But before we get into the details about the wedding, I need to back up a couple days to give a sense of the life-changing weekend this was for Jake. Jim and I drove out Friday, following Mom and Dad who drove separately. Derek was restricted from all travel because of his ROTC involvement, and rather than leave him home by himself, we made the very difficult decision to have all the kids stay home. The sadness of not being all together as a family felt like a dark, hovering cloud, but we made the most of it.
Before leaving, we had to be sure and remember to pack the important things, like Jake’s wedding band
and cake pops that I had promised Tiffany (ok, perhaps not equally important…but close).
The four of us set out early Friday morning in two cars and drove through a snowstorm until we crossed the border into Iowa.
Speaking of Iowa, I was entertained by their relevant highway signs.
Our gas stops included face masks. Are they a sign of the times, or what?
During the drive, somewhere in the middle of Nebraska, Jake’s squadron live-streamed their commissioning ceremony from USAFA. Jim got it fired up on his phone. He watched while I stole occasional glances.
Typically, the commissioning ceremony takes place the day before graduation, and families attend the formal event with their cadets. But because we were prevented from gathering in groups, the ceremony was live-streamed instead. Thanks to a photographer at the ceremony, we received some great pictures.
Everything was done over Zoom: Jake’s future father-in-law swore him in as a 2nd lieutenant, then they switched the screen over to Derek, who was Jake’s first salute. This was such a touching moment. It was a nationwide event: Jake in Colorado, Derek in West Chicago, and us in Nebraska.
New shoulder boards!
Then posing with the face mask.
After wiping tears of joy and somber reflection from our eyes, Jim and I called home to Face Time with the crew back in West Chicago. Molly gave us the full report on how things were really going.
We finally arrived in Colorado, drove past Denver, and had about an hour left of the drive when we hit a pothole and …
Yep. A gaping hole in the tire. We were on I-25, which was under construction with no shoulder except a narrow emergency pull-off. We were definitely in an emergency situation. Jim got right to work. Before retrieving the spare tire out of the trunk, we had to empty the trunk of the wedding gifts and transfer them to the front seat. Within minutes, Jim had the car jacked up, flat tire off and spare tire on. Then we were good to go.
After a good night of sleep Friday night, we woke up and watched the live-stream of Jake’s graduation from USAFA. We decided to Face Time with the kids back home while we all watched “together.”
Vice President Pence was scheduled to give the commencement address via video while all the cadets practiced social distancing, but a few days prior to the graduation ceremony, it was announced he would speak in person. This went a long way with cadets and their parents. Jake later commented how inspiring the speech was.
Jake sat in a separate section with the future officers of the new branch of the military, the U.S. Space Force. They wore platinum sashes instead of the Air Force gold. He’s excited to be part of something brand new and pioneering.
Once the 960+ cadets were announced as officers, the hats flew up, the Thunderbirds flew overhead, and the masks were promptly put on before high fives and hugs commenced.
Jake and some friends and groomsmen came by our palatial rental house to celebrate a successful graduation and to look forward to the upcoming wedding. It was a sweet time–lots of laughter, and also sharing heartfelt sentiments around the table. Jim shared a verse from Proverbs: “A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.” It was our prayer from before Jake even set foot on USAFA’s campus that God would bring a few like-minded, godly friends into his life. Did God ever answer our prayer beyond what we imagined, and it was fitting that we were able to share that with the friends who were with us that night. Naturally, I was so caught up in the emotion of it all that I completely forgot to take any pictures. Ugh.
Here’s the one pic I got from the night, of Mom putting the apron on Jim so he could grill the monster burgers.
As if all of this was not enough change and emotional experience for Jake, he woke up the next morning to get married! We put on our fancy clothes,
and drove here, to beautiful Pike’s Peak. Tiffany had picked out a quiet spot near the base of the mountain called Crystal Creek Reservoir. It was picture-perfect!
As an aside, we have some family history here, which made it not just beautiful but meaningful as well. We visited this very location back in the summer of 2005
and again in the fall of 2006 (our family had grown between visits).
And so, here we were again nearly 15 years later to witness our oldest son’s wedding. We snapped some photos before the bride and her family and friends arrived. Me and the love of my life:
The photographer (who was a neighbor of Tiffany’s family) and the videographer did a marvelous job capturing the emotion and the special moments of the morning. We were very thankful for their willingness to lend their services during these unusual days. Jake was downright giddy with excitement and nervousness.
His beautiful bride walked down the long aisle as he waited for her through tears and smiles. Dad spoke the message to them, for which I was so grateful. It was sincere, eloquent, and full of truth from Scripture.
They chose three hymns to sing, “In Christ Alone,” “Holy, Holy, Holy,” and “How Firm a Foundation.” Indeed, our prayer every day since then has been that God would establish their marriage on the foundation of Jesus Christ, for He is the rock of our salvation. Tiffany’s dad played the guitar while we all sang.
The bride and groom shared communion, said their vows, and were pronounced husband and wife. And the groom kissed his bride! We spent some time taking pictures,
giving tearful hugs,
and dancing.
Here is the video recap of the beautiful morning.
This wedding certainly took place during unusual and less than ideal circumstances, but we know beyond a shadow of a doubt that God reigned on that day, as He continues to reign today. We are thankful for His sovereign rule over His creation–over the big events and the little details. I am proud of Jake and Tiffany for their attitude toward having to change EVERY detail of their dream wedding. Despite all the changes, a new family was established on April 19, 2020: Mr. and Mrs. Jacob Johanik.