Baby Elena

Yesterday an old friend of mine named Michael was married to a beautiful girl named Heather in the Bountiful Utah Temple.  You see, Heather moved to La Junta, Colorado to attend the same junior college I was attending.  She and her friend Janice were the new girls in our small ward, and Michael really wanted to get to know them.  So the four of us went on a double date, me with Janice, and Michael with Heather.  Well, Janice and I didn't work out... for obvious reasons.  But Michael and Heather continued to date for years and are now happily husband and wife!

Now, while I was living with Michael's family in La Junta, we were all good friends with a young married couple named Ben and Chayla.  They were such fun to hang out with!  Ben is like a big kid, always making some joke and completely unable to sit still, and Chayla is just the sweetest and most charming woman you will ever meet.  We made a lot of good memories during that summer before I moved to Utah.   

Why all this history?  Well, Ben and Chayla were invited to Michael and Heather's wedding reception as was I.  And since I missed them, and they missed me, we decided to go to the reception together.  It was a great reception, and I was glad I got to see Michael and Heather, visit with Michael's brother Edward and his wife Lacie a little bit, gab with Michael's mom Tami for a while, and even see her parents whom I just love to pieces.  But the best part of the evening had to be the time spent with an adorable baby named Elena!

Ben and Chayla didn't come alone to pick me up, last night.  Oh no.  They arrived with Chayla's mother Cindy.  Another friendly face from my past.  But most importantly, they came with their ten-month old baby Elena.  Of course I had heard all about her birth and had seen baby pictures on Facebook, but this was the first time seeing her in person!

In the car she would hold tight to my finger and look up at me with those big beautiful eyes.  While at the reception I got to hold her and laugh as she continually stuck her tiny hands into my mouth.  Silly girl!  And the entire night, the feeling just grew and grew: