The Day Before

Tomorrow these two...

...will be doing this!

Today was all about getting ready for the big day tomorrow. And what a beautiful day even THAT was. So many friends and family pitched in today to beautifully prepare the sanctuary, the church reception and the rehearsal dinner that was tonight.

I seriously have the best family and friends in the world! They worked all afternoon creating such a beautiful atmosphere alongside Dave and I for this evening's dinner. It turned out absolutely LOVELY!

After everyone else had gathered in the cafe, Caleb and Haley entered to a favorite song of Haley's that she always envisioned walking down the aisle to...you should have seen her smiles! (For real, she's coming down the aisle tomorrow to a processional that her dad WROTE for her!!)

After dinner, our dear family and friends shared "the rest of the story" stories with everyone, telling special memories and details about Caleb and Haley that gave us all a window into their relationship with each other, as well as fun snippets of their childhood. Then they gave words for the future, wishes and blessings for them.

But perhaps the sweetest moment of the evening was gathering together with Mark and Amy, Haley's parents, and praying over our kids together, while everyone else in the room stood and joined us in blessing these two into marriage.

Lots of happy tears...at least for this mama.

It's surreal, and amazing, to be standing side by side with our dear, long time (20 years!) friends, praying for our kids as they join their lives together.

Not only that, but I love that our kids come from a heritage of faith, from grandparents who also love the Lord. Seven of their grandparents will be with them tomorrow on their wedding day, while Grandpa Bob, Mark's dad, will be watching from heaven.

The blending of our families is the most natural thing to do, and yet we know it's a very precious gift from the Lord. Only HE could've orchestrated this.

We're headed to bed tonight, already so full and happy. It's hard to imagine how it could get any better than this.

But we've still got a really special wedding tomorrow! So excited...I hope I can sleep! :)