Odessa Reception

August 9, 2024

Odessa Reception

We are enjoying getting to know Derek better. When I picked him up from the airport, he was wearing the shirt Brian gave him at their wedding luncheon.  So funny! He definitely earned some brownie points for humor there!

The Odessa Reception weekend was a really fun time to get to know Derek's parents more too.  Thayne and Colleen stayed in town through Sunday afternoon.  I joined them and Brinley and Derek for some of their Saturday adventures. We stopped by a farmer's market, Permian High School, Kerry's shop and Brantley Creek Barbecue.

Brian and Tan and fam joined us for dinner on Saturday night. On Sunday, they joined us at our house for Stake Conference and lunch before all four of them headed back to Utah. (A very sweet member of the Stake Presidency gave us the zoom link to watch at home since the travel to Midland for conference and the airport trip made things tricky. Bless him!)  Thayne and Colleen were easygoing, kind, helpful and complimentary. I am grateful Brinley has married into such a good family.

Bryn and the two men in her life!

She would be sitting on the couch with Derek and Brian would sometimes tease by sitting right in between them.  Marriage is hard a daddy's heart.

On the the actual reception...

I went back and forth on were to have the Brinley's reception in the Big O.  We really don't have any venues.  I found three.  They were hideous and outrageously expensive. ($5000 for the evening)  I considered the church but the cultural hall is so hard to make look like anything other than the church gym.  I ended up going with an open house at our house, and it worked out just fine.

I'm so grateful for Angelique for helping me nail down reception decisions: location, set up, food, decorations and just general logistics.  I got to a point were I was almost paralyzed with indecision and overwhelm.  I reached out to Ang and between her busy June/July  weeks of girl's camp responsibilities, family vacation and an international trip, she came to my rescue.  Bless her! 

Gena Davis, Alma Merriman & Britney Bird (my sister)

I am also so grateful for friends and family who helped with set up and decorating and serving and cleanup.  I'm also appreciative that people showed up to the event!  It was the week before school started and so many of our good friends were out of town.  It was also Stake Conference weekend which adds a lot of meetings and responsibilities to many.  Enough friends and family came that it made it feel like a celebration though...phew!

These ladies were so good at all of the details.  Everything looked beautiful.

The sign in table

Gena and Brit made sure the backyard looked pretty.  We had a couple of tables and chairs set up out back.  I wasn't sure if they would be used but several families went out there.

Grandpa was awesome to come set up the slide show in two different rooms.

Bri helped with that and of course one million other things.

Receptions are so much work. So. Much. Work.  

But also so worth it.  I felt so loved as friends and family came together to show their excitement and support.

I borrowed serving dishes from a few friends and had this yummy spread: chicken croissant sandwiches, fruit, and a cheesecake bar with lots of delicious toppings.

We had an decorative arch set up in the living room where the bride and groom could greet guests.  We also had chairs set up in the living room, playroom, den/family room and tables and chairs out back.  Here are lots of pictures from the evening.  (Thanks to Britney for taking pictures throughout the evening.)

Derek, Bryn, Erin, Tanner & Kaide

It was such a beautiful gift that Linda Vore (our dear friend/family member and my cousin's wife) and Max (one of their sons) were willing to drive 5 hours to come celebrate.  

Aubrey, Max, Hudson, Holden and Braddock

Max w/ some cousins!  He is in law school at Ohio State.

Brit, Braddock, Aubrey, Brinley & Hudson

Shauna Saxton was Brinley's young women's leader for years.

"Mama Hill" aka Susan Hill.  Susan's daughter Morgan was one of Brinley's closest friends through her teen years.  Morgan was one of her bridesmaids.

Round two of the show game (You can watch the video here: Shoe Game.)  Erin (Flores Gwilliam) was a great emcee.

Those who happened to be at the open house right then gathered to watch the shoe game.  It was a fun way for everyone to get a glimpse into Brinley and Derek's relationship.

Don Bonifay, Adam Bird, Jared & Laura Shannon, Erin & Marc Smith

After the last two summers of weddings, I told Brian I really want to be better about showing up and supporting our friends. It has meant a lot. I think we are pretty good about supporting, but sometimes we just drop a gift by or don't stay very long at an event. I want to be sure to celebrate with our friends in a way they feel very loved and supported.

Justin & Monica Jackman with the Atkinsons  Justin has family from the Delta, Utah area, and he & Derek always have lots to talk about when he comes to Odessa.  I think they are distantly related too!

Don & Cathy Bonifay have been family friends for years.  Their daughter, Shawnee, was my bestie through our high school years.  Cathy helped make food and serve at the reception.

Definitely an action shot of this table, but I want to remember they came!  Katie Sorenson and kids, Ryan Conner at the head of the table and Max and Brooklyn Norton

My brother Chris, April & Travis Bushman and Marc Smith

How did we not get a picture of Angelique?  She was superwoman.  They came in from their international flight on Thursday. The reception was on Friday, and she was flying out to Utah to help her daughter move across the country on Saturday. Ang came early to the reception, helped with the food the entire time and then stayed late to clean up. She is amazing that way.

Melanie and Matthew Ormsby. Melanie helped make sandwiches and serve during the reception. (Bless!) Matthew was Brinley's bishop during her last two years of high school.

Courtney Rogers, Holden & Olivia Vore, Quetta Pitcox, Kerry Vore & Linda Vore

These three friends were great helps: Aileen Pitt (my aunt who recently moved from Odessa), Cathy Bonifay & Alma Merriman

I loved that our friends Kim & David Terry made the time to come by. Kim has been my fun walking buddy over the years. We are hit and miss depending on the season in our lives but we laugh and talk nonstop every time we go.  Our four kids line up perfectly with their last four kids. Parker and Tanner were close to their boys, Harper and Tate. Brian worked with David at 3N for a couple of years. Love the Terrys! 

Brinley's oldest Vore cousin Adam with his wife Megan and their youngest Gracie.

One of Brian's besties: Mike Winfrey

Adam, Hudson, Braddock, Britney (my sister), Ella & Charlotte Bird

The Birdies!  Family is the best.

The moms with the bride and groom.  Also, the weirdest thing...somehow I have lost my dress. HOW?  I distinctly remember washing it by hand after the reception and laying it out on the couch to air dry, but I have never found it since.  I really liked it too, and was looking forward to wearing it to church. I seriously have no idea where it could be. I have searched.

Bri, Tan, Bryn & Derek

And That's a Wrap!

Wedding Weekend

August 1-4, 2024

We crammed a lot of fun in Brinley's wedding weekend.  We rented a nice VRBO with lots of rooms and Brinley stayed with us.  Parker and Britney did too, and my dad had a hotel not far away.  We played games, ate out, got Swig (sodas with mix-ins), went to BYU, thrift shopped, rode eBikes up Provo Canyon and more.  

Brinley and I have found that a little schedule on family trips helps us not be quite as boring.  Here was our rough outline.

Kaide FREAKED out on the first flight--screaming and crying.  Poor little guy.  He was terrified I think.   He was a pro after about 30 minutes though.

I love this picture.  While we were waiting for our luggage, Kaide noticed this guy lying down in the middle of the floor.  He thought a little rest was a great idea.

So good to be with our girl before her big day.

We scheduled an early morning eBike ride up Provo Canyon.  It was awesome!  This is my second eBike adventure, and I am a fan.  It's a fun and easy way to be outdoors, and you can choose your level of exertion so it works for a big group.

Bridal Veil Falls was pretty.

Derek was trying to move out of his apartment and maybe finish up finals so we were all really glad he was able to rearrange things and join in the fun.  

Me, Aunt Aileen, Abi, Danielle (my first cousin), Emerson & Brittney

The crazies part of the morning is when we ran into my Pitt family on the trail.  They are all from Texas and were up in Utah for a family reunion.  Because they had been there all week and had to get back for work, they weren't going to make the wedding.  It was so fun visiting with them for a few minutes.

We ate at Costa Vida, In & Out and Brick Oven and got treats from Great Harvest and Swig.

Parker, Aubrey and I did a BYU campus tour and then met the others at the bookstore.  I remembered a fun vacation were my parents took us to the mall and gave us $20 each with the goal of getting the best bang for our buck.  The winner received a prize.  Brian and I got cash ahead of time and gave everyone $40 to spend in the bookstore.  The winner received $40 more.  

It was fun to watch everyone scouring the store to find something they wanted.  Brinely, Parker &  Erin bought BYU sweatshirts.  (I'm sure they had to add some of their own cash.)  Aubrey bought a planner and highlighters.  Tanner bought Kaide the cutest little letterman jacket and won the prize.  Brian, Grandpa and I were the judges.  I like how it worked out because then Tanner had money to spend on himself.  He is a cute daddy thinking of his little boy.

We were all hungry and Brick Oven had a long wait.  I was really wanting to order to go and take it back to the VRBO to eat.  However, I'm really glad we waited it out though because we had a lot of laughs around the table that night.

Me, Bri, Park & Erin

Grandpa, Brinley (Derek was with his family), Aubrey, Tanner & Britney

Saturday was all wedding and that will be in another post.

Sunday we decided to go to church in Orem rather than in Draper.  Before church started, I took Kaide to this fun park in the neighborhood.  I wanted to include these two pictures because he was so brave.  He went on this huge slide over and over again.  

He made sure I went over and over again too.  He would stand at the bottom and hold out his arms to catch me as I came down.  It was adorable.

Papa & Kaide

After church, everyone headed to Bruce and Denise's house, and  I was able to borrow Parker's car and go see my amazing college roommate Thelma Lou.  (Well, really Thelma Jayne, but I often called her Thelma Lou.)  We had so much fun during our college years.  I love her so much but between our two schedules, we rarely are able to connect when I'm in Utah.  

It was wonderful being with her for a couple of hours.  She fed me a yummy lunch, and we talked nonstop the entire time.  We know each others parents and siblings, and we have children in the same young adult stages.  We talked callings and hardships and blessings and life.  We laughed, and we cried together.  It made me wish we lived closer.  

About the time I needed to head out, her husband, Adam, came home from church.  We were all good friends our freshman year at BYU.  I stayed a bit longer, and we talked more.  I am grateful God placed them in my life path.

We wrapped up our busy weekend with a fun sleepover at the Gwilliams.  Although the extended Gwilliam fam had been visiting together all weekend, Brian and I had missed out on that part of things.  (Parent of the bride duties and all...)  It was great to be with the big family group.  Did I remember to take pictures?  Not really.  Ugh.  But we visited, ate a big meal, napped on the couches and floors, and Denise and I even managed to sneak in an afternoon walk which was a lot of fun.

Parker with Gracie, Kristen & Keith

Erin w/ Emma

Luckily we did remember to take this picture: four generations of Gwilliam boys.

Grandpa (Jerry Gwilliam), Tanner, Kaide & Brian

All in all, our weekend Utah trip was a success.