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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

The Wedding of Susannah and Michael

On Sunday afternoon, Leah and I attended the wedding of my friend and coworker, Michael and his bride Susannah. I was honored to be included, especially since I was the only person from the office Michael invited.

This was the first Jewish wedding I've attended and it was a lovely introduction. I was a little thrown by the yarmulkes that were provided with no instruction on how to wear them -- Michael had told me ahead of time that they would be optional and I wanted to be respectful of his religion and culture, so rather than wear it wrong, I chose to not use it.

The wedding was outside, which could have been treacherous this time of year. In fact, most of that morning had nothing but grey skies and muggy air, but by the time the ceremony started, the weather was perfect.

The ceremony was short -- which Leah and I appreciated since we had been going since early that morning -- and sweet. Susannah remarked afterwards that the officiant read an earlier draft of the vows that included an anecdote that she didn't care for, but it was more of a comment than a complaint.

Michael is the one of Jewish heritage and he even included some Hebrew in his vows, though Susannah's were completely in English (which is kind of ironic because Susannah is a polyglot, though the other languages she speaks are mostly of the Romantic variety).

After the ceremony but before dinner started, Leah and I wandered around the grounds of the hotel where the festivities were held. It was quite beautiful with lots of flowers, foliage, statues, and water features.

Leah and me having fun exploring

I wish Susannah and Michael the best in their new life together and I'm grateful that Leah and I were included on their special day.

The two happy couples

Blessed

On Sunday, Leah asked me to give her a blessing to help her get over a cold she’s been fighting for a little over a week. I was happy to oblige. When I sealed the anointing, the words the Spirit gave me to say felt like they were meant as much for me as they were for her.

I said that when the two of us met, it was no accident: we met as soon as we were ready -- and God had been preparing us for each other for quite some time. I also said that our upcoming marriage was divinely appointed and that, while it would not always be easy, we would be happy. I choked up at this glimpse into the future, feeling the Spirit confirm the words as I said them.

When I got to the part about her cold, I basically said, “You’ll get over it when you get over it.” The words were much kinder than that, of course, but I was surprised that I wasn’t prompted to bless her in any way regarding her health. But maybe I shouldn’t have been: we receive the blessing we need, not the one we want.

It was a beautiful experience and it only strengthened my love of this wonderful daughter of God.

#IanandSherlin2016

This past weekend, my brother Ian married his fiancé Sherlin.  Not everything was perfect, but it all came together when it mattered.

Leah met me at my apartment on Friday morning (both of us took the day off) and we took my car to Ian’s place.  We weren’t there long before we caravanned to Ian’s ward building to prepare for the reception.  After setting up the tables and about a dozen chairs, I noticed that the floor of the cultural hall was in need of vacuuming, so I volunteered myself for the task.  While I vacuumed, Ian, Sherlin, Isaac, Falisha, and Leah worked on more intricate preparations like setting up the microphone and putting tablecloths on the tables.  A lot of the decorations were customized by Sherlin and her friends, like the table banner with handwritten letters or the custom, machine-cut candle holders, making everything feel all the more unique.

Preparations

In the evening, when we were supposed to be practicing at the chapel at Fort Meade, we stood around in the brisk air just outside.  Due to a lack of communication and a severe case of absent-mindedness, the caretaker of the chapel key had failed to unlock the building for us.  There was a lot of discussion over how long we should wait, but eventually it was decided that we would practice in the hall of the nearby commissary.  We got plenty of odd looks as we lined up and practiced our entrances, but it helped us work out a few kinks, so I think it was worth it.  After a few times through, we were done.  Ian invited us back to his place for pizza, which I took him up on.

Since tradition dictates that the groom should not see his bride before she walks down the aisle, Ian stayed at my apartment, along with Isaac and Henry.  I was very tired after all of the setting up we did, so I asked Ian to drive for me.  Isaac rode shotgun, which put Leah and me in the backseat.  It was a bit strange sitting in the back of my car for the first time, but it was nice to relax.

The following morning, after all of the Larsen men were dressed in our wedding finery, we drove back down to Ian’s ward building for a final bit of preparation.  After the fiasco of not being able to get into the chapel on base, Ian planned ahead and got permission from his bishop to have the wedding ceremony there, just in case.  He made sure that very few people even knew about the backup plan, but those who did were sworn to secrecy—he didn’t want to stress out Sherlin who had plenty of things on her plate already.  Thankfully, the building was unlocked and we were able to proceed as planned.

Time to start!

The ceremony itself was lovely.  While the words of the chaplain were nice, I really liked the individual vows that Ian and Sherlin wrote: they both included each other’s kids in their vows, promising their love to them as well.  I looked over at the bridesmaids from my spot at the front of the line of groomsmen a few times and saw that all of them were tearing up.  Needless to say, it was beautiful to see these two people dedicate themselves to each other.

Since I was in the bridal party, I don't have any pictures of the actual ceremony,

so here's one of the chaplain signing the marriage certificate.

After the wedding, the reception began.  Most of the food had been prepared by Sherlin and it was delicious, as always.  The cake was great too, despite the center tier (which I made) not being as structurally sound as hoped—still, it held up long enough to be cut, which is what really matters.

So much good food!

Iris gave her maid of honor speech, which was beautifully prepared.  Then the groomsmen got up to deliver ours.  Ian had decided that he wanted to have us play an improv game for our speech and had given us our instructions a few weeks prior: we would all stand in a line and say a single word each in succession, until we had each said six words (for a total of thirty-six words).  When he gave us our assignment (via email), I immediately responded that he was being ridiculous.  I had decided that I would just be as silly as possible and say “dinosaur” or “laser” at some point, but one of the more practical groomsmen just wrote a speech for us to use.  Even though it defied Ian’s instructions to be spontaneous with our speech, I was happy to have something prepared.  Another groomsman suggested that we just write our words on our hands and blatantly read them when we delivered the speech, which we did.  Even so, we had to practice it a few times before the reception started, but it all worked out and I think that Ian appreciated the effort we made, even if didn’t follow all of his instructions.

A lovely speech by a lovely lady.

Margot and Bryan sang a song that Sherlin had specifically chosen for the day.  They did a wonderful job and sang the song beautifully.  Then Sherlin and Ian shared their first dance.

After I posted this picture to Facebook, Ian adopted it as his new profile picture. I guess that means he liked it!

Leah got involved, too.  On the way to the ward building, she picked up washable markers to write on  the windows of Ian's truck.  She got Iris, Falisha, Margot, and Jen (Sherlin’s best friend) to help her with the decorating and I think it was a nice bonding experience for them all.  I then worked to keep Ian away from his truck until they left for the evening.  I’m sure Ian thought I was being very nice running out to his truck for things a few times, but I was mostly just keeping him inside.  As for how the surprise went over, I can’t say.  When it was time for the big reveal, I was busy wrangling my several nieces and nephews.  Still, I suspect that they enjoyed it.

Sometimes wrangling kids is adorable.

One important activity that happens at every wedding is the bouquet toss.  Sherlin was very inclusive and invited all the women in the room to participate, regardless of marital status.  Even with the big crowd, Leah caught the bouquet.  Does that mean anything?  We’ll have to wait and see.

She shoots!

And it's good!

I’m so happy for my brother and new sister-in-law.  Marriage is tough and with them each coming from a failed one, it would be easy to swear off marriage entirely.  But they knew what they wanted in a spouse and found it in each other.  I wish them the best and look forward to many happy times with them and their children.

Congratulations, Ian and Sherlin!