This wedding will go down as the most dramatic for us. And the bride doesn't even like drama! Paul and I flew into Anchorage on Thursday evening, rented a car, and drove to our hotel. Jackson had flown up the week before to help set up for the reception. We stopped by Amber's family home and enjoyed a lovely dinner. We took Jackson with us so we could be together the night before the wedding.
At 6:30am Paul woke up and started getting ready. The wedding wasn't until 11am so I complained a bit. But Jackson and I got up and were dressed by 8:30am when the earthquake started. It was still dark outside because it was November in Alaska. I was in the bathroom when the lights went out. I couldn't figure out why Paul and Jackson were jumping up and down on the floor. We were staying on the 3rd floor which was the top floor.
I suddenly couldn't remember what to do during an earthquake. Should I hop into the bathtub? I opened the door and saw Jack and Paul looking out the window. Car alarms were going off in the darkness below. The power came back on and the Emergency Broadcast System were telling us there was a tsunami alarm. We should go to higher ground. Well, we thought we'd just stay here. That was until someone knocked on our door and told us to evacuated. There could be a gas leak.
So we collected important items and left. Many were standing outside in the freezing weather, nowhere to go, or no rental car (the hotel had an airport shuttle). Without knowing which way to go, we drove to the temple. The traffic was already heavy. Workers had arrived at work and were turning around to go home or pick up children at school. Roads had collapsed. All gas stations were closed.
We arrived at the empty temple lot and noticed no lights. Soon, the temple president emerged and waved us in. We sent Jackson by himself as we waited. After about 20 minutes, the two of them came out and to the car.
The president told us there was no power and that they would have to close until Tuesday. My brain started to turn. Our flights to Seattle were booked for the next day. Jackson would be honeymooning in Bellingham. But Washington had a 3-day marriage license waiting period. How would this all work?
The president told us he would call us if the power came back on. We decided to drive to Amber's home since the bride and groom hadn't seen each other. I was so sad to see the family cleaning up. Apparently they had displayed all their creches on a shelving around the living room. Many had fallen and broken on the tile flooring. They were collecting the broken pieces and putting them in boxes to sort through later.
Amber and Jack hugged and I could see the disappointment on her face. But she was still confident everything would work out. It wasn't an hour later that the temple president called and said the wedding was on. When did they want to be married?
We decided on 1pm and the bride began to get ready. The luncheon that was planned for the meetinghouse across the parking lot from the temple would have to be canceled. Uncle Dean contacted us to say his friend that works at the
Seattle Times would like to interview Jack. So on our way to the temple, he was on the phone with Evan Bush.
The couple looked amazing in the snow. I sent Evan this picture to use with the story.
When we went inside, the temple had a sign on the front door that said it was closed until Tuesday. Inside were the three members of the temple presidency, the matron and her two assistants, and a couple who travel a long distance to be ordinance workers for the week. The bridge to Wasilla was out, so there was no point in leaving.
Paul and I represented the Willards and the Andersons filled the rest of the sealing room. Amber has about 20 aunts and uncles, and over 60 cousins. The matron told us that the shaking had caused glass from the chandelier to cover the surfaces of the sealing room. They ran around with their dustbusters and collected all the shards.
After the sealing, I talked to the temple president, telling him how grateful I was that he had made it happen. He whispered to me that he would have done it with a flashlight if the power hadn't been turned back on. That's exactly what I wanted to hear. I told him that after working in the Seattle Temple for 5 years, I made it my motto to do whatever was necessary to make it happen. Call the Stake President. Talk to the Bishop. Ask the temple president to call a Seventy. Get the right paperwork. Make it happen. Some of my favorite memories were those weddings that almost didn't happen.
After the wedding we drove by the Strawberry Building where the reception was set up. Apparently the moose were the only ones there. The FM Group wouldn't let us in the building until it was cleared. We waited a few hours and then they gave us the okay.
The aftershocks continued all night. These tulle curtains waved like the breeze every few minutes. But I was surprised that 12 hours ago the city was in chaos. Now we were all partying.
And it all worked out. It turned out Jackson had booked our hotel for his wedding night. We teased, but didn't bother him. Our flight was in the afternoon, so we wandered around Anchorage a bit. The gas stations had reopened and Costco was busy. I couldn't believe how much I loved that Costco. Tons of Sorel boats, flannel jackets, and cute kid clothes.
I also found a quilt shop. I was surprised it was open. Part of the roof was damaged over the batik section, so they just put some caution tape around it. There was a bolt of orange fabric I had to have a piece of. We made it to the airport, turned in our car and left for Seattle.
About halfway there, someone had a medical crisis on the plane and we had to return to Anchorage. We stayed on the tarmac for an hour and then tried again. As late as we were, there was no problem for us. But all the people with connecting flights had to be put in a hotel. Everyone kept telling us we had to come back. Maybe we'll choose a nice week in the summer.
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