Hear ye! Hear ye! -- In which I make an important announcement...

I haven’t written a word about an exciting development in our family this year out of respect for the parties involved.

But I really wanted to shout out that our girl had a beau…and a great guy he is!

So now that it’s official, and that great guy has declared his intention to make our girl his wife, I am pleased to announce that Caitlin will be marrying Jon Tuben this fall.

A year ago, this same girl was telling me that she didn’t know that she wanted to get married…And that was ok, though I thought it might be more lonely than she realized. I think she was so accustomed to lonely that she didn’t know the difference.

And then God brought Jon into her life! Thank you, Abby “Yente” Gavette, for introducing them. Your instinct was spot on…or divinely inspired. Or both.

Jon and Caitlin are a good match. They complement each other well, and we are so grateful to see such a good man love our daughter. It is a blessing that escapes description.

So now, we have jumped into the deep end, and are planning a wedding on a short time line. This may be more courageous than we ought be -- with a mom who values practicality too highly, and a bride that is overly introverted.

We’ll find a way…The goal is for them to get married, and that will happen even if the napkins are paper…cute paper, at least.

We started our wedding adventures with the selection of a dress. Caitlin invited our mutual friend, Tami, to advise. We like her style. We trust her to guide us…and in one fun afternoon, we found the wowser dress! Oh my! My girl is so gorgeous in it! Peach bellinis were consumed in celebration after this success and reminisces of weddings past were shared with the bride-to-be. It was a sweet afternoon, one to remember.

In the process of discovering THE dress, I was allowed to touch these:

…and rifle through them as if they were regular clothes. I was heady with such access to beauty, sparkles, lace…{sigh}…I’ve always wanted to do this, but, alas, bridal shops frown on those who come in to look without having a bride along.

I made sure to savor the moments.

And I will make sure to savor the moments to come. Despite our challenges – being highly practical and overly introverted – we will keep in the forefront the blessings that this wedding brings, and do our best to celebrate at every opportunity that God is gracious and gives us what is good for us.