Tim & Jenna's Wedding

On Saturday July 23rd, Ben, Ryan and I left Missoula and headed north to Flathead Lake and Bigfork, MT.  Our hotel was less than accommodating in letting us check-in early for a 3:30 pm wedding but we managed and showed up early in our Sunday best minus only an afternoon nap for the Nugget.  Yes, he did fall finally fall asleep on the two minute drive from the hotel to the wedding and we let him sleep in the car for a bit, but a solid nap would have meant we could have helped shut the party down at 10pm.  A small sacrifice for the joy of parenting, but a new experience for us.  The ceremony took place on the shore of the lake and was absolutely beautiful.  Flathead has always been one of my favorite places and since Ryan met me he's heard me quip that I really will have succeeded in life when I have a vacation house on Flathead.  Never-mind, as Shana and Bridger reminded us, that it is a glacier fed lake and too cold for swimming most of the year.  What's a little hypothermia when majestic beauty is involved?? I can also state from experience that it warms up quickly with a few beers.  

First look at the lake from the south

We hiked along the Swan River.  You can see where it dumps into the lake in the distance.

Jenna and I met when I moved to Missoula to finish college and we worked together at GapKids.  It turned out we were both attending the business school and even had some classes together.  Jenna is several years younger than I and though I had gotten most of the partying I desired out of my system at CU, Jenna obligingly drug me along to her Sigma Nu events when I needed to let loose a bit.  

I feel very blessed to have been able to help Tim and Jenna celebrate in such a beautiful place.  From a seaside cliff in Panama to this, many of our friends have been married in some gorgeous locales, and I have very much appreciated their choices.  Ryan and I talked about how we wished we had spent more time at the lake for some of the pre-wedding festivities but hotels are expensive and we did what we could.  In hindsight, we should have camped, and will remember it for our next mountain locale wedding.  

Neah, Shana, Jenna, Me, Ben

(kiddos Finley and Kaia are missing)

Tim and Jenna included a dedication of their daughter Kaia in their wedding ceremony and the whole affair was loving, beautiful and fun.  Only a Flathead wedding would include huckleberry cheesecake for dessert and it was delicious!! 

Surrounded by the ladies as usual

Gorgeous Finley

We were up and at 'em early Sunday (another benefit to an early bed time) and headed south to Jackson, WY.

While I packed and prepared, Ben got his first taste of cartoons with his dad.  Click here for a video.