Celebrating 20 Years!

 **Guest Blogger**

Eric Hendrickson

Stacee and I were coming up on our 20 year wedding anniversary and thought it would be a good idea to have a memorable celebration.  We asked Stacee's cousin, Josh, if he would let us use his barn venue (Emma Creek Barn in Hesston) for the party and he graciously offered to let us use it on October 8th.

Rocking the "I Love My Wife" and "I Love My Husband" shirts.

We had wedding pictures and pictures from throughout our marriage on display

Instead of having a guest book for people to sign, Sarah drew a tree for us on a canvas.  Guests would dip their finger in an ink pad to put their fingerprint on the tree and then write their name on the fingerprint.  It was a great idea and turned out really cool.

We had yard games to play before dinner.

As we gathered to pray before the meal, while I had everyone's attention, I took the opportunity to pull off the plan I had set in place with my buddy, Carl.

The way I proposed 20 years ago was not the most memorable of proposals.  I wanted to do something that would be memorable, so I proposed again.  This time on one knee with meaningful words.

But that was not all.  On our wedding day, I was not on my best behavior and did things that I now regret.  I wanted to redo our vows.  My friend Carl was prepared to lead us in the vow renewal.

I asked Rex, who was the best man in our wedding, and Lindsee, who was the maid of honor, to stand up there with us.

After the vow renewal, Carl had my family gather around Stacee and I as I prayed over the meal and thanked God for changing lives.

You have to end the wedding ceremony with a good kiss.

We bought several mums to use as our table centerpieces.

Dinner time!  It takes a lot of food to feed about 50 people.  We had a lot of pies for dessert that Stacee's good friend made for us. She makes some of the best pies.

We had pulled pork made by my friend, Kenneth, along with some shrimp pasta.  Lindsee and Paul made salads and we supplied some baked beans. 

We had guests that came from Missouri, Arkansas, and Kansas.

We tried to get pictures with everyone before they left.  Below is a picture with Rex, Angie, and two of their daughters, Avery and Layla.

Picture with Stacee's cousin, Jordan and his boy Zach.

Our family friends, The Williams and the Jacobs families.

Our friends, the Hutsell's, showed up when the dancing started.

A beautiful venue - EMMA CREEK BARN

Below, Cindy, Stacee, Karen, and Judy.

My Uncle Tony and Aunt Carla came from Missouri

Stacee's cousin, Kevin and his wife Cindy, came from Emporia.

Below, Stacee, her Uncle Dale, her Dad Paul, her Aunt Jan, and myself.

Below, Stacee's cousin Johannah and her boyfriend Chris.

Our gracious host, Josh, and his wife, Natasha.  Thanks for allowing us to have the event at your place.

EP, Lindsee, and Will helped us set-up, organize the music for the dance, made food, and helped us clean-up.

Our friend's, the Hutsells, Jason, Hannah, Noah, Nayte, and Brynlee.

Stacee was glad to have her Aunts and Uncles there to celebrate with us.  They have always been so supportive of us and our family. Above, her Uncle Ernie and Aunt Judy. Below, her Uncle Charles and Aunt Wyonna.

Below, Paul and two of his brothers, Charles and Dale.

Family friend's Dan and Debbie....

Our cook, Kenneth, and his wife, Angela.

My great friend and brother in Christ, Carl, and his wife, Michelle.

Stacee did a great job with the decorations. She has always loved fall, so she used Mums, wooden slabs from her sister's wedding, pictures, pumpkin picture holders, and some ribbon that she had saved from our wedding 20 years ago to decorate the barn.

Finally, some dancing pictures.  Stacee and I did a lot of two stepping on an empty dance floor.  It was nice to have some space as we are used to dancing in our kitchen.

A view from the Barn's loft....

The Chicken Dance is always popular.

The Cotton Eyed Joe is always fun.

Line dancing.  I tried to act like I knew what I was doing.

Paul did some dancing with his four grandkids.

We had a rocky start to our marriage, but thanks to God's intervention, our marriage is strong.  I look forward to spending the rest of my life with the wonderful woman God has given me.