50th Anniversary

Jan 19, 20232 min read

It was a BIG GOLDEN surprise party for my parents. 🌻 They were married in 1973 January 19th. My mom, Janet was 21, and my dad, Kim, was 23. The day of the wedding was the blizzard of the year with snow so deep they barely made it to the temple to get married.

Fun fact: My dad didn't ask my mom to marry her in the traditional sense, nor did he ask my mom's parents for permission to marry their daughter. They decided to get married and they told their parents the news.

Janet's mom, Ruth Owens, made her wedding dress and the bridesmaid's dresses. Ruth picked out the fabric and colors herself. Janet didn't pick her wedding colors.

The surprise:

My parents were asked by their bishop, Brandt Leslie, to meet with him on Sunday the 15th of January at 6pm. They didn't know he wouldn't be there and that a surprise was waiting for them instead. On the bishop's door was a note for Kim and Janet to go to the gym. In the gym was a note for them to take a seat. In the middle of the gym there were soft foyer seats with their names on them facing the stage.

Curtains open, and all the family is on the stage in jungle attire, instruments, mics and more. We all performed the hilarious Neil Diamond song, 'I Am the Lion'.

After the VERY professional Neil Diamond performance, we ate delicious foods and chatted and took photos. After dinner we watched a slideshow on a projector that I put together for this spectacular fabulous evening.