Conversations in the Interim

My cousin's wedding was two weekends ago and it was beautiful...or so I was told.  We were still driving through Provo at the time, and didn't make it until the wedding dinner that night.  Looking back, it was best that I didn't think about logistics, because it would have meant I stayed home.  Instead, I thought more about seeing my family than about packing the car - which meant we drove out of our driveway at 9:54 a.m., two kids buckled in carseats, and the DVD player charged.  I also managed to convince a friend to come with me and be the "Scott replacement" since the real Scott had to work.  She agreed, and helped me remain sane during the long drive down.  And yes, it was long.  Anything beyond 30 minutes with Noel is a long and painful drive. 

We didn't make it for the sealing, but we were in time for the wedding dinner Friday night, the Brunch on Saturday for my Grandpa's 90th Birthday, and the reception that night.  My cousin, Courtney, looked beautiful and I'm glad I was able to meet her new husband.  But truth be told, my favorite part of the trip happened between all the "special events", over a kitchen counter. 

There were a couple of hours before the reception without anything planned.  My girls played in the front room of my cousin's house as I sat on a stool, talking with my Aunt Kathy and cousin.  They were cutting fruit for the reception that night.  We sat there talking about marriage and family, working and kids, while fruit juices ran down our arms, snitching bites of strawberries.

My Aunt Kathy has always been good at this - having conversations in the interim.  As a kid, I remember her singing "Peanut Butter and Jelly" with us in the backseat of of my Grandpa's old Continental Lincoln, driving to battlefields in Virginia.  I remember sitting on a rock bench outside Monticello for a 2-hour wait, sipping water and telling jokes.  My memories of the battlefields are hazy, and I can't recall a single fact about Monticello, but I do remember always loving my Aunt Kathy and spending time with her.  And during this last weekend wedding, she wasn't too rushed to talk to me over kiwi peels and strawberry bunches.  That is why I'm glad we drove down for the weekend.  Wedding missed, special events aside; it was all worth it for a conversation in the interim.