"Vowel" Renewal

OK so a friend of mine got married about a year ago. (I guess) She didn't tell me until we ran into her at a parade. She and her now husband have been together for over 10 years and decided to make it official. They recently (March 18th) renewed their vows. When I got the invitation, I was invited to the "vowel" renewal ceremony.

Is it cruel that I made fun of her at least 5 times that day? I think not. :P

It was a pretty ceremony. I had the pleasure of taking pictures for them. :)

I think this one is my favorite.

I told him if he smashed the cake in her face he had to lick it off. He actually did it. They are a fun couple, always lots of laughs with them.

I also enjoyed this lovely adage from the DJ.

The DJ asked Theresa to place her hand on the table & then Maurice to place his hand on top of hers. The DJ said, "You have just witnessed the last time Maurice will have the upper hand."

The crowd laughed, but I hope you men realize it wasn't really a joke. :P

I'll hope when I give a speech at my friend Steph's wedding in August I don't get this response.

It was a nice ceremony and I wish them all the happiness in the world.

I had to choke back the tears when Theresa's sister gave her speech. Theresa's mom passed away a few years ago and it has been a tough road for her. Theresa really stepped up when her mom was sick. She spent so much time focusing on trying to get her better and at the end ease her pain that her life revolved around this. When her mom passed she took it really hard. She was not ready to say good-bye. I'm glad to see her smile again. I hope that Maurice can give her all the happiness she deserves.

Happiness and Joy to the Parisi-Jones Family. Congratulations on you "vowels."

(Just one more time I promise I'll stop now.)

Wedding Planner

I am the official wedding planner for my friends Marsha and Barry who are getting married October 2008.

Marsha and I have been friends for probably 7 years or so. We've been really close for the past 4 or so years. She and I get along very well. She accepts my no nonsense approach, even if she doesn't always agree with me. She knows no matter what I am there for her.

Once upon a time she and her family were in a very bad car wreck on the way to Kansas City. Her husband at the time was badly injured. She had just given birth to a child 2 months before all this mess happened. So needless to say she was an emotional mess. There were days she didn't even want to get out of bed. I remember leaving work to go drag her butt out of bed and make her take a shower. She didn't like me at the time, but I know she appreciates the kick in the butt now.

Our first real "bonding" time was her first trip to Kansas City after the accident. On the ride up her son Colby accidentally turned the ringer on her phone off. This being the trip that nearly killed her husband her family was very nervous. They tried calling for hours and were in a panic when they couldn't get in touch with us. We were so busy talking about life, we really lost track of time. We can laugh about this now but her family did not find it humorous then.

Fast forward a few years. She meets Barry. I really truly feel that Barry is the one she's been waiting for. I see him look at her and he is in LOVE with Marsha. She has a kick in her step that I've never seen. Even when she's mad at Barry for some silly boy thing he did, she's still happy and at peace. Barry is a sweet guy. He's walked in and taken on an unruly teenager and a sweet and spunky 4 year old without a second thought. Marsha and Barry are a great team. The balance each other.

All the mushy stuff aside. I am honored to be planning this wedding. Marsha being the worry wart she is, being my first client ought to be a true test of whether I can handle this or not. :P (I love you Marsha)

So we went to look at a possible Ceremony/Reception site tonight. I was in love with this place from just this picture:

This picture does not do it justice.

This place is gorgeous. We all loved it. Barry is sold and not even just because he doesn't feel like looking at other places. :) He said this was IT! He likes the indoor and outdoor option. The trees surrounding this place will be so awesome in October

all red, yellow, and orange.

Now we are pricing caterers and we get to get down to my favorite part, finding ways to make their day unique.

In other news we ordered the dresses today for my friend Stephanie's wedding in August.

Keri and I will be wearing this awesome dress in "ice blue" while standing next to the lovely couple ocean side in Cape Cod.

The girl in the picture has nothing on Keri and me in this dress. We are smoking.

I have lots of sweet things to say about Stephanie but I need to save it all for the toast at the reception. :)

I will say I am happy Stephanie and Jon found each other. He treats her like the princess she is! And thanks for picking Cape Cod. Karl and I getting away to someplace like this without an excuse is years away from happening.

The picture above was taken at the Lighthouse Inn where Stephanie and Jon will be getting married. How awesome is that???

Cianah's Party

We had Cianah’s birthday party at Swing-A-Round Fun Town. She invited 5 of her closest friends. They rode go-karts, played mini-golf, and Cianah as usual acted a fool.Our daughter mistakenly thinks we have money so picking a birthday spot was not easy. First she wanted to have a “Haunted Hotel Party.” I told her most days I can only tolerate being locked in a room with her for an hour, being forced to spend several hours in a room with several other 12 and 13 year old girls didn’t appeal to me. Her next idea was a “mixer” type party. Hall (that doesn’t smell like old people), DJ, Dancing, games. As many of you know (because I asked for suggestions) finding a hall was not easy. VFW- $500, Church Hall- $500, JB Park- $450, Banquet Hall (even with a discount)- $600. Then we’d still need a DJ (with karaoke), food, decorations, games…. That is much more than I wanted (or had to) spend on a birthday party. So we finally agreed on Swing-A-Round Fun Town.

The days before the party were warm but rainy. Swing-A-Round Fun Town “rain option” was $5 in game tokens per child. That meant spending the day (as Stephanie pointed out) stuck in an Arcade that smelled like feet.

We were lucky it was a beautiful day. It could have been a little cooler, since I was too lazy to shave my legs, thus I was stuck in jeans. :P

At the end of the day Cianah said, “I think we had more fun here than we would have at a hotel party anyway."

SUCCESS!!!!!!

To see all 150+ pictures from that day: http://hobdypix.smugmug.com/gallery/2623965#138493734

Has it really been 13 years?

My first born will be 13 on Sunday. How can that be? Is it possible that 13 years have flown by in such a blur? I remember them placing her in my arms for the first time. It seems like yesterday I watched her take her first steps. I remember putting her on the bus the first day of school. I asked her if she was scared, she relpied "why would I be scared." She has always been so independent. No fear. She's grown into a wonderful young lady. She's loves to make people laugh, she wants to make everyone around her happy, but at the same time she knows her limits. She's a leader with a heart of gold. She makes me proud to be her mother. Her strength inspires me. I just can't believe the baby I used to rock to sleep has turned into a teenager. Where did the time go? Somedays she "hates" me, but she still comes to me to talk about her day. She tells me all the little things she and her friends say and do. That's not to say somedays I don't want to return her. She is a teenager. She's sassy and sweet from one minute to the next. She's probably too much like her mother for her own good. She's taken my good qualities and my bad. I love her. Happy Birthday Cianah! You are any mother's dream.