So I finished the Hallway project weeks ago, but then school started and apparently, I am not a multitasker. But here we go...
Before, the hallway was pretty empty except for some little goofy picture frames that I painted the same color as the rest of the house:
From the bottom looking up (with Supervisor Kevin)
From the top of the stairs looking down
Then with the help of my printer, my hammer, some nails, and of course- our shower gift from Alexis, we now have a more sophisticated hallway that displays some of our favorite memories from our favorite day!...
Looking down
Looking up
I added the other black shelf to the top of the arrangement. I wasn't going to, mostly because I was afraid we would run into it, but I think it kind of balances out the hall. Plus it's a great way to display my flowers. (I didn't really know what to do with them, but I certainly am not ready to throw them away!)
Also, those birds were on our guest book table and I made that photo strip out of some of my favorite candid shots from the wedding... someone- I think Mike- made us all take a shot of tequila before we went out for the grand entrance. It was the most vile liquid I have after consumed and I knew the photographer was there snapping away. I think she captured the moment perfectly.
Here's a closer up version of the last shot:
My face, Brian's face, and my dad's face (far left) are CLASSIC. I love it! ♥
The Friday before I got married probably should have been the most stressful day in my life. In reality, it was one of the best. Despite my usual procrastinating nature, this day was made super enjoyable for 3 reasons...
Michele Spring (our day-of coordinator) wanted us to have everything ready for her when we met for the rehearsal. "Everything" included escort cards, programs, menus, favors, center pieces, our decorations (which included a special guest book desk), and pretty much anything that we needed set up.
Our rehearsal had to be on Friday morning instead of Friday night because there was a wedding taking place.
Everyone seemed relaxed and they were all on time and doing what they were supposed to do and we were just plain having fun all day.
I DIY'd a lot of the wedding stationary and decor, so while I was up pretty late on Thursday night printing out programs, all I had to worry about on Friday was remembering to pack the car up!
(Have I mentioned that bridesmaid Brigitte just had a baby a mere 3 weeks before the wedding??)
So once everyone got to Tierra Rejada and assembled in the parking lot, we made our way over to the ceremony site to meet Michele. She lined us all up at the front first, and taught us how to walk out, which ended up making sense later. Then we all lined up the practice the processional.
The hardest part was trying to get flower girl Brooklyn to walk down the aisle. But I let her borrow my flowers and she ended up walking running down the aisle like a big girl!
We stood up there with my cousin Caitlin (who was marrying us) and discussed who would say what and when they would say it. Ring bearer Seifer knew when to bring up the rings. The moms knew when to come up and do their reading. My dad knew how to hand me off to Brian. ♥
Everything went smooth, we just had to run through one time. Everyone felt comfortable with what they were supposed to do and where they were supposed to stand. We were ready.
And then we practiced the recessional. Nobody tripped on the bricks or anything!
I have such graceful friends. And tall, too! The girls, anyway! :)
Anyway, once we all felt satisfied with our roles in the ceremony and starving from lack of breakfast, we made our way to the Junkyard Cafe for lunch. Brigitte didn't come because she had both of the little ones and wasn't sure how long they would hold out without a fuss. Sean came, but left right after we ate because he had to get back to work.
While we missed them, we did have a lot of fun, and it was awesome for Brian and I to just relax and enjoy our closest friends and family.
Once everyone was wrapping up their meals, Brian and I got up to thank everyone for all that they've done for this wedding and how special they all are to us.
We gave everyone gifts (more to come on that later!) and thanked them. And then we got an unexpected gift- a toasting and cake cutting set from both of our parents.
Looking back, I'm so happy the parents got these for us. When my mom first suggested it, I said we didn't need it since we weren't doing a champagne toast and the caterers were cutting the cake. Turns out the whole set came in very handy... and look how cute they look in pictures! :)
Anyway, after the gift giving, we socialized a bit, took some pictures, and then I had to go pick up my dress! :)
We all reconvened at my parents house for some hanging out and finger foods that night. I was able to show all the girls my dress and we were all getting excited and giddy!
And my dad spent a lot of time DIYing this sign so Brian would know to stay away!
By 10:00, everyone had left left and it was off to bed... but I couldn't go to sleep right away. I had one pesky little task left before the big day... I STILL HAD TO WRITE MY VOWS...
When I first read this prompt, my initial thought was work out more, duh. But that's more of a long term goal. Then I looked up from my computer and saw this staring back at me:
We have a huge pile of wedding presents still taking up prime real estate in our living room. We've been slowly finding places for our new toys and putting them away, but there is (obviously) some stuff that still needs to find a home. So that is July goal 1.
July goal 2 is to clean up, organize, and clear out the madness that is our guest room:
This room has a combination of old furniture, about 10 boxes of wedding stuff, our luggage, and some paperwork. Oh yeah, and a Bowflex that we will find and use after our archaeological excavation. We're planning on tackling that this weekend... updates to follow!
Seeing as yesterday was our ONE MONTH ANNIVERSARY (!!!) I would say it's about time I did some posts about the wedding... and seeing as my bridal shower was 2 months before the wedding and the event that kicked off the festivities, I figure I should probably write about that!
It was on Sunday April 10 and it was perfect! The only thing missing was my fourth bridesmaid- Brian's sister (now my sister!) Melissa. While we certainly missed her, but I gotta say, everything else was pretty amazing. The weather was perfect, the company was perfect, the food, the games, everything, and it totally set the mood for the actual big day!
With some help from my old softball coach/current co-coach and the backyard of our score keeper, my maid of honor Alexis threw the best bridal shower I have ever been to. And then to take a step back and remember it was mine?... Heaven! It was about 3 hours long, but they flew by. (Another precursor to how I would feel at the actual wedding.)
Everyone seemed to have a good time! And of course, we got a good jump start on presents and fun stuff!
With about an hour left, I had just started opening up presents and I got an even bigger surprise than the Victoria's Secret box I opened from Brian's mom!... Brian showed up, flowers in hand, and pretty much made all of the ladies swoon!
It was the sweetest thing, and he was able to help me open some presents, so I didn't have to feel so completely on the spot. (Despite what my mom some people think, I'm not the best at being the center of attention.)
And then we made him play one of the games everyone else got to play which was basically answering questions about me. Whoever got the most correct wins. My mom got 2 wrong, but took herself out of the running because she didn't think it was fair. My brother's girlfriend Jen got 4 wrong and was declared the winner. Well, an hour or so later when Brian got the chance to give his answers, guess how many he got wrong?...
ZERO! The dude knows me pretty well!
His appearance was the perfect way to round out the perfect party. Seriously, it couldn't have been better!
And one last fun display of our good time... they designed a dress for me... out of toilet paper... apparently, they know us well too! ;-)
More wedding posts to come soon! Have a good night!
A recent photo of yourself and 15 interesting facts about you...
This is the most recent photo of me... it was taken about 2 weeks ago at our best man Kevin's (not to be confused with dog Kevin) graduation BBQ. He just got his Masters Degree... he's kind of amazing like that.
I'm posing with two of the best ladies I know... in fact, that can be fact one...
♥1: Of the girls that stood up in my wedding, Rachael and Alexis were the two bookends of the group when it comes to who I've known the longest. Alexis and I played softball together since we were 12 or 13, and it doesn't matter if it's been days or months since we last spoke, we can always pick right back up where we left off. Rachael and I just became good friends within the last year or two. We got to know each other really well because she is Kevin's girlfriend, but I'm so happy we did because she's a great person! In fact, all 4 of my girls are pretty amazing... Brigitte was my best friend in college. We got into all kinds of trouble together and she got me out of my shell. I really credit her with who I have become as an adult. And Melissa is my beautiful new sister. She is basically Brian, but prettier (maybe funnier? Don't tell him!), so you know I love her! She's funny, sweet, smart, and the only thing that's not perfect about her is that she lives in Idaho, so it's not easy to see her... but maybe that will just mean more vacations! I feel so lucky to have these amazing women in my life! ♥2: I would choose to drive alone than carpool for one simple reason- I want to be able to sing in the car as loudly as I can. (Not very green, I know, but at least you know I'm not on the phone!) ♥3: One of my favorite past times is people watching and then making up stories about said people's lives. Sometimes it depresses me. Like if someone is eating alone. And they don't even have anything to read. (How can they do that?) ♥4: I love sandals. I wear them all the time. Once, one of my co-workers called me Mr. Rogers because I would show up to work in my flip flops and then change into my running shoes. And you better believe that as soon as that last bell rings, I'm back in the flip flops... which brings me to... ♥5: I love driving with the air conditioner blowing on my feet on a hot day. (Can't get that with shoes on.) ♥6: I tend to trip over my own feet. Unless I've had a few beers. Then I walk like a runway model... ♥7: I love eating dinner with my family. We laugh a lot and we're very inappropriate. It's fantastic. ♥8: I've been having a difficult time understanding people who speak with an accent. Either it's been getting worse, or I've been talking to a lot more people with accents...
Remember this? I'm totally George. ♥9: I need to fall asleep to the TV. I want to try a sound machine and fall asleep to waves or frogs or something, but that's not high on the priority list. Yet. ♥10: I used to feel like guys would only talk to me about sports. Brian talks to me about everything. I think that's why he stood out to me. I love football, but I can only talk about it for so long. ♥11: I believe strongly in the power of positive thinking. I read the book The Secret and it pretty much changed my whole life. I can't complain about a single thing in my life right now.
Of course, there's always room to improve, but everything is always heading in the direction I want it to, and I believe it's because of my frame of mind. Some people think it's kooky, but read it with an open mind. ♥12: I just had to look up how to spell 'kooky' because first I wanted to type cookie. I must be hungry. ♥13: Speaking of cookies, make it chocolate chip, please. Better yet, chocolate with chocolate chip. Thanks. ♥14: I love to travel. It doesn't matter if it's driving an hour away for a weekend get away at the beach, or flying 11 hours to Europe. I love visiting new places and learning new things. ♥15:One of my main goals in this marriage is to not lose sight of who I am. Sure, among other things, I am now a wife. Soon enough, I hope to be a mother. But I'm also, a tom boy. And adventure-seeker. An educator. I want to keep cultivating my interests, and sometimes, that's hard. I'm also in love with Brian and I hate being away from him and Kevin (dog Kevin). I want to learn how to cook better and to cook more often. To clean better and more often. To decorate, and be a perfect hostess, and a lady in general (there mom, are you happy?) But I also don't want to lose me, because after all, that's who Brian fell in love with in the first place. I wasn't scared about getting married. I was very worried/nervous/anxious about changing my name. That had nothing to do with Brian. It was more because I don't want to lose ME. It's definitely going to be work trying to find this new balance, but it helps that I'm in love with my best friend. ♥
I'm linking up with Lauren for the first time... let's do this!
1. My plans this summer include now that the honeymoon is over, leaning my house (like a DEEP clean), going to the beach, hopefully camping, hanging out with family and friends, BBQing, swimming...
The crew!
2. The best summer I ever had wasDefinitely this one- getting married and honeymooning definitely tops the list!
My dad and mom, me, Brian, and Brian's mom and dad
Although in 2010, Brian moved in, then he and I went road tripping/camping up the California coast, got Kevin, got engaged... so that was pretty sweet too.
Camping at McGrath and our first day with Kevin!
Oh, and in 2009, I got to chaperone a school trip where we got to travel all around Europe... my summers are getting better and better!
Outside the Vatican with some of my kids!
3. Summer is warm weather, free time, eating meals outside, swimming with the dogs, vacations, camping, and time spent with friends and family.
4. My favorite summer food isice cream!!! And cheeseburgers! :)
5. The best way to quench a summer thirst is with lemonadealways sounds good in the summer time, but I'll have to go with my all time favorite- Diet Coke!
6. My summer uniform consists of Dresses, shorts, and tank tops. Oh, and bathing suits!!!
7. The best thing about summer is finally having the time and the weather to do all of the things I've been wanting to do the rest of the year!
Brian and I had a snorkeling trip already lined up for Saturday morning, so it was another early morning wake up call! We met at the dock at 7:00 and began to board our boat at 7:30. We were heading off to the island of Lanai...
That shadow in the background is Maui. Our first stop on our snorkeling tour was at this little bay that was closer to facing Maui, but the water was a bit choppy. We stayed there for maybe a half hour and then headed back to the boat where they had fruit and some delicious Hawaiian baked goods for us. We headed past the 80 foot high Sweetheart Rock and heard the legend...
A ravishing young princess from Maui, was captured by a young warrior from Lanai. He took her as his wife and brought her back to his home island. He was so stricken with her beauty that he was afraid to let other men see her, and thus he confined the princess to a sea cave near the rock.
One day, as the warrior was away, the weather suddenly changed drastically, and the raging surf began to pound this side of the island. The warrior rushed back to the cave, but it was too late: His beloved Puu Pehe had drowned. Heartbroken, he retrieved her body and, with the help of the gods, climbed the steep rock island, where he buried her in a tomb. Overcome with grief, the warrior then leapt off the rock to his death.
Sounds pretty morbid. At least it was just our wallets and phones that were stolen...
Anyway, the second stop was absolutely beautiful... the clearest water I have ever seen anywhere.
I don't know if you can see all the different colors in the water behind us, but there were different colors of coral and algae and animals... it was pretty awesome.
Doesn't it look little pool water??
We were pretty happy. :D
By the time we got back to Maui, it was mid-afternoon and we were pretty wiped out. We spent the rest of the day hanging out and walking around Whaler's Village, which is basically an outdoor shopping mall.
We picked up some Chinese food and tried to eat on the beach while we watched the sun set. But then some wind kicked up and sandy orange chicken is the anti-delicious, so we moved back into the tables at Whaler's Village. The sun hadn't really set yet when we finished, so we still had time to watch. And I had time to sneak in a couple more pictures...
Sunday was our last full day in Hawaii. Apparently, any Rodner trip to Hawaii cannot be complete without a trip to Duke's, so we went there for breakfast. And dinner. (What? We like it!)
It was Father's Day. I knew my did would appreciate it! :)
We spent the rest of the day walking the beaches and swimming. It was nice. I dared Brian to jump off of Black Rock, but he "didn't want to leave our stuff alone." So he was either really paranoid or really scared. I'm still not sure! ;-)
And that was our last day there. Kind of bittersweet. We both loved the time we got to spend with each other and we did have a lot of fun. It just sucks that our trip was tainted by the robbery.
Come Monday morning, we were more than ready to see our dog and lay in our own bed. Our flight was at 1:05, so we still had the morning to lounge. We had to have the rental car back by 11, but we were dressed and ready to be out and about at 9, so on our way back to the airport, I suggested that we stop at a beach and just hang out for a bit. Along the highway, there are little pull outs were people basically drive right out onto the sand, park their car, and hang out in their own little beach cove.
I think those objects under the tree are cars... that's basically what I'm talking about...
So Brian and I find this perfect spot, right in between two other cars, just to sit and chill for a bit. We're not even pulled in as far as the other cars when Brian mutters something to the effect of, "Oh shit." And just like that, we were stuck in the sand. I got out and tried to push the car while Brian put it in gear. I moved it maybe an inch. So we switched. Same result. That car wasn't going anywhere.
So while Brian was cursing our luck and worrying about not making it to the airport, I was trying to locate an Auto Club contact on my freshly recovered (thank god) phone. Just as I found a number and started to dial, a man pulls up with a huge diesel truck. At first, he scared me. And given our past Maui track record, I don't feel bad about that. I was very apprehensive. But he approached Brian and said he noticed we were stuck and could he help... OF COURSE YOU CAN HELP!!!
As he and Brian tied the rental to his truck, his wife and baby popped out and that made me feel even better. I spoke to her for a moment and then once the man pulled the car free, the 4 of us chatted for a minute and we told them all that had happened and how we thought we would now miss the flight. They felt bad and the man said he hoped that we wouldn't think poorly of Maui because they're not all bad people there and that he also hoped our luck would turn around now.
I think it did!
We made it home safely and even a little bit early. Brian's parents picked us up, and then it was off to my parents' house to pick up our pooch! We missed him! This is like, the next day... Brian and Kevin both fell asleep on me on the couch! Silly boys! I love them!
Everyone seemed to have a good time! And of course, we got a good jump start on presents and fun stuff!
