Wedding Bells

Finding myself in Montana twice this summer has made me one punch-happy girl.  Somehow the extra travels helped me feel less like I live two separate lives and more like I am always going to be strongly connected to my home and family there no matter where my growing up takes me between trips back.

This post is a much needed catch-up entry since I've now been back from Montana for almost two weeks, but it'll be short-hand.  Here come the highlights:

Lightning over Missoula's mountain barriers

This voyage home was to celebrate my big brother's wedding.  At midnight on July 17th, I touched down in Missoula to the applause of a thunderstorm.  My sis Heather picked me up at the airport, let me sleep in her bed with the requisite body pillow-barrier between us, and made me a smoothie for breakfast the next morning.  What a great pal!


Heff worked most of that day, but we met up for lunch and I got to tour her office.  It's strange to see people wearing button-up gingham shirts and khaki shorts as office wear since I'd gotten used to this:

(actually one of my coworker Liam's tamer professional outfits)

We hit the road for Helena at around 5 p.m. Wednesday and arrived just in time for this delicious tuna-steak dinner.  How often have I mentioned what amazing cooks my parents are?  I think it's worth pointing out again.  With visuals.

After dinner, I got to take a hike through my favorite backyard Rock Quarry and breathe the thin, fresh air as the sun went down and my family tried to find the spot where lightning had struck the evening before.  It was our last night as the little family unit we'd been for as long as I can remember, so taking a walk together was a nice bit of nostalgia in the calm before the wedding storm.

Need a slick ride with a rocket-launcher onboard?
Helena has that.

Thursday was Bachelorette Day, and Gramma and Grampa came to town for the fun.  Sara's sister Bridget had t-shirts made up for us with the heart design I worked up in line with the wedding invite and they turned out great.  Here's a quick look at the Bachelorette Festivities.  Meanwhile, the boys were up at a forest service cabin shooting cans, eating meat, and being manly.  With a fire.

Special props to the amazingly green lawn in this pic.

Grandma L

Guy at Miller's Crossing.  

Heffy is the most special.

There was plenty to do Friday before the rehearsal and dinner, so we hit the party supply shop and I fought a good battle against technical difficulties in finishing the baby picture wedding video for my brother and Sara.  The rehearsal dinner was a blast with a roasted pig and banana-splits to boot.  Then, just like that -- it was The Day We'd All Been Waiting For.

It was a beautiful, hot day, and I'm afraid I only have silly photos to post right now, but I'm sure I'll update once some classier ones surface.  It doesn't matter, really -- classy as the day was, it will be remembered more for the sense of togetherness that hung over it than anything, and for the smiles and food and laughing and amazing toasts (particularly by my Dad, whose ability to charm a crowd I've always admired, and by Bridget, along with the off-the-cuff one I felt compelled to give after my plane ride home had me tallying up all the ways Travis has been the best big brother a girl could ask for).  Seeing grandparents, family friends, aunts, uncles, and cousins dance until midnight and truly enjoy each others' company was the best part for me.  That and the whole gaining another sister thing ;)

I think I've figured a thing or two out about what love is -- whether it's coming from your family, your friends, or someone who you think you might want to share the rest of your life with.  (That one, I'm a long way from yet...)  But what I've knocked the equation down to has everything to do with Bill & Ted and their Adventures.  "Be Excellent to each other."  That's what Ted says in the most profound movie scene ever to be denied an Oscar nod.  And he's absolutely right.  All love is, at its essence, is that neverending quest to be excellent to the people you care about.  {And I wouldn't dare forget the second part -- "Party On, Dudes."  Having fun is fully necessary as well.}   It's such a simple idea; an idea I've seen lived out by my parents and grandparents, an idea I intend to live by, and an idea I'm fully confident Travis & Sara will have no trouble carrying in their big hearts.  So with that, I'm very happy to have Sara join our family (and to become part of hers), and I wish the biggest congratulations to the newlyweds!

Patrick & I: reunited after three years outta filmschool.
My aunt and cousins thought he was Bruno Mars.

Grotbo Sisters, stoppin' traffic.

Happy Silly Love.

Was my dancing THAT bad??

GIRLS.

After the Sunday brunch and gift opening had all been done and my brother and Sara had been moved into their new home, my sisters and I took a dip in Spring Meadow Lake and I spent my last two days in Helena catching up with Jeffry (who made me a delicious Hot Montucky Cocktail, of Butte Heritage), hitting a double-feature of Dark Knight Rises and Moonrise Kingdom, and driving to Seeley Lake to spend a few quality hours with Margit and her sis, Sylvie.  My last night in town was headlined by a barbecue at Uncle Myles and Aunt GG's house, and with my Uncle Roger there (my Dad's oldest brother), we got to hear amazing family stories and look through photographs we'd never seen of Uncle Roger's baby days and of ancestors generations back.  It was a great way to end the trip home.  Once again, I'm ever grateful to my family for being so amazing to come back to, and for supporting me as I grow into my own life, so far away from them at times.

Jeffry & Olive

You can always pick a Grotbo out of a crowd.  Classic pose, Uncle R.

Navy Boys.