I cannot believe that Aliya is getting
married. Watching my nieces and nephews grow up and start their lives has been
one of the biggest privileges of my life. Aliya has always had a heart of gold
and different aspects that reminded me of myself growing up… such as her heart
for missions, working with students with disabilities, and pure love for
people. When she let us know that she was going to get married in Oklahoma
there was no way I was going to miss it… so Matthew and decided to make a
vacation out of it… and now the day has finally arrived. She is marrying the
guy who had held her heart for years. Although most of their relationship has been
long-distance, God used it to build them stronger together and lay a foundation
of communication and dependence upon Him.
It was exciting to wake up on Saturday
morning and pack up for our trip north to Oklahoma. It was about a four-hour
drive to the hotel we booked for the night. We left with plenty of time to stop
for lunch along the way and get checked into the hotel early. We wanted to be
able to get Cooper settled into the room and get changed into our wedding
attire.
We then headed over to the Barn where her
wedding was being held. It was the perfect place for Aliya… my country niece. Guests
were decked in their cowboy boots and hats. The decorations were beautiful, and
the day was perfect. We finally had the entire family together for the first
time in five years so of course we got a family picture after the ceremony. Matthew
stayed for a short time and then headed back to the hotel with Cooper.
I had a blast visiting with everyone at the reception and enjoying the occasion. Lots of tears were scattered throughout the event, such as during the toasts, father-daughter dance, etc. But there were also times of laughter sprinkled in as well. When my parents were ready to go, I said my goodbyes and they dropped me off at the hotel with the boys.
It's hard to believe the trip came to
a close. The following morning, we woke up and made our drive back to Dallas. We
got back in time to return our rental car, head through security, and find some
lunch before waiting for our flight. The flight home was uneventful, but I knew
that the week was going to be BUSY with Matthew’s upcoming surgery, so I stayed
up and prepared for the week before going to bed.
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