BTH's road trip, A's wedding, Peanut Butter Pancakes & PVC Pipe

Last weekend me and my girls crammed (thanks to Brielle's suitcase...haha) into the Anderson 4 Runner for a 9 hour drive to Elk Grove. The occasion...to see Ashley get hitched of course! We left on Thursday night and stopped at a hotel to sleep at about the halfway point. While the "Val U Motel" was less than ideal, we did get a kick out of the fact that when our door would not shut the lady at the front desk said, "Oh, okay. Well let me go and grab the drill...All of these locks were installed at the same time and so this happens!" Oh, but that wasn't after her saying, "Well, have you tried putting the card in and then turning the handle while you close it?" Hmmm...I wonder how you do that from the inside. :)


After a short sleep we got up and hit the road again. We arrived in Elk Grove around 10:30 and after some serious issues with the GPS finally made it to 0.0 miles and arrived at our destination. We had all heard so much about Ashley's house that it was surreal to be there. We saw the pond, the bridge, the backyard pool and the infamous picture hanging above the computer desk. Gotta love it all.

We all took quick showers and changed into some presentable clothing before hitting the town. Our first stop was to In-N-Out but not before driving by some of Ashley's other hot spots. Elk Grove High School, the spot where Ashley ran over a piece of scrap metal, the "White House" and of course numerous soccer fields which Ashley played on. Lunch was followed by waxing/nails. (Ashley waxed, I had my nails done, Tara & Bri were our cheerleaders) By this time they needed us back at the house to help with reception preparations. The 4 of us had quite the time moving a pile of PVC irrigation pipes while trying not to run into a large pile of firewood or tree trunks. Eventually we took care of it and went next door to meet the Schmokels (the family we were going to be staying with).


A bachelorette party for Ashley was thrown at a restaurant in downtown Sacramento on Friday night. All of the girlies enjoyed getting to know each other a little better and sharing in Ashley's anticipation and excitement. The parking ticket we found on the car when we finished eating was no damper to our moods. On our way home from dinner we stopped to get earrings to coordinate with our sassy red bridesmaids dresses. We enjoyed the time together laughing and reminiscing about past experiences.



Before going to bed we had several preparations to take care of--ironing our dresses, painting, toenails, gathering all of Ashley's things and practicing our infamous dance. We were shocked when Ashley's younger brother, Tanner, started bustin' out the dance moves himself. I don't think any of us have laughed that hard in a long time.

Saturday morning...wedding day...we woke up around 6:00 and head over to grab Ashley so we could take her to her hair appointment. We all did our own hair and make up in the living room of Ashley's stylist so we would be ready to take her to the mall at 9:00 to get her make-up done. Ashley looked absolutely stunning with her hair pinned to perfection and her make-up just right. She definitely had the look of a glowing bride.


On the way to the temple there were moments when one or all of us would suddenly burst into tears. Whether it was during a love song or talking about how happy we were for soon-to-be Mrs. Petersen, emotions were definitely close to the surface. It is strange how much like sisters we have become. I like to think of my BATH girls as the sisters I never had. :)

We arrived in front of the beautiful Sacramento Temple at 10:00 a.m....just in time. Ashley and I went inside by ourselves and left our other half outside to wait. (I really just feel bad for whoever gets married last and has to wait outside the temple alone!)

{they are available fellas...}

The ceremony was beautiful. Ashley and David have truly never looked happier. I feel so honored to have been able to be there for their sealing and to share in their special day.




After the ceremony we took pictures outside the temple and then ran to get a couple of pictures developed to display at the reception. We made a quick stop at the luncheon to get a quick bite to eat and then left to prepare for the reception. Everything turned out to be so beautiful. The food was delicious, the weather was perfect, there were lots of guests, and dancing...yeah, the dancing...


Traditional wedding practices of cutting the cake, tossing the bouquet, throwing the garter, the 'first dance' and father/daughter-mother/son dances were followed by our very own tradition of dancing the 'Bye, Bye, Bye" dance. Ashley rocked her wedding gown as us girls did our best to remember all the steps. As usual, Tara led the pack when it came to remembering. Luckily we were able to get the whole thing on video (something we didn't do at my wedding)....I'll try to figure out how to post it when I get it off of Tara's camera. We also added our own little twist to the end which turned out pretty cute.


As the bride and groom left the reception we lined the driveway with sparklers to send them off. It was the perfect close to their perfect day.

Being exhausted we decided to go over to the Schmokels to hit the hay early. When we got over there the doors were locked and there was no answer at their door. We were certain we had offended them...long story about not eating their peanut butter pancakes...but eventually they came home and we were able to get in. Oh, but not after going back to the Darm's and hearing
Ashley's parents tell us about their own wedding night...those 2 crack me up.

Sunday morning we went to a 9 a.m. sacrament meeting and then started back to Utah. In the car we read Jack Weyland's new book, slept, talked, sang and...drove. A little after 8:00 p.m. I walked in the door with just enough time to relax for a bit and snuggle up with hubby before finishing up my busy weekend.

Keep your eyes peeled for details about Scott's eventful weekend as a bachelor... ;)