A December to Remember: Part I

In blogging time, this is probably a overdue post, so my apologies to all 16 of you.

However, Katie and I just watched Inception, so maybe I'm just dreaming and projecting this post which I actually did weeks ago. Or something like that.

Either way, quantifying time has become tough to judge as a newlywed because I've pushed aside as many thoughts of responsibility as possible. Give me another month to start answering phone calls, replying to e-mails, making to-do lists and otherwise functioning as a normal, civil adult.

With that said, lets get to the month that was with fewer words and more PHOTOS!!!

PART I: THE WEDDING

For all intents and purposes in my mind, our "wedding" started the night before our sealing with a dinner party at the Old Mill Golf Course.

Per tradition, the Jorgy cousins provided the best entertainment of the night with a updated, occasion-specific rendition of the "Carol of the Bells."

Couples line from the song:

"Rob had a clue, knew what to do. Moved to Salt Lake. Isn't he great."

"Just as long as Rob gave her a ring, Neil (father in-law) was fine with almost anything. "

"Wed - ding bells ring, Fin' - lly we sing, With joyful ring, Hap - pi - ness bring."

Sadly, not long after they finished it dawned on me that the next time the cousins perform I won't be a spectator.

We tried to provide a little pizazz to the evening with a few "gifts" for our matchmaker and my new brother in-law Jared, including this T-shirt.

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Katie and I were sealed around 12:30 p.m. to allow the sun the break through the haze. The sun didn't fully cooperate, but it kept the snow from making an appearance and warmed up to a blistering 38 degrees so we didn't have to freeze outside while taking pictures.

Apparently it's not a wedding - or any moment in time when a camera is present - without a picture with Katie's Uncle Doug.

The same can be said about this family photo. Ah, the things you learn about your in-laws after your locked in for eternity. I'm only kidding. Just used to the lets-just-play-it-straight-and-hope-Rob-opens-his-eyes Weiler photos.

The boys and the wives traveled near and far (Texas, Florida, New York, North Carolina) to make sure Katie went through with it. As you can see, they're pretty excited to bid adieu to bachelorhood in the group and complete the circle.

One of Katie's faves

One of my faves. Part cheese, part ready-to-be-done-with-pictures

No, we're not admiring our new bling (it's on the other hand). I thought we had a really good idea to combat the December temperature by bringing some of those Hot Hands warmers. Only problem is they're not the cleanest products in the world, particularly when a white wedding dress is in the equation.

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The first time I saw our reception center, the word that came to mind was "overwhelming." Since the place doubles as a greenhouse, it's quite a jungle of trees and plants and flowers to navigate along with the lights and fountains and gazebos and tables. But the upside is that in the end you get some amazing scenery and atmosphere. Kudos to my wife for planning a fantastic and memorable day.

Getting the hang of this candid camera idea.

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Side note: I exercised a bit on vanity in preparation for the wedding. I'll let you be the judge on how well white strips worked for me, but I think it was worth trying once.

Before

After

Nice day for a Weiler wedding

WARNING: Contents of this post are entirely suitable for children and will likely put them and most of their parents to sleep due to an insanely large amount of writing. Please refrain from reading near sharp objects or while operating heavy machinery.

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What trumps Christmas, college football, reunions with friends and a weekend of pro sports in Phoenix?

A baby sister as a blushing bride.

It was kind of dumb of me to go to Utah for the holidays packing four dress shirts and one pair of dress pants. Thankfully in the male world it worked out okay. Still, when you're home for 10 days and wear the same pair of pants five of those days, it gets repetitive.

Don't have many shots from the temple to show off due to technical difficulties. On the bright side, I accidently stumbled upon a fun way to frustrate your friends and family members: Hand them a camera with a dying battery and ask them to take pictures (Sorry Catherine).

Michelle and Michael were sealed by Elder Hinckley, who sat beside me the day before at their luncheon. (That's right, HE sat beside ME. I'm the important one here.) Elder Hinckley made quite the first impression, Just before passing me the basket of rolls, his first words were "So brother Weiler, where's your date?" Only could one of the Lord's inspired servants be so bold.

However, there's a good chance these folks fed him that line ...

Three themes stand out about my sister's wedding day, the kind of things we'll be telling Michael and Michelle's children about 20 years from now.

1) The weather. Cliche? Sure. But how can you not discuss the weather when you're January wedding in UTAH features

• no snow

• no nasty inversion haze

• sunshine

• a somewhat chilly gym during the reception (not really "weather", but it qualifies)

2) Michelle's train, or rather the nine shortys grasping the train everywhere she went. Totally adorable, especially considering the number of times they came close to lifting it too high. For a girl who grew up with no sisters and few little cousins, inheriting a half-dozen sisters in-law and nine nieces is a fantasy come true.

3) "Okay, everybody do a big hug!" Wish I had some photo evidence to illustrate this. I know my sister was really excited about her photographer. But seriously, any formal group picture she did was followed by the group hug picture. Enough already.

Great wedding Michelle and Michael. Hope you had fun in Hawaii.

*****

Alrighty then. Let's talk Christmas.

First of all, a big round of applause for the men and women at the airlines and airports who work on Christmas Day so cheap-o customers like myself can still fly home instead of driving for 11 hours. Oversized carry on? Welcome aboard. Yuma to Phoenix? 35 minutes.

We asked Santa Claus to make our house one of his final deliveries of the night so we could celebrate Christmas on the 26th, and the big man came through.

Christmas is a million times more fun with kids around, so we have Kevin's girlfriend Natalie and her son Chandler to thank for bringing us something else to play with than Dad's brain teasers (eh Leslie?)

The kids hooked up Mom and Dad with a flatscreen TV. There may not be high-speed or wireless Internet, cable or satellite broadcasting, blu-ray, MP3, Blackberry or Wii technology at the Weiler home, but if it ever it comes, it'll be in HD baby.

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It wouldn't be a trip to Salt Lake without getting together with some of the old 33rd ward crew. It's amazing how we can tell the some of the same stories over and over again and they never get old, but what's more amazing is there's usually one or two new stories that come out of the woodworks I've never heard before. Always good to find out new information that neglects to be shared, like the fact that one of them is now a firefighter (fairly new news, but still) and one of their wives is 7 MONTHS PREGNANT (C'mon Stir).

The other more unfortunate than amazing thing about hanging out with these guys: I'm just as bad at video games as I ever was. Mario Kart's a great game, but it gets old quickly when you're finishing 12th every time.

Also got to see a bunch of other friends from high school and college and play with their kids. Once again got schooled at the Wii (Jackson, age 4 1/2), learned the lyrics of a Black Eyed Peas song (Gavin, 2) received training in operating a circular saw (Carson, 2), dangerously ate peanuts at Five Guys restaurant (Everett, almost 1) and fell head over heels in love with a smiley-faced little girl (Kate, 1 1/2).

*****

Few other highlights from the vacation:

• Huge shout out to my cousin and fellow blogger Rebecca for notifying me that BYU Creamery chocolate milk is for sale at Deseret Book. If you don't understand the power of BYU Creamery chocolate milk, add it to the list of things you need to experience before you die and thank me later. Why I only bought one bottle while I was in Utah is a question with no acceptable answer.

• Finally, something to make me feel good about Max Hall.

We took a second picture where Doug acts like he's dreading losing our bet on the BYU-Utah football game, but that wouldn't be keeping it real. I wish it bothered my brother to wear BYU gear as much as it would have bothered me to be clad in Ute crimson, but it just doesn't. Curse his good nature.

• Speaking of Utah football, I spent my last day of pre-holiday vacation working at the Poinsettia Bowl. Trust me, my loyalties are just as blue as they ever were. And stay classy, San Diego.

*****

Last but not least, my first week back in Arizona was pretty darn enjoyable (hello 70-degree temperatures!!! You were sorely missed.) I went to my first Suns game (Thanks Athena!) and covered the Cardinals playoff game for work. Steve Nash, D-Wade, Larry Fitzgerald and the highest scoring playoff game in NFL history. It was ........ wait for it .......... awesome.

Letter to a Bishop

Dear Michael,

Let me say up front that I am very excited to hear my sister is getting married. I can think of nothing but positive qualities to describe Michelle, and you're probably aware of most of them. She's the smart one in the family and she's always had excellent judgement, so I trust that you're the guy for her.

However, pop culture has taught me that as Michelle's big brother, I'm supposed to be an intimidating, skeptical, annoying figure in your life. I plan on handling this responsibility VERY seriously, and you can expect the same dedication from Kevin and Doug.

Based on our two brief meetings, here's what I know about you (that matters):

A- You're family has a boat. This is a good thing. We're not big water sports people, but you'll find we're open to the idea of a couple days on the lake. Be wise and use this information to your advantage.

2- You're not a fan of card games or board games. What kind of a Mormon are you? How have you survived college? Strike one.

C- You don't play golf. Nuff said. Strike two.

I suggest you avoid strike three. Our family doesn't need another "incident" like the one we had with Jeremy. Life's just too short.

Congratulations. See you Jan. 2.

Rob