The wedding invitations arrived from Montana. I think they're perfect: cream, modern, and just the right touch of "outdoors/nature" for the couple and the location -- Kalispell, Montana. They have cattails and leaves on them in brown and green. August 9, 2008 is the wedding day.
This is my son, John's, wedding. He's been building a life in Montana for the last -- six??!-- years. He's 'way up in the northwest corner of Montana, less than an hour from the Canadian border, and right outside the west end of the Glacier National Park. I've never been there; something I'm sad to say. He seems so very far away, and for the first four years, he came home every Christmas. He came home for his brother, Graham's wedding in 2003. His last visit was a 4 day, sad return for my dad's funeral. Getting home or going back to Kalispell is a long day of travel, and usually has cost about $600 roundtrip in airfare.
Now we're making the trip for the wedding. It's a grand and happy occasion, to be seeing Montana for the first time (for me -- two of his brothers have been out to see him), and for the first time in many, many years, to travel and vacation as a family -- the whole shebang, which now includes his sisters-in-law and nephew (Nate, appearing as the world's cutest ringbearer) and his nieces (one beautiful flowergirl, Emma; one adorable baby, Maya).
When I talk to John on the phone, he's full of wedding talk. He just got another raise -- he works for a landscape/hardscape developer as a stone mason. The company has worked booked out for the next 3 years on multi-million dollar homes that are rising like the new Rockies all around Whitefish, Big Fork and Flathead Lake. Montana has become home to John. It's been good to him. His voice has such happiness in it. He had to go all the way to Montana to find his perfect girl.
The other day, looking through the old desk at my dad's and cleaning, we came across photos that I had given to my dad of John in Montana -- John in Glacier, the Swan Mountains, John's house. John was standing in the most magnificent country. You can see the Swan Mountains from his backyard. In just a few more months, I'll be sitting in that backyard, amazed at where life takes us, and wiggling my toes in the ocean of delight that is my family.
Wow, I'm amused they have cattails and leaves on them in brown and green.
Sam Nisbett
Posted by: cpap | April 28, 2010 at 02:44 AM