Wedding Eve (is that such a thing?!?!?!)

We decided to throw a little of the Wild West into our wedding festivities . . . After the rehearsal, 40 of us (which included the bride and groom-to be, the wedding party, parents, grandparents and a few aunts and uncles) drove 10 miles across the border to Beulah, Wyoming. A little town that has a population of about 20 people, a gas station, a bar and an AWESOME restaurant called The Buffalo Jump. The Buffalo Jump is your typical Western Steakhouse - the entire inside is dark wood from floor to ceiling, they have a beautiful stone fireplace that is lit all year round, the chandeliers are made out of antlers (a hunter's dream), there is a patio out back with a huge fire pit and better yet, the signs on the bathroom say "Cowboys" and "Cowgirls". This is our favorite restaurant to go to when we have our "date nights" and we thought what better way to celebrate then to enjoy a good steak, a few drinks and a cigar (compliments of Josh's dad Dick) with the people we love the most! Come to find out, my Grandpa Hoeft used to come to this restaurant 40 years ago when he made his yearly hunting trips to the Black Hills - now The Buffalo Jump is even more special . . . there is history!!

After dinner, we all made our way out to the patio where we enjoyed the warmth and glow of the fire, puffed on our cigars (even the girls had cigars in their hands!) and talked and laughed the night away. I remember taking the time at some point that night to stand back and absorb it all - all I can say is, "it was magical." Everyone was smiling (some even crying tears of joy), my dad and future Grandpa (Grandpa Bill) deep in conversation, my future aunt Ann surrounded by my girlfriends who were all giggling and telling stories of our past, my mom and Josh's mom sitting back quietly observing with smiles of joy on their face, Josh's dad quietly walking around snapping pictures of everyone - making sure not to miss a moment, Anne and Betsy (Josh's sisters) with the look of utter happiness and awe that their little brother was getting married the next day, my sisters quietly watching their future brother-in-law as he danced around from friend to friend with a smile bigger then the moon, the Willmar boys reminiscing on hunting stories and my dear friend Megan, sitting on the other side of the fire doing exactly what I was doing . . . watching and soaking it all in!!
















After the cigars were gone (for those die-hards who could handle them), the stories were shared and the fire died down, Josh and I got in the truck and made the quiet and peaceful drive back to Spearfish. As he pulled into the driveway to drop me off, he touched my hand, looked into my eyes and said, "tomorrow you'll be my wife." I walked into the house (the house that was going to be our house in 1 day) and this overwhelming sense of peace rushed over my body. The house was quiet and still . . . my baby was sound asleep in his bed, my 2 sisters, niece and nephew were camped out in the basement living room, my parents were snuggled up in there bed and my Grandma B was excited to share the bed with me. Knowing that Josh was at his parent's house surrounded by his mom and dad, 2 sisters, brother-in-laws, and 4 nephews and up the street at the Holiday Inn were 50+ rooms filled with out of town guests (dear friends and family members) that were here to celebrate with us. God answered so many prayers in that 1 night and I was overwhelmed with joy at the thought of this being the rest of my life!!