Second star to the right, and straight on till morning

Hey there!

I could give you a few reasons as to why this blog has taken a backseat in my life, but I doubt that that would be much fun for any of us, right?  I'll probably get to that soon enough but, for now, how about we just give each other a happy fist bump and an energetic Hello Again! and call it good, yes?

Awesome.

Oh, and also.  You might want to prepare yourselves for a massive Record All The Things blog bomb that is about to go off here over the next month or so.  It might be big.  And it might be ugly.  But sometimes big and ugly and done is better than forgotten, amiright? Hopefully by the end of next month, we'll be back to our regularly scheduled program.

Okay - on to better things!

Like my amazing sister.

And how she somehow blended 'adorable' and 'beautiful' into an absolutely stunning wedding.

Amber is among the most interesting, most unique, and most wonderful people I have ever known. Somewhere along the path of time, this baby-of-the-family has grown into an adult and has enriched our lives with her quiet but powerful example of Do What Makes Your Heart Sing.  

I don't know when Amber's heart first settled on its dream of being an actress, but I do have solid memories of her sweet, pudgy, three-year-old face twisted in excited animation as she performed an impossible-to-follow stream of consciousness story to those of us sitting at the side of her bed. Somewhere through the years her dream of acting solidified, fed by experience, and she has followed that dream through a merciless gamut of emotions that only theater people (and those who love them) can appreciate.  She is so courageous. And, you know, when I see her on that stage?  Boy, is she good.  

Acting makes her heart sing.  And you can actually see it singing through her eyes when the spotlights are on and the audience is captivated - cheering, crying, laughing - by her.  

I've never seen anything else in this world that can make her heart sing like that.  

Until I saw her with Caleb.

Actually, Caleb kind of makes my heart sing.  In a different way, of course.  He is absolutely delightful.  Genuine, caring, and available with the biggest, warmest hug you've ever had in your entire life.  His smile doesn't just light up his whole face, it lights up his whole body. And yours, too, if you happen to be standing within eyesight of it.

They compliment each other beautifully.

They got married on a rainy day - which seemed strangely perfect.  Sure, rain sometimes represents sadness, but sometimes it represents uniqueness and fun, a chance to dance and to play and to sing and to twirl.  And their lives are going to be full of all of it. These two have the power to touch a lot of hearts with their fresh take on life and love.

One of the funniest moments of the day for me was watching my dad and brother assemble the wedding cake.  Which, you could never guess once assembled, was made of Styrofoam.  Those two sounded just like a pair of old ladies invested in creating a masterpiece. Okay, now you be careful.  Good, steady, good. Don't touch! Perfect! Okay, let me just adjust a little here; is that centered?  

My mom was ready with the touch-up frosting when they were all finished, I helped with the ribbons, and my magic mom placed the flowers and stood back to admire all the work.

Styrofoam cakes, people.  It's the way of the future.

Their reception was the most interesting reception I've ever attended.  Their theme was... I don't even know what to call it.  It was... deep, and rich, and theatrical.  Kind of a steam punk meets Peter Pan.  Amber and Caleb met while they were performing in Peter Pan, and their engagement even became official in Disneyland's Peter Pan ride when she came off the ride with a ring on her finger.  There were gorgeous, tactful references to Peter Pan sprinkled throughout the decor. Clocks were found in the centerpieces, thimbles and acorns in the flowers, antique looking maps and compasses... it was incredible.

The lighting was low and romantic.  Beautiful and stunning. 

Everything about the night sang of Caleb and Amber - which is the goal of most wedding receptions, I imagine.  But this one?  This one nailed it right down to the mood.

Amber shined the whole night in her custom made, designed by herself wedding dress.  Did I mention that she's a costume designer?

Jake shined, too.  But that was only because he got a hold of the photographers extra light.  

Teek shined, too.  But that was only because he has such a stinkin' cute face.

Towards the end of the night, Amber and Caleb finally got a chance to enjoy some of their own refreshments.

And the highlight, for them, seemed to be when these handmade puppets showed up as a wedding gift.  I didn't get the story, but I could tell that it meant a whole, whole lot to Amber and Caleb.

I love this sister of mine.  She has taught me so much about myself over the past couple of years, and watching her grow into an adult has been beautiful for me.  Her personality is layered with depth, and no matter how much I uncover, I still feel like there is so much more to learn.  She's the gift that keeps on giving that way - and I love that she gets to share her wonderful depth with Caleb. I suspect that they will have a life together of deep love, selfless service towards each other, and a giant dose of theatrical fun.

The hashtag they chose for their wedding preparations was #wewillgrowup playing on their history with Peter Pan.  And, I suppose in some ways they are and they will.  But these two have pieces of their souls that will stay young forever.

And in that way perhaps they have found Neverland after all.