The Nelson Brothers' BIG Weekend: Wrestling Champ and a Wedding

The Nelson Brothers' BIG Weekend: Wrestling Champ and a Wedding

• 3.05.2015

The last weekend in February was a monumental one for some Nelson brothers.  And lucky us, we got to be a part of it just a little bit.

Bron's baby brother, Call, won 5th place at the Idaho State Wrestling tournament.  Even more exciting is that Ririe High School became the state 2A champions!  Happy day.  And a proud moment in time.  We were all there on Friday to cheer him on.

^^Winner!^^

Side story: After Call won both his matches on Friday, my sister-in-law Amber and I decided to take our combined five kids home to Grandma's for the rest of the afternoon while everybody else stayed at the tournament.  We women did our best with the hungry, cranky, rowdy bunch we had.  We even went swimming in Grandma's hot tub pool!  And then it was time for dinner.  Amber suggested spaghetti.  All right.  That sounded good.  How hard could that be to whip up?  With whining children at our feet and toys and puzzles being spread across the house at a mile a minute, we went to work trying to find our way through the cupboards in Merri Sue's kitchen.  Let me just say, it's difficult work trying to cook in someone else's kitchen!  We cooked the hamburger straight from frozen... until the extra burner we found for the stove happened to have a short in it.  Whoops!  And neither of us are accustomed to making sauce from a packet.  But dinner did come together.  I think we were both a bit embarrassed though because it was the most pathetic dinner of spaghetti either of us had ever made in our married lives.  (Yum!  Chewy meat.  Hehe.)  But we laughed it off.  At least everyone was going to bed with full bellies!

^^These pictures were actually taken a few weeks ago on another trip to Grandma's, but it's the same gist.^^

On Saturday, Bron's brother Garret married a fun-loving beautiful girl named Nichole!  No one has ever seen that boy so happy.  We're all thrilled.  They were married for time and all eternity inside the Idaho Falls LDS Temple.  I am always touched by how simple and sweet and peaceful those ceremonies are.  There were a lot of wet eyes.  

I took charge as the couples' "official" photographer.  Lots of great practice and fun for me!  After the ceremony, we spent the rest of the day eating and gabbing with friends and family and celebrating the newest Mr. and Mrs. Nelson.  I have never seen a reception so well attended.  The line to greet the couple literally wrapped around the edge of the room and out the door!  Wow.  

I now have a bazillion pictures to edit (three cheers for creative late night fun!), but I want to share a handful of some of my biased personal favorites from the day before life moves on too quickly.  I'll make a fully disclosed wedding post on my photography blog soon.

^^A little family lovin'^^

 ^^The ever growing Nelson clan at the reception^^

 ^^Garret and Nichole with all the Nelson grandkids cheering away^^

 ^^More cousins^^

 ^^This curious but very cute little girl couldn't get enough action in front of the fish eye lens!^^

^^I spy someone trying to snitch another cream puff!^^

^^Grandma and Grandpa Nelson were brilliant when they set up this tv in another room to entertain the kids.^^

Levi spent the evening perusing the tables and stuffing his pockets full of Hershey's chocolate kisses.  Between those golden curls, his chocolate mouth, and the way he expresses himself, Levi left quite the impression on everyone!  I have never seen a kid so wet and dirty from just hanging out in a church building.  I should probably be embarrassed.  Before leaving the reception, I asked the boys if they'd had enough to eat.  Jed replied, "We ate candy for dinner!"  Yup.  They got enough to eat!

 ^^Bron even danced with his mom once.^^

Good times.  I'm lucky I married into such a great family!