To Appreciate the Good Times...

Emma spent the bulk of last week quite sick. As any parent knows, it's often more difficult to watch your baby be sick than it is to experience the illness yourself. Last Monday I was at the end of my, already very short, rope and on the verge of completely losing what little sanity I posses. Trenton had work and school that day so he wouldn't be home until 10 p.m. and I was up to my eyeballs in soiled diapers, pedia-lite, and was exhausted from watching Franklin and teaching voice lessons all day. On top of that, Emma hadn't slept the two nights before so I was beginning to look like Miss Hannigan from "Annie". Like an angel sent from Chili's heaven, Shannon showed up with fajitas for my family, took Emma from my arms and told me she'd take it from there. After a warm bath and lots of love from her Aunt, Emma finally closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep. As I collapsed on the bed not even caring that I was covered in vomit, I asked Shannon a question that I ask myself a lot..."Why do we have to experience pain and sickness? Especially at such a young age?" Her response was simple, but made so much sense..."To help us appreciate the good times."

This past weekend, our little family did just that. Tate and Patti are officially husband and wife as of Saturday and what a wedding it was. Thankfully, Emma began feeling better the morning we headed up there, the rain subsided, and the clouds parted. There is something so profound about being surrounded by nature's most beautiful assets during an occasion as lovely as a wedding. The morning of the wedding, Tate and I were standing outside looking over Lake Estes, admiring how there could be snow on the mountain, yet have it be so warm and I asked him if he was nervous. Without hesitation he said, "If I weren't sure about Patti I might be, but I know she's the girl for me." I couldn't help but laugh out loud because Tate and I had that exact same conversation on my wedding day almost three and a half years ago concerning his brother. I didn't experience one butterfly the whole day because I truly did know that I was marrying my favorite person on this earth. I often joke that I don't like going to weddings because I always feel this sense of anxiety on the couple's behalf. I want to pull them aside and say, "Look...this is the best decision you will ever make, but please don't be fooled. It's hard work and you have to fight for your relationship. You are about to marry the one person that can make you feel ultimate joy AND the most pain you've ever experienced. There are going to be days when you don't like this person and you just have to ride it out until you like them again. The rest of the time you are going to feel the deepest, richest, most intense love you could ever imagine and you'll wonder how you could ever fight with them again. Marriage is all about falling in love over and over again with the same person." I never once felt the urge to say this to Tate and Patti though. Maybe because they both have a past that has brought them to each other or because they have realistic expectations. Maybe it's because they truly do love each other and will do whatever it takes to make it work. I love you guys. I know you're happy and I am so grateful to be able to share in that happiness. Welcome to the family Patti!

One of my favorite memories from this wedding is when "If I Ever Leave This World Alive" began playing at the reception. Our most immediate family banded arms and we sang at the top of our lungs in a huddled circle. It was at that moment that I knew...this whole family thing is real. Thank you Trenton, for marrying me- and giving me a new family to love.

Funny story- We were about to leave the hotel to head back to Colorado Springs and this women ran up to me and asked if I am, indeed, a singer. She asked if I would be willing to sing at this couple's wedding because their musician didn't show. I said "Sure, When?" and she said, "Now!" I looked down at my jeans, sweatshirt, make-upless face, and flip-flops and just shrugged and said, "What the heck." So there I was in my jeans singing for this couple's most important day. I don't know their names, they don't know mine and I'll probably never see them again. What's funny though, is that they'll hear my voice every time they watch their wedding video and wonder, "Who was that girl?"