Cameron & Emily's Wedding

My Baby Sister's Wedding!                                                      When I found out my baby sister was getting married it took me by surprise and I suddenly felt very old. She and Cameron decided they wanted to get married in the Nauvoo Temple over Labor Day weekend. As we had just moved to Arkansas I decided it was close enough to drive. That and we were not sure if both Jon and I would get to go. As it was the day of the wedding he had class till noon, and a scheduler who was bitter because he missed both his sister's weddings. So no luck for Jonny. But I drove up to Nauvoo on Wednesday and arrived late Wednesday night. I got a adorable room in the Hotel Nauvoo and settled down for a good nights rest.

Thursday morning dawned bright and hot. I got breakfast and did some shopping. Emily and Cameron were driving up with Calli as a chaperon to Carthage to get their marriage license. I got to meet them up there and we went through Carthage Jail together. Then we headed down to Nauvoo and met up with Thomas, Sarah, and little Elli. She was growing up so much! We did some touring of Nauvoo with them and visited the blacksmith, the bakery, the family living center, and the brick yard. It was great to be able to do that together. Then we all went to the house the Call family was renting and hung out with them and had dinner over there. 

 I took Emily and Calli back to my hotel while Thomas and Sarah took Elli to their hotel to get her to bed. After gathering what we needed we headed over the river about a half an hour away to the hotel that Calli, Emily, and the Checketts would be staying at. We beat everyone there by about 2 hours. Finally Mom, Nikki, David, the Curzons, and Rachel rolled in (about 12:30 am). I then took David and Nikki to their friends house in Nauvoo, and Rachel stayed the night with me. It was a late night, but we actually had the good end of it. Later that night the Wests got in with Glenn tagging along. Then at about 4am Friday morning Dad left with the remaining crew. That is how thing happen with Checketts weddings!

 Rachel and I got up Friday morning and picked up breakfast on the way to the main hotel. We arrived and got everyone fed. Rachel had the fun job of doing the brides hair and getting the bride out the door took some work. When that finally did happen we had to get ourselves all ready too! But miraculously enough we all got ready and made it to the temple! Oh how wonderful it was to be there with so many people I love! In the temple where my parents, Heidi, Thomas, Rachel, Nikki and David, and Emily. Also there were my very good friends Heather and Elizabeth. I also love that temple so very much. The Nauvoo temple was the first one I went through when I got my own endowments 7 years ago. The session was amazing. After the session the temple presidency offered our group the chance to tour the temple. We even got to go up to the bell tower! I go to do that once during the open house back in 2002.

Finally it was time to go to the marriage waiting room. There more of the Call family as well as AJ and Sarah joined us. Well, we waited, and waited. Then a temple worker came a told us there was a delay and it would be about 20 minutes. We were a bit worried wondering what happened. To this day we still wonder, for the bride was ready and wondering as well! But finally all was figured out and Emily and Cameron joined us in the sealing room. What an amazing experience to see my baby sister sealed in the marriage covenant for time and eternity! They looked so happy and seem to be so very good for each other. This may sound cliche, but for Emily that is a big deal. Not just a good fit, but they bring out the good in each other. It is an amazing thing to see her grow up!
After the ceremony and everyone was out of the temple it was the time for pictures. Now on my wedding day it was 40 degrees and raining. She got the beautiful skies with temperature of 102 degrees! We were melting! Tristan had a great idea and started running in the sprinklers in his tuxedo! But somehow we made it through. The pregnant ladies Nikki and Heather seemed to have the harderst time. Grandma enjoyed her grandchildren all being together quite thouroughly.

After pictures were through we all went to dinner over in Keokuk. It was a nice buffett done by the Call side of the family.  We had toasts and story telling of Emily and Cameron and many good wishes. Then the time had come to say good bye! At least for the night. I was kidnapping Heather for the night. The Checketts and the Wests were heading back to NE. But Rachel, Garrett, and Elizabeth were going to go home with the photographer. So they were in charge of the car. Emily and Cameron were getting night time and sunset pictures taken while the car was being decorated. My job was to obtain some Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ice Cream. Why you may ask? It was an inside joke. One night Cameron had said that "Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ice Cream was the best thing in the world!" To which Emily had replied, "Better than sex?" His reply, "Sure!" So she replied, "Fine, that is all you will get on your wedding night!" So we needed to make sure that happend. Emily loved it! They were actually very excited to find their car had been decorated. When we mentioned something was on the seat in the bag she asked "Is it appropriate?" "Look and see" I said. She looked, grabbed it, jumped into the car and shut the door before Cameron could get a peak. They told me later they very much enjoyed the ice cream.
As for Heather and I we enjoyed a good nights rest before traveling to Nebraska. We had breakfast in Nauvoo and then hit the road. It was a rainy drive back, and we were delayed by roads being closed and not clearly posted till you were stuck. But finally we made it there and prepared for the reception. Like most Checketts receptions there was much food and friends and fun and dancing! Her colors were Pink, Teal, and yellow and everything was decorated accordingly. It was wonderful to see everyone again....it had been since my own reception that I had seen most of these people! Hard to believe that time has flown like that!
The reception was beautiful. The bride sparkled and the groom looked happy. The dances were enjoyed, the bouquet was thrown, the garter was tossed, the cake was cut, and food was eaten. The first dance was to Celine Deon's "I Want You To Need Me" and the Daddy daughter dance was Tim McGraw's "My Little Girl". It was a great reception. I was so busy catching up with people, taking pictures, and helping out I almost (but not all the way) could help missing my own husband. Weddings are hard to go to without your husband. I never minded when I was single, but now I hate it when I don't have my own husband with me. When I got home I had to call Jonny and tell him so. And he would have very much perfered to be there than sitting at home by himself.
Then next day was Sunday and we went to church as a family and had a wonderful Testimony meeting in the Elkhorn Ward. Then a big Checketts tradition spaghetti dinner. Fun how some things never seem to change. Later on the Calls and Emily and Cameron came over and ate desert and opened their wedding gifts. They got quite a bit of stuff and money, which is good as they are poor college students.
Labor day was a blast! We slept late, ate a big pancake dinner and started the fun. We filled hundreds of balloons and had a large game of capture the flag using balloons as ammunition. We also had a blast launching them and the boys in the the feilds trying to catch them and ending up bruised. Lunch was a BBQ feast of burgers, chicken, potato salad, watermellon, and grilled corn. Then we tried out the pool, but as hot as it was the day of the wedding it was only 75 on Labor day and that didn't last too long. I got to go with AJ to take Laura home and see all the work they were doing on their new house. Then we finished up the night by watching "Oscar". A Checketts favorite, now a Rodger's favorite as well. I also very much enjoyed my nephew Tristan, and my neices Nala and Elli that weekend!