Defeat Evil - Love is Universal

I wanted to explore Love a bit more. I knew or believed that Love was universal, among all major religions and even non-religious people. So, I looked up a bunch of quotes I wanted to share with you to show you that pretty much no matter who you are or what you believe, love of others is a central theme of how you should live. Ok, except for Satanism. Seriously, this is what Satanism says: “You cannot love everyone; it is ridiculous to think you can.”  So, if you are a Satanist then maybe my blog posts aren't for you. But if you claim to NOT be a Satanist, then read on for some wonderful positive messages about loving all mankind, in no particular order...

Judaism: 

From theTalmud - "Whosoever does not persecute them that persecute him; whosoever takes an offence in silence; he who does good because of love; he who is cheerful under his sufferings -- these are the friends of God, and of them the Scripture says: 'They shall shine forth like the sun at noontide.'"

Leviticus 19:18 - Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I am the Lord.

Taoism: 

Kindness in words creates confidence. Kindness in thinking creates profoundness. Kindness in giving creates love. Lao Tzu

“Simplicity, patience, compassion.
These three are your greatest treasures.
Simple in actions and thoughts, you return to the source of being.
Patient with both friends and enemies,
you accord with the way things are.
Compassionate toward yourself,
you reconcile all beings in the world.”
― Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching

Christianity: 

Mark 12: 30,31 -  And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.

John 13:34  A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.

Islam:

Islam from Isra International:
Mutual love among people is a basic notion in Islam, based on human fraternity. The Prophet said, “None of you shall truly believe unless when he loves for his brother what he loves for himself”. That hadith associates fraternity with love: “Brother” here means a fellow human… Also, there is “charity” — unlimited loving-kindness toward all others. The Prophet (peace be upon him) prayed, “Oh Allah! I ask you for (the ability to do) good deeds… and love for the poor”.

“We come to love not by finding a perfect person, but by learning to see an imperfect person perfectly. Let’s all practice having a lot more love for self and others… LOVE is a verb… it’s an action in constant motion…. we are either loving or unloving… love starts at home with our family.” – Hanan Bilal

Atheist/Secular:

“We are all given a gift of existence and of being sentient beings, and I think true happiness lies in love and compassion.” – Adam Pascal, musician and actor

 “Joy is human connection; the compassion put into every moment of humanitarian work; joy is using your time to bring peace, relief, or optimism to others. Joy gives without the expectation—or wish—of reciprocity or gratitude. . . . Joy immediately loves the individual in need and precedes any calculation of how much the giver can handle or whom the giver can help.”  – Erik Campano, emergency medicine

Buddhism: 

Silence the angry man with love. Silence the ill-natured man with kindness. Silence the miser with generosity. Silence the liar with truth. - Buddha

Love the whole world as a mother loves her only child. - Buddha

Wicca:

Bide the Wiccan laws we must in perfect love and perfect trust.

Eight words the Wiccan Rede fulfill: "and ye harm none, do what ye will."

Hinduism: 

The one who loves all intensely begins perceiving in all living beings a part of himself. He becomes a lover of all, a part and parcel of the Universal Joy. He flows with the stream of happiness, and is enriched by each soul. (Yajur Veda)

All love is expansion, all selfishness is contraction. Love is therefore the only law of life. He who loves lives, he who is selfish is dying. Therefore love for love’s sake, because it is law of life, just as you breathe to live. Swami Vivekananda

Bahai:

Love is the most great law that ruleth this mighty and heavenly cycle, the unique power that bindeth together the divers elements of this material world, the supreme magnetic force that directeth the movements of the spheres in the celestial realms. (Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá)

When a thought of war comes, oppose it by a stronger thought of peace. A thought of hatred must be destroyed by a more powerful thought of love.  

Confucius:

 "Behave toward everyone as if receiving a great guest."

Sikh:

"Love me when I least deserve it, because that’s when I really need it." – Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji


God is love and love is God. As God cannot be confined, restricted or limited to any particular creed, cult, race, similarly Religion of love cannot be restricted or confined in geographical limits and boundaries.
~ Guru Nanak Dev Ji

Defeat Evil - Love Someone You Don't Like

Yet another mass shooting... this time Orlando, in my home state. And the rhetoric on my Facebook newsfeed is the same as every other time - regulate guns!! ban Muslims!! Obama sucks! And I find myself unable to get behind any of these things this time. Banning a whole group of people is unreasonable and hateful. Eliminating assault rifles seems like a great idea and may be a good step but I think to myself "People who want to kill will find a way to kill" - i.e. boxcutters and airplanes or fertilizer. After a few inspirational posts and at least one argument, I came to a realization - the only real way to stop the violence is to stop the underlying cause - evil.

Yeah, I know what some of you will say - evil? really? That's where she's going with this? Yeah - evil. For those of us who are religious, we recognize there is an actual evil in the world. For those who are not so into the metaphysical, I can boil evil down to a part of the brain that activates before aggressive behavior as this article points out - hey Science! And one day maybe scientists will even find a way to control this part of our brain but, until then, we need to fight and defeat evil however we can to stop these atrocities in our world. And that's what I want to write about. I'm thinking about blogging regularly about ways we can fight and defeat evil. Maybe this will just be one post. Maybe I'll get tired of it after a while but if I'm good, I'll keep it up and maybe help myself and others to make this a better world.


My first topic - love. Love is of course the one thing that has been said over millennia will defeat evil. But, is this too simplistic? Many would say yes but I think if we took love to its extreme, we would see a vast difference in our society.

Of course it's easy to love those we already care about: family, friends, even some coworkers and acquaintances. But, to defeat evil, we will need to go far beyond this. We will need to somehow, some way, love those we don't like. If everyone had a modicum of love for every single individual in the world, we would not kill each other or steal from each other or cheat each other, or...

Too idealistic? Probably but it's in the quest that victory over evil is attained. Too hard? Could be but Christians have been teaching this for 2000 years, Muslims since Muhammad, and Jews long before that so there must be something to it. Even the 60's Love children have been telling us for at least decades that "Love is all you need". So how do we do that? How do we actually love someone we don't even like or who hates us or wants to hurt us?

Love is an action word - it's not just a feeling. If you limit love to a feeling, it's only good for one person- you. But if you project that love outward through actions towards others then it benefits you and your target. So I say act in love toward someone you don't like, even if you're not feeling it. This is the hard part! At first it doesn't have to be something that person sees, if you're worried about backlash. Start with simply thinking nice thoughts about that person, identifying good things about them. If you're religious, say a prayer for them and especially about caring more about them.

Then, when you're ready, write something down, maybe a note you may or may not give to them, maybe just your thoughts about them - caring thoughts of course. Even if you don't do something yet that directly affects them, you will likely begin to feel a softening for them. This is the beginning of love. Sometimes it takes some time and practice but you will feel something positive for them. Ok, maybe start with an easier target if the first one you choose isn't working.

But, eventually you will see an opportunity to actually show something positive toward that person you don't like, a simple smile, a wave, a way to help them in some small way - it doesn't matter. But find something that starts to foster nicer feelings between the two of you. And then do what you can to help that to grow into a brotherly or sisterly love for that person.

Can we agree that if Omar Mateen had done this for the people in that night club (we already know he went there several times) he may have taken a different course? What if someone in that night club had done this for him - befriended him? What if each of us does this with one person at a time in our lives? Could we maybe make a difference in our life and theirs? I can't say we will prevent the next disaster with this alone but it's a start.

Love someone you don't like. And then Love someone else you don't like. This is how we start to knit ourselves together as a human race that cares about each other and fosters the one thing that can defeat evil - love!

Quotes about Love conquering Evil:

“But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.”

- Jesus Christ

“I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word in reality. This is why right, temporarily defeated, is stronger than evil triumphant.”
― Martin Luther King Jr.

"All you need is Love"

― John Lennon

“I hope that real love and truth are stronger in the end than any evil or misfortune in the world.”
― Charles Dickens

“Cruelty and wrong are not the greatest forces in the world. There is nothing eternal in them. Only love is eternal.”
― Elisabeth Elliot, A Chance to Die: The Life and Legacy of Amy Carmichael

“The actual, expanded consciousness, reality of our planet is that all of life is LOVE; our very existence is LOVE. Everything that exists is just varying degrees of this LOVE; polar absolutes do not exist. Good versus evil is pure illusion. Even the most seemingly “negative” person with ill intent is still in the spectrum of love.”
― Alaric Hutchinson, Living Peace

For the Love of Traditional Marriage

In the wake of the SCOTUS decision on marriage, I felt I needed to say something. Honestly, I was afraid, since my views are not celebrated in profile pics and catchy memes. I have many Facebook friends whom I love and don't wish to offend but I also know that I should not let that silence me, nor would they want me to be silent.

I think what saddens me most is the view that because I don't agree with the principle of gay marriage that I must hate gay people and that's absolutely not true. As most of you know I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Mormon) and most of my views are based on my belief in my church and the gospel of Christ.  What I have been taught my whole life in church, and what I believe with all my heart is that God loves all of us and wants all of us to have joy and to return to him by living his principles.  We all memorized John 3:16 "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son,...". We are also taught that we are to follow Christ's teachings to "Love one another, as I have Loved you" (John 13:34) and to "Judge not that ye be not judged" (Matt. 7:1).

Of the principles that God has given us, marriage between a man and a woman is one of the most important ones that if we follow it faithfully and righteously, will lead us to real joy and to return to our Father in Heaven. It is an integral part of His great Plan of Salvation for each of us. And there is a specific reason why He says that marriage should be between a man and a woman. 

Only in that union can a family be created and children raised with the proper balance and complementary nature that a man and a woman can provide. Men and women have different strengths. God created us that way for a purpose, that being to join together as Yin and Yang to work together and lean on each others' strengths to overcome our own weaknesses. The Family: A Proclamation to the World, written and distributed to many leaders of the world by the First Presidency of the Church explained it: "ALL HUMAN BEINGS—male and female—are created in the image of God. Each is a beloved spirit son or daughter of heavenly parents, and, as such, each has a divine nature and destiny. Gender is an essential characteristic of individual premortal, mortal, and eternal identity and purpose."

President Henry B. Eyring of the First Presidency of the LDS church recently spoke at an international, interreligious colloquium about the value of traditional marriage and talked about his complementary relationship with his wife:

"Our differences combined as if they were designed to create a better whole. Rather than dividing us, our differences bound us together. Above all, our unique abilities allowed us to become partners with God in creating human life. The happiness that came from our becoming one built faith in our children and grandchildren that marriage could be a continuing source of satisfaction for them and their families."

Of course, this is the ideal and so often, in this world, the ideal doesn't seem to be reality. We are plagued with divorce, infidelity in marriage, a parent forced to raise a child on their own and other variations that weaken marriage and family. And generally, most agree that these things do no good for families or society. But, just because these things have afflicted our culture and the family, doesn't mean that the ideal isn't still out there. It doesn't mean that I shouldn't speak up for what I believe God has said is the ideal. 

Elder Neil L. Anderson, member of the LDS Quorum of the Twelve said:  "While many governments and well-meaning individuals have redefined marriage, the Lord has not. In the very beginning, God initiated marriage between a man and a woman—Adam and Eve. He designated the purposes of marriage to go far beyond the personal satisfaction and fulfillment of adults to, more importantly, advancing the ideal setting for children to be born, reared, and nurtured. Families are the treasure of heaven." (Elder Neil L. Anderson, "Spiritual Whirlwinds", Apr. 2014 General Conference)

I don't wish to denigrate or hurt those who feel differently or who are attracted to or in love with someone of the same gender. Nor do I want to take away anyone's rights. I firmly believe that you should be able to have anyone you want as a beneficiary on your benefits or inheritances. You should have anyone you want by your side in a hospital. You should be able to claim anyone on your taxes as your legal companion. You should be able to spend your life with whomever you choose. This is all free agency which is another critical principle of the gospel. 2 Nephi 2:16 says: "Wherefore, the Lord gave unto man that he should act for himself".  Doctrine and Covenants 58:28 also says: "For the power is in them, wherein they are agents unto themselves." 

I simply wish to, as a Facebook friend posted today, promote the things I love, rather than bash what I don't agree with.  In the very loud commotion celebrating the decision by SCOTUS, I want to add my voice for the value of the ideal of traditional marriage. 

My Daughter's Wedding

I've been so busy over the last month that I have neglected to take the time to write about this momentous time in my family's life. As a FB blurb said today, my mind felt like a browser with 2,857 tabs open. All. The. Time. And it was GREAT! So, let me back up to about a month ago.

After some key changes in Vienna's and Mike's life (i.e. getting an apartment) it was finally time for them to decide on a date for their wedding. Well, the date was already decided - the year wasn't. October 7th is the only date that Mike would accept - and for such sweetly romantic reasons, I just couldn't complain too much. That happens to be the anniversary of their first date seven years ago and of the day Mike asked her to marry him two years ago. So, it would either be October 7th of this year or next year. Well, they took a little bit more time to decide and so a month or so ago when I pressed the issue, Vienna decided on 2014. Ok, fine, I can wait. It wasn't my preference but at least I can invite everyone in the world and make huge plans because I'll have plenty of time. Well, no... she said they really just wanted a very small wedding with immediate family and close friends, only. "Gaaaah!! You're killing me!" was my text response. Thankfully, after a more reasoned response on my part, it became clear that if we were to have such a small wedding, we could certainly pull it off in a month. Yay - Agreed!!

So we set about spreading the news and sending save-the-date emails. The theme would be Japanese, because the couple loves sushi and that was what they ate on their first date, and the colors would be red, black and white - a stunning combination, I think. It would be in a small chapel because Mike has always had his idea of a perfect wedding in a chapel (so sweet!) and there would be karaoke.

Unfortunately, because of the shortened timeline, most of our out-of-town friends and family were unable to come. This will always be my biggest regret of the event, that I couldn't convince bosses, buy plane tickets and fix family issues to get everyone I love here for the big event. And boy did I try to make up for it! I took video and even tried to do a group skype so some could see the ceremony but that failed epically. I'm still sad about it but hope to make up for it to all our friends and family in the future.

Over the next 4 weeks, we prepared. Vienna picked out a gorgeous dress the next weekend. I started making dozens of origami swans and butterflies while Andy folded flower petals and Vienna worked on cranes. Since Oct. 7th is a Monday this year, there was no problem booking the lovely chapel in La Selva Beach or the Karaoke room at I Love Sushi in Santa Cruz. Things immediately began falling into place easily which told me that this was all meant to be. God wanted it to happen and so was going to help us make it happen.

About a week or so into my month of joy and planning, I realized I needed to put on a bridal shower. This was going to be the time when I would invite everyone and their mothers to celebrate with me! I think I was as excited about the shower as I was the wedding itself! I had food to plan for both events, games to prepare and I would schedule the shower just 2 days before the ceremony so that I could use the same decorations and consolidate all the fun to one long weekend.

Everyone I spoke to was shocked that we thought we could pull this off in so short a time. But it wasn't too hard at all. And, none of us have a ton of money to spend on a wedding so we were keeping it cost-effective to say the least. The Origami flowers really helped with that. The venues were inexpensive and the food would not be cheap, but it also would not be extravagant and with only about 20 people planned to attend, the cost could be kept low. The only things anyone was going to put a larger amount on were the dress and the photography and I think we got really good deals on both of those. Mike's mom Lori felt the dress was a high priority and so was generous enough to make that her contribution to the wedding - thank you, Lori! I, myself think photography MUST be done well and professionally and since Andy and I, the resident photographers, were going to be busy being dad and mom of the bride, a good professional was definitely my preference. (See my own sad wedding photos for proof of why I find this to be so important).

The big weekend arrived and I was stoked. I took Friday off to do all my running around and last-minute planning. I decided to surprise Vienna with an Arch for the ceremony. She had expressed that she wanted one but didn't think it would happen. I made it my job to make it happen! I rented one for just $35 at Alexis rentals in Santa Cruz, along with some pipes and drapes to shield the bride in the chapel while she readied herself for the aisle (another $25), but when I arrived, I found that even with them broken down into smaller parts, there was no way they would fit in my Nissan Acura. Surprisingly, this was my first real problem - what was I to do? Well, I paid for them and then told the warehouse guys that I'd have to pick them up on Monday, not knowing how exactly I was going to do that but I knew I'd figure it out. So, that's when Lori and her husband Kenny came to my rescue! They were so kind to agree to pick them up in their SUV in the morning and drop them off at the chapel - thanks again, guys!!

Other than that, I had a great Friday, running around, coordinating, ordering food, thrift shopping for material to decorate with and getting things done. I love that super-productive feeling and after this and helping with the church Luau a month or so ago, I think I'd love being a party planner. But, that would only be my tenth great idea for a career change that I simply can't manage.


  Saturday - Bridal Shower day!! I spent most of the day finishing up some origami flowers, arranging them in vases that I got from the thrift store the day before with beans serving as stabilizers for the floppy flowers and finalizing the details for the shindig at 5:00. We had the shower at my friend Ruth Kaspar's home who lives up on a high hill overlooking the rest of Santa Cruz and the bay. It's a gorgeous house with an amazing view and it was perfect - thank you, Ruth!!


I got there at 4 so I could decorate and get the place ready. Vienna arrived just around 5 but before others got there and she brought her dress so that we could show it off to everyone. We ate Sushi from Rumble Fish in Scotts Valley, my favorite sushi place, onigiri, lovingly made by Hannah Seegmiller (thank you!) and wonderful sides and desserts that the other ladies brought. Everything was awesome. Oh and we also had some ice cream mochi, a yummy Japanese dessert contributed by Kathy and Jessica Kernan - thank you ladies! We ate and visited for about an hour or so and then it was time to play some games.

In the other room, with the dress as the main decor, we sat around and the first activity was simply an introduction around the circle so everyone could get to know everyone else. This turned out to be a lovely time when people said such nice things about Vienna and showed her how much they love her. I thoroughly enjoyed that. The next game was Two Truths and a Lie. The ladies got a handout with several sets of "facts". In each were two truths and one lie and they needed to choose which they thought was the lie. It was so much fun discovering interesting and unique facts about the couple. The maid-of-honor, Alexis won with missing only 4. Figures she would know them best. (Lori and I exempted ourselves because we didn't want it to be unfair.)

Next up was the Newlywed Game - or really in this case the almost married game, but you get the idea. For this I had a special video guest - Mike! I interviewed him a week before and asked him 20 questions about himself and Vienna and so, through his video he was able to tell if Vienna could guess all the same answers. It was such fun seeing him there and letting everyone who hasn't met him get to know him a little bit. Vienna did well but not perfect. There were a few questions she missed. But, it was a lot of fun. And two ladies guessed correctly how many Vienna would get right.

Finally, we did  what I call an Advice Round Robin. I gave each lady a card to write down one piece of advice for Vienna. So, now was the time that we would go around and have everyone read their advice. Several had more than one piece of advice but we kept it to reading just one. Again, it was a lovely time to express ourselves and let Vienna in on how we each keep our relationships strong. I loved it and loved all the advice Vienna got. She took home the cards but I want to make some sort of book out of them so she can keep them. That was it for the shower. After that we mingled a bit more, cleaned up and went home. Vienna had a lovely time and reconnected with some old friends. She was the bell of the ball as everyone flocked to her to get a bit of time with the guest of honor.

Sunday, we kinda rested. I worked a little more on flowers, fixing up the bouquets which I wasn't satisfied with and discussing some final details with Vienna but otherwise it was the calm before the storm.

The big day!! Monday, October 7th, 2013 will always be one of the very best days of my entire life.  It was filled from beginning to end with driving to and fro, packing and unpacking boxes of decorations and celebrating the best time in my daughter's life. In the morning, I started off by meeting Lori and Kenny at the church to deliver the arch and pipe/drapes. I put out a few decorations just to get the feel of it and then on the way home, stopped for a witches' hat at the local Halloween store (I'll get to that in a bit) and then at I Love Sushi to set up the tables the way I wanted, put out table cloths and do any other things I could at that point.

Andy, Vienna and I got to the church by 2:30 where we started the decorations and where we discovered that one of our tires had an audible leak. Thank you, Andy for taking the initiative to go get that changed even while in your suit! Decorations were done on time by 3:30 but most of the wedding party had not yet arrived for the rehearsal, including the groom.  It was maybe 10 minutes or so before they all got there which put us a little behind but that's to be expected.

The rehearsal went well with no snags. Everyone understood what to do and so then it was time for Vienna to hide away in her dressing room while the boys went back to the apartment to get dressed. This next couple of hours was quite filled with me running around, trying to do a skype, get dressed and help Vienna with whatever she needed. Lori, thankfully had her makeup and hair in hand so I could concentrate on being mother of the bride. We did successfully skype two of my friends in individually so they could say hi to Vienna, ask questions and meet Mike and some of the others in the wedding party. That really was fun to do and I hope that Mary and Michelle and their families enjoyed it as much as I did. We couldn't get the group thing going and poor Geni, Andy's step-mom, couldn't come in at all. Still sad about that.

 



I had such fun being the one to lace up Vienna's dress in the back. I didn't expect to do that but I loved it and hopefully Ashton, our photographer got some good shots of that. Yes, he was running around for a couple of hours before the ceremony getting lots of pictures of shoes, makeup application, the chapel and decorations and then the boys when they returned wearing their tuxes. Mike had a tophat! I loved that! The ceremony was supposed to start at 5:45 but like all good weddings, the bride took a little longer to get ready. 6:00 went by and we still weren't quite there but by around 6:15 we were ready to go!

Vienna, her dad, the best man, Tom and the maid of honor, Alexis (who are also dating and may hear wedding bells, themselves one day) Tristan, (Mike's nephew and ring bearer) and Reese, (Mike's sister) all waited behind the curtain in the chapel while little Scarlette, (Mike's 1-year-old niece) was cajoled into getting ready to walk down the aisle. She was adorable in her little white poofy dress and though didn't really spread any flowers down the aisle (she did hold a couple of petals in her hand the whole time) she actually made it all the way down the aisle without wandering off! Tristan was great as the ring bearer and looked so handsome in his tux. Tom and Alexis were perfect as they glided down the aisle.

Oh my gosh, I didn't mention the harp!! Probably my favorite part about the ceremony other than the couple themselves was that Mike and Vienna's friend Marinda Mitchell flew in from Seattle to play the harp for the ceremony. Ahhh, the sound of that harp as we waited for it all to start was so soothing and lovely. And I just know that as she started playing Pachelbel's Canon while Vienna started down the aisle, that's when my emotions started coming.

I didn't think I would but I cried through the whole thing! From the minute Vienna walked down the aisle to the harp music and I saw Mike's face when he first saw her, to the lovely reading by Rita, the officiant about hands, to the personal vows Mike and Vienna read to each other to the so-sweet tender kiss at the end. And then when Rita presented them as husband and wife, I lost it even more! One of the video cameras caught me grabbing and holding Andy as I wept - what a baby! The whole thing was wonderful. I don't usually cry out of joy but this was overwhelming. I guess I had to because I couldn't jump up and down squeeling. And the KISS! It was the most beautiful kiss I've ever seen!

Once the ceremony was over, the stress began - no, I wasn't stressed until this point when I realized I had 20 minutes until the time they wanted us out of the church to clean out everything - the decorations, arch, pipe/drapes and all our stuff in the dressing room and also take pictures. The light was fading fast so that was the priority. I went back and forth a bit scrambling around to get everything done. After pictures I realized that Vienna and Mike's friends from school were hanging out and chatting so I recruited them to help. As always they were right on it and were stars! Thank you Chanda, Colin and Jessica! I've always loved Vienna's friends - they're the best! Together we got everything out by 7:05, just in time for the custodian to take over. Whew!

 Then it was time to get the heck out of there and over to I Love Sushi. We were already later than I thought we were, plus Vienna and Mike were basically done with pictures since we lost the light so they left right behind us. I was hoping to have like 20 minutes at least to decorate the room and set up a slide show, which never happened. I got there and there were people already hanging around waiting for something to happen. I had only enough time to put flowers on the table, give the servers some instructions and answer a bunch of questions from people before Mike and Vienna came in.

They were wearing their Mickey Mouse bride and groom ears! So cute! I was a bit stressed for a while and disappointed that some things didn't work out like I'd wanted, but I moved forward and got the video cam set up to record the festivities. It wasn't long before food started coming out, people started eating and we were making toasts with Martinelli's. Vienna and Mike sat at a table on the stage where we could admire their cuteness the rest of the night.

We interspersed toasts with some karaoke and everything was wonderful and so much fun. The best man, Tom started off with his toast. Afterward Andy gave a great toast and then through the night several others toasted, including me, Mike's mom, Alexis, Reese (his sister) and other friends. They all said such lovely things about each of them and I was more impressed with Mike than ever. I was so happy to hear things that convinced me he is in this marriage for the long-haul. He'll make her happy and that made me happy.  We all felt the love.

 

The singing was a blast! Vienna and Mike started off with their "first song" (instead of a first dance since neither of them like to dance). They sang Journey's Don't Stop Believing - a perfect choice! We all loved it! Afterward, Andy convinced Mike to sing AC/DC's Back in Black which he did and very well! Vienna, Andy and I sang Love Shack which was awesome. Vienna and I sang our Wicked Medley which included the witche's hat that I had bought on Friday and was super-awesome! Vienna and Mike also each had a song they sang for the other: Vienna sang Dream a Little Dream of Me and Mike Sang the Hawaiian version of Somewhere Over the Rainbow. During that number, little Scarlette wanted to get on stage with Mike so he picked her up and sang with her in his arms - it was so sweet!!  Lori did a lovely a capella version of Simple Man and I sang what turned out to be a weird version of We've Only Just Begun. It was all poppish and had images of people setting things on fire but hopefully the sentiment got across. Vienna, Alexis and Jessica sang Sk8ter Boi from when they were in 6th grade. And the last song of the night? Mike invited everyone who wanted to come up and sing Bohemian Rhapsody. We had almost everyone up there and what a great time it was! It was the most fun wedding reception I've ever been to.

Once they kicked us out, we gathered all our stuff and went on home with hugs and well-wishes all around. I was exhausted but elated. It was a near-perfect day and I will remember it as one of the best days of my entire life - right up there with my own wedding and Vienna's birth.

Since that day, I've been floating a little on air and smiling a little more than usual.  I think what moves me most is that I have new family members, especially a son-in-law, whom I will probably think of as a son of my own. He's a wonderful guy and I know he will take good care of my little girl. He is stubborn when he puts his mind to something and he has committed to Vienna so I know he'll stick around. They are so happy and they just glow when they're together. I'm so excited for the two of them! Their next step is a honeymoon at Disneyland!