Sunday, February 1, 2015

Pieces of the Puzzle: Part 3, A Wedding

In August I took my son with me to our nephew's wedding in Oregon. We went to Washington for a few days first, then off to Oregon and a really cool winery to see Wren marry his love, Jenna. Weddings are so beautiful, and the joy in the faces of these two says it all. Gotta love love!

The moms...

The dads...

Me with my travel buddy...

Wren is a special effects creator and this is a re-enactment of a scene from a video he did... great idea to personalize the photo shoot with his groomsmen, who also work with him. Check out their work on You Tube here and here.


The cake...

The bride... 

 The groom...

 The girls...

The vows... Jenna's mom officiated her own daughter's wedding! SO cool!

 The kiss...

 The joy...

 The vineyard...

 The goofballs...

 The flowers...

 The cake? ...or a stolen kiss...

 Oops, need a new knife to cut for the guests!

 The dance...

 ...and the PAR-TAY, BAY-BAY!

So as the pieces of the puzzle to my life fall into place, I hold this past summer dear to my heart as I got to travel, create new memories while healing from the old, and spend precious time with the people who mean the most to me. I have no idea how the puzzle will look when it's all done, years from now I hope, but these images will stand out as my best memories of 2014.  

None of us ever know what we are going to be faced with, but we do know what makes us happy and who brings us joy. Those are the moments that will hold the puzzle together to create an amazing image of our lives. The more pieces to put in the puzzle just means a bigger image in the end.

Pieces of the Puzzle: Part 2, Australia

After a few weeks at home, I took my son to visit my brother & sis-in-law in Brisbane Australia. This is one beautiful city! I loved the way all the buildings were more like architectural art work. The modern feeling of an upscale life was enhanced with the gorgeous parks, paths, the river and all it offers, and the amazing churches. While it is a newly thriving city, there is an underlying feel for the history and the culture. These people respect nature. They have to, if they don't it will bite them in the butt!

My brother has a great view from their balcony!

Getting in some time with the quad-copter

The cliff across the water has a jogging path along the water, and rock climbing wall to the street level.

My brother, David, and his beautiful wife, Tory.