An "Eventful" Weekend!

A week after arriving home from Burbank on the 12th, we (Mom and I) took off to Springville on the 18th! The Welch family asked us if we could consider helping them prepare their Springville home (which is currently up for sale) for Brittany’s bridal shower that they’d be hosting on the 19th. Of course we said yes, and we were so glad we did! There was SO much to do, that I’m not sure what the Welchs would have done if they hadn’t asked for extra hands. They thanked us over and over again for coming down and helping them! The Bridal Shower was actually a Bridal Tea, and it turned out to be quite elegant ;) Eight families from Oakhurst went down to spend that special day with Brittany (our 19 year old bride), as well as numerous families from Springville and some from northern California.

Hannah and Lilly (two of the Welch girls) came down from the house to open the electronic gate that didn’t appear to be working for us. I punched the “right” code in (or so I had thought), but it just wasn’t opening for us! Eventually, after Hannah tried opening it from the other side of the gate, I tried punching in the code again (and that time I did it right, after all that!) and voila! … the gate swung open (ever so slowly) and we drove on in.

Hannah and Amber’s belated birthday presents!


This is where the magic happens…


Part of the Leever family stopped by to help us girls out =)


Folding napkins and getting the tables set for tomorrow!


Why won't the coffee makers work?!
(We found out later that all the outlets on that wall were shot. It wasn't until Amber tried plugging in her iPod that we noticed we weren't getting any power from them. So Amber went all around this room and the kitchen, using her iPod as a test for what outlets gave power and which ones didn't. A new use for iPods!)


Pretty table for Brittany!



Pretty tables for everyone else ;)





Some folks started showing up just an hour after we finished the crucial preparations. (Mom and I put together the sandwiches, which took 4 hours to make! Yikes!)


Frozen quiche, mmm…


Happy relatives (the top middle young lady is our bride)


Squeezing in and out between tables was a skill within itself!


Stoeppler twins in front, Polach girls in back.


Polachs!



Happy people and lots of cameras!





Gifts…


Where the buffalo (er, bison) roam ;)

The following day we joined almost all our friends at Manzanita Lake in North Fork for the Kennedy’s good-bye BBQ. We all had a blessed time and things went along so well!

Everyone together.



The BBQers.







“For the blog!”


Wyatt Becker


Food time!


What is that?!


“I believe Rebekah may want to make a speech on the family’s behalf…” ;)


A beautiful family.


Friends are friends forever! (sung in half-time ;) )





Mr. Jeremy Becker sharing fond memories they’ve had with the Kennedy family.


Garrett sharing fond memories he’s had of the Kennedy family.

Overall, everyone had a blessed time with the Kennedy family, and I know that they all had a great time with everyone too!

Stay tuned for more Valdivia happenings! =D

Thank you Peter!
(our compliments on the group photo) =D