UTAH Wedding bLiSs

This story starts back in High School

I played on my varsity High School softball team. I was the relief pitcher with always the potential of more

but...

my heart was in basketball, so I never focused the time needed to pitch.

However, my coach did not "give up" on me and had me pitching any chance she could get her hands on me-in hallways, as a teachers aide, at practice

AND

every pitcher needs a catcher-and my catchers name was Melinda Baum...or lovingly referred to as Baumers (as she could spank the ball pretty far)

Melinda and I spent any an hour together. Melinda became interested in the gospel while hearing me talking with some other team members about the church.....

and so skip forward a few years at Christmas break while Melinda attended West Virginia University and I headed out to Brigham Young University.

Melinda was baptized as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. It came at a high cost and with allot of defending,

BUT she did it

Skip forward a few more years. She went on a mission to Washington (BEFORE ME) and I went on a mission to California.

Baumers transferred her life to Utah to finish her education and I returned to BYU.

Melinda's entire family had been baptized by this point when they had been vehemently opposed to her membership.

Our lives took different courses. I got married. started a family. moved to Houston and Arizona

She got two masters and bought a home in Utah
BUT whenever we would get together we just picked up where we left off.

Melinda's Father passed away a few months ago after she had gotten engaged.

She asked my dad to be the witness for her dad. Our family always loved Baumer and she loved them.

We felt it was important for Cara and I to be at her sealing in Utah

(unpredictable Utah weather did NOT let us down- hail for temple pictures and perfect for reception later that day)

We were so glad we did.

We got to play with her mom and brother whom we had not seen in YEARS

It was a beautiful wedding, catered with lotsa YUM!

Between the wedding and reception Cara and I took a little jaunt to our Alma mater creamery and bookstore- GO COUGS!Where the reception was held

Look what our little trash digger found!?

Too bad it is not real!We took Ryland and Dacie with us to lessen the "load" at home on Aunt Amberlyn

(since those 2 did not get to go to California to see Uncle B get home from his miss this winter)AND Dacie LIVED IT UP with her sister cousin LOLA! (thanks for watching her Amy!)It was a QUICK TRIP but so WORTH IT!

(We had to get home for girls camp and reunion! Whew!!!)

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