A marriage is a meeting of clans, with all the rituals of getting the tribe acquainted and cautiously approving each other. We met Heidi's parents and her sister Jessica and brother-in-law Josh during the months before the wedding, but it wasn't until May 1, the day before the wedding, that we met the whole Bastian family. Heidi's mom, Gay, graciously invited Dave and me to have dinner and then stay the night before the wedding at their home in Axtell, Utah.
Dave and I drove to Manti early Friday afternoon, May 1, 2015. We went through a session at the temple to prepare for this special weekend.
We then drove to Axtell and were charmed and impressed with what Heidi described as her parents' "hobby farm." It has 160 acres, with a firepit, volley ball court, slides and playhouse for the grandchildren, and lovely, 7000 square foot home which Heidi's mom designed herself and filled with seven pianos! There are also cows, horses, chickens, and other farm animals. We chuckled as Heidi's dad, Bevan, pointed out the vast reach of his backyard and said that he knew he had enough land if he could shoot a cannon and not worry about it hitting anyone!
Heidi's sister, Marissa, has just finished a master's degree in food science at BYU. She was the cook for dinner, and served delicious soup, homemade rolls, and apple pie. Gay took us on a tour of her house and pointed out the charming murals of jungle scenes that Jessica painted in one bedroom and the murals of Winnie the Pooh scenes that Jessica painted in the downstairs playroom. Seventeen-year-old Kalyce is taking a course in cosmetology, in addition to her classes at Gunnison High School. Ben is on a mission in Calgary, Canada, and Kalyce's seventeen-year-old twin works at the local dairy, as well as helping Heidi's dad run the farm. The whole family is amazingly bright, creative, and independent. No wonder Mike describes them as a "good family."
We explored the picturesque farmland around the Bastian home. We then spent the night in the house down the road that Heidi's mom designed for her ailing mother to live in before she died. It now makes a comfortable guest house.
When friends ask where Axtell is, Dave describes it as "a suburb of Salina." A tiny post office marks the town, and a bell and historical marker note its significance in Utah history.
Saturday morning, Dave gave Mike a father's blessing, and then Mike left for the temple with Heidi.
We all gathered in Manti and the Great Day began.
1 comment:
love Axtel
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