Here Comes The Big One Pt. 3

My parents are pretty much geniuses. Or at least that's the way I see it.

They, along with my brother Caleb, came up with a simply brilliant place to host the rehearsal dinner for Sam and Vanessa's wedding.

They wanted somewhere unique....somewhere authentic....somewhere with roots beyond itself....


When the Evergreen Aviation Museum was first brought up, I couldn't quite picture having dinner beneath the tail of this guy pictured below. I definitely had my doubts.





BUT the more I thought about it, the more I (as they say) dug it.

As I drove my cousin and I to the museum, I was not prepared for what lay beyond the parking lot.

The Shining Ones greeted us at the door



We wound our way through the maze of planes..

Past the DC-3, the Staggerwing, the Lear Jet, Wright Flyer replica, the Curtis Pusher, and a Sopwith Camel, the B-17...

And there we found it. Sprawled amongst the flying heaps of metal, there lay an oasis of food, and friends....

Quite impressive.



You're seeing the Spruce Goose from the back.



All the presents for the people in the wedding!



Desert: pie from Blue Raven



Charlie, Auntie, Caleb, Aaron and Anna did a great job of decorating.





The place started to fill up quick!






The youngin's table.



Katie and I

Here is some audio from when people were starting to sit down. Please listen and notice the splendid affect my bluetooth speaker was adding to the event, classing it up with some classical music.

Cousin Beth and Sam Rhoades



I assume if you're reading this blog, you know who these people are ^^

I started the evening off with some announcements, and then turned it over to Caleb for some history on the Spruce Goose.





"As the largest wooden airplane ever constructed and flown only one time, the Hughs Flying Boat represents one of man's greatest attempts to conquer the skies. It was born out of a need to move troops and material across the Atlantic Ocean, where in 1942, German submarines were sinking hundreds of Allied ships.
Henry Kaiser, steel magnate and ship builder, conceived the idea of the massive flying transport, and turned to Howard Hughs to design and build it. Hugh took on the task, along with the government mandate not to use materials critical to the war effort such as steel and aluminum. Six times bigger than any aircraft of its time, the flying boat is made out of wood.
Completed after the end of WWII, the winged giant made only one flight on November 2, 1947. The unannounced decision to fly was made by Hughs during a taxi test. The flight went only a little more than a mile at an altitude of seventy feet for about one minute. But, the short hop proved to skeptics that the gigantic machine would fly!
Originally designated HK-1 for the first aircraft built by Hughs-Kaiser, the giant was re-designated the H-4 when Henry Kaiser withdrew form the project in 1944. The press insisted on calling the Hughs boat the "Spruce Goose", a name that Hughs despised. Ironically most of the huge plane is actually of birch. The H-4 went into storage after its famous flight and was kept out of the public eye for thirty-three years. All that time, Hughs kept the plane ready to fly.
After his death in 1976, it was purchased by entrepreneur Jack Wrather, who moved it into a domed hanger in Long Beach, California. In 1988, the Wrather corporation was bought by the Walt Disney Company, which did not see the plane in its future plans. Evergreen Aviation and Space Museum Co-Founders, Michael King Smith and Delford M. Smith, submitted the winning proposal in 1992 to provide the aviation icon with a proper home.
Beginning that year, the flying boat was disassembled and transported by barge up the West Coast then down the Columbia and Willamette Rivers, to Portland, Oregon. It remained there for several months, until water levels permitted the huge structures to safely pass under the Willamette's many bridges. Finally, in February of 1993, the aircraft was transported by truck for the last 7.5 miles to McMinnville, Oregon. Temporary hangers were built as housing for the aircraft, while volunteers worked on the aircraft's restoration. In 2001, assembly of the Hughs flying boat was completed in its new home."

End of speech.



We were EATING under that piece of history!!!

A long winded speech calls for some sustenance, a call for the hungry.

First, Pastor prayed for the food and then...





The Chicken Parmigiana was gooooooooood.



Sister of the Bride Joleen, and daughter Chloe



Cousin Andrew and Marissa Lethin

They started passing out gifts and I got just what I wanted!
Seriously. My book was nice. It was a New Testament Greek-English Lexicon.





Charlie got "100 Deadly Skills: The SEAL Operative's Guide to Eluding Pursuers, Evading Capture, and Surviving Any Dangerous Situation".

Right. Like he needed that. Look at the pure joy on his face.

If a police officer tries to pull him over, he's in for a treat.





Bishop and Sis. Davies, Pastor, and Bro. and Sis. White



Sam's boss, Scott, his wife Amy, and Claire 'n Vanessa.



Mom, and Grandma Delores, my other grandma from California.



It was such an amazing opportunity to have Bro. and Sis. White come to the wedding. I'm going to have him sing in MINE just so they'll come. #bookedoutinadvance

AND THENNNNN.

The relatives from California showed up.

I love them.

I love all my family! But there's something about my Spanish relatives I find so entertaining.


Grandma, Miguel and Victoria Flores



This lady Vicky, is my cousin and she is crazy. Hilarious.
(See my book?)

We have a date, next time she's in town, to go to a Spanish restaurant downtown on 3rd Street, Pura Vida.



Anna, Lindsey, Maria, Me and Tre.


It seems that events speed up when you're enjoying them.

"Whaaat?? It's almost 8?? Let's get to the church! Who's riding with me? Cousin Andrew? You want to drive my car over there? No way.

Ok sure, but you can't speed--LET'S GO!"

(For the record, he didn't speed, but he did drive around the church 3 times rather fast, scaring everyone in the car)

(Except for me. Sam cured me of that a long time ago)

Here Comes The Big One Pt. 2

I ended my last post by saying, and I quote, "We ended that evening well after midnight, with good intentions of picking up in the morning where we left the night before."

Except when I got to the church that next morning (Friday), I found out that when I had said "we", I  should have said "I". Because apparently I was the only one that thought they were supposed to be at the church at 8. 

GREAT APRIL FOOLS DAY JOKE FOLKS.

BUT IT'S OK, I'M NOT BITTER OR ANYTHING.

I brought my good buddy, Harmon/Kardon, and he brought Marvin Winans and Bishop Patterson along with him. So we had a good time singing together, whilst we worked, finishing up hanging the lights. 

Right before everyone arrived at 10, Ralph came by (one of the owners of Java Espresso, and Vanessa's brother-in-law) and dropped off a few vats of coffee for the workers. All the ladies really enjoyed having a basically unlimited supply of coffee, and I enjoyed it too cause it kept them distracted and I could leave for lunch. 

I was planning on making lunch at my house, but as I was driving past my grandma's house I noticed two shady looking characters foraging through the bushes in my grandma's yard. Leaping out of my car, I ran towards the intruders with my weapon drawn.....

And who should it turn out to be but my good friend Aaron Riffe from Salem, and my cousin Charlie!!!!!!!!! Quite unexpected. Charles has been attending Texas Bible College and I totally spaced that he was coming back for the wedding. I mentioned that we had restaurants in McMinnville and they really didn't have to eat leaves for lunch. And they mentioned that they weren't foraging for food, but searching for centerpiece decor for the rehearsal dinner tables. 

We decided on the Laughing Bean Bistro and they hopped into their Suburban, arms full of lavender and twigs, and we took off. 

While on the way there I received a call from the man of honor himself!! He was hungry and wanted to meet us for lunch. 

It was perfect. These guys right here......we were missing Caleb though.

After lunch, Charlie and Aaron left to go be with Caleb, and help set up for the rehearsal dinner, and I went to go help back at the church. 

Now, I must brag on the ladies a bit. I've already sung the praises of my ability to hang lights, but check this out.

Pssssssst. That's a basketball hoop right there.

THEY DISGUISED IT BETTER THAN THE FAKE MOON LANDING OF 1969.

When events are held in our church gym, they usually suffer from the basketball hoop. Yes, you can fold it up against the wall, and cover it with something, but why not make it look like it was put there on purpose.
I call it "The Four Cornered Kissing Cover".

I helped out in the gym for a bit, they were working on the great basketball hoop hoax, table settings, etc. Then suddenly we heard a knock on the back door...it swung open and in wafted a voice that said:

"Never fear! The Piano Doctor is here! It's about time I found this place, I've been driving all over this confounded neighborhood for two hours, the least you guys could do is put a sign out front."

Elder Morton walked in wearing a hat that read officially, "The Piano Doctor."

Wait.

That wasn't Elder Morton. That was the piano tuner.

Sammy always had this dream of getting a baby grand piano for his wedding. So when he had some business contact with a piano store that rented pianos, he was really excited and made early arrangements. 

He had Sis. Davies go up one week prior to the wedding and try out some pianos at the store and pick one to be delivered to the church, the day before the wedding. 

When they rolled that thing up the side aisle of the church sanctuary, my breath caught. 

(insert emoji with heart eyes)

I only got my breath back after 20 minutes of playing on it.This thing was SWEET. So much depth, quality playing action and beauty.
Buuuut when pianos get shipped and moved, they get bumped and need to be tuned.

Hence, the Piano Doctor.

When he first walked in, I thought Elder Morton had taken a wrong turn and somehow magically ended up at my church. But no, this wasn't Elder Morton. Even though it looked liked him, and even sounded like him. This was the Piano Doctor.

I led him into the sanctuary and over to the piano. I looked around for maybe a tuning machine, or something, but no, his guy was old school. He tuned pianos with his ear, a tuning fork, and some well placed triads. 

He would play a chord, then some single notes, and then jerk imperceptibly with the tuner, play another note and repeat the process, starting with the middle of the keyboard and moving out.

Here's some audio for context. It looks like a video, but it's not, just a recording.  

The clicking you hear is the tuner:

He told me that he had been tuning pianos for 60 years, and used to tune the piano for Frank Sinatra's band.

I took some pictures and then left him alone to do his work.

It was almost rehearsal dinner time!!!!!

I went back by my house to change into suitable attire for such an event. I called my cousin Katie to make sure that she was still planning on meeting me and Sis. Davies at the church before the dinner for a music practice.

I could launch right into the rehearsal dinner and the wedding rehearsal, but I will instead alter my preplanned course and end with this because I feel it deserves more than just a passing glance.

Many may not know this, but my cousin, Katie, is an amazing accomplished violinist. I emphasize amazing and accomplished. She can play by ear or reading notes, and she blows me away every time.

Sam had requested that she play a song with Sis. Davies, The Prayer.



They got all set up, and when they started to practice.....

Well...

Maybe you should do what I did.

Close your eyes and soak every bit of the music in.

I turned around and found Sam with his eyes closed too.

Magical is the word.

Sam stood up because one of the many last minute emergencies had surfaced and he had to leave. He leaned in close to me and said, "Tell Sis. Davies and Katie that the song sounds amazing."

After I snapped out of my musical educed reverie, me and Katie hopped in my car and sped towards the Evergreen Aviation Museum, knowing that Sam and Vanessa's date with destiny was having its kickoff in less than an hour.

The Early Bird Gets The Worm, But The Second Mouse Gets The Cheese

 A wise blogger once told me that if I didn't post on my blog regularly, I would disappoint my reoccurring readers, and a successful blog campaign would therefore be thwarted.

I have obviously failed at that, but not because of why you would think! I had a post all ready to go this past Saturday, but I am waiting on some group photos from our photographer (Melissa Jensen, she does amazing work), and would rather produce a delayed, more full featured and colorful post, than a hasty one.

So I beg for your leniency, and even if I finish blogging about Sam's wedding by the middle of June, at least you'll be getting the whole picture (no pun intended).

Here's a photo of Caleb working on his car, for your enjoyment.

Here Comes The Big One Pt.1

I think it was Thursday morning, the 31st of March, that I started to get this feeling of....

of.....

Well, I couldn't exactly place the feeling. But what I came up with at the time was this:

"I feel like there are things getting ready to happen. Big things...like a whole West Coast Conference full of things. Two things I know--#1, that I'm not prepared for it, and #2, all this stuff that's going to happen, its going to all go down in a 48-hour time period."

That was my mental state as was getting ready for church Thursday night, knowing that in a few short hours, I would leave church, change my clothes, and roll down to the Innovate office to grab my work van, ladders, and tools, because it was wedding set up time. 

WAIT. WEDDING??? THAT WAS LIKE 5 MONTHS AWAY AND NOW IT'S HERE?? THIS IS CRAZY. 

Maybe I alone suffer from events sneaking up on me, or maybe it's because it was my brother, but I was clearly not ready. 

Jacob's Life Rules: The nice thing about life is that something inevitable doesn't delay its arrival because of a lack of planning. 

Not lack of planning on Sam's or Vanessa's part though. They did splendid. Half because of planning, and half because of who they had hanging the cotton picking lights in the gym. #teamjacob&luke

And everyone else. We had a lot of good help that I will not list because I will forget someone.

Billy the kid.



Sam, the groovy groom and Bro. Burton, Father of the Bride.



Luke, a true Innovator.

C'mon folks, who else has a printed out plan of how they want their tables set up for the reception?

Color coded and complete with legend for bullet point accuracy??
Thankfully I didn't have to try and figure all this table stuff out. I had a special job. Well actually me and Luke did. He was stuck with me most of the night.

We had to cover the 5 windows in our church gym with black table cloths so that the sunlight wouldn't stream in and ruin the cozy effect from all the lights.

I didn't get a picture specifically of the perfectly straightly mounted window covers, but they will get featured in later photos of the reception.


I had heard about this idea that Sam and Van had about stringing lights from each side of the gym to the other, and thought it was a pretty cool idea until they told me to make it happen. Having not majored in the phosphorus and scintillant hanging arts, it took some trial and error.

What can I say? Thank God for zipties. And nails. And other people's brilliant suggestions.

Started out like this...



And by the night of the wedding, it turned out like this...



Featuring window covers, lights, and beautiful table decorating. All the ladies involved really did a great job.



We ended that evening well after midnight, with good intentions of picking up in the morning where we left the night before. 

Good Things To Come

This is just a notice to let you know that I have not died, albeit you wouldn't have known by how many posts I've released since WCC. But that is going to change, at least for the near future. Cause my brother JUST GOT MARRIED AND HE IS IN HAWAII EVEN AS WE SPEAK.

So I have lots of pictures and lots of wedding insight to share. 

Editing pictures and preparing my mind to expunge all the beautiful details, I am.

I'll be back.