Thanksgiving is always a crazy day for me and Jason. Due to the proximity of our families, we try to make an appearance at both of their dinners. In theory this seems feasible but it is not as easy in practice. We spend the day jolting from dinner to dinner, trying to convince ourselves that somehow we really can eat more food, even though we just consumed mass quantities of it. It’s hectic, but we’re glad at least that we are close enough to make this nuttiness possible.

This year, my family assembled at my parents’ house, as usual, for a delicious Thanksgiving lunch. After we stuffed our faces we walked to the park to enjoy the sunny, but surprisingly frigid, day.

When we unthawed from our park experience it was time for some serenading. My niece, nephews, and sisters all played their various musical instruments; I have a very musically inclined family. We got to listen, and sing along to, a diverse assortment of violin, cello, guitar, banjo, viola, and piano pieces. Although Jason has never taken a music lesson in his life and he has absolutely no musical ability whatsoever-if you have been unfortunate enough to hear him sing then you know what I mean-he didn’t want to be left out. He played Joy to the World on his iPhone ocarina for us. (Yes, just like in Zelda.) Sometimes that boy goes above and beyond geeky.

It was another fun, but super busy, holiday for us!

On Saturday my brother finally got married after a year and a half long engagement. As all of you who have been married or involved in a wedding know, weddings can be pretty hectic, and last week was very busy.

I volunteered to help make boutonnieres for all the extended family members, 120 boutonnieres in all. As you can imagine, it was no small undertaking. Simone and her bridesmaids offered to assist me; I was more than happy to accept their help. One of their unsuspecting boyfriends also somehow got roped into this task-sorry Matt. We managed to finish the boutonnieres in about 4 or 5 hours. They looked great. Way to go girls!

The wedding ceremony took place at the Hidden Falls Garden at Thanksgiving Point, the exact location Jason proposed to me.

It was a beautiful sunny day but it was very hot. Although Jason did look stunning in his tux, I felt bad for him and the other groomsmen. They were roasting. I heard them utter “I’m melting.” multiple times. It was scorching so I wouldn’t have been too surprised to find a tux puddle where once a groomsman had been.

It was so hot in fact that many manly wedding guests reluctantly resorted to using the wedding favors, pink parasols and fans, to help them keep cool. The groomsmen gave in to using them as well.

The wedding ceremony was followed by a traditional Chinese tea ceremony, endless pictures, and a light lunch.

The festivities then halted for a few hours before the real partying began. They held their reception in Salt Lake City in the grand ballroom of the Little America Hotel. Roughly 200 guests enjoyed a delicious meal that included halibut, fillet mignon, and some yummy vanilla custard covered ice cream. (At least I think it was custard-whatever it was-it was good.)

After the meal and lots of toasting, we all got down. The ballroom was equipped with a large dance floor and the DJ got the party started. I love to dance and it’s been a while since Jas and I had a chance to dance so I was excited to boogey. We did some country swing dancing but sadly, since I was wearing a dress, I couldn’t do any flips. There was also some line dancing, which made Rowley happy, and they played my special Cotton Eye Joe request, which made me happy. Jacob shaked his booty like nobody’s business. It was a rather amusing and a little scary.

It was a memorable night and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves.

Congrats Andrew and Simone! I wish you the best in your life together!