Well, it has been a long time since I have bothered to write here. It seems I often find myself unconvinced of worthwhile reasons, though I have had much to write of these past couple years, many journeys, many new countries traveled, many experiences, thoughts, emotions. I won't remember them all and can only hope to write a modicum of these things, inadequate as always, insufficient as ever.
I last wrote when I left the deserts of Arabia on my way home to Utah for a brief visit. That must have been 2-3 years ago. That visit has long passed, while some of the memories remain. One of the main plans for that trip back home was to attend my oldest brother's wedding. My brother Dustin proposed to his girlfriend and seeing as I missed the other weddings in my family due to living out of state and unable to return home, they actually planned the wedding around the time I would be back home in the states, and there was not way I was going to miss it.
I flew in to Utah and my brother Dallin picked me up at the airport and late that night we arrived at my folk's house and I ran in to hug my parents. It was not the same return home I had the year before, walking in on my surprised parents with them in a bewildered state of disbelief upon seeing me. I definitely remember that day, the whole 3 day hitchhiking journey home, the bruises and blisters and growling stomach and sleeping in ditches and collapsing on the side of the street from exhaustion and hunger and having every minute worth it when I walked in the front door of my parent's house and put my backpack down and tapped on my mother's shoulder. I would still consider that among the best days of my life.
Dustin's wedding was two days later. It was a small wedding with only family invited and held in the lush green yard of my parent's home. The weather was a perfect Utah day with perfect Utah scenery, everything green up through the canyon and farms and fields lush in verdant color even in to early August. I always love going back to my parent's small cabin canyon home. They call it Bridge Hollow, though often shortened to "the Hollow." It is calm personified. I know why they love it there so much. It is a place to lounge days away in a hammock, to sleep outside on a cool summer's night staring up to a million stars, to eat breakfast outside in the cool morning air and roast marshmallows on an open fire with the soft whistling of night time breeze or to enjoy the perfect gift a shady tree. Yes, I do always love visiting home.
The wedding was small and quaint and wonderfully not overdone. I guess I have never really understood the reasons for big overblown weddings and prefer simple ceremonies shared with those you truly love and this wedding did not disappoint in this regard. My brother actually had his leg in a cast and was not suppose to walk on his leg and his cast was in his favorite Bronco orange that stuck out the bottom of his suit pants and he wheeled himself around on his leg scooter, even as he stood up taking his vows, his one bed leg rested on his scooter next to his beautiful bride dressed in white and gleaming as a new bride should. Women do always steal the wedding, and understandably so, they are the fairer sex for sure.
I was asked to be the best man, though not given typical best man duties such as planning any bachelor party. I made the wedding toast and held the ring and walked the maid of honor, my sister, down the aisle to usher in the star of the show, my new sister-in-law.
The ceremony ended and we enjoyed the light refreshments and the company and the weather and I was happy to have been part of the wedding. I have often missed the big family events and I still have the photos from my sister's wedding where I was photo shopped in because I was not able to be there. I was happy to be a part of this and to see my family and have my brother be married to a woman that truly loves him. It seems it was not too late for at least one of us Stott boys and in even all of my extended family there are only three of us that are still single, the youngest in the family, my cousin Sarah Beth, and then just myself and my brother Dallin.
Anyway, I will write more of Utah in the next post. For now, I leave with pictures from my brother's big day.
.JPG)
I last wrote when I left the deserts of Arabia on my way home to Utah for a brief visit. That must have been 2-3 years ago. That visit has long passed, while some of the memories remain. One of the main plans for that trip back home was to attend my oldest brother's wedding. My brother Dustin proposed to his girlfriend and seeing as I missed the other weddings in my family due to living out of state and unable to return home, they actually planned the wedding around the time I would be back home in the states, and there was not way I was going to miss it.
I flew in to Utah and my brother Dallin picked me up at the airport and late that night we arrived at my folk's house and I ran in to hug my parents. It was not the same return home I had the year before, walking in on my surprised parents with them in a bewildered state of disbelief upon seeing me. I definitely remember that day, the whole 3 day hitchhiking journey home, the bruises and blisters and growling stomach and sleeping in ditches and collapsing on the side of the street from exhaustion and hunger and having every minute worth it when I walked in the front door of my parent's house and put my backpack down and tapped on my mother's shoulder. I would still consider that among the best days of my life.
Dustin's wedding was two days later. It was a small wedding with only family invited and held in the lush green yard of my parent's home. The weather was a perfect Utah day with perfect Utah scenery, everything green up through the canyon and farms and fields lush in verdant color even in to early August. I always love going back to my parent's small cabin canyon home. They call it Bridge Hollow, though often shortened to "the Hollow." It is calm personified. I know why they love it there so much. It is a place to lounge days away in a hammock, to sleep outside on a cool summer's night staring up to a million stars, to eat breakfast outside in the cool morning air and roast marshmallows on an open fire with the soft whistling of night time breeze or to enjoy the perfect gift a shady tree. Yes, I do always love visiting home.
The wedding was small and quaint and wonderfully not overdone. I guess I have never really understood the reasons for big overblown weddings and prefer simple ceremonies shared with those you truly love and this wedding did not disappoint in this regard. My brother actually had his leg in a cast and was not suppose to walk on his leg and his cast was in his favorite Bronco orange that stuck out the bottom of his suit pants and he wheeled himself around on his leg scooter, even as he stood up taking his vows, his one bed leg rested on his scooter next to his beautiful bride dressed in white and gleaming as a new bride should. Women do always steal the wedding, and understandably so, they are the fairer sex for sure.
I was asked to be the best man, though not given typical best man duties such as planning any bachelor party. I made the wedding toast and held the ring and walked the maid of honor, my sister, down the aisle to usher in the star of the show, my new sister-in-law.
The ceremony ended and we enjoyed the light refreshments and the company and the weather and I was happy to have been part of the wedding. I have often missed the big family events and I still have the photos from my sister's wedding where I was photo shopped in because I was not able to be there. I was happy to be a part of this and to see my family and have my brother be married to a woman that truly loves him. It seems it was not too late for at least one of us Stott boys and in even all of my extended family there are only three of us that are still single, the youngest in the family, my cousin Sarah Beth, and then just myself and my brother Dallin.
Anyway, I will write more of Utah in the next post. For now, I leave with pictures from my brother's big day.
.JPG)
You shall be together when the white wings of death scatter your days.
Ay, you shall be together even in the silent memory of God.
But let there be spaces in your togetherness,
and let the winds of the heavens dance between you.
-Khalil Gibran. "The Prophet."
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