Mr. and Mrs.

I fear that I have no words to describe July 25th.  Maybe it was a culmination of now being married and knowing what this wonderful couple has to look forward to, maybe it was the way the groom broke down into tears the moment beautiful Ashley entered his line of sight, or maybe it was the way they giggled at the altar, but this wedding was amazing. 

Maybe it was the way Bethany avoided Ashley for most of the morning until she did her make-up, for fear that she would start to cry again.

Maybe it was the rain, and you better believe we were checking the weather every 15 minutes.  Despite a favorable forecast, the wedding had to be moved at the last minute to inside the tent.  But you know what?  Rain is beautiful.

Maybe it was the way her Dad (my step-dad) was shaking as he saw her for the first time, maybe it was the way he started to cry as he handed her the bouquet.

Maybe it was the fact that, to compensate for the rain, we bridesmaids made sure to laugh, cry, toast, and cheer as we piled into the back of my Trailblazer (all EIGHT of us) to make our way from the Bridal room to the  reception tent, where we were walked, one by one, to the altar under a large black umbrella. 

(taken from Facebook)

Maybe it was the way, an hour after the ceremony, the sun broke through the clouds and gave us one of the most beautiful evenings of the summer.

Whatever it was, this wedding had a special feel to it.  The kind of feeling that makes you reach over during the first dance and hold your own husbands hand.  The kind of feeling that makes you thank God for marriage, for love, for commitment. 

I couldn't be happier to welcome Brett into our family, he completes Ashley in so many ways.  Where he is introverted, she is bubbly and sweet.  Where is she of the moment and spontaneous, he is intellectual and more thought out.  And I think I know a few more guys that are over the moon happy to have a new 'brother'.

So happy, in fact, that they felt the need to do some crowd-surfing. 

The party was so fun, even the DJ stayed longer to play a few extra songs.  Thats the kind of wedding this was.  No one wanted to leave, even the staff.

To the new Mr. and Mrs. - I love you both so much, I wish you all the best.  It's not always easy, it won't always be this fun, but it will always, always, always, be worth it. 

Is This Normal?

First of all..the wedding was amazing.  INCREDIBLE.  I promise many pictures to come, but I am unable to sort through them and find the appropriate words right now. 

On that note...would you like to know why I am a little distracted?

Oh, because my house is, once again, filled with smoke.  I told you I was a holy terror in the kitchen...I did not exaggerate. 

It all began innocently enough.  I filled the dishwasher, spun the dial to normal and walked away.  Thirty minutes later the acrid smell of burnt plastic began to fill the house as we got ready to head out for the day.  We followed the smell to the kitchen and what do you know? SMOKE!

Matt opened the dishwasher to find...

...this. What the heck did I even do here?

It appears that a bottle and a spoon fell through the rack (I am, admittedly, not great at loading the dishwasher) then melted??

I mean, does this kind of thing even happen to other people, or am I alone in my inability to accomplish a simple task?

And So It Begins...

My little sister is getting married this weekend.

That's so weird, to type that sentence feels very strange.  It seems like just last year  we were playing dress-up on the front porch and trying to open our own animal rescue shelter.  Never mind the fact that the only 'animal' we rescued was a dead snake that had been run over by a car.  Ew.

ANYWAY, we are about to head off to the rehearsal, and I am so excited! (It doesn't hurt to know that I will have a day to clean myself up as well! These hands haven't had a manicure since last year!)

'Til Monday, here is a little collage of details from her bridal shower to tide you over!

Maybe you can be praying that Jack doesn't cry during the ceremony, causing my milk to come in?  Wet boobs are not quite fitting with the decor.

Featured!

I am excited to tell you guys that Matt and I are being featured today over on Meet The Newlyweds!  Somehow Jenna not only manages to keep up with her precious twin boys, her garden, her chickens. and her delicious cooking, she also writes a fun blog and regularly introduces newly married couples to the rest of us! 



And as I am sure you have noticed, I never miss out on an opportunity to gush about my handsome baby-daddy, so head on over to read all about how we met and started this whole thing!

If you are just visiting for the first time from The Newlyweds Blog, welcome!! Feel free to dig around, and if you want to leave me a comment so I can 'get to know you' through your blog as well that would be great!

Buckle Up!

When your mom tells you she will strap the baby in the car...

take it with a grain of salt.