LOVE this extra hour!!! And what better way to use it (since I'm NOT sleeping!!!) than to report in on our wedding October 26, 2006. What a GREAT time we had!!! Starting Wednesday night, Oct 25th when Megan & Dal joined us for Dal's favorite dessert and a fun time of games around the table with some of Megan's & Dal's family. John & Brenda - Megan's mom & stepdad - with Jared & Destiny - Megan's brother & sister - Jenny & Janet - John's mom & sister - Grams & Papaw and of course, Terri, Dara, Mike & I - Ty had to work Wednesday night.

We had a blast eating Oreo dessert and playing Buzzword while getting to know a little bit about each other as in-laws and discussing those last minute details about the wedding.

On Thursday morning while discussing last minute details about picture selections with Fred (who did a GREAT job taking pictures for us - THANK YOU, Fred!!!) Sharla Irby - owner of Ivory Garden's Chapel and my cousin - offered to come and orchestrate the ceremony as a gift to the bride & groom - or maybe as a gift to ME - the mother of the groom!!! With Sharla in charge of the beginnings of the ceremony and Papaw in charge of the ceremony itself - staying true to what HE believes and respecting the wishes of the bride & groom whose journey of truth does not include being believers at this point - the mother of the bride selecting the elements of the reception and Mike & me spearheading the cleanup - I think EVERYONE was pleased with the outcome.

Megan and her maid of honor Destiny were breathtaking - while Dal & Ty & Jared were quite dapper (Melody, I LOVED that word you used) - and the family who drove from Kansas, Texas and ours from Tulsa & Guthrie and then Megan & Dal's friends from Texas & Oklahoma - we had a fun and meaningful time.

Cake, flowers, food, music, celebration and a highlight of toasts from Jared & Ty not to mention the first dance - even mom of the groom dancing - much to my surprise!!! - all came together to create memories for a lifetime.

Thank you, Grams & Papaw for your love and support. Thank you, Terri for your GORGEOUS music on your brand new flute and your helpful support for 2 full days. Thank you, Dara and Mike for being my anchors. Thank you, Dal & Megan, for including everyone. Thank you Great grandma Cherry - and Great Grandpa of Megan's for coming and being with Megan & Dal for one of my favorite pictures. Thank you, Fred, for being flexible and available and just FUN while taking a TON of pictures. Thank you, Tom & Jenny, Melody & Tony, Cody & Nataly for driving down and being with us on this special occasion. Thank you, Sharla, Jessica & Austin for making everything go so smoothly. Thank you, Karen & Keith, Katy & Andrea for driving up from North Richland Hills. Thank you, Janet & Jenny for helping from Wednesday through Friday. Thank you Jared & Destiny for being so personable, fun & loving Megan. Thank you to those from Kansas - Brenda's family - Brenda's mom, Auntie Lynne, Mark & Shaina, Great Grandpa - who drove down to support family. Thank you John & Brenda for your time, money, and the beginning of a friendship as we all love & support this new couple. Thank you, Josh, Caleb, Brent & Rob for being amazing friends and enjoying this couple and supporting them by coming to the wedding. Thank you, Ty, for your blessings in your toast and being a wonderful big brother. And most of all - Thank you, again, Megan & Dal, for loving each other and including us as your family as you begin this journey of life as a family together.

I'm not one for big celebrations - but I might just have to change my mind. How beautiful it is when people come together as a unit each bringing different gifts and insights and sharing with the whole. I LOVE FAMILY!!!

THANK YOU ALL -
Tired but grateful and happy
Mom of the groom and anticipating being GC = grandma Cherri

Cherri

Lots of birthdays in October and November in our family. And we are adding a wedding anniversary - October 26th - Dal & Megan. October 3rd, Chase turned 20 and went out to lunch with his Dad on Wednesday. October 4th - our favorite GRAMS turned an amazing 65 - as she worked in Austin and dueled with Papaw via blogs - LOVED IT!!!

Then of course there is RIN TIN TIN TIN = Tony's birthday and my favorite birthday of all - Cody's on Oct 31st. When someone asks my birthday and I tell them April 1st - I tell them it is the 3 BEST birthday in the world - 1st being February 29th (for obvious slower celebration reasons) and then October 31st where everyone dresses up and GIVES AWAY CANDY on your birthday - my NEPHEWS Birthday - and then mine - April FOOLS Day!!! OH!!! and Dara NEVER lets me forget Sierra's birthday!!!

Now we are adding a November Birthday too - Dal & Pierce's on the 27th - and now Megan's on November 15th. And of course the ORIGINAL Grandma Cherry's on the 30th -

October, November & December are DEFINITELY celebration days around our motley Moxley/Austin crew.

We JUST got back from another Dr's visit yesterday - actually a fitting for Dara's new wheelchair - which will be JUST like the one she has EXCEPT - different foot rests, a hard plated seat which will give her better support and then - yes THEN - POWER WHEELS!!! NOT an electric wheel chair - but a battery that connects to her wheels so that as she PUSHES it HELPS her!!! We wer HIGH FIVIN all over the place!!! BECAUSE I have DREADED the day she wanted an ELECTRIC wheelchair because of the lack of activity that might promote (therefore I told Dara when she QUITS eating - since she wouldnt be exercising as much - she could get an electric wheelchair) and yet we KNEW something was needed to help with her independence.

So the specs are drawn - and now it has to be signed off by the physical therapist - the Primary care Physician and then approved by Medicaid (which a similar chair was JUST approved) and then ORDERED - WOO HOO!!! So we are hoping by Christmas Dara might have POWERED (2 speed at that) wheels!!!

It was FUN seeing her interact with Jason at Majors Medical - this is the organization who donated the body of her wheelcahir 4 years ago.

Well, I'll post more later - Dara and I are off to Sharla's chapel to open up for a couple since Sharla cant be there this morning - and then we are heading out to Meeker to take Linda - a past hostess who REALLY connected with Dara - we are taking Linda to lunch and shopping before we come home and work a bit more in getting the word out about what we do!!!

Love you guys -
and are REALLY looking forward to the holidays when we can catch up in person!!!

Cherri

P S - MIKE WON the chili cook off last Friday night - His GUNSMOKE CHILI was 1st place in the taste testing - and he has been asked to come cook it at our church's Wednesday night supper sometime in November!!! Mike, YOU are the BESTEST!!! GC