle it better than others. And a huge part of that is realizing what's most important.

This wedding was one of the happiest I've ever been to. Not only because the bride and groom couldn't hide the love for each other written all over their faces if they tried, but because the wedding was blatantly Christ-centered. They were grounded in a love bigger than themselves, and that was so evident in their love for each other. What a beautiful thing!

And it helps that they know how to party, too. Great food (shrimp hors d'oeuvres and a chocolate fountain instead of a cake), fantastic company, a Bob Marley sing-a-long and one wicked dance floor. ALL NIGHT LONG! Well, until midnight. Then clean-up, some good laughs, dancing out the door, singing into the night and great memories with wonderful people.

Congratulations, Becca and Konrad, and I wish you the absolute best as you continue to grow in Christ, each other and explore a whole new world of adventures ahead.