![\"\"](\"https:\/\/mypeacezone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Carl-Donna-Familes-together-4.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\nI apologize, again, for my incessant referral to our recent wedding which included NONE of these people. We wanted our special time together to be completely about our Covenant of Marriage \u2013 just the two of us and our dear friend, Arlene, who married us and who has the House Church that we attend on Tuesday nights. And our precious witnesses and friends, Temple and Cindy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/mypeacezone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Carl-Donna-Carls-Family.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\nThis time of gathering on Friday night was about being together as family \u2013 that included all our boys\u2019 girlfriends. It is probable that one day I\u2019ll be talking about their marriages but in the meantime, if those girls love our guys \u2013 then they are part of our family!<\/p>\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/mypeacezone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Carl-Donna-Donnas-family-2.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You can see that my sweet and beloved daughter, Shawntel, took our marriage to her big heart and made our wedding day a month ago, on August 8th, come alive for all of us. I never dreamed she would capitalize on our sunflower theme and take it to a whole new level.<\/p>\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/mypeacezone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Carl-Donna-Cake-Cut.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Though the night was filled with comradery, delicious food, great conversations and blessings beyond our wildest imagination, most of all, we sensed God\u2019s favor over our union as our children and their spouses spoke blessings over our lives. To God be the glory!<\/p>\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/mypeacezone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Carl-Donna-Feeding-Carl-Cake.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I am reminded of the \u201csunflowers\u201d again and how they follow the sun from morning to night. They were our wedding theme a month ago, and Shawntel took the theme to a whole new level at this reception.<\/p>\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/mypeacezone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Carl-Donna-Banner.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As you can see in the photos, there are hand painted sunflower glasses, packaged sunflower seeds for our guests to plant and more sunflowers in arrangements, balloons and photos!<\/p>\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/mypeacezone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Front-Door-Sign.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Life is full of surprises, isn\u2019t it? Sometimes there are wonderful and amazing surprises like two \u201colder\u201d people finding each other in a most surprising way \u2013 at an election. Then there are unwelcomed surprises that God knew about even before they made their way into our lives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/mypeacezone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Sunflower-Glasses.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\nWhatever season, situation, sad times, and celebration times \u2013 if we continue to follow the SON in all His glory \u2013 keeping our eyes on Him, we will rise like the SUN and be beacons that others follow us as we follow Him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/mypeacezone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Sunflower-Seeds.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“I keep my eyes always on the Lord. With Him at my right hand, I will not be shaken.” (Psalm 16:8)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The family that captures memories together\u2026\u2026STAYS TOGETHER\u2026. in love, in support, in encouragement, and in MEMORIES! We missed our two granddaughters: Adeline, Carl\u2019s granddaughter who is a cheerleader at Westlake High School in Austin and couldn\u2019t miss \u201cSenior\u201d night at the football game. And my Alexia, who is attending ministry school in Nashville. But, sooner…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":18681,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_coblocks_attr":"","_coblocks_dimensions":"","_coblocks_responsive_height":"","_coblocks_accordion_ie_support":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[27932,27931],"tags":[25442,27930,837,1210,838,1769,27545,27928,1392,1084,40,6457,1546,27927,27926,11984,27929,27483,1940,27925],"class_list":["post-18680","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-abundant-sunflower","category-reception","tag-25442","tag-august-8","tag-blessings","tag-blog","tag-celebration","tag-christian","tag-covenant-of-marriage","tag-eyes-on-the-lord","tag-facebook","tag-family","tag-inspiration","tag-marriage","tag-party","tag-psalm-168","tag-reception","tag-sun","tag-sunflower-theme","tag-sunflowers","tag-wedding","tag-wedding-reception"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mypeacezone.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18680","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mypeacezone.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mypeacezone.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mypeacezone.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mypeacezone.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=18680"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/mypeacezone.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18680\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18694,"href":"https:\/\/mypeacezone.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18680\/revisions\/18694"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mypeacezone.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/18681"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mypeacezone.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=18680"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mypeacezone.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=18680"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mypeacezone.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=18680"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}