Election Night Party

This one is coming a little bit late, but it was so fun that I really wanted to post about it. Because my sister is a member of the BYU Young Republican club, she invited us to the Republican Election night Gala at the Grand American Hotel in Salt Lake City. We went not knowing what to expect, but had such a great time. Basically, the Republican party of Utah had rented out the grand ballroom at the hotel. There were booths set up for all of the major news agencies, and it was exciting to see some of the newscasters that we see on the news all the time.

We had only been there for about ten minutes when Senator Orin Hatch walked in the door. We got to take a picture with him and talk with him for a bit. The set up was really cool. People who were running for republican office had reserved ballrooms and hotel rooms around the hotel, and you could basically just wander around and visit with the people who were running for office. The BYU Young Republicans had a hotel room, which was kind of like home base, and from there we just went from room to room meeting people. At the end of the night, people were giving their acceptance speeches, and we were able to hear from Governor Huntsman and his Deputy Governor as well as other people who had won their elections. Leah spent some time trying to get her picture taken with Governor Huntsman, and it escalated to the point where she was practically stalking him around the room. Finally she got her picture, and we headed home for the night. It was a great night, and way better than hanging out at home watching CNN with Dan and Bell.

Dan and Natalie visit baby Callie

Earlier this month we got the chance to visit Dan's newest niece, Callie. Callie is the daughter of Dan's younger brother Bryan and his wife April. She was born earlier this year in April, and is ADORABLE. They live in the Washington, DC area, so we hardly ever get to see them. I had only met Callie once before when April came down for Logan's missionary farewell. She has grown a lot since then, and is just about the cutest baby you could ever imagine. Here are some pictures that we took of the visit!

Back, by popular demand

So, still catching you up on my summer. Another exciting thing that happened this summer is that my Dad got married. My parents have been divorced for a while now, and my Dad had been living in Southern California. He had been dating a little (ldsmingle.com is apparently great for meeting older LDS people) and through that he found Marilyn.

I first found out about Marilyn when she gave me a pair of comfy socks for Christmas. I was entirely unaware of her existence before then, but boy, they were pretty comfy socks! Then I met Marilyn for the first time when Dan and I went down to Las Vegas in June. I found out earlier this year that my Dad had asked her to marry him, and that they would be married in August once my sister Allison came back from living in Japan.

Allison, Me, Dad and Leah in front of the temple

The wedding was beautiful. Marilyn is really into 'Island Culture' so the reception had a luau theme, and everybody in the wedding party got to wear leis that had been shipped from Hawaii! It was so much fun, and I was so happy for my Dad and Marilyn. They will be happy together.

Me, Allison, Marilyn and Leah right after the sealing ceremony

The Luau reception