The best day!

Our wedding day was pretty close to perfect. I try not to over use the word perfect, because hardly anything really is....but October 17th was exactly what Bryan and I wanted. A day filled with our family and friends, a small ceremony that was short and sweet followed by a fun reception with lots of music, family, friends and dancing!

I was surprisingly calm all day. The girls and I along with my mom and Bryan's mom got our hair and makeup done and spent the day together. I wasn't sure how my nerves would be running, but I was so ready to get the show on the road I was just excited all day long. During the months leading up to the wedding I could tear up just thinking about my wedding day or hearing a certain song. So the actual day of I did great. I managed to read a card from Bryan, a card from my future mother in law and see my groom and my dad all with out losing it. I was proud!

My little love!

I did get nervous on the ride to the ceremony.....but I am guessing nervousness was to be expected. On the way to the ceremony as we were turning onto the interestate I had the window down getting some air and I saw a HUGE piece of metal fall off the truck in front of us (it looked like an important part) and our limo ran right OVER it. I am pretty sure everyone was wondering what we just hit. I started cracking up because I just knew we would have a flat tire on the way to the ceremony...but suprisingly we made it to the ceremony with air in all four tires.

Limo ride

I waited for Bryan inside the chapel and we saw each other before the ceremony and did pictures. I really can NOT remember if our photographer was in there with us...or if we were alone...or if she took pictures. I just have no idea, I just mainly remember his face and how handsome he looked....and focusing on not crying.

Standing outside the chapel with my dad and watching everybody take their places was a great feeling. We really had so much help the day of our wedding. Everybody was wonderful...our friends videoing the ceremony, to my sweet friends going early to get the reception ready to go and helping with my guestbook, to my bridesmaids putting up all the candles at the ceremony...to Lindsey taking over for the wedding coordinator at the chapel because she wasn't really doing things the way I had asked her. It was wonderful! I can't even thank everyone who helped, all the little things everybody did.....I was just so overwhelmed and I know I don't even know who all did what....THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!

My Loves!!

Our reception starting at 6:30 and I am pretty sure Bryan and I got there just a few minutes after it started...I know we even beat many of the guests. But I knew the evening would go by so fast...I wanted to get in there so I could make it last as long as possible.

my handsome handsome husband!

I love this picture. We took this the night before the wedding...sweet Hadleigh and Riley!

My girl is ONE!

My girl is one year old!
Us last year on her birthday! Sweet baby!

Hadleigh and Gammaw
Hadleigh and Grandad
Yummy caramel apples!
Joe, Had and Liz!
The excited face, she loved the cake!

She likes her present!: )

Hadleigh turned one last Friday and we had her pink and zebra striped themed birthday party on Saturday afternoon at my brother and sister-in-laws house on the back deck! It was so nice, the weather was perfect! She was really into the presents and would make a surprised faced and act excited over each one! She is also walking a few steps at a time before going back to crawling again. I got her some sweet cowboy boots and another pair of shoes that squeak. Elizabeth has reported she is now stomping around in them and walking all over the place. Amazing what some squeakers will do! :) I love my niece!

Last year while I was sitting at St. Edwards all day waiting on the sweetest baby in the world to arrive...I remember thinking exactly one year from then would be my wedding! The year FLEW by! We are exactly 10 days away and Bryan and I are both so excited. I can't wait to marry my love.

Bachelorette Party!

This past weekend was my bachelorette party/girls weekend. And all I can say is: I have THE BEST FRIENDS. I had SO much fun, and I was so thankful for most of my girls being able to make it. A couple were not able....but they were thought of and in a few cases...sang too via voice mail. hee hee.
A run down of the weekend:

- Brandi and I arrived around 9:0opm Thursday night, and then Mariellen got me hooked on the stupidest show "One Tree Hill" and so now I am going to start watching it.... :)
Beginning our journey to Nashville (that's the Plumberville post office in the background!)
- Lindsey, Kati and Jeane arrived at 2:00am Friday morning, I was dreaming about them getting there and was a little disoriented when they arrived (Jeane was also thinking stop signs were people by this point...so we were all a little nuts)
- Sidney-pup about ate all of them alive for busting in her house at 2:00am and startling her.
- We ate lunch in downtown Murfreesboro and shopped Friday afternoon (I bought a dress that was on sale that I had tried on in April when I was there..that was STILL there just waiting on me..it was a sign!)
- We went to Arrington Vineyard in Arrington...we had a wonderful picnic...ate tons of cheese and dips....and did a wine tasting..YUM!
Group picture at the winery!
Picnic'ing at Arrington!
-We had dance party to old schools tunes at Mariellen's house afterwards...complete with frozen pizza's, a "cupcake cake" in the shape of a stilletto and more snacks.
-Saturday morning we headed to Nashville, ate lunch and shopped around Green Hills area
-We checked into our hotel in downtown Nashville, got ready in our hats (Mariellen's idea) and headed to dinner at Lime, it was awesome!
The girls before we left the hotel!
Me and my sweet Kati
Group picture at Lime (Mariellen, Lindsey, Kati, Myself, Brandi and Jeane)

-Being out in downtown nashville wearing a "bachelorette" sash elicits a lot of marital advice....
-One man thought my sash said "Barracuda" HAHA
-I was dragged by a crazy woman to a stage where she insisted on having the band play me a song...and she SWORE she new the lead singer. I'm not convinced she knew where she was, let alone the lead singer. Needless to say, no song was ever played, and she wasted about $40 dollars (she also said that the song we MUST request was "sweet home alabama" because that's what ALL bachelorette's wanted to hear...... We were all CRACKING up!)
-Mariellen, Brandi and I karaoked "Here for a good time" by Lady Antebellum...I can't sing, so I just held the microphone WAY away from my face and let Mariellen and Brandi do the work....That's our new song...right Mari? :)
-My stomach was sore on Sunday driving home from LAUGHING all weekend. I love that feeling!
-My friends would not let me pay for a thing all weekend, and made me feel so special. They were too sweet and it is seriously one of my favorite weekends ever!!!!
-I kept looking around all weekend, because it was SO strange to have so many of my VERY favorite people in the same place
-I also kept thinking I just could NOT believe that it was MY bachelorette party! MINE! :) And that is was finally here. Crazy.
-Can we go back and do the weekend ALL over again...PLEASE!?!?!?!?!


Mariellen and I at Legends (scene of the crazy lady)


Jeane and Mariellen


Lindsey and Kati

What happens when you stay at work late!

Kati and I assisted Carmen in taking pictures of everything at work to make picture cards to be used for PECS or visual schedules with our sweet kids. It's going to be very handy, and hang on the wall in the gym for all to use. So after an hour or two of picture taking...pictures like the following started happening:

The caption for this picture is "hug" it should be "Heimlich maneuver" because that's what it looks like.

Ladies and gentlemen, that's one tired little OT in the ball pit!

We can call this one "crash" and in case you can't tell...that's me upside in the ball pit. It feels great in there...no wonder the kids like it.

My brother's wedding!

Hadleigh and her mommy!

Me playing with my new camera with the wedding bands

Hadleigh walking down the aisle with her grandmother's

The Love Family

Mom and Joe

Bryan and myself after the wedding

Parents of the bride and groom

We went to Fort Walton beach in July for Joe and Elizabeth's wedding. We had a nice time relaxing on the beach, eating seafood and just hanging out. Some big storm clouds rolled in the day of the wedding, however the rain held off until after the wedding and pictures were complete. Elizabeth was a BEAUTIFUL bride and Joe was a handsome groom.....and of course Hadleigh looked like the doll that she is! :) I am so excited to have my first official SISTER! Elizabeth welcome to the family, I'm glad to have a sister finally! :) (in October I will have another sister-in-law also named Elizabeth...two wonderful sister-in-laws...yippee!)

Birthday

Why I like being 26!

1. Another year older, another year wiser.
2. 26 years is long enough to make enough friends and have enough family that I was on the phone at every single break I had today because someone was calling/texting me!
3. I am thankful to be marrying a man this year that makes a big deal out of birthdays and all holidays. He's one of the most thoughtful and giving people I have ever met.
4. I have a career that I love, and a job I look forward to going to. I know that not everyone can say that.
5. Birthday cards. I love birthday cards. (the presents aren't too bad either)
6. At work we threw a party for a kiddo who shares my birthday with me and she said it was the best party ever. Yay!
7. Cake
8. I get to know me a little more every year...and I think I'm pretty cool! :)
9. My niece was standing and smiling at my door when I got home from work. Being old enough to spoil a niece and nephew is awesome!
10. I got a new big fancy camera. So watch world I will be photographing you.
11. My brother and I say "hoppy (insert holiday here)" everything. So today he text me "hoppy birthday" goes with "Hoppy Easter", and so forth...makes me laugh.


Because all posts need a picture.

Cancun

We went to Lindsey and Bryan's wedding in Cancun over the Fourth of July weekend. We had lots of fun and enjoyed hanging out with lots of our friends at once!

from the balcony in our room
Instead of waiting for us to pose, Johnny took some candid shots, funny stuff.
Foggy camera lens....:)
the girls and BRIDE!!! :)
Bryan jumping in on our picture.
The handsome groom and beautiful bride!!!
Here comes the bride!
Bridesmaids!