52 Blessings—Ta Dah!

Ray, Cali’s fiancé, says a quick and simple "ta-dah" when he succeeds. Considering his abilities, ta-dah is such an understatement and yet . . . it says it all.

We had a ta-dah weekend dress shopping. Due to a shortage of dresses with sleeves or bodices in our state, we flew to Salt Lake City, Utah to shop. Thanks to Ray’s planning, our flights landed close to each other and we were able to get to the first dress shop before it even opened. First shop, first dress—perfect fit in body and personality. Ta-dah. Though we went to more shops and Cali tried on more dresses, the first was the choice and that relief made the rest of the shopping very carefree. Helping Cali try on wedding dresses reminded me of playing Barbies with my sister, Janet. My doll had bobbed, brown hair and wore a blue P.E. suit with white keds. Janet’s doll had long, blonde hair and a tight pink dress that flared at the knees. Janet didn’t share her doll much and my doll’s hips couldn’t fit in Janet’s doll’s dress. As I helped Cali try on dress after dress that fit her perfectly, I kept thinking of Janet’s Barbie and was so glad to finally have a doll that could fit into any dress.

an old roommate of Cali’s drove several hours to come and spend the day with us

I bid a room on Priceline and was a bit disappointed when they didn’t assign us the motel they usually do. I wanted it to be a special weekend for Cali and didn’t know anything about the hotel in which we’d be staying. However, after being met by five valet attendants and walking through the luxurious lobby I told Cali, “Ooops. I don't think this is where we're staying. Let me check the reservations again.” But no, it was our hotel and it did make the weekend that much more fun.

In fact, after Cali sniffed the towels she said, “Nothing makes you feel safer than a public towel that smells of Clorox.” Ta-dah.


The full moon was spectacular and like a spotlight on the temple. The beautifully lit temple grounds, the large nativity and the street musicians created a spirit of merriment and celebration that stretched for blocks. Cali and I just walked around arm in arm and soaked it all in. Ta-dah.

having awakened before 3:00 am to catch our flights, things were a bit blurry by the evening

We went out to dinner and as we stood visiting and waiting for our table, Cali stuttered excitedly. “It’s . . . Ch . . . it’s Ch . . .”. Finally she exclaimed, “It’s Cherise!” Old friends from Idaho, Cherise was in Cali’s grade. Cherise had a severe brain injury as a result of a horse accident and we had moved shortly after the accident. It was fun to see Cherise and her family and to watch Cali reacquaint Cherise with who she was. Ta-dah.



The next morning we awoke to beautiful snow. Here, as we’re waiting for the light to turn green, Cali noticed all the pigeons huddling under the ledge trying to stay dry. The snow stayed long enough to be beautiful, but not too long to be a travel nuisance. Ta-dah.

Another ta-dah moment included finding the wedding ring Cali wanted for Ray. With only a five week engagement, there isn’t a lot of room for indecisiveness or empty shelves. Thankfully Cali is decisive and the stores had what she was looking for so not only did she get Ray’s ring, but she found shoes for her dress, flowers in perfect hues and shapes, attendant gifts and even squeezed in some of her Christmas shopping.

It was one ta-dah after another for both days, but the biggest ta-dah was the wonderful time that we had and the special memories made.