Bounce Back Zach

Give me just a minute Zach!!! BEFORE I could even post about football season beginning and how excited we all are, and BEFORE I could take pictures of you in your Lone Peak 8th grade uniform throwing some touchdown passes or intercepting on the defense, and BEFORE I could even register in my brain that the season had begun...... you get hurt.
Ok, alright, in all fairness, it didn't happen until late in the 4th quarter, after all of those things had already taken place, but still.

Thursday night marked both the beginning of football season AND the beginning of a knee recovery for Zach. Dang it. Sometimes life just throws you junk.
Zach's team was on their way to their first victory of the season when a player from the opposite team crashed through and tackled Zach. We in the stands knew something was wrong because if Zach goes down, he doesn't stay down for long. This "down" was different though, and the longer we waited the more nervous I grew. I'll freely admit it. I'm not proud. I'm the worst "owie mom" in the world. I absolutely HATE it when my kids get hurt. Many things begin to happen to me: my brain suddenly quits working, I get sick to my stomach, and I freeze up completely. I just don't like owies, period. When Zach was finally helped off the field, we could see that it was his knee. I felt so bad because he was in a terrible amount of pain and I just wanted to cry for him. A visit to the orthopedic hospital revealed that he had a torn MCL (whatever that means). I just know that I'm supposed to be happy it's not an ACL and that things could be worse. The doctor said he's out for 6 weeks (we'll see about that) and that he's in a brace and on crutches for the first little while. I must admit though, I shouldn't feel TOO terribly bad for him. He's been showered with more ice cream, peaches, cookies and attention from friends and neighbors than I can count. His injury is going to affect MY waistline. Grandma and Grandpa Allred drove down last night with a cookie bouquet that read, "Bounce back soon, Zach". And I wholeheartedly agree. Bounce back soon Zach!

Together Forever

We had the most wonderful day this week and I don't know that we've stopped smiling since. Many of you may know that our family has been preparing for a wedding. Well, the day finally arrived last Wednesday, and my brother Aaron married his sweetheart Meghan. It was a truly beautiful, wonderful, special day for all of us. It was filled with love and happiness as we reunited with family and friends and celebrated their big day with them. What a day!
They chose to be married in the Salt Lake temple which is a beautiful and special place. It was a tender and sweet ceremony we got to witness. Meghan looked so radiant and beautiful and Aaron could hardly keep the tears from flowing. I didn't know my brother was such a softie. What a joy and honor to be present at such a special occassion. The wedding ceremony was followed by pictures and congratulations and then a lovely dinner at the Joseph Smith Building, right inside Temple Square. When Aaron and Meghan began planning their wedding, a dinner was decided on rather than a reception because they wanted to "make it simple." It was hardly simple. They know and love WAY too many people. It was such a delight for all of us to see all our family members and old friends again. My big regret of the night is that I didn't get to everyone to say hello.
Dinner was delicious and the speeches given by the fathers were touching. I LOVED hearing them talk about Aaron and Meghan. My favorite part was perhaps a wedding video which we watched. It showed them each growing up and them culminated with pictures of them dating and becoming engaged. It was so cute, and it's fun to realize that the best is yet to come. When Aaron decided to serve a mission, I was so emotional and teary. He was grown up and all the things I enjoyed about watching him grow up (high school friends, sports, etc.) were gone. It was the end of an era. The tears I shed on Wednesday were much sweeter as I realized that it was the beginning of an era now. I hope the very best for Aaron and Meghan. We love you two!