Fall Wedding ::look book::

Another momentous occasion deserving of a look book. This past weekend, a good friend of ours got married, thus resulting in an overload of pictures! The details were exquisite and the guest list consisted of yet another High School reunion. I've known Jamie for over 20 years, since we first went to grade school together. She and I were also teammates for our high school volleyball team at Providence High. I was so happy to bear witness to this special occasion; beginning her new life with her new husband, Sam.

The wedding was held at one of our local, and historical hotels downtown, The Seelbach. It's quite a popular venue for gatherings of any sort, but I'd say a large variety of those are weddings. Upstairs the ceremony was held in their old Grand Ballroom. Recently renovated, it was stunning and seemed to be the perfect location for an intimate wedding.


First entering the room, you are completely overwhelmed by the FLOWERS. I guess I should also mention the bride's family is the owner of one our local, and very popular florists, Nance Floral Shoppe. Therefore, the flower details were certainly at a high expectancy, but I was still completely blown away. The aisles consisted of large vase arrangements, along side candles.

As you can see, it was beautiful. Given our seats I wasn't able to get the full view of the front, but it was certainly something to see as you can imagine.

We were told the candles caught the eye of more than just the guests seated next to them. Apparently, the ring bearer (groom's son) was so mesmerized, he asked if he could blow them out on his way down the aisle. Kids! Hilarious.

Well, the ceremony was as expected - a tear jerker! The groom immediately teared up when he saw Jamie coming down the aisle. I thought I was going to lose it right then and there. Luckily I was able to get through it with just a couple watery eyes; although these pregnancy hormones could have suggested otherwise. After the ceremony we made our way down to the Seelbach's lower level venue, the Rathskeller. This is where the reception was held. Again... breathtaking.

A beautiful arrangement of center pieces, votive candles, and each place setting accompanied by a purple rose. Gorgeous. And as always, the hatred part of blogging, I tried capturing every detailed shot I could. The lighting was as it should be, dim and romantic, but it is the absolute enemy for photographs. I was able to lighten the exposure, but it still doesn't do justice to the ambiance of this occasion.

After dinner and the dance formalities, so began the mingling. It's great seeing old friends and classmates, catching up on life's recent events (engagements, pregnancies, etc.). I just love it! The bride actually had three out of her five bridesmaids who were pregnant. Isn't that something?

One of them being another good friend, and fellow volleyball player, Juli (on the right). This spunky lady is truly one of the most sweetest gals I've been blessed to know. Sadly, she lives clear across the country in California, so it's great to see that face when possible!! I'm so happy for her and her husband on their soon-to-be baby boy. It was so exciting to find out she was having a boy, also. Yay for baby boys!!!! Not to mention, she's only about 5 weeks behind me, due in February.

Here with our bestie, Erika, we attempted to get a side by side shot of our baby bumps. There's mine... can you see her little bump? No? Neither could I. And yes I gave her a lot of crap about it, too. She's just tiny and it's her first baby - at least that's what I keep telling myself. Ha! She was simply glowing. This pregnancy is going to be good to her, I can tell. :) Congrats again, Juli and Brad!!!!

After further mingling, we managed to snap some more photos of everyone together - the best we could. We were hoping to get one of our classmates, but with the dance floor a blaze and drinks flowing, it was pretty difficult to keep everyone in one place for too long. Nonetheless, we got what we could. Along with a few silly photos of me and Erika, just being ourselves.

And I can't forget my handsome date. He was such a trooper that night; escorting me to and from the bathroom every hour. Although he does it with no hesitancy, I know it gets redundant. Ha! He's so good to me, and I'm grateful. LOVE YOU, CHRIS.

I just love LOVE, and true love stories at that. The story of how Jamie and her new husband, Sam, met reminds me of a classic movie. Although God's plan is never written out for us to know ahead of time, making these fate drawn relationships spectacular in ways we can't explain. I'm so happy for Jamie and Sam. I wish them the absolute best on this new journey together!! Thanks for letting us be a part of your special day! Sending you lots and lots love!!! Xoxo

"Dig a tunnel, dig dig a tunnel..."

Hope everyone had an enjoyable Memorial Day weekend! It seems as though my internet did... grrrr. I find myself always apologizing for late posts. This issue will find itself a resolution soon, I promise.

Moving on... I'm quite excited to share my newest project! If I could scan a photo of our whole neighborhood in its current state, there are shrubs pulled out and new ones planted. It seems as though everyone had the same idea this year!! I say that, because I used to live in this same house - 9 years ago - and not a lot had changed when we moved in this fall. As previously stated in an earlier post, we too had landscape in need of serious repair - and we did it! Well, Chris did it. THIS TIME, it was my handy work that spiffed it up a notch. Yes, spiff - is that word even used anymore?  

I know, I know... another landscaping post probably sounds as fun as actually watching the flowers grow - didn't I do anything adventurous this Memorial Day weekend? - yes, THIS. It was a big step for this girl. Bare with me. It's quite impressive. ;)  First things first, my youngin' and I went down to a local florist; aka: an outdoor stand, selling beautiful flowers for as low as $1.99! Not bad for someone who might kill them in less than a week. We'll take 6!

Back home, I had everything set up. It looked easy enough. Although, I couldn't have done it without my handy helper. She really made it easy on mama.

She worked so hard digging those tunnels - if you're familiar with The Lion King 1 1/2, you'd get it - it was time for mom to take over so she could take a little rest...

 ...and the reveal of our hard work! :) 

 TA-DA!! :)

I may have given my self a well-deserved pat on the back. I'm pretty domesticated, but the outdoor landscape stuff is new to me, so I'm still learning. It was surprisingly fun - more rewarding than anything. Now lets see if I can keep these babies alive! Speaking of!!!!! I need to go water them... crap.

Toodles!

Iron Chef: Edward Lee ...made us dinner?

Chef/Owner of our local restaurant 610 Magnolia, and 2010 winner of Iron Chef America - Edward Lee - honored us with a special four course cuisine; selections deriving from his very unique menu. To say it was extraordinary would not do it justice. 

The evening began with fresh pizzas, handmade in an outdoor stone oven - which he highly recommended each one of us purchase at some point in our lifetime... right. As you can imagine, the aroma was quite delightful.  

 

More outdoor scenery views can be seen here; it's worth the peek! 

First course:

-venison

- wild mushrooms

- caramelized brussel sprouts (umm, amazing)

- homemade marinara

- mozzarella & parmesan cheese.   

 Then came the entertainment...

---- Jason, an exceptional volunteer; providing his hidden talents. ----

 

Inside the Wine Studio...

Fresh flowers, picked daily.

And following with some more deliciousness:

- goat cheese & crumbled pistachios

Oh, hello! ;) The ladies and myself, ready to begin the feast! 

  (not quite ready for the picture, thanks hubs.)

Here we go!

Second course:
 - citrus smoked salmon atop spring mix
- goat cheese
- glazed with a roasted garlic & lemon vinaigrette

Main course:
- beef rib-eye in a roasted red wine reduction sauce
- soft grits
- heirloom cauliflower

 Dessert: - a trio of delicacy:
- chocolate mousse
- blueberry & walnuts
- white chocolate ganache gel

1...2...3... breathe!  

Well, there ya have it! That was our evening. Opportunities like these don't come often, so we were grateful to have had experienced such an event; along with an autographed recipe book - not being released for another week.

 Better time than not, everyone... meet my husband, Chris! :)

To learn more of Edward Lee's biography, head on over to this interesting article; discussing everything from how he began in New York, to becoming our own local Iron Chef of America.  

Let's SPRING forward already!

Rain, snow, hot, cold... sounds seasonal, but those were our latest weather conditions these past weeks. No fun. With that said, it's undoubtedly certain we have been enjoying the high 60-70 degree weather. Keep it coming!!

The following photos were taken on the most recent warm, sunny days. A peek into a few of our mommy/daughter adventures (if you will).

Creating sidewalk chalk masterpieces...  

Blowing bubbles...

Riding bikes...

Trips to the zoo...

Or visiting the new Big Four Bridge!

No matter the occasion, we are enjoying the weather, and looking forward to more sunny adventures! Here's hoping spring is now just around the corner.

Have a blessed day!!