A Music Themed Bridal Shower Brunch

I'm finally getting around to posting the bridal brunch we hosted for my sister who is getting married in a few months! We wanted it to be "her", so we picked colors and a theme that matched her personality perfectly: elegant, feminine and classy. So many people said, "this is so Anna!" so I think we succeed!

 We stuck with gold, rose and mint colors. We also tied in a little bit of a music theme because music is a huge part of her life, and her fiancé has an amazing voice as well. The music theme was subtle because we didn't have the usual "black and white" that would be typical for a music theme but I think it tied in great in the places that we did incorporate it!

 We "DIY'd" just about everything to save cost, plus it makes it more fun to plan everything and work hard and see it all come together beautifully! As is typical in our family (haha), we all came down with the stomach flu and Anna actually had it the day of her shower... thankfully, it was mild enough that she could still function. We saved her a plate of food for when she could stomach it ;).

The "love notes" (get it? notes? hehe) table had small journals for guests to write little notes to Anna. They could choose from date night ideas, words of wisdom or just simply a little note to her. The chalkboard banner was from Target, and the we made pinwheels out of scrapbook paper that had little music notes on it.

My Mom, the beautiful bride-to-be, and my Grandma.

I ordered paper straws super cheap off Amazon for the glasses of orange juice. One of Anna's bridesmaids made the adorable heart garland at the top of the board, and another friend wrote love quotes from songs on cardstock. We clipped those and pictures up with twine and clothespins.

I got the glass bottles for $1 each (Target) and we labeled them (labels from Wal Mart) and filled them with flavored creamers for a coffee bar.

Centerpieces were made with mason jars that we glued scrapbook paper and a strip of ribbon onto. We filled them with flowers and placed them on a mesh circle of either pink or gold.

It's always daunting decorating a big stage, but it really turned out thanks to the creativity of my sisters and the other bridesmaids! Claire made the hanging garland wreath using a hula hoop, garland, lights and lace curtains. The backdrop was more lace curtains (can usually be found at thrift stores!) and pink plastic tablecloths and the heart garland was made by one of Anna's bridesmaids.

Claire, Anna and I have always had a special bond... a three fold cord is not easily broken ;)

We were so thankful that our amazingly talented friend came to set up tiered food tables, as well as the vases of flowers. All we had to do was add our plates of food and it looked gorgeous!

Our menu was mini quiche, breakfast pizza (made by none other than my dad), mini banana muffins, fruit salad, chocolate covered strawberries, mini cinnamon rolls and yogurt parfaits. 

One of Anna's close friends gave a really special devotional, which was a letter she wrote to Anna and read. It was very heartfelt and beautiful!

We decorated a bulletin board as a photo booth for the shower and it was a big hit!

Here is Anna with most of her sisters/bridesmaids (missing 3! Yes it's a huge wedding ;)

The guests (mainly all close friends because we're all just a big family up there!) were so generous and she got so much of what she will need for starting her new life with Jacob. We could not be happier and are so glad she loved this special day in her life! 

Wedding Bells

Inconsistent blogging drives me crazy, especially in myself. I would love to have a consistent 2-3 week posting schedule, but sadly it usually doesn’t happen. I have somewhat of an excuse these last few weeks, I guess. We traveled to my hometown for their church’s missions conference, a best friend’s wedding and a family vacation to the big city. We probably couldn’t have picked a more busy time to come, and I’ve been completely exhausted since I’ve been here. (Of course, staying up all night with my sisters the first night we arrived wouldn’t have anything to do with it). While we are all wiped out, we are, as always, thankful and happy to be together and having the craziest of times!

 I haven’t taken many pictures with my camera, so I’m sharing IPhone pictures of Brad and Felicia's wedding. It was an absolutely gorgeous day and Feli was just stunning. 

I'll be back later this week with more pictures from our trip!

Special moment at the rehearsal dinner

Luncheon for the bridal party before leaving for the ceremony

Mom of the Groom and one of my second Mom's

Last Moments with Dad

       Happily Married!                               

Limo Ride!

We went downtown for pictures and it was in the 30's, windy and SO cold but we still had the best time! I'm so happy for both of them!

Wedding Bells!

Ashley and I have known each other since we were 2 years old and been besties pretty much the whole time. That means 23 years of friendship and going strong. She's been through a lot over the years and I've watched in amazement as she's stayed faithful to God and submissive to authority, even when she wanted to throw in the towel. Peter and her got together last summer and it was quickly evident that God had brought them together and nothing would tear them apart. I don't know what else to say, except that they are perfect for each other and I am immensely happy for them! It was a privilege to be her Matron of Honor and it was such a fun, memorable day that I will never forget!

Our day started out right with food! :) A close friend let all of us use her beautiful house to get ready for the wedding and prepared an amazing luncheon for us.

My sister's little bump at 12 weeks

I don't know of anyone who has a friendship like ours. I don't know what I would do without these girls!

Their first kiss!

Mr. and Mrs.! 

After the ceremony, she had a cake and brownie reception that was relaxed and fun!

Oldest and Youngest

My seven sisters and I!

Back, L to R: Julia, Claire, Anna, Me, Deborah, Mary

Front, L to R: Nicolea and Lydia

There is nothing in the entire world like family, and these girls are my heart and soul.

Claire, her husband Greg and their beautiful baby boy, Michael

It was so special to all be part of our friend's wedding!

  

After the cake reception and pictures, we attended the dinner reception that we all set up and decorated before the previous day. Ashley is a master mind and everything looked magnificent!

And they lived happily ever after! 

Every Day is a Celebration

The first time I saw him I couldn't eat.

 Which is a miracle in itself--me, not able to eat?

 He sat across from me at dinner and talked to my dad. I stared at my plate and picked at my food, afraid to look at him. He was the most beautiful male creature I had ever seen!
  It was the first time we had visited this church for their missions conference and they put on quite a spread. For all the visitors there was housing provided, 3 hot meals daily, and great services with excellent music, plays and preaching. I was quite impressed. But even more than the smoked brisket (it was Texas, after all), I was impressed with that guy with the blonde hair and the blue eyes. I was impressed with the way he listened to godly men of God speak. When the teens were talking and goofing around at one end of the table, he was leaning in to hear what the preachers had to say--probably hoping to glean a little wisdom from their years of experience. I was impressed with his sweet personality, his friendliness and the fact that he wasn't just plain immature like a lot of the guys I knew. I noticed that he was a servant, always helping people.

 So maybe I'm a little embarrassed when I think back and remember that I noticed all this stuff about a guy I hardly talked to, but I guess it was good because a year later he wanted to get to know me. I was in complete shock. I cried, actually. He was the perfect guy. He loved God, sang, had a great personality, played sports and was good looking to boot! These are the guys you snatch up without question because they are rare breeds in the day that we live.
 Well, I did have a few questions and thus began hours of phone conversation. We asked each other everything we could think of to get to know the other as much as possible. We laughed and joked but we talked seriously too. I was afraid that something bad would happen--that it was all too good to be true--so I tried to keep my heart to myself as much as I could. It wasn't working and I was falling for him fast. Every day I prayed and asked the Lord if it wasn't his will that he would take away my feelings, please stop it now before we got in to far. All he did was make my feelings stronger and show me verses in the Bible confirming that this was the man he wanted me to be with.

 A few months later, my dad bought him a plane ticket and worked it out for Nate to surprise me for Christmas. Our family sat at a resturuant for breakfast and as I talked to Nate on the phone for a minute, he walked up to our table with pink roses. ( I later learned that my dad had prompted him to get the roses because white is for friendship, pink is for something more than friendship and red is for love. They were perfect!)
 After the shock wore off, my dad said, "he came here to ask if you would court him," because Nate was a little flustered to say it himself. ;)
 I said yes, and once again I couldn't eat that morning at breakfast as I sat in awe, still hardly able to look into those piercing blue eyes. God hadn't given me the man of my dreams, he had exceeded what I ever dreamed I would get in a man.
 Over the next almost 2 years, we had a long distance relationship that consisted of hours of talking, web cam,  emails and online chatting. Our visits were every few months and every time I grew closer and closer to him and knew I could not spend the rest of my life without him.
  In August we were engaged and the following June, I walked down the aisle to meet him at the altar where we held hands for the first time, hugged for the first time and kissed for the very first time. As I looked into his eyes and said my vows, I didn't think there was any way I could possibly love him any more than I did at that moment.

5 years, 2 kids-and-one-on-the-way later, my love for this man has grown stronger than anything I ever thought possible. Every day he continues to exceed my dreams. And I'm being honest--I know that everyone says that they "have the best spouse in the world", but this one is truly a rare breed. The best things about him are his patience, care, love and respect for me, his servants heart and the way he helps me with the kids and loves to please me. His walk with the Lord and sensitivity to the Holy Spirit convict me almost daily to strengthen my walk with Jesus Christ.

 2 weeks ago we celebrated our 5th anniversary. It was a very different day from the one we had celebrated 5 years before but our love, commitment and respect for each other far exceeded that day. Because we were travelling, we stayed in a friend's house with my sister in the room and I wore baggy pink p.j. pants that night, but we weren't dependent on a fancy hotel and bubble bath to prove that we loved each other, that we had something to celebrate. The wonderful life that we share together, the daily chores, talks, watching our kids grow, laughing all the while, is something that is worth celebrating every single day. I am living a dream that I never really thought was possible. My husband loves God, me and our children. Yes, each day is a celebration in my book.
 Happy Anniversary, baby. Because of you I have something to celebrate every day. I love you.

 P.S.: The following week, we were able to spend a night away in a beautiful hotel and take time to focus on each other--so no feeling sorry for us ;)

Travelling

Well, tomorrow starts our big trip home! Our flight leaves at 6:00am (Blah--make that a 3:30am wake up call!) and we'll be in at 12:00pm. Packing for the kids and I for a month has been a little overwhelming. I don't want to under pack and I don't want to over pack, but I think I finally have it figured out.
 I am SO excited to be travelling with my husband! I haven't been on a flight with him since Brookie was 3 months old. Since then I've done close to 70 flights and 40 layovers by myself with the kids. I don't mind it, but having my hubby along is a HUGE help.
 Determined to eat healthy while we travel (and not spend a fortune on airport food) I have whole wheat bagels, fruit and yogurt for breakfast and wheat thins and fiber one bars for snacks if we need it. I am never lacking for food when we travel...in fact, I usually pack too much food! I'm particular about having a lot of healthy options and not be subject to whatever is the cheapest in the airport, which is normally Chinese food or pizza.
 When we get there we'll be driving a few hours away for a friend's wedding. Nate is a groomsman and I'm the photographer. I'm looking forward to it! We'll also be celebrating our 5th anniversary, but won't get to do much on that day since we'll be driving, so we're planning for something later in the year.
 Well, it's off to finish packing and straighten the house a little. Because of our travels, wedding and 4th of July celebrations, I probably won't be posting until later next week. Hope you all have a wonderful week and fun time celebrating our countries freedom!

Loving This!

I've found some time in the past couple days to work with photoshop and play around with my pictures a little. I'm loving this candid, natural shot from my sister's wedding!