Alex Wrote This to be Read at Annie's Wedding Luncheon:
Yeah, dont worry about the package, I will have an awesome Christmas anyway :) I dont have much to write, as it will just be annie's letter. The pictures are going to be used for the christmas dinner of the mission, thanks a bunch mommacita!! And dadeo!! for Christmas we will be eating dinner with some families and having a gift exchange. About the packages, Elder Jensen, an office secretary, told us to use UPS. It takes a while longer, but it takes out a lot of problems. This is the letter for the wedding.
I am Alex Chadwick Eaton, son of Chad and Stephanie Eaton. Proud little brother of Annie Eaton. Big brother of Coley and Hammy. I am currently found in Dolores Hidalgo, Guanajuato, which is in Mexico, serving a mission of 2 years to the Lord. I have completed 14 months of that journey and it would appear Annie and Crayton were a little too excited to wait for me to get back to get married. But, nevertheless I am very happy for them. My cardboard cutout will be standing in for me, even though his haircut is ridiculous. I wanted to start off by saying that I really am happy for Annie and Crayton. I havent had the chance to meet the lucky guy who will be the husband of my beloved sister, but I trust my dad, mom, sister, and my brothers to be the judge of character, that he is a spectacular guy, a worthy priesthood holder, and the right man to accompany and guide Annie and their family on their road to the celestial glory as an eternal family.
As for Annie, I know my sister pretty well. I cant count the number of talks we have had together, where she has not let me go out of her room for hours on end. She is a marvelous woman, a great example to me and my family, the most smokin hot single girl in the world (well, not so much single anymore.). She is a pillar of strength, a go getter, a woman who never accepts defeat, a master of explaining how she is always right, and getting what she wants, even many times at the expense at the manual labor of her younger brothers. But more than anything, she is the most loyal friend I could have ever asked for. She was always there for me to tell that the girls I was dating and I do quote "too ugly for you" or "you can do better" or my personal favorite "What are you even doing with her?". She is direct, I can say that much, but that is how I know that she loves me. She has always been there for me, no matter what. If I really needed her, I need only ask one time.
I would like to tell you a short little story that happened a week or two before the mission. I got to a point where at 11:30 or so, I couldnt sleep. I couldnt sleep because all I was thinking was " what am I doing? How can I do this? I am not ready! I cant leave my family. I cant do this........ I cant do this..." And so in that moment I turned to the girl I knew who would answer, who I knew I could trust. I called up Annie and she said whats up? Thats when I started bawling. I talked to her for a good long while. She offered to have me talk to an RM or someone else but the only person I wanted to talk to was her. My big sister. We talked for a while, and when I hung up, I went out like a light. Crayton. That is the girl you are going to be marrying. Even when all your world is falling apart at the seams, when everything seems bleak and winnable, That is the girl that will give you that the hope and faith, when everything seems like it is against she will be there for you.
I would like to quote one of my favorite scriptures, seeing as I am a missionary. It is found in Doctrine and Covenants 122 verse 7, but with a little change of words. I would like for each of you, Annie and Crayton imagine yourselves in these situations. Not only them, everyone else who is married or has hope to be married imagine it too, but most importantly Annie and Crayton. It is THEIR day after all. It says: "And if thou shouldst be cast into the pit, or into the hands of murderers, and the sentence of death be passed upon thee; if thou be cast into the deep; if the billowing surge conspire against thee; if fierce winds become thine enemy; if the heavens gather blackness, and all the elements combine to hedge up the way, and above all, if the very jaws of hell shall gape open the mouth wide after thee, know thou, my son, that Annie, thy faithful bride, will by thy side, from the start to the finish. Know thou, my daughter, that Crayton, thy faithful husband, will be thy side in all these trials and tribulations that you are to have."
Something that happened in the mission is that it made me really really really want to get married. But honestly. My family knows that I am a combination of hopeless romantic and a super weird nerd. Not the best combination. But something that I have learned from my parents is that you have to love a person for who they are. My parents have fought, they have disagreed, and have butt heads from time to time, but one of my most cherished memories is my dad pulling his sweats up so high that it was not that hard at all to see where was his butt crack, and then looking at my mom and seeing her dying of laughter. In that moment I understood 5 things. 1)my dad is super weird 2)my mom is even weirder for having married him 3) for fault of my genes, I have inherited that weirdness 4) They really, truly loved each other. 5)I wanted to be like that. Not necessarily with the sweats all the way up there, but I want to love my wife enough to do whatever stupid, weird thing to make her laugh and I want my wife to love me enough to at least force a laugh. There is a big possibility that they dont even remember that memory, but I do. Parents teach their kids even when they arent trying. Their example has given me the base model for my love.
There is a quote that I have written in my heart and carried for quite some time from dr. Seuss. My mom knows that I love his stories, especially the Lorax from all the times that I forced her to read it over and over every night. It was also, to her good fortune, the longest of all the stories from dr. Seuss. She likes him a lot too. Dr. Seuss defines love perfectly in saying "We are all a little weird and life's a little weird and when we meet someone whos weirdness is compatible with ours, we join up with them and fall in mutual weirdness, and call it love." and if anyone is weird, it is my sister, as seen in my 3rd lesson I learned, because of our awesome genes. And Crayton, you have to be at least psychotic to marry her. But you guys have that mutual weirdness, and there is your love. I love you both and I know that not everything is going to be rainbows and butterflies after this, but you have each other. Something that the prophet Lehi says is that it is necessary that there is an oppostion in all things. And it is true. You will have suckish, stressful, hard, difficult, frustrating, crying, yelling, disagreeing, and sorrowful moments, but that is so you can have the awesome, relaxing, easy, nice, non-stressful, smiling, laughing, agreeing, and joyful moments.
You have been sealed in the temple for time and all eternity. You have promised each other to love each other more than anything else in the world, to have companionship inventories, and help each other grow in progression to that goal which the exaltation. To leave you both with some last advice, Annie, try not to scare him to much with those weird voices you do, try to clean your room a bit better, and be sure that you are there with him every step of the way. Love him and be patient with him. Remember us guys dont pick up on everything. Crayton, love her even more than I do, which is going to be hard, I assure you. Be patient and know that our family will love you too. You are now our brother and the son of my parents. I expect the same from Brother and sister Ferrell. Love my sister as your own daughter. But Crayton, even when my sister is driving you crazy, yelling, arguing, trying to fight, just remember that no matter what she says, the man always has the last word "Yes my love, you are completely right." Crayton, I love you and cant wait to meet you. Annie, I love you more than I can say and I miss you. 10 more months beloved family. I love you and miss you, all that are gathered here. Bye, adios, and I just cant seem to say it enough, and guess what?! I love you, I LOOVEE YOUUU, I LOOVVVEEEE YYYYOOOUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!!!
