Saturday evening we headed to Shepherdstown, WV for my great niece's wedding. The weather forecast was for a winter storm warning with freezing rain and sleet to begin about six pm. We arrived in the quaint university town about that time while the roads were still dry. The wedding was to start at half past six. Finally, we found a place to park and walked back up the street beside of Shepherd University to the stately St. Peters Lutheran Church perched on the corner of King and High Streets. What a magnificent site for a wedding!!! We recognized some of our relatives and friends as we entered the church. Talked briefly with my sister and others waiting in the room to the right with the groom, his family and some of the groomsmen. Then the ushers took us to our seats. The inside of the church was similar to the Woodstock Methodist church, but seemed far off in a magical dream in a distant land. Felt like we were in a cathedral in Austria with the large organ and entire wall of pipes. Poinsettias adorned the church which was lit elegantly with candlelight. The wedding colors were red and silver. The wedding party starting down the aisle. The maid of honor, Amy's older sister, Jennifer, wore a strapless dark red gown as did the bridesmaids. I think Jay, the groom, was wearing a silver vest, and the groomsmen all wore red vests with their tuxedos. Finally, our precious Amy, entered the sanctuary on her dad's arm in a strapless white gown trimmed in dark red. The soloist sang, "Tell Me Why", one of the first songs that all of us 4-Hers learned at camp. That's where Amy and Jay met several years ago. The soloist is a retired extension agent and friend of the couple. He sang "Today" while Jay and Amy lit the unity candle. That is "their song" from 4-H camp, too. I thought I was hearing John Denver singing, "Today, while the blossoms still cling to the vine I'll taste your strawberries, Ill drink your sweet wine................................." Amy graduated from Shepherd University with her degree in nursing, and works in the OB Dept of the nearby Jefferson Memorial Hospital. Jay is in the dairy business on his family farm after graduating from WVU. Both are doing what they love. They already have their new home built on five acres in Jefferson County, and will be living in it following their return from honeymooning in Jamaica. After the wedding we left the church and rode down through the center of town on the way to the reception at the fire hall. The shops on German Street were outlined with clear Christmas lights, and had elegant window displays. We felt like we were in another time. It resembled a magical miniature Christmas village of long, long ago. At the fire hall we met up with the rest of the folks. Then we mingled with other guests and drank punch and ate the munchies. After the wedding party arrived we had a wonderful buffet meal with ham and roast beef. Wonderful food and wonderful fellowship, but the weather wasn't so wonderful. It had started raining and the temperature was dropping. We decided we needed to leave. We stayed long enough to have some of the wedding cake and to watch the couple dancing. We said our goodbyes, got a silver Christmas ornament from one of the trees, and headed home. The rain was heavy. Then it was turning to ice. The antenna was iced over and finally the rain turned to sleet. We got home by the skin of our teeth and the grace of GOD. The road, trees, and ground were covered with glistening ice crystals. Indeed, it was a magical evening. It was almost heaven.........West VA. :) The bed never felt so good. We got a good nite's sleep and woke up Sunday morning to a Winter Wonderland. The trees were still completely iced, but the roads were thawing out. So, we were able to go to worship service at church. Afterwards, we rode to Woodstock for a bite of lunch. The sun was shining on the ice covered trees of the Massanutten Mountains in the Edinburg Gap. The mountain and sky never looked so glorious. What a winter wonderland to behold!!! The valley is lovely in all seasons, but never more beautiful than Saturday night in a storybook wedding and on Sunday when the mountains glistened. The weekend was what dreams are made of. Just wanted to share with you all. Love, Nancy