Family Update via Karen and Andy's Wedding!

I haven't yet communicated with the bride and groom  - and don't like my chances for the next few days :). 

So, I'm not going to post any pictures of the bride and groom.  But, we here at Team Henderson do want to officially congratulate Kandy (Karen + Andy) on their sweet wedding.  We had a blast.

Additionally, we can take advantage of their delightful soiree last Sunday to offer up a little family update. 

Did we mention that Hannah's (finally!) back in California?  Well, after having trekked across Europe and most recently the heartland of America with Eric she (and Eric) arrived back home last Friday.  Clearly, my beautiful daughter is no worse for the wear!  And mom is soooo glad to have her back.

Here's a picture of the usual suspects.  It's rewarding to look at a picture like this and realize that we have been so blessed in our lives.  This picture is a fitting juxtaposition of lifelong friends, family and the new.  We take none of them for granted.

And speaking of new ... I don't think we've had a picture of Julie and Evan and baby James yet.  I guess this one should be titled 'introducing baby bump James Winslow'. 

Yeah, yeah, yeah - I know it seems like 2010/11 was/is all about the Logans.  After all, Julie and Evan got married last December, Tim and Barbara in March and now Karen and Andy in June.  Sadly, I think we've plumb run out of Logans to get married.. but let's just say.. they still look like they're all having fun.

Should we call these 'agony and ecstasy?  Or just super cute?

Where will life take us next?

J&R Wedding Support Cast

Power cord. Check. A few minutes of free time. Check. Okay.. time for more wedding photos.

Here's some of my favorite pictures of the supporting cast from the wedding.

Here's Hannah and Courtney.
















And the fabulous Hannah and Taylor.





























Aaron and Emily seem like they're having a good time!



















I think this is a great shot of Auntie and Julie.

















Oh.. and did you meet the una-guest?



















I guess that makes Dean the una-dad?

Jon and Rachel - Married at Last!

Well, I saw a bunch of formal wedding photos posted on Jon and Rachel's Facebook pages so I am going to do a little posting of my own :)

These photos are just to wet your whistle. I'm running on a diminishing battery.. so will have to finish this up later.. but please enjoy.

We just want to start by thanking Jon and Rachel for allowing us the distinct privilege of being a part of the their lives. It is a tremendous honor and joy to be a part of their community and Julie and I are committed to encouraging them and supporting them throughout their marriage.

We ' love you honey'. 'Love you'. ;)

First and foremost, here's the beautiful bride in her gorgeous wedding dress. They were married at the Quail Hollow Ranch in the Santa Cruz mountains. It was a beautiful, sunny 70 degree afternoon. Perfect for a wedding!





































Here's Rachel going to wrangle her up a man!



















It's time to get hitched!



















And here's Jon. Does he look like a man who's about to get married or what?!



















Of course, I'm particularly biased.. but I thought Jon did an excellent job in picking his groomsmen. Here's Jon with his best man. Recognize the guy with the short hair?



















And here's the whole group. Who would have thought that over 20 years ago when our families all met and bonded in the Carpenter's Union Sunday School class at First Baptist Church of Los Altos that we would fast forward and see them all standing together as Jon took his marital vows. I hope our kids will form as good and as lasting friendships in their lifetimes. There is a strength that comes from being in community and it is such a blessing to see them all creating their own strong bonds that with a little effort should last them a lifetime.















Here's the 'sisters'! Don't they look great?















Is Aaron the ring bearer just the cutest kid ever? Oh, and take a look at the ring pillow that Rachel made (with assistance from Julie). There were so many personal touches from Jon and Rachel in this wedding. It definitely reflected their personality and creativity.





































Enough of the pictures that were taken before the wedding.. while the boys hid from the women and vice-verse. After all - they did get hitched! Afterward it was time for some pictures together. Do you think they even know the photographer is nearby?















Here's a picture of Jon and Rachel enjoying the traditional first dance. They danced to Tony Bennett's 'I left my heart in San Francisco' as we all looked on in joy.



















And here's Jon dancing with his Aunt Linda - or Auntie as she is lovingly referred to by all. Do you notice anything unique about her leg? To make a long story short Auntie suffered a broken heal/foot the day of the wedding rehearsal! Can you believe it? She was such a trooper though! She made it to the rehearsal dinner and of course a team of horses couldn't keep her away from the wedding ;) She wouldn't have missed this special moment for all the world. What a joy to dance that special first dance with your married nephew! Priceless. Well done Auntie!















Oops.. my battery is running out - so I only have time for one more quick picture/story. Here's one of my favorite pictures from the wedding.. but a little explanation is in order. You see, Hannah had bought a 'special gift' for Rachel and Jon. She had intended to give it to Rachel for use during her honeymoon - but had forgotten it in the car. Well, it finally dawned on her as the entire wedding party was gathering to see off the bride and groom. 'WAIT!' she cried as she scrambled for the car keys and ran to get her present. By that time the bride and groom were already approaching the get-away vehicle and about to take off. So out comes Hannah - racing for the car and the present. Whew! She did get it to the bride just as they were about to leave! So, in the picture the satisifed Hannah is jogging back up the walkway as the bride waves her Victoria Secret package out the window! Ahhhhh... sweet success!

Engagement Jumping Picture!

Head's up sports fan... but 2009 is off to a blazing start! First, Joel and Carissa got hitched.. leaving us some amazing images. Then, Hannah pumps up a blog and it's game on.

Now, Jon and Rachel are bringing it big time with this effort. Yep, Jon and Rachel went to San Francisco and more precisely Fort Point - just below the Golden Gate bridge - to have some engagement photos taken. And this one is MONEY!













The bar is clearly set sky high for best jumping picture of 2009! Yeah, that's right.. but here's a couple of kids that aren't afraid get air in an attempt to get over that bar!


















Determining the best jumping picture involves applying a very complex algorithm factoring in location, number of people, attire, expression, attention to detail, vetical lift, degree of difficulty (high heels!), etc. But, these are going to be awfully hard to beat!

You've got 11&1/2 months to try! Get on it!

P.S. Note the extremely high marks that Rachel gets for color coordinating her shoes with the bridge! Sha-boo-ya!

Friends and Family

During Joel and Carissa’s wedding reception I had the distinct honor of toasting the bride and groom.

I didn’t have a prepared speech, or toast, in the sense that I planned or wrote out and memorized what I was going to say. However, I had been praying and asking God to provide me some insights from my life that perhaps I could pass along to the newlyweds and their guests. During that process of praying, listening and reflecting the two words that kept coming to mind were ‘friends’ and ‘family’.

Julie will be the first person to tell you that I simply can not remember conversations – or for that matter what I say - verbatim (word by word). So, no attempt will be made to reproduce, exactly, my words. But, I would like to attempt to capture the essence of my comments that night because they reflect my heart’s truest feelings for all of you that read this blog – my friends and family – as much as they do for Joel and Carissa as they start their new life together.

It went something (I think) like this:

As I look around this evening I see a mystery of God at work – forming this community of friends and family to bless and celebrate Joel and Carissa’s marriage. I refer to it as a mystery – not only because of the mystery that God can take two parts people and one part Holy Spirit and make a new family. But, because in my life the distinction between family and friends is a mysterious blur. I have been exceedingly blessed with friends in my lifetime. Blessed to the point that many of you I once thought of as my close friends I now reckon, in the privacy of my own thoughts, my closest family. And many of you that started out or have over the years joined my family, I now have the distinct pleasure of counting among my closest friends. Tonight, as a result of this wedding – we are adding new family members whom I wholeheartedly look forward to becoming close friends. And to you, Joel and Carissa, I am so pleased, as I look at you, to see two people that started as friends. I am so very happy for both of you that your relationship blossomed and grew into a great friendship and now into a brand new family. I think the path through friendship to family is a most precious gift. Treasure it! Here’s to God from whom all blessings flow – especially the blessings of great friends and family. And here's to the bride and groom!


















P.S. Hey, I never noticed this until I posted this blog entry and the pictures.. but how cool is the Henderson family crest that is behind Joel and Carissa! I was so mesmerized by the bride and groom I didn't even notice it at the wedding! Sweeet!

P.S.S. Thanks to Joanne whose eagle eyes noticed the note next to the cake. It reads: "Cake Topper used by Wes and Lily Hartley January 12, 1947, Salem, Oregon" Wes and Lily are Carissa's maternal grandparents.

Bridesmaids, Mothers and More

Thankfully, for the ladies, the bridesmaid pictures were taken inside. I think many were taken by the photographer in the prep room and elsewhere. I can offer you the following which were taken inside the sanctuary before the wedding.

First are the bridesmaids. From left to right it's Hannah, Dawn (the maid of honor), Carissa and Chanel. Hannah, obviously is the bride's sister-in-law. Dawn was a roommate while Carissa was in college - as was Chanel. They were all very fun people and I have to apologize.. but I just find the 'fun' pictures reflect a bit more of their true spirit.. so these aren't the most formal of pictures! The second picture - well, I'm not exactly sure what the photographer was going for (the wife scorned??).. but it shows alot of attitude!






























Here's a couple pictures of the mothers with their kids. The first one is Carissa with her mother, Joan. You can see the joy they are having on the big day. Congratulations are due Joan who did a fantastic job, with Carissa, of planning the wedding and tirelessly leading up to the wedding to decorate the church and reception hall and prepare most of the scrumptious foods we all enjoyed at the reception. It's been a pleasure to get to know Joan over the last few months. She did an excellent job of keeping us informed and feeling involved with the process as the weeks approached. We look forward to building a great relationship with her! And next there's Julie with Joel. Doesn't she look amazing?! She and I were so happy for Joel on his special day. You can tell that from the pictures!



















Finally, here's a couple more fun shots of the wedding party - just to show you how much fun they all had together!

More later...

Groom's First Look

After the pictures were taken of the groomsmen.. a very special moment took place.

You might have wondered how you take pictures before the wedding without the groom seeing the wedding dress. Well - that's a difficult thing to do. But, what you can do is make it a very special moment for the bride and groom and be there to capture it. That's what they did.

The best man, Jon, kept Joel under surveillance to ensure he didn't peek. Does that look like a man who is eager to see his bride or what? That is the picture of excitement!



















With Joel under wraps the bride was escorted outside by her bridesmaids. Dawn, her maid of honor had the very important job - given that the pictures were taken outdoors - of keeping the dress's train off the ground. And she did an awesome job of it! Dawn was extremely sweet and was a blast to meet and get to know a bit at the wedding.

So, here's Carissa walking out to meet Joel.



















And then the special moment where Joel gets to turn around a enjoy his first vision of his radiant bride! Carissa look simply beautiful and Joel's grin was a mile wide. It was a sweet moment and it was a pleasure to be an observer.



















Is it any surprise that the very next thing Joel did was kiss his wonderful bride?



















What a great looking bride and groom!