They Are Married!

Well, the wedding is over; Mark and Shelley are married. My parents are headed back to Texas for the next month, and Torrey and I have finally had a little time to rest. It is about time for bed now, so all I will do now is post some of the pictures I took at the wedding. Enjoy!

Mark Watches Shelley Walk Down the Aisle


Shelley Beaming


The Kiss


Dad Watches Them Leave the Church


Torrey the Bridesmaid Frolics in the Park


Cailey on the Swings


The Happy Couple


A Few Peruvian Friends Who Came from out of Town


The Wheels are Turning


Shelley's Work

Flying Headlong Through the Chaos

The weather here in So. Cal. has been pretty typical for Christmas time, which means that it has been rather warm. We have actually had a couple of nights that may have dipped down as low as the high 30's, but we have also had some days near 80. So I have posted a picture that I took a few years back in Tahoe as a reminder that is in fact winter.



Last night we were at my Grandparents' again. I guess the main purpose of the gathering was for the Hopsons and Nystroms to get to know each other a bit. After the crowd left we did get a little bit done on wedding preparations. The reception location does not allow fire, so we worked on some modified electronic candles. We got a bunch of LED tealight candles, which we are making into taper lights. In the picture above, my cousin Andrew is soldering wires to the spot where the LED used to be. Those wires will run through a hole that we drilled in a normal taper candle with the light at the top where the wick once was. They should look pretty cool when they are done, but the project has at least been a fun one.

Wedding Plans

Christmas is coming quickly, and it has been busier than ever around here. Torrey and I haven't been super involved, but quite a bit of what could have otherwise been free time has been spent with my family making preparations for Shelley and Mark's wedding on Friday. Last night we worked on party favors, and tonight I think we will be putting together center-pieces for the tables at the reception. Friday is coming soon. On top of that, our anniversary is on Thursday, and of course, Christmas is coming shortly thereafter, followed by my trip to the Philippines. Hmm, I don't know if I have mentioned that on here. I am headed to the Philippines for the first half of January with a group from our church. I am going as the official photographer for the trip and as a general helper in whatever needs to be done, but primarily I am going to see if that may be where Torrey and I will be directing our pursuit of missions. So, all that to say, this is a very busy Christmas. May we not get too busy to think deeply about the incarnation and worship the Creator who entered creation to draw men to Himself. Praise be to the Lord our God!

Another Semester in the Bag

I have finished semester #5 of my Talbot adventure, and now our apartment looks a bit like the room in this photo. It has been a whirlwind of a couple weeks, but now I can relax a little (and help get things cleaned up a bit). On second thought, this next week will be busy with helping prepare for Mark and Shelley's wedding. No rest for the weary... Andrew is flying in tonight though, and it will be fun to see him again. He just finished his first semester at LeTourneau! Congrats, Andrew. I had better get going. The office Christmas lunch is over and I have some work to finish up before the weekend begins. Chao.

Savannah

Tonight Torrey's Brother Brett, his wife Stephanie, and their two little kids, Savannah and Moses came over for supper. Supper was a disaster, since Torrey had put one of her once-a-month meals in the oven to thaw and then forgot about it when she went to pre-heat the oven to bake a cake. The result was a plate full of meat with bits of melted zip-lock bag coating it. So we had pizza. The best part of the evening though was what Stephanie told us after she came back from changing 2-1/2 year old Savannah. Their conversation went as follows.

Savannah: I ike unca Aaron.
Stephanie: Oh, do you? That's nice.
Savannah: I ike poop.
Stephanie: No, you don't like poop.
Savannah: I ike pee... Sometimes.

And so goes my popularity with children. Apparently I am as much fun as a bowel movement.