I used to sort of wish that I could pick out our children's spouses for them.  I thought I knew what they needed and that I could do a pretty good job of matchmaking.  I gave that idea up long ago.  The Lord has done a much better job of matchmaking than I ever could and we love our children-in-law and think they are absolutely the best.

It's always fascinating to see how these eternal marriages have come about.  A year ago, Janet was still in the "I'm a fifth wheel" phase.  She had dated a fair amount, but never anyone she was really happy about.  Her roommate and best friend Candace was getting married, changing the dynamics of that relationship.  Janet would be graduating soon and was wondering about what to do in terms of a career or more schooling.  In February, she went to a ward Valentine's Day dance and got to know Jacob better.  Amazing for these reasons--she hates dances, she has a low tolerance for loud or smart-alecky people who tend to dominate those kind of events, and she is not a flirty type of person (none of our girls are).  Their relationship progressed from there to dating, then engagement and marriage on June 30.

We were fortunate enough to meet Jacob in April when we went to graduation.  We only met Tracy a day or two before their wedding and Rene only met Preston the day before those two were married.  So we were thankful for the opportunity to spend time with Janet and Jacob and to get to know Jacob better.

 

Jacob is the oldest of 10 children.  Strangely enough, some of my siblings know some of Jacob's family, so he came highly recommended.  (In fact, I told my sister and her husband that they might need to recommend us!)  He served in the Washington Seattle mission, spending some of that time in Ferndale, which was part of our ward when we lived in Bellingham.  He is studying landscape architecture, which means that he and Rene have a lot in common.  He plays the piano beautifully, which is always makes a Mom's heart glad.  During that first visit, when we got to know Jacob, one of my favorite moments was when we gathered around the piano and I played and Janet, Jacob, Sarah and Brian sang.  Wonderful!  Jacob understands that Janet is my baby and will always be.  He is not a real nerd (although I started to wonder during the whole "ice cream" vs. "jellybean" discussion) but just enough to fit into this family of nerds.  He loves sports, t-shirts and athletic shorts, making him a perfect fit for Janet.  We have yet to see how he will survive basketball with the Bens, but I have confidence in him.

We are most thankful that Jacob is well grounded in the gospel and that he values family.  We know that he is not perfect, but we have yet to hear of anything as exciting as the Squaw Peak or VEET episodes.  Welcome to our family, Jacob, and here's to many more memories together.

In the meantime, Tracy is a little sad that she has lost her last chance to have someone displace her as the oldest of the siblings.  Don't worry, Trace--we still love you!