Laura & Brant's Wedding

Hey Bro (Elder Mark Hallstrom) -  
I don't know if others will send emails about Laura's wedding, so I thought I'd tell you about it.  On Wednesday night, my little family picked up Grandma Hallstrom and drove her to the hotel in Draper, UT where Mom, Dad, and Ryan would also be staying.  On the way to the hotel, we got a call from Dad, who was at the Phillidelphia airport with Mom and Ryan.  He informed me that the next plane they were suppose to hop on to had mechanical issues, making it so they wouldn't arrive in Salt Lake City until late morning on Thurs. (during the time of Laura's endowment session).  

It was sad not to have Mom and Dad in attendance for Laura's special morning.  Our cousin, Bethany, Amy, Grandma Hallstrom, Mike, Alice, Jenny, Sam, and I were in the same session with Laura, Brant, and his family.  It was neat to be there.  

After the session, Mom, Dad, and Ryan, met up with Brant's family and some of our family for lunch at Brick Oven Pizza.  It was nice to be there and get to know Brant's family a little bit.  And of course, you can't go wrong in stuffing yourself with pizza!  Sam's parents were watching our kids, so we went back to their house to hang out for abit.  Sam watched our kids so I could attend a family dinner at Madeline's in Sandy, UT.  Jenny and Seth gave me a ride.  The restaurant had the back room reserved for about 30 people.  We had a nice meal and watched a 15 minute slideshow that Jenny & Seth made of Laura & Brant growing up, dating, etc.  Dad took a few minutes and spoke about Laura as a child and growing up.  Brant's dad did the same.  And that was it for that day.

Brant & Laura

Dan & Bethany

The next day was the wedding.  That morning, our little family met up with Jenny and Seth's family at Kangaroo Zoo (a place full of about a dozen ginormous blow up slides, and stuff.  Ben loved climbing up to the big slide with me, sitting on my lap, and going down the slide.  It was way fun. 

Sarah 2 1/2 and Ben 4 (Jenny & Seth's kids)

Emma = Sleeping Beauty - (Jenny Seth's 4 month old)

Then we ate a quick lunch, bathed the kids, and got all dressed up for the wedding.  Laura and Brant were sealed in the Draper Temple.  It is a super nice temple dedicated just 3 years ago.  Valerie Serfas, her husband and 2 boys came all the way from Boise, ID.  Nan and Neil were there too along with our cousin, Jerry and his wife, Marla.  Our cousin, Nathan Kristjanson was also in attendance.  We sure missed Emily and Nate though.  Laura cried happy tears as the sealer announced that they are now husband and wife.  Laura looked gorgeous in her dress!

Uncle Ryan was awesome and watched all 6 of the grandkids so all of us could attend the sealing inside the temple.  Thanks again, bro!

It was a hot day outside, but every now and then, a nice breeze would come along.  After all the pictures, some of us went to Pie Pizzeria for dinner and then went to the reception.  The reception was held outdoors at Laura's brother-in-law's grandparents' home.  Alice played the violin, Dad handed over his video camera to me to record him dancing with Laura, Laura singing to Brant, the cutting of the cake, etc.  It turned out very nicely (even though Tyler ran away and hid in the deepest darkest corner of the yard and had me crying).  Silly boy.  We stayed and help clean up and drove Grandma Hallstrom back home.  We didn't get home until 12:30am on Saturday.  Whew!  It sure was a busy couple of days.   I loved seeing everyone, but always wish that we could all hang out more before and after the big events.  And there you have it.  Laura's wedding weekend in a nutshell.  

Love, LISA

Hallstrom Family Reunion - Day 1

CLiCK on CoLLaGe To ENLaRGe

Grandma Jean & Grandpa Jerry with ALL the Hallstroms

On July 4th, we had a family reunion at my parents' house. There were 27 people in attendance, 16 of which were "Hallstroms." The others in attendance were: Grandma Jean, Grandpa Jerry, Uncle Wayne, Aunt Becky, Daniel (cousin), Aunt Ruth, Uncle Robert, Scott (cousin), Hannah (Scott's wife), and their two girls, Emmaleigh (2 1/2) and Isabelle (7 months). We had a huge home cooked meal. We had hamburgers, hot dogs, Grandma Jean's famous cinnamon jello, Grandpa Jerry's famous corn, tasty sweet breads, etc. Aunt Ruth made the best desserts... thick M&M brownies and a frosted cinnamon bunt cake. Click on Collage to Enlarge

My Grandma Jean and Grandpa Jerry had just celebrated their 61st wedding anniversary on July 3rd. In their honor, my brother in-law, Seth hosted a Family Feud game. I thought I knew my grandparents very well, but playing this game proved me wrong. I realized that there were specific things about their lives that I didn't know about. (Oh, and in case you were wondering, my team, Team Wayne, LOST). Better luck next time. CLiCK CoLLaGe To ENLaRGe

**Here are the questions and answers from the Family Feud game:
Who visited the Van Wie's at the farm the most regularly in the late 60s and 70s?
1. Ramona and Keith Heckman
2. Dora
3. Stanley and Mary Jane
4. Beth and Clayton

What does Grandma like to do most with her time?
1. Knitting, sewing, etc.
2. Read books
3. Play piano

What crops has Grandpa grown?
1. Corn
2. Wheat
3. Soy beans
4. Potatoes

When they were dating, where did they like to go on dates together?
1. Dancing
2. Movies
3. Play cards with friends (Canasta)

What are Grandma's favorite foods?
1. Peanut butter
2. Chocolate
3. Tuna fish
4. Salt rising toast

What did Grandpa do to earn money as a kid?
1. Milk cows with his father
2. Raise rabbits to sell
3. Collected copper wires to sell
4. Trap muskrats, sell their hide

What kinds of pets did Grandpa have while he was growing up?
1. Pigeons
2. Dog
3. Cat
4. Turtles
5. Rabbits

Name as many of their grandkids as you can.
Jerry, Barry David, Jon, Daniel, Anne, Bryan, Nathan, Amy, Emily, Lisa, Michael, Jennifer, Laura, Mark, Ryan, Scott, Craig, Bethany

After we played the game, we had a family music recital for my grandparents. The 5 Hallstrom girls sang, "Love One Another." (Our accompanists were Aunt Becky on piano and my sister in-law, Alice on violin). Laura played a piece on the piano and sang a couple of songs. Ryan played the trumpet. Mike played the piano, and Alice played her violin. Here is Alice performing a song that Grandpa Jerry requested:

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com