There is so much to be grateful for, and we can't wait to celebrate with you

I just love the ocean, she said, wouldn't it be great to get on a boat and sail away? Well, he said, I've got a boat.... You have a boat?! she cried...Yes, I do. And the rest follows from there. This was after the girls said we should go on a date, after Emma said "You should ask her out". She and Leighton probably knew already that we had been dating for weeks by then, but we knew they'd be excited anyway, the boys maybe not so much. Then we went sailing and it was magical. He was overjoyed to share this gift that his father had left behind, and she was enthusiastic about learning how to steer, and she loved the smell of the salt air. And then the cottage was sold, and they decided that she should move in with him, the kids would understand, they had been getting along so well. But this was different, sharing a room wasn't as fun as just being friends, so we adjusted, and we learned. Traveling together was the best, that first spring break in the snow. Then Minnesota, and Oregon on the train, and Maui, and Aptos with Acorn and all those "cousins", and always the Ranch. These are the places where we became a family, and on the Mesa, and now on the Riviera. It hasn't always been easy, but Adela helped keep us focused, and a bigger house with separate rooms didn't hurt. When he asked her Father for her hand, sweating in a tie, the first questions were about the kids, then he said he'd have to think about it and sent the Groom away. A few days later the Parents gave him their blessing, and he thanked her Mother with his eyes; She knew it hadn't been an easy path, but he had proved to her that he loved her daughter and that's what counted. The kids all knew it was coming, but didn't know when. The girls promised to sing at the wedding, Emrys gave his Dad some advice about how to get it right, and Ryan said he was looking forward to the party. The ring arrived, and on a hill above a beach named Bulito he proposed on one knee, and the sun got a little brighter that day.