She was sealed in the temple on Saturday but ended up getting married civilly on Thursday. So her wedding date on records will be 12-12 which is a beautifully matched date, but not the reason for the change. McKay's mom was diagnosed with stomach cancer in September. They thought she would pull through for the wedding, but it became evident that she was not going to live long enough. McKay's uncle flew all the kids and Sarah last minute to Arizona so that McKay's mom, Phelecia, could witness the wedding from her bed. She passed away about twenty minutes later. It was a miracle and a blessing but oh, so hard, for those sweet Hatch kids as well as for Sarah. The family (immediate and extended) claim they will love Sarah forever for being willing to change plans so last minute and be so accommodating. Sarah, of course, can't think of any other way to have handled it. Of course, she would help McKay as well as his family who she loves as well.
I hear the spirit was strong and the ceremony lovely and because of their belief that Phelecia was in a better place and would be at the temple sealing in spirit, they all flew back to Utah ready to be happy for McKay and Sarah and celebrate for them.
And celebrate we did! The temple sealing was powerful and beautiful, the rainy day cleared to bright sun as we exited the temple and everyone cheered, we took pictures in the bitter cold, and then hurried over to the library for a great dinner and toasts from family and friends. McKay sang "Brown-Eyed Girl" for Sarah to start off the reception and then friends, friends, friends kept pouring in to congratulate the couple and wish us all well! Sarah and her siblings sang, "McKay the very first In-Law" to the tune of "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer." Sarah and McKay threw cake to each other instead of using fingers. Sarah and her dad danced to "Turn Around." McKay and Sarah spoke some words in tribute to his mom. McKay sang again to Sarah and they had their first dance. The final act was a dance the couple danced with all their bridesmaids and groomsmen, followed by riotous dancing to the very end where we sent them off with cheering, ribbons, and bells. What a fun night. I wish I had more pictures but this is all I've got until I get the professional pictures back!
The next morning, Sunday, Megan gave her homecoming talk in our ward. All the family who came to the reception were able to be in our sacrament meeting. It was pretty great! Megan did a great job and we just keep getting more and more proud of her. We had friends and family come to our house afterward and we were able to offer them food leftover from the reception as well as WAFFLES! Good times.
Other things of note this week (as if that wasn't enough, right?), Mariah finished her semester at Dixie and came home to us for Christmas break! Yay! Mariah's home! When Sarah got back from Arizona, we were all home together long enough to decorate the Christmas tree! It was so fun to be together again for that.
Believe it or not, in addition to these other things, Bethany had two basketball practices this week with Kevin as coach, Ben and Beth both had karate, Ben had scouts, and Cali and Chey played in three basketball games! In addition, the big basketball breakfast fundraiser with Santa was on . . . can you guess? Yep, Saturday morning! It turned out well because we all needed a good breakfast before our big day anyway and we had a fun time.
My mom has been here all week, too, and that's been fantastic. She has kept us stocked in M&Ms to keep the stress at manageable levels and also did dishes and laundry folding when I fell behind which was kind of often. It's been great to have her here! I'm so grateful for all the family who came! It's been a great week!
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