This past weekend, we flew to Winnipeg, Manitoba, the beautiful warm prairies, to celebrate the 30th wedding anniversary of Jordan's dad and Marion. We were all so excited to spend some time together as a big family and celebrate the event at the home of good friends of theirs--the Klippensteins.
The Klippensteins are such a delightful and generous (and beautiful) family. We were told that the event would be held at their "farmhouse" in the countryside outside of a small Manitoba town. But let me tell you... this was no farmhouse. It was a seven bedroom mansion, complete with a wrap-around deck, porch swing, levels of stairs climbing down to a large stone patio with a hot tub, all perched atop a cliff overlooking a beautiful valley covered in blooming yellow canola fields. And the gardens were exquisite. Even sitting here writing about it now, I can hardly put into words the unexpected beauty of this place. Admittedly, I sort of felt like we had been transported to somewhere in California rather than rural Manitoba. I think I could have easily stayed there for a week.
The children thought they were in paradise. There were cats and dogs to chase and attend to, games like lawn croquet and a hammock. Lots of steps to climb, decks and patios to discover and fields upon fields to look at. Fortunately, we had a live in baby-sitter for the evening, who followed the children around everywhere so that they were able to explore to their heart's content while we carried on with preparations for the event.
It was good to see so many close family friends and other family members, people we might only see at weddings. There were a few speeches, most of which were incorporated into a bit of a game by all of us siblings/spouses. Magdalene joined in, making herself a charming addition by hiding under my dress and other things....
We had such a great time preparing for the event by reminiscing of stories from over the years--hinting at some of the stories only to be kept within the family. There was lots of good-humored banter between us all and when it came to the day of the event, the six of us stood up and in front of family and friends to recount our favorites and sort of felt like we were all just talking to each other. It was really fun!
Luckily for us, there was also another photographer in the crowd who took a picture of us and of our big family overlooking the valley behind the house on the back patio in the golden hour of that evening.
Our family friends, the beautiful, kind and generous Klippensteins... you are all so wonderful! Thank you so much for opening up your home to us! You really made us feel like Hollywood stars. :)
Happy 30 years!
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