Asher was the ringbearer, actually sign holder. His job was to walk down the aisle right before Jess with a sign that said, "Uncle Nate, here comes your girl!" At rehearsal, he wasn't doing it. He grabbed the sign in one hand, swinging it next to him as he walked the aisle so no one could read it. Mark told him he would give him $5 to do it, and that did it. A few other people told him they would give him money if he did it. He will do anything for money. The rehearsal supper was at Jess's parents house. They have a beautiful backyard, with a play area. Crag & Ann had totes of tractors and toys out for the boys to play with. They actually were so busy playing, that when we got ready to leave that night Ernie and I realized we didn't even have them eat. So a late night trip to McDonalds it was. The next morning, the boys were up and ready to swim by 8:00. We ate breakfast with Ernie, and then he headed out with the groomsmen and other men to golf. The boys swam for awhile, and then Grandma Karen, Grandma Kurp, and I took them to the Garden City Zoo. It was really nice. You could pay to drive through, but then they had several parking spots throughout so you could pull over and get out and walk. Which was perfect, because Callum fell asleep on the drive there so he was able to stay in his seat and sleep while we toured the zoo. We came back and after lunch, the boys went swimming with Matt & Emily. All the family started arriving that afternoon, so they had plenty of people to keep them busy. Asher had to be at the church by 3:00 for pictures. The church had a big playroom in the back, where the boys hung out during pictures and before the ceremony. Here are some pictures from then (the only time that day I was able to actually get my camera--I was way too busy to take pictures the rest of the time). I had planned to take several on my phone, but my new phone had no memory and I didn't have a SD card. So it wouldn't take a single shot.
Asher did great during pictures. He has been making silly faces in pictures so often, but he smiled and did great. Before the wedding, I stood in the back of the church with him. We all reminded him about the money he could earn (like he ever forgot). He was pumped to do the job. When Jess walked in the lobby, he kept turning around and smiling at her, holding up his sign so she knew he was going to do it. When it got to his turn to walk, he took one step in the church, froze, and then backed up into me. I hear his facial expression was priceless. I just grabbed his hand, and walked him down the aisle. At least people got to see the sign. What a relief when we made it to the pew. I have been so worried that he wouldn't do it, but he made it. Mark passed him his money when he sat down. :)
The wedding was short and sweet. There weren't any surprises or hiccups. After the wedding, Gavin and Asher both handed out the bubbles.
The reception was held at the golf course, which was beautiful. Again, I wish I had my camera to take pictures. There was a beautiful ice sculpture with two hearts. Jess's family owns Myers Ice, a huge ice business in Kansas. There was a huge ice cream bar with tons of toppings. The dance floor had orange and purple lanterns hanging from lights and white fabric draped above our heads. The clubhouse was huge, so there were different areas set up with the Husker game on. Jess and her family are huge K-State fans, so there was a lot of banter back and forth. Both toasts talked about Huskers vs. K-State.
We all enjoyed the reception and dance. Callum and Asher left early to go back to the hotel, but Gavin stayed to party till the end. Jess had glow sticks there for the kids. Gavin proceeded to adorn himself with glow sticks until the end. I think he had 30+ glow sticks on, including this long cape of glow sticks that trailed behind him. It was so funny, b/c he became like the mascot of the dance. People kept stopping him to take pictures with him. He said, "Mommy, everybody loves me. They keep taking pictures with me, even people I don't know." It worked out well for me, because I didn't ever have to get up from my table to know where he was. Everyone could see him glowing. By 11:30 a storm started moving in so they told everyone to go back to the hotel. Grandma and Grandpa watched the kids, so we could go to the lounge with everyone. We partied well into the night.
Asher was up by 6:30 the next morning, so we decided to pack up and take off. It was a long drive home, but luckily we survived. I think we all agreed that it was wonderful to be back home. Nate & Jess drove to Omaha on Sunday to get on the train to Chicago, for their mini-honeymoon. They are taking a bigger trip in the future, but were able to get away for a few days to enjoy their marriage.
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