Josh had ginger ale before the ceremony.  Anna had peppermint tea.  Both nervous and so very excited.  And afterwards, nearly at the moment they were alone together, Anna burst into tears on Josh’s shoulder.

It’s been months but I still laugh when I think about Jill’s, Anna’s sister, speech at the reception.  These two were truly meant to be together if their love of silliness is any indication.  When they were children, Anna and her family took a trip to see long dead dinosaurs (of course).  And Anna throughout the trip, kept letting out “rawr’s”.  Years and years later, Anna and Josh visited Jill and her husband in Chicago.  As they drove by a pirate themed restaurant from the backseat Jill heard Josh let out his version of a pirate “rawr”.  In that instant she knew this man was meant for Anna.

After we’d loaded the car, Eric and I took a few moments to treasure the wedding.  We gazed up at the stars above the mountains and embraced each other, exhausted and happy.  From the beginning of June until this, the last day of September, we’d hardly had a break and now we were at the end.  At the end of an exhilarating summer.  A summer where we developed a deeper understanding of each other.  A summer where we witnessed love again and again.  Love of couples for each other.  And equally poignant, the love of their communities, communities rejoicing in their union and supporting that love.  Driving home from Estes that night we did so in beautiful silence filled with the love of all these people and we reached out and held hands.

Just shy of three weeks later we held hands again as our daughter was born.

Congratulations Anna and Josh!  May your life be filled with love, dinosaur, and pirate noises.