Tuesday, April 17, 2018
Friday, April 13, 2018
Honeymooners
About a week after the wedding, Leah and I went on our honeymoon: a cruise to the Bahamas.
During our extended engagement, Leah went to a few different bridal shows and entered a few sweepstakes. A few days after one of the shows, she got a phone call or an email inviting us to attend a sales pitch and if we attended, we'd get a free Amazon Kindle Fire tablet. I've had a Kindle Fire for several years and Leah getting one sounded pretty good, so we went.
The sales pitch was for discounted luxury vacation packages, and while they did sound nice, even with the heavy discounts, they were all outside of our price range. We played nice and sat through the main sales pitch and then multiple individual pitches, but we just couldn't afford it. The individual saleswoman did not even try to hide her annoyance when we turned down her last pitch.
With no more options available with which to entice us, they sent us to an office near the exit to sign some forms affirming that we got the promised tablet. The man who talked us through the final paperwork had a final package that he offered us: a trip to Las Vegas, Nevada or Fort Lauderdale, Florida. However, looking at the fine print, we discovered that another option was to go on a Caribbean cruise, with airfare to Florida included. The only catch was that we would have to be flexible about when we cruised. We agreed and paid the down payment.
Over the next several months, the cruise was something that we'd remember from time to time, but it was mostly in the background. Eventually, we had to pick potential dates spaced apart when we could go and the travel agency would assign us what worked best for them. Fortunately, the date they picked was the date we wanted.
I feel the need to point out that when we booked the cruise, we still didn't have a wedding date. You can call it faith, though we did have a back-up plan in case we weren't: the cabin we would get had two twin beds that could be pushed together as one and we would just keep them separated. In hindsight, it wasn't the best plan.
When the day of the start of our honeymoon came, we flew to Fort Lauderdale, even though our cruise left from the port of Miami—that's just how the travel agency booked it, which added some additional work on our part getting transportation to the port. Fort Lauderdale was very pretty and it was quite warm for February. After a frightening cab ride from the airport to downtown (our hotel room wasn't ready yet), we ate lunch at a fancy Italian bistro. The food was delicious and quite filling, which was fine since we decided to walk to the hotel since it was only a few miles away. I don't regret walking, but we were both quite sweaty by the time we arrived.
The next day, we took a hotel-provided shuttle to the Miami port. We arrived early enough that any lines we waited in weren't very long. The check-in process was easy enough and soon we were onboard. We were so early that we couldn't go to our cabin yet, so we looked to see what activities we could participate in to pass the time. We ended up going to a couple of presentations in a row: one on activities that could be done onshore when we arrived at our destinations and one on good places to shop. While there were some activities that were far too expensive for us to consider (swimming with dolphins cost more than $400 a person), we decided that unguided snorkeling sounded like fun—and at $35 a head, it was also the most affordable. As for the shopping, that was more for Leah than for me, but I'm glad we went because there were a few items we found out about that were free, all we had to do was show up and present a coupon.
The first day the ship dropped anchor off the shore of Coco Cay, a private island owned by the cruise line. The nice thing about the island being owned by the cruise was that we didn't have to worry about having money on us for food when it was lunchtime. Ferries carried passengers back and forth all day. This was where Leah and I went snorkeling. We checked out our equipment, watched a short safety video and ventured forth. We did okay, but we both swallowed our share of water. After some time, we were tired and went back to get some sun. I applied sunscreen three separate times, but apparently missed my ankles, which were a little burned by that evening.
After lunch and some more lounging, we tried the water one more time. We were much more skilled the second time and enjoyed the experience much more. I even felt less tired as we traveled from site to site (there was a staged shipwreck and plane crash, both to attract us and offer fish protection). On our second trip out, we even saw a sea turtle grazing, which was very exciting.
The next day, we docked at Nassau, where we spent the morning shopping (that is, mostly getting free stuff). In the afternoon, we took a taxi to the beach. I'm glad that we snorkeled at the first island because there were no waves. Nassau's waves were all pretty small, but there were something.
This trip was only my second time leaving the US and the first time that I did so for pleasure. This was Leah's second cruise and we both really enjoyed our time. To anyone thinking about taking a cruise, I would heartily recommend it.
During our extended engagement, Leah went to a few different bridal shows and entered a few sweepstakes. A few days after one of the shows, she got a phone call or an email inviting us to attend a sales pitch and if we attended, we'd get a free Amazon Kindle Fire tablet. I've had a Kindle Fire for several years and Leah getting one sounded pretty good, so we went.
The sales pitch was for discounted luxury vacation packages, and while they did sound nice, even with the heavy discounts, they were all outside of our price range. We played nice and sat through the main sales pitch and then multiple individual pitches, but we just couldn't afford it. The individual saleswoman did not even try to hide her annoyance when we turned down her last pitch.
With no more options available with which to entice us, they sent us to an office near the exit to sign some forms affirming that we got the promised tablet. The man who talked us through the final paperwork had a final package that he offered us: a trip to Las Vegas, Nevada or Fort Lauderdale, Florida. However, looking at the fine print, we discovered that another option was to go on a Caribbean cruise, with airfare to Florida included. The only catch was that we would have to be flexible about when we cruised. We agreed and paid the down payment.
Over the next several months, the cruise was something that we'd remember from time to time, but it was mostly in the background. Eventually, we had to pick potential dates spaced apart when we could go and the travel agency would assign us what worked best for them. Fortunately, the date they picked was the date we wanted.
I feel the need to point out that when we booked the cruise, we still didn't have a wedding date. You can call it faith, though we did have a back-up plan in case we weren't: the cabin we would get had two twin beds that could be pushed together as one and we would just keep them separated. In hindsight, it wasn't the best plan.
When the day of the start of our honeymoon came, we flew to Fort Lauderdale, even though our cruise left from the port of Miami—that's just how the travel agency booked it, which added some additional work on our part getting transportation to the port. Fort Lauderdale was very pretty and it was quite warm for February. After a frightening cab ride from the airport to downtown (our hotel room wasn't ready yet), we ate lunch at a fancy Italian bistro. The food was delicious and quite filling, which was fine since we decided to walk to the hotel since it was only a few miles away. I don't regret walking, but we were both quite sweaty by the time we arrived.
The next day, we took a hotel-provided shuttle to the Miami port. We arrived early enough that any lines we waited in weren't very long. The check-in process was easy enough and soon we were onboard. We were so early that we couldn't go to our cabin yet, so we looked to see what activities we could participate in to pass the time. We ended up going to a couple of presentations in a row: one on activities that could be done onshore when we arrived at our destinations and one on good places to shop. While there were some activities that were far too expensive for us to consider (swimming with dolphins cost more than $400 a person), we decided that unguided snorkeling sounded like fun—and at $35 a head, it was also the most affordable. As for the shopping, that was more for Leah than for me, but I'm glad we went because there were a few items we found out about that were free, all we had to do was show up and present a coupon.
We're on a boat!
Kissing on the high seas
The first day the ship dropped anchor off the shore of Coco Cay, a private island owned by the cruise line. The nice thing about the island being owned by the cruise was that we didn't have to worry about having money on us for food when it was lunchtime. Ferries carried passengers back and forth all day. This was where Leah and I went snorkeling. We checked out our equipment, watched a short safety video and ventured forth. We did okay, but we both swallowed our share of water. After some time, we were tired and went back to get some sun. I applied sunscreen three separate times, but apparently missed my ankles, which were a little burned by that evening.
After lunch and some more lounging, we tried the water one more time. We were much more skilled the second time and enjoyed the experience much more. I even felt less tired as we traveled from site to site (there was a staged shipwreck and plane crash, both to attract us and offer fish protection). On our second trip out, we even saw a sea turtle grazing, which was very exciting.
We are super white
Underwater selfies are hard!
A fish
A school of fish
What's that over there?
A SEA TURTLE!
The next day, we docked at Nassau, where we spent the morning shopping (that is, mostly getting free stuff). In the afternoon, we took a taxi to the beach. I'm glad that we snorkeled at the first island because there were no waves. Nassau's waves were all pretty small, but there were something.
Is it weird that I took a picture of my wife taking a picture?
I've been familiar with the ways of pirates since high school
I don't know what Leah's supposed to be, but she's cute
Notice my red ankle
This trip was only my second time leaving the US and the first time that I did so for pleasure. This was Leah's second cruise and we both really enjoyed our time. To anyone thinking about taking a cruise, I would heartily recommend it.
Wednesday, April 11, 2018
Wedding Party
After being sealed together at the Washington, DC Temple, Leah and I headed back up to Harford County for the wedding reception. When we arrived, preparations were still being made, though the majority had been done on the days leading up. What was left was mostly related to food. We had a relatively simple meal of baked ham, baked potatoes, and green beans, helpfully prepared by people of Debbie's ward.
We also had lots and lots of sugar. We had a hot chocolate bar (which used a cocoa mix that I made myself) with oodles of toppings and a chocolate fountain with lots dipping choices. We got lots of compliments on both features, though the biggest compliments were from our young nieces and nephews who, towards the end, were running around with chocolate smeared on their faces, resembling hyperactive Dickensian orphans.
Since we knew we’d be hungry, we scheduled dinner first, which was served buffet style (we already recruited cooks, I can't imagine recruiting servers). After some time to eat and visit, speeches were given by the Matron of Honor, Rachel, and the Best Man, Isaac. Rachel, one of two of Leah's best friends, gave a sweet speech about how she sees how happy I make Leah. Isaac’s speech was about how salt is a seasoning that brings out the best flavors in a dish and how Leah is the salt in my life. Both Leah and I were touched by their heartfelt words.
Next, came our first dance. We had a little trouble picking a song, largely because Leah and I have different musical preferences, but we settled on "All of Me" by John Legend—I liked it because it has a traditional jazz feel and she liked it because the lyrics are sweetly romantic. As we danced, we talked and made each other smile and even laugh, which is kind of perfect for us.
After our first dance, the floor was opened for everyone to dance. (I may post our song list later, but one song that’s proven to be Leah’s "get-up-and-go" song, was featured early on.) We didn’t get a chance to do any more dancing because we were pulled away for more pictures.
Leah's oldest brother, Rob, had to leave the temple early and wasn't there when we exited, thus he missed the family pictures. Since he was at the reception, we decided to try again and gathered in the Relief Society room. Being in a heated building made pictures much easier than the chilly winds outside the temple, so everyone loosened up and had fun.
After pictures and a little crowd work, we cut our wedding cake that Sherlin had very kindly prepared for us. Leah had warned me ahead of time not to smash the cake in my face, which I wasn't planning on anyway: smashing the cake in the bride or groom's face is only funny if it's unexpected, but people have been doing it for a long time, so it's no longer unexpected and thus not funny. The tiers that were sliced up were lemon-raspberry and funfetti with sprinkles of our colors of purple and silver, but the way they melted made the cake look like it was blueberry-flavored. Regardless, it was quite tasty.
The time flew by and before we realized, it was time to leave. Instead of throwing rice or blowing bubbles, we had our guests hold up sparklers. (Our photographer told us later that she's seen sparkler send offs before, but ours was the best looking she’d ever seen.)
Once we got to my car, we discovered that it had been "decorated." At some point during the reception, Margot came and got my keys from me, not saying why she needed them, so I assumed that the car was being prepared for our departure, though I wasn't prepared for what was actually done. The car had been plastic-wrapped to a nearby light pole, though that was easy enough to remove. What was particularly annoying was that the car was filled from floor to ceiling with balloons. I pulled out enough balloons from the passenger side so that Leah could get in, but when I started doing the same on the driver's side, someone took pity on me and passed me an unlit sparkler, of which I was able to use the handle to pop the remaining balloons. With the balloons gone, I got into the car and drove home with my new bride.
I'm really happy with how the wedding reception turned out. A lot of work was done by not a lot of people in a short period of time and I'm so happy with the result. The reception was a way for us to celebrate our new marriage with our friends and family, which I think we accomplished in spades.
Leah's younger brother Ryan and his wife Dana preparing food in the kitchen
Look at that spread!
We also had lots and lots of sugar. We had a hot chocolate bar (which used a cocoa mix that I made myself) with oodles of toppings and a chocolate fountain with lots dipping choices. We got lots of compliments on both features, though the biggest compliments were from our young nieces and nephews who, towards the end, were running around with chocolate smeared on their faces, resembling hyperactive Dickensian orphans.
Sherlin provided all of the calligraphy work
A dream come true
Since we knew we’d be hungry, we scheduled dinner first, which was served buffet style (we already recruited cooks, I can't imagine recruiting servers). After some time to eat and visit, speeches were given by the Matron of Honor, Rachel, and the Best Man, Isaac. Rachel, one of two of Leah's best friends, gave a sweet speech about how she sees how happy I make Leah. Isaac’s speech was about how salt is a seasoning that brings out the best flavors in a dish and how Leah is the salt in my life. Both Leah and I were touched by their heartfelt words.
Raise your mugs in a toast!
Rachel mentioned that I made her a pie for her birthday, which helped win her over
I admit to being a little confused at the beginning of Isaac's speech at first, but he really brought it all together at the end
Next, came our first dance. We had a little trouble picking a song, largely because Leah and I have different musical preferences, but we settled on "All of Me" by John Legend—I liked it because it has a traditional jazz feel and she liked it because the lyrics are sweetly romantic. As we danced, we talked and made each other smile and even laugh, which is kind of perfect for us.
Looks like we caught Leah mid-giggle
After our first dance, the floor was opened for everyone to dance. (I may post our song list later, but one song that’s proven to be Leah’s "get-up-and-go" song, was featured early on.) We didn’t get a chance to do any more dancing because we were pulled away for more pictures.
We are full of sugar, so we must dance!
Sugar highs lead to sugar crashes
Leah's oldest brother, Rob, had to leave the temple early and wasn't there when we exited, thus he missed the family pictures. Since he was at the reception, we decided to try again and gathered in the Relief Society room. Being in a heated building made pictures much easier than the chilly winds outside the temple, so everyone loosened up and had fun.
The newest member of the Grabowski family
It's nice to have the support of my wife's family
After pictures and a little crowd work, we cut our wedding cake that Sherlin had very kindly prepared for us. Leah had warned me ahead of time not to smash the cake in my face, which I wasn't planning on anyway: smashing the cake in the bride or groom's face is only funny if it's unexpected, but people have been doing it for a long time, so it's no longer unexpected and thus not funny. The tiers that were sliced up were lemon-raspberry and funfetti with sprinkles of our colors of purple and silver, but the way they melted made the cake look like it was blueberry-flavored. Regardless, it was quite tasty.
The youngest guest, Emma, with the eldest guest, Grandma Bonnie
We even found a way to include Pinto!
Cut…
… and serve
Two flavor options
The time flew by and before we realized, it was time to leave. Instead of throwing rice or blowing bubbles, we had our guests hold up sparklers. (Our photographer told us later that she's seen sparkler send offs before, but ours was the best looking she’d ever seen.)
Sparks were really flying that night
Once we got to my car, we discovered that it had been "decorated." At some point during the reception, Margot came and got my keys from me, not saying why she needed them, so I assumed that the car was being prepared for our departure, though I wasn't prepared for what was actually done. The car had been plastic-wrapped to a nearby light pole, though that was easy enough to remove. What was particularly annoying was that the car was filled from floor to ceiling with balloons. I pulled out enough balloons from the passenger side so that Leah could get in, but when I started doing the same on the driver's side, someone took pity on me and passed me an unlit sparkler, of which I was able to use the handle to pop the remaining balloons. With the balloons gone, I got into the car and drove home with my new bride.
That's not too bad
Leah thought it was funnier than I did
A man unamused
I'm really happy with how the wedding reception turned out. A lot of work was done by not a lot of people in a short period of time and I'm so happy with the result. The reception was a way for us to celebrate our new marriage with our friends and family, which I think we accomplished in spades.
Mere symbols of our covenants, but ones that match
Tuesday, April 10, 2018
Friday, April 6, 2018
The Road to the Temple
We all know that Leah and I got married, but because I'd taken a break from blogging, I don't have an entry on it. Let's fix that.
After I proposed to Leah on December 25, 2016, I called to make an appointment for our sealing at the Washington, DC Temple. As the sister working in scheduling collected my information, she noticed that I had been previously sealed and asked if I had an approval letter to be sealed a second time. I told her that I did not and, in fact, didn't know that I needed one. She explained that she would not be able to book our sealing until after I received the approval letter and that I would need to contact my Bishop, who would start the process. I thanked her for her help and hung up.
The process for getting approved to be sealed a second time was not easy. I had to listed in as much detail as possible any sins I had committed since my previous sealing, even those resolved with priesthood leaders. That alone was emotionally grueling, but then I had to do it again for the Stake President. I met with my Bishop and Stake President multiple times, the latter of whom suggested that we consider a civil marriage with a sealing to follow a year later. Leah and I both prayed about that option and felt that despite the difficulties we were facing, we wanted to "do it right" and get married in the Temple.
After meeting with the Bishop and Stake President several more times, our paperwork was submitted to the First Presidency for review. A little over a month later, Leah and I were called in to meet with the Stake President, who informed us that he had heard from Salt Lake: we needed to resubmit in four months. That was frustrating, but we obeyed and on December 26, 2017, I finally received my approval letter, signed by President Monson.
Starting from when I had first proposed a year before, Leah had been planning our wedding and reception. By the time I got my approval letter, she had her dress, all of the decorations, and had hired a photographer. Unfortunately, the Washington, DC Temple was scheduled to close for two years for renovation on March 4, so we were running out time if we wanted to be married there. During her preparations, Leah had even got us significantly discounted cruise tickets that we hoped to use as our honeymoon, but that meant that we would need to be married before the cruise left on February 9. So, we picked February 3 as our wedding date, which gave us a nice numerical pneumonic: 2/3.
In what seemed like a mad rush, we scheduled time at the Temple for Leah's endowment and our sealing; booked the Cultural Hall at the chapel of the ward we'd be in as a married couple; designed, ordered, and mailed out our wedding invitations; and planned the menu and conscripted people to help with food. It was a flurry of work—most of which Leah is responsible for—but we got it all ready.
Thus, on February 3, 2018 Leah and I were sealed for all eternity at the Washington, DC Temple, surrounded by our endowed friends and family (we had enough people in attendance that we were moved to one of the larger sealing rooms). While it was a lovely ceremony, what was truly wonderful was that we had made important covenants that will last beyond our mortal lives.
Afterwards, we went outside and took pictures with the rest of our family. It was chilly that day, though still surprisingly warm for early February. In between pictures, Leah and several of the women grabbed a coat to keep warm. We took all of the family pictures first so that our families could be excused. Once Leah, the photographer and I felt we had enough pictures outside the Temple, we drove back up to Harford, County to prepare for the reception.
The memories made that day may fade and the pictures taken may be lost, but the covenants Leah and I made that day will last longer than man can comprehend. For that, I am truly grateful.
After I proposed to Leah on December 25, 2016, I called to make an appointment for our sealing at the Washington, DC Temple. As the sister working in scheduling collected my information, she noticed that I had been previously sealed and asked if I had an approval letter to be sealed a second time. I told her that I did not and, in fact, didn't know that I needed one. She explained that she would not be able to book our sealing until after I received the approval letter and that I would need to contact my Bishop, who would start the process. I thanked her for her help and hung up.
The process for getting approved to be sealed a second time was not easy. I had to listed in as much detail as possible any sins I had committed since my previous sealing, even those resolved with priesthood leaders. That alone was emotionally grueling, but then I had to do it again for the Stake President. I met with my Bishop and Stake President multiple times, the latter of whom suggested that we consider a civil marriage with a sealing to follow a year later. Leah and I both prayed about that option and felt that despite the difficulties we were facing, we wanted to "do it right" and get married in the Temple.
After meeting with the Bishop and Stake President several more times, our paperwork was submitted to the First Presidency for review. A little over a month later, Leah and I were called in to meet with the Stake President, who informed us that he had heard from Salt Lake: we needed to resubmit in four months. That was frustrating, but we obeyed and on December 26, 2017, I finally received my approval letter, signed by President Monson.
Starting from when I had first proposed a year before, Leah had been planning our wedding and reception. By the time I got my approval letter, she had her dress, all of the decorations, and had hired a photographer. Unfortunately, the Washington, DC Temple was scheduled to close for two years for renovation on March 4, so we were running out time if we wanted to be married there. During her preparations, Leah had even got us significantly discounted cruise tickets that we hoped to use as our honeymoon, but that meant that we would need to be married before the cruise left on February 9. So, we picked February 3 as our wedding date, which gave us a nice numerical pneumonic: 2/3.
In what seemed like a mad rush, we scheduled time at the Temple for Leah's endowment and our sealing; booked the Cultural Hall at the chapel of the ward we'd be in as a married couple; designed, ordered, and mailed out our wedding invitations; and planned the menu and conscripted people to help with food. It was a flurry of work—most of which Leah is responsible for—but we got it all ready.
I'm really pleased with how the invitations turned out, especially since I wrote the text
Thus, on February 3, 2018 Leah and I were sealed for all eternity at the Washington, DC Temple, surrounded by our endowed friends and family (we had enough people in attendance that we were moved to one of the larger sealing rooms). While it was a lovely ceremony, what was truly wonderful was that we had made important covenants that will last beyond our mortal lives.
It took a while, but I'm glad we did it right
A kiss worth waiting for!
Afterwards, we went outside and took pictures with the rest of our family. It was chilly that day, though still surprisingly warm for early February. In between pictures, Leah and several of the women grabbed a coat to keep warm. We took all of the family pictures first so that our families could be excused. Once Leah, the photographer and I felt we had enough pictures outside the Temple, we drove back up to Harford, County to prepare for the reception.
Notice all of the coats and jackets
The memories made that day may fade and the pictures taken may be lost, but the covenants Leah and I made that day will last longer than man can comprehend. For that, I am truly grateful.
Wednesday, April 4, 2018
General Conference, April 2018
This past weekend was General Conference, which I always enjoy, but this was special because it was the first one I shared with Leah since we got married. Add to that the Solemn Assembly and the changes made to Priesthood organization (High Priests joining the Elders Quorum of each ward and branch) and ministering (doing away with Home and Visiting Teaching), this was quite an exciting Conference.
In addition to the big changes listed above, the biggest takeaways I had involved our worship of Christ and our interactions with others. The importance of selfless service—not as a way to talk about the gospel, but simply as a way to help our fellow man—was repeated numerous times. And with so many people reiterating the late President Monson's advice to read the Book of Mormon prompted Leah and me to again hold daily family scripture study (which we conducted for several months, but got out of the habit of).
I'm so grateful that we have a living prophet in President Russel M. Nelson and look forward to his ministry, however long it may be.
In addition to the big changes listed above, the biggest takeaways I had involved our worship of Christ and our interactions with others. The importance of selfless service—not as a way to talk about the gospel, but simply as a way to help our fellow man—was repeated numerous times. And with so many people reiterating the late President Monson's advice to read the Book of Mormon prompted Leah and me to again hold daily family scripture study (which we conducted for several months, but got out of the habit of).
I'm so grateful that we have a living prophet in President Russel M. Nelson and look forward to his ministry, however long it may be.
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