On May 14, 2026, my parents will be celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary! That is truly incredible to think about. I feel like that milestone is getting less and less achievable in today's world. There are so many couples that divorce, never marry, or, like Jeff and I, are getting married later in life. If Jeff and I make it to our 50th anniversary, he'll be 89 and I'll be 83. My dad is only 72 and my mom is 69. They have spent a lifetime together. I have had a front row seat for 47 years of that marriage. I have witnessed ups and downs. I have heard laughter and tears. I have seen two people love hard through intense trials and ultimately choose each other unfailingly. They have created a legacy of faith and family. Through example, they have taught us to work hard, have faith, put family first, laugh in the face of trials, persevere when giving up seems more appealing, and so much more. So how do we celebrate that? Together, of course! This is the first time, in what seems like a decade, that all of us got together. To ensure that would happen, we hosted the celebration in Utah (where the majority of us are). With so many different schedules and obligations, we sent out a save-the-date last fall and have been working since then to make sure everyone could be present...even if just for a day. Mom and Dad flew up the week before the celebration to be able to spend time with those of us who live in Utah throughout the week. (Let's be honest...all of us together is a bit much! Haha! Mom and Dad even had to take mini breaks during the day we were all together just to maintain their sanity.) They flew in on Friday, March 6th, which meant they got to see Jonas play in his championship basketball game (more on his season later).
They then spent those first few days of the week with the Tanners. Jonas and I met up with them on Tuesday, March 10th, to enjoy an early birthday celebration for Lincoln and to bring them back to our house for the rest of the week.
Wednesday, March 11th, was a more relaxing day after the fun, busy days they had with the Tanners. I took Mom and Dad out shopping then they spent the later afternoon/early evening with Mom's brother, Rick, and his wife, Barb. Thursday, March 12th, I arranged for Beau (who I watch on Thursdays), Mom, Dad, and I to meet up at the Butterfly Biosphere with Kaia and Zavia. Mom and Dad haven't seen them in nearly a year (since Dallin's wedding last year). We had fun watching the kids experience the biosphere. Beau did not like getting close to the butterflies. He ran away and cried when I got a butterfly to show him. Still, he was fascinated with watching them fly around. We then let the kids play at the play place. Beau showed no fear going down the really tall slide all by himself. Zavia tends to stick closer to Kaia. Beau is definitely a free-range child.
We finally said goodbye to them then headed to the airport to pick up Michael, Jackie, and Samson. We grabbed lunch at Ashton's Burger Barn in Salem before heading to Cole Park. Samson LOVED this cute farm themed park. Both boys were full energy as they ran around the park and explored all it had to offer. Finally, we dropped off Beau then headed back to the house for the evening. We relaxed and let Samson explore a real "farm". He loved the animals! He was so excited to get so close to the cows and helping with the chores. Jonas loved playing with him too. They battled with "swords", played with with bikes outside, jumped on the trampoline, and more.
Friday, March 13th, the festivities ramped up. Mom and Dad have really wanted to go to the Provo City Center temple since it has been dedicated so Nichole, Ryan, Krystle, Jordan, Michael, Jackie, Jeff and I met up to go with them. Mom and Dad were in tears as we entered the Celestial Room. If this is a little glimpse of heaven, it was beautiful. While we were in the temple, we dropped Kate, Jonas (yes...I let him ditch school), and Samson off at Lowe's Xtreme AirSports to play. Laurin, her kids, and Beau (who she graciously picked up to play too) met up with them there. They had a blast (although all the little kids wore Kate and Jonas out) jumping and playing. After the temple and jump sessions, we met up for lunch.
The party didn't stop there! We then headed to Curiosity Farms at Thanksgiving Point to let the little kids explore more. Krystle, Jordan, and Jeff tended to their other responsibilities but the rest of us chased the kids around the farm. Finally, we met up with Scott at Strap Tank Brewery for dinner.
Saturday, March 14th (two months before their actual anniversary), all 34 of us met up at my house to spend the day together. My sisters and I labored over how to do this celebration. Do we organize structured events/activities throughout the day? Do we have speeches and videos at the dinner that night? With a little of Mom's input, we decided to bag all the formalities and just hang out. The kids (big and small) entertained themselves while the adults (young and old) enjoyed catching up. Since it was "Pi" Day, we grabbed pizza and pies for lunch then at 4:00 we witnessed a miracle...all 34 of us present for large group pictures! This was the one thing Mom wanted. After pictures, we headed back to the Southwick compound for dinner. Originally, my sisters and I wanted to recreate our parents' reception with the same colors and foods; however, Mom didn't love her wedding colors or food so we asked what she would have chosen if she could do it again. She wanted dark blue and white colors with a pasta bar. Us girls added donuts (Mom's favorite) and chocolate chip cookies (Dad's favorite) for dessert. There were no speeches...just chaos and a lot of food. The kids ate as quickly as possible to get back to playing while the rest of us lingered to keep chatting and that's how the rest of the evening went. It was later when everyone started to leave. We were all a little sad to see it end. It meant the world to my parents to have us all gathered together...and it's a testament to their love and devotion that we all showed up. Moreover, that we actually wanted to hang out together. 50 years seems like forever...but forever isn't long enough for us to love each other!
