January wedding

January 30th was the first wedding of a Morley cousin, Joseph, to Mariah Mull. I didn't get very many good pictures, but here are the best ones. This wreath was on one side of the platform, and one with a "J" was on the other side.

Lighting the candelabra

The giving away of the bride by her adopted father. He told how she had come to their home and how they had endeavored to teach her, "not only by words, but by example." Now they were entrusting her to Joseph.

The wedding vows.

Lighting of the unity candle.

As I said, I didn't get many good pictures, so that's all I have about the ceremony. I liked the theme and the decorations.

The bride's extended family

Immediate family of the bride

The groom's extended family. I'm sure you won't be able to recognize anyone in this picture! Ha ha.

Joseph's immediate family

Heading over to the reception hall, which was on the same property as the church. My sister Carrie and cousin Natasha have Aunt Kezia's sweet little Lydia between them.

One of the decorations just outside the door.

Behind the table of the bridal party was this wreath with a "J" for Joseph, and on the other side, one with an "M" for Mariah.

The cake table.

The fountain beneath the cake stand.

These candles were so pretty.

Cutting the cake

After the festivities were over, it was time to say goodbye.

While waiting to see the bride and groom off, we admired the handiwork of Joseph's best friend (and a couple cousins) on Joseph's truck.

Joseph and his friend have some joke between them about Beanie and Socks, so this is what his friend wrote on the tailgate, with Joseph's cell number! I guess Joseph did get a few calls!
It was a lovely wedding, and it was good to connect with relatives again. 

Precious Moments Chapel

On our way home from Joseph's wedding, we stopped at the Precious Moments Chapel in Carthage, Missouri. 

 It was a little walk from the entrance building to the actual chapel. On the way, it was treat to get to see a cardinal.

Every half hour is a tour of the main room of the chapel.We got in on the last tour of the day. This is one of the walls in the main room. These pictures were all hand-painted by Sam Butcher, the creator of Precious Moments. The top row is called "The Band of Angels", the next row is of well-known Bible figures, and the third is of young people of the Bible.

Some of the angels

Noah's ark

Joseph being sold by his brothers. Joseph's story is always an inspiration to me to be faithful to God in every circumstance, and to be forgiving toward others.

I didn't get a picture of the other wall, but I did get pictures of some of the paintings. This painting of the wise men was from the row of paintings depicting scenes from Jesus' life.

The large paintings near the bottom on this side were of parables of Jesus. This is the parable of the Pharisee and Publican.

I don't remember the theme of the top row of pictures, but this is one of them, a picture of the crosses on Calvary, where Jesus was crucified.

The angel at the empty tomb after Jesus' resurrection.

 This is a picture Mom took of part of the painting on the front wall. This is a picture of heaven.

The tour guide pointed out that after Sam Butcher painted that picture, he saw that Jesus was right in the center! How appropriate for Jesus to be in the center of the picture, just as He should be in the center of our lives.

One of the doors inside the chapel foyer.

In the halls around the main room of the chapel were beautiful stained glass windows illustrating each verse of Psalm 23 and the beatitudes. Beside each window was a plaque with the verse that was being illustrated. These first two windows are from the series on Psalm 23. This one illustrates "The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want."

This is the last in the series: "Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever."

This was just a beautiful stained glass window.

This is on one of the doors of a room dedicated to Sam Butcher's deceased son Philip.

The painting depicting Philip's homegoing. Below, loved ones are grieving his loss, while above the angels are welcoming him to heaven.

A close-up of the angels and Philip.

A figurine created in memory of Philip. See description in the next picture.

The plaque says, " ' Praise the Lord Anyhow' was inspired by Philip whose genuine sense of humor was always a delight to the Butcher family."

The next two windows are in the series "The Beatitudes". This one is illustrating "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."

"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled."

It was so refreshing to visit this beautiful and quiet place. There was a sense of reverence there. If you are ever in that area, the Precious Moments Chapel is worth your time to visit.