Yes, the wedding vows have been spoken.  Sure, the marriage certificate has been signed.  Indeed, the crowd sent off the couple amidst cheers and waves.  But it’s officially official when the name goes up on the family Scrabble board.  Dan has made it into the family.  And we are proud to have him join this crazy bunch.  Before August 13th:

The new and improved family Scrabble board:

Notice the change?

In case there’s any doubt…Dan, you have arrived.  What God has joined together let no one rip off the Scrabble board.

Welcome to the fam!

(ahem…boys, there’s room for more)

Introducing the Mr. and Mrs.

And the two shall become one.

2 MORE DAYS!!!!!!!

Weddings are major events.  Major events call for pretty toenails.  So the Overlien girls went to get  pedicures today.  Can you tell who belongs to these lovely toes?

        A.    

                                                                                                                                            B.

                                                                                                                        C.

This little bit of pampering was just what we needed.  We had to sit still for awhile and just chat and enjoy being girls.

I’m so glad I’m a girl.  I’m so glad I have two girls.  Boys don’t know what they are missing.  Pretty toes are pure joy.

 The best thing that happened today:

PB – Picking up Katie and our grandchild at the airport.

Katie – Coming home and seeing all of Anna’s lingerie.

Sam – None of my patients had a paranoia-schizophrenic episode today.

Anna – Praying with Dan at Devil’s Lake and seeing my sister and buying her a maternity dress.

Dan – Man time with Jake in the garage.

Jacob – Finding out I don’t have hepatitis.

Kelsey – Katie came home and I ate Monk’s food today.

Me – All of the above.  And knowing that usual, everyday stuff happens even four days before a wedding.  And everyday stuff will happen after the wedding.  And in the midst of everyday stuff are many moments of extraordinary stuff.  And I don’t want to miss any of it.

An interview with Sam, older brother of the bride:

Me:  So, Sam, what are your responsibilities for the wedding?

Sam:  I get to sing pretty lullabies to the congregation and afterwards I am the party captain.

Me:  What exactly does a party captain do?

Sam:  The party captain takes what most people experience at a standard wedding and turns it into a magical experience of family fun, excitement and entertainment.

Me:  What do you look forward to most about the wedding day?

Sam:  Having a lot of people there to celebrate my birthday. 

Me:  Is it your birthday?

Sam:  End of interview.

Do you take a day of rest 6 days before a wedding?  Yes, indeed, you do.

Stress sure can make people do crazy things.  We’ll have none of that around here.  We’ll take a day to rest and restore our souls.  Then we’ll hit the ground running with high energy and low stress on Monday morning.  Amen.

Today was another beautiful Saturday.  Gulp.  I have the 10 day weather forecast on my favorites bar and have just about worn out the poor website.  So far, so good, though.  A minute ago, the August 13th forecast called for a partly sunny day with a high of 77 degrees.  I’ll take it. 

Rain or shine, the show will go on.  And the thing that I am most looking forward to is having family all together.  In a few days, our daughter and her husband will be midwest bound.  I cannot wait to wrap my arms around her and whisper sweet grandma-words to my first grandchild growing inside.  How I love having all my little birdies back in the nest for a little while.  My brothers and sister, nieces and nephews, and my aunt will come.  And many friends will share the day.

There will be some empty places, though: Grandpa O. and my dad will be missed:  also my mom, who died when I was only thirteen.   It hits me once again how thankful I am to be able to witness these family milestones.  What a blessing to see all my kids grow into adulthood and watch them launch into life.  To be together – that’s all that matters, really.

Who cares about the weather?  (I just checked – partly cloudy and 76.)

An interview with Jake, younger brother of the bride:

Me:  So, Jake, what are your responsibilities for your sister’s wedding?

Jake: You know better than I do…um, be a great looking usher.  Oh, and make their get-away car look awesome.

Me:  Who are you most looking forward to seeing?

Jake:  My pretty girlfriend and my pregnant sister, Katie.

Me:  What are you most looking forward to at the reception?

Jake:  Watching Sam be the MC and messing up.

Me:  What is one of your favorite memories with Anna?

Jake:  Brother-sister time on the roof.

Me: What do you do up there, really?

Jake: We smoke cigars and hang out. 

Me:  WHAT?

End of interview.