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The inevitable has finally transpired, and Mr. AJ now has a very visible ring on his finger. He also has a somewhat less obviously one in his nose, and if he is wise, he will leave them both right where they are.

It was quite a crowd that braved the triple digit heat to greet the newlyweds. If my nose count is accurate, there are 48 people in the photo (plus one, and probably two, behind the cameras).

Group pictures are always a favorite pastime in these sorts of gatherings, but they are also problematic. In one photo, a couple of people will not be visible, and in second, some kid will have their finger in their nose, etc. So you eliminate undesirable poses one by one until none are left, and then pick the one that is least objectionable (apologies to those who were slighted by this choice).

Brittney bears a strong resemblance to her father. One of the main differences between men and women is the age at which they get facial hair, so it will probably be a few years yet before Brittney gets her mustache.

AJ seems to get along with Brittney's brothers. That's a good thing...

I have seen them many times, but still don't understand why people think poses like these are appropriate wedding photos. Still, I think all my grandchildren are cute, and therefore don't object to including this portion of them here.

Although by nature I am a bit of a recluse, occasionally I enjoy watching people in general, and families in particular, interact.

It was instructive to watch Brittney's mother fuss over her. As I read the body language, Brittney vacillated between appreciation and mild annoyance. Interesting. Then again, a person reading body language often sees only a reflection of themselves, and hasn't a clue what the actual participants are experiencing.

Group photography requires someone who is willing to "take charge" and direct the willing (and sometimes not so willing) participants. I didn't catch her name, but I think that this is a cousin to Brittney. She did a good job, and had no shortage of pose-able ideas. I followed her around and snapped many images as she was arraigning the wedding participants.

This is one of those "classic poses" that AJ said he liked. My eyes must be older than I thought, because for all I can tell, this might be George and Martha Washington.

This would be another of the classic poses, if you didn't know that instead of kissing Brittney's forehead, AJ is making obscene noises by blowing against it...

Digital cameras have changed the dynamics of photography. In the days when 35mm film was the industry standard, if I were going to splurge for a wedding, I would expose two or three rolls, each having between 24 and 36 frames. I suspect with all the participating cameras, this event yielded over 2,000 images. Barbara and I (and several others who pushed the buttons on my camera) took 551. Times have definitely changed.

I have too many photos in this communication and, far short of the halfway point, I've already run out of captions. I'll just post most of the remaining ones for your viewing pleasure and prattle on about unrelated topics.

The wedding was at 4:30 on Friday, June 18, 2010, in the Mesa Arizona Temple.

The wedding was followed by a "never-ending" photo session, and after that we had a small dinner in the stake center just across the street. After cleaning up, We brought Ethen, Kyle and Rachel home with us, arriving about midnight. We are definitely not used to staying up this late.

Ameilia made lasagna for this meal. The plan was for her to round up the ingredients and we would make it together as soon as I arrived home from work on Thursday evening. But, having the acme of a Type A personality, Ameilia procured the stuff as agreed and then went ahead and put it together. When I showed up, there wasn't even a dirty dish left to wash.

But I suppose, given the wrestles I had getting the dishes washed when all my kids still lived at home, that wasn't a bad thing.

Along with the lasagna, We had seasoned bread sticks and a salad. There was also cake, mini-cheese cakes, mini-eclairs, and some flavored water concoction.

I like lasagna, and this particular batch turned out quite well. It even garnered a few complements.

I think I would have preferred a different salad dressing, but over all, I was pleased with the meal. I was even more pleased when the cleanup was done, but perhaps that is just my inner recluse manifesting himself...

I have never understood wedding dresses. I've never worn one, but I can't imagine them being comfortable. They make almost any movement problematic. Perhaps the intent of the original design was to entrap the bride and impede her flight should she change her mind... I'm pretty sure that wasn't a consideration in this particular instance, so I am at a loss. But, after considering the matter at some length, I suspect that this is one of those situations where, if you have to ask, you will never understand...

But then, I've given up trying to understand the inhabitants of the physical universe. (Footnote: Symantha, just so you won't be confused and lose another bag of Risien candy in a bet with Ameilia, I hereby acknowledge that photoshop modified this image, bringing AJ and Brittney closer together, and lengthening the heels on Brittney's shoes...[I'll bet you wouldn't have known if I would not have told you.])

Given that we chose to arrive in Mesa at 9am to be present for Symantha's endowments, it was a long day...

...but I worried for naught, as Barbara handled the demanding schedule with poise and finesse.

Isn't this a cute pose? I would have never thought of something like it... That's because I am a snap-shooter, not a photographer.

It is obvious that things don't always go as planned. Brittney is a little thing, but I'm pretty sure she can growl, and she may even have a set of fangs... It appears to me that this pair may be pretty evenly matched (and that's a good thing).

The couple's attire was traditional and esthetically pleasing to the eye. Having said that, it was also a bit impractical. Brittney's shoes hurt her feet when she walked, and where the sun shown on it, the cement was too hot to walk on without shoes. AJ offered to carry her, but decorum dictated otherwise. Perhaps next time we should bring a carriage or a chariot...

We took lunch at a hole-in-the wall Mexican place. I don't think I have ever seen a food establishment with a floor as dirty as that one (not even in Brazil where the the floors were actually made of dirt).

But the food was good (if you are not allergic the cockroach), and the portions were large.

They had a large screen TV with a World Cup Soccer match on. AJ, who was with us (Brittney was still doing last minute "girly things"), originally had only derogatory remarks about soccer, but before we left, he was yelling at the TV, cheering on the team he had picked. He may be a borderline fanatic when it come to sports.

That is a obsession to which I have trouble relating. I like sports, and lettered 12 different times in high school. I was even chosen as an all-state football and an all-conference baseball player. But I was never able to establish a connection to college or professional teams. They are corporations, just like McDonalds or British Petroleum. The fact that one is superior to another just doesn't affect my existence any more than the fact that Shell, and not Mobil, owns the corner gas station. Yeah... (I think).

The reception for AJ and Brittney, along with a ring ceremony, was held the next day at the church in San Manuel. I don't have any idea how they managed to arrange it, but Todd Polly, President of the Tucson North Stake, officiated. With this ring, I thee wed...

The ring exchange was followed by a meal put on by Brittney's family.

Fred Martin, Brittney's Uncle, pit bar-b-cued a beef.

Now, I enjoy cooking and occasionally even manage to consume the products thereof, but compared to Fred, I am a rank amateur.

The meal also included beans and salads. As is my wont when confronted with situations like this, I over indulged.

The original source is not obvious, but since the easterners in the family came to visit, we have been passing around a poorly defined and short lived, but relatively potent malady.

Sunday was my day to experience it. In church that day, we named and blessed Mylinda's youngest (Carson Avery Ellis). Being sick, I didn't stay for the remaining meetings.

Lunch on Sunday consisted of the luscious leftovers that Brittney's father bestowed on us. I felt slightly slighted that I didn't get to partake.

Sunday afternoon, most of the crowd departed. Nathen left Terra and kids here, and accompanied Mylinda to Eagar (Ameilia's house) and departed for points east the following morning (Oh dark thirty was the scheduled departure time).

Terra had an appointment with her doctor in Tucson the following morning, and Kyle was privileged to see a dentist in Show Low (I think) the following morning.

And with that, life returned to "normal" (what ever that is) at our house.

I will close this epistle with one last image of the erstwhile Brittney Rose Smith, and this question: How can she be Mrs. Alan L. Hatch the second, when she is the third Mrs. Alan L. Hatch that I have known?

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