Blue Boy Hue

With the cries of baby boy #1, 22 years ago, my world took on a blue boy hue.  From firetrucks and stick guns, to Lego’s and robotics, motorbikes, and surfboards our home leaked blue.  There was little femininity in the Boyd household, as boy #2, #3 and #4 wailed their way into our tribe in seven rapid years. In many respects it was easier to not upset the mix with a girl.  We knew boys.  We knew what to do with boys.  We had boys down.  We had the clothes, the shoes, the toys, and apparently the “boy only” mold. We would not have it any other way.

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I would strive to keep girly moments in my life. Whether it be a shopping trip (alone), a girl’s weekend away, flowers on the table, candles lit, or a tea party here and there. However, the reality is, with 5 guys in the house, I was clearly outnumbered and for most of the time it was easier to go with them than fight them. The table talk was often about cars, planes, electronic this and Elon Musk that. The truth is, boys love their Mom, so it took little effort to embrace my blue world.

Then came Mia. Last summer Mia hung out with Darron and I quite a bit during our time in America, as Aubrey was working most of the week away. I noticed her cute shoes. Why I had never coveted any of my boy’s shoes, but these were adorable. I was inspired to invest in a new pair of girly shoes, thanks to Mia. Mia was quick to offer help in the kitchen and always brought something to add to a meal, something that had not translated into reality with my boy raising abilities. More importantly, we loved who Mia was in character and personality, and we were delighted when Aubrey and Mia announced their engagement last fall.

Since then Mia and I have sent hundreds of messages back and forth working through the plans for her and Aubrey’s wedding. I. LOVED. EVERY. SINGLE. GIRLY. MOMENT.  It was so much fun. From the first glimpses of her dress, to all her Pinterest ideas, to location details, and picnic basket meal thoughts. It was so filled with girl pink hues. More importantly I cherished getting to know Mia better and feeling her lean in on me with trust to help her fulfill her wedding day dream.

The week before the wedding we arrived in Tennessee to pull all the plans together.  Monday was a super fun day as we headed to an amazing tea house and enjoyed a girl party for Mia. Then Mia and I headed to the stores to tackle lists of things to purchase including cheeses, breads, and desserts to sample. That evening Andrew, Meredith (yes, another delightful girl pink hue), Aubrey, Mia, Darron and I enjoyed, sampled, and recommended our favorite food choices for the picnic baskets.

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Thursday, Mia’s immediate family and ours headed to a cabin near Max Patch, NC. There we enjoyed a meal together and my parents and brother Nick, along with Sherri, Tyler, and Alex, joined us for incredible “wedding” cakes with a gorgeous view.

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Friday was filled with wedding preparations.  I am so indebted to Kimberly (a long-time friend to both families) who came and helped with many details. Also, Darron and Darron’s Mom and many others who at the last minute helped fill those 15 picnic baskets.

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Quicker than we expected it was time to head to the wedding location. This involved a short hike to the mountain meadow of Max Patch.  The location did not disappoint. It was incredible.

Some of our guests came to great lengths to come. The biggest shout out being to Uncle Mike and team. Uncle Mike was so determined to come and it was pure joy to see this come together for him and to see him in the mountain meadow (one of his favorite places in life, and first time to return to one since his quadriplegic accident over 26 years ago).  Another shout out to the grandparents who not only had to strain up the mountain, and not have comfortable seats, but also risked exposing themselves to COVID. Also, my brother’s family drove 16+ hours from Minnesota. And several special families drove over 3 hours and turned around that same evening to go home.

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Mia was stunningly gorgeous. Aubrey looked dashing. They were teary as they exchanged vows. Darron was honored to marry them. I enjoyed every moment.  It even rained for about 30 minutes right after the service ended, but Mia was ready with clear umbrellas for her guests.

And all too soon the last meaningful hug was given, and it was over. We fell into bed exhausted but satisfied, that this special day had come true. We continue to rejoice that we could be a part of this event despite what was happening in the world and have a cherished memory, that was so threatened not to be ours.  We celebrate that now a pink satin ribbon weaves through our blue boy hue. Welcome Mia to our tribe.

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