Omaha reception

Gail from here:

Last Friday (August 7) Craig, Neil, Carl and I drove to Omaha for Anne and Scott's reception. It was a wonderful and fun evening. Many members of Scott's extended family were there. Except for the heat and high humidity, it was perfect. The food and company were great. The reception area at the Fontenelle Forest Nature Preserve was beautifully decorated. Anne was a radiant bride and Scott was just as handsome as on June 14.

Craig from here:

From South Dakota we had Phil & Loris Meeder and our family (Craig & Gail, Anne & Scott [from Omaha, obviously, but still a part of our family!!], Neil and Carl) as well as Lorine, Grandma Jean's sister. Tom and Esther Harmon from Pierre also came down, which was a big surprise. From Missouri we had Pam and Gloria Carlson, Gail's cousin and aunt respectively, and Gloria's brother Tom Jones. We had Linda, John and their two sons Paul and Alan from Bellevue, Nebraska, and Grandma Jean, Gail's sister Karen Smith and Karen's daughter Mikara from Akron, Iowa. Karen's son Wesley was not able to make the reception, but was there for Grandma Jean's birthday party the next day, as were all the rest of the grandchildren, and Scott, Anne's husband, see below for details of the party for Grandma Jean.

Gail from here:

Saturday noon, all of my small extended family had a surprise 80th birthday party for my mother, Jean. Even though her birthday isn't until 11.5.09, we decided to celebrate when we were all together. We all enjoyed our time together and took many family pictures.

My sister and her husband, John, took care of most of the arrangements. They both admitted they lied a lot, but Mom didn't suspect anything. We recognized Craig's 58th birthday on Aug. 1 and Linda and John's last March.

Craig from here:

We had a big celebration at our church yesterday. It is Pastor Urbach's 65th birthday and the 35th anniversary of his coming to Pierre. There were two church services as usual, but with a reception in between. Then there was a remembrance service at 4:00 pm and brats and burgers after that, together with pot luck on salads and desserts. We had a good time. We have been in this pastor's congregation for about 27 years, and he has baptised two of the kids (Carl and Anne.) He has confirmed all three, and now has married Anne. And he has been there for us during our tough times. We have been glad to have him in Pierre.

It was a quick trip to Omaha and back. We left Friday about 10:00 am and we were back home Saturday by about 9:00 pm. I was feeling a little out of sorts, so I went to the Dr. this afternoon. I had some congestion on the lungs and perhaps a slight bacterial infection. I am tired but still feel pretty good. I worked for about half a day today, but took a longer nap than usual in the morning.