Of Course...

...we have to speak about our wonderful trip up north to my sister's wedding.

The weather was perfect, the bride was beautiful, and the flower girls were...

ornery. Especially the littlest cherub, who throughout the entire mass was threatening to disrobe herself and her Mama what with all of her antics in the pew. What a circus.

You wouldn't know it from the pictures beforehand. (see flickr on the right-hand sidebar) or even the ones afterward. (scroll down a few posts) Or even from the dance floor at the reception! My girls hardly sat down long enough to eat dinner. In fact, it was a good thing there were so many toasts and open mic opportunities, or else my little Cinderellas would never have touched a morsel.

































Party animals, wouldn't you know it.
















Um... wonder where they get that from? (here I am, swingin' with my younger sis)

















This picture was taken shortly after 9pm. Nary a hair out of place, would you believe it? By far, the best picture I have of the whole affair. (I'll try to snatch a few from my siblings that does justice to the gorgeous bride)


:)

Filed Under "Not In The Job Description"

~Rescuing a cute little gerbil, who may or may not be named Chewie* from the jaws of he-who's-job -it -is to protect us from small rodents.... Ben the Cat.

















*as in, "Chewbacca the beloved pet", not "yum! what a soft chewy specimen..."


: P

We Interrupt This Blog...

Chris from The Catholic Company recently contacted me, hoping to generate some interest in their new contest, and also, to see if some of you bloggers out there would be willing to receive some of their wonderful products for free, in exchange for doing a review on your blog. Sounds great, doesn't it?



Win $250 for the cutest First Communion Photo

The Catholic Company, the market leader for online Catholic books and gifts, has just announced a First Communion Photo Contest. What a great excuse to pull those photos out of the photo book and show them off again. Bloggers, podcasters, and webmasters can also win a $100 gift certificate for referring the winning entry to the contest, so be sure to spread the word. Winners will be featured on View From a Pew, The Catholic Company blog.

And, calling all bloggers!

Bloggers, podcasters, and other webmasters can get free review copies of new catholic products by joining the Catholic Company reviewer program. Participants receive free products in exchange for an honest review posted on their blog or website. Visit the review program page for more details.


Have a blessed day, y'all!

:)

Wedding Photos, Little Boo Style

Getting ready for the picture...

















Ok! We're all here! Time to SMILE!

















Ugh. This smiling is hurting my face...














Hold it....


Hold it....


Hold it...



















That's my Little Boo.

:)

Sneak Peek

As this publishes, we are seriously chowing down at the reception.


So here is a quick preview of those girlie-girl dresses.

















And this is the bridesmaid dress. The model is my younger sister, who is the blonde-haired, blue-eyed version of me. She and Little Dear have the same smile!


















My little beauties! Better pics when we return, promise.




















:)

Our New Name

Yesterday, my Dad's colleague sympathetically asked him if there was Pandemonium at his house.

To which my Dad replied, "No, they are coming in tonight."

Thanks Dad.

:)

Y'all Are Amazing

We made it.

We're here in the mountains of Colorado, amidst the tall pines and cool breezes.

And apparently, we're freezing our behinds off. But that's just if you ask my kids, who complained this morning that G-ma and G-pa had the audacity to open the doors when it's only 60 degrees... and likely to snow. Couldn't they turn on the heat? And explain to me again exactly why we are going to the pool? Might it be frozen over?

heh heh

We're having a blast.

Our trip yesterday was very uneventful, with only a few sprinkles here and there, a few awesome lightning shows, seen from a safe distance, and only a brief stint of hail to make it fun. It's because of your prayers that we had it timed just right, ducking around one storm in New Mexico, and dodging past two more as we scooted up the I-25 in Colorado.

I'm very grateful, and will be bugging you all again for more prayers when we return home next week. In the meantime, it's wedding fiesta time.

:)

It's 100 degrees...

... do you know where your nearest watering hole is?

And I don't mean of the alcoholic sort.

Yes ma'am, with yesterday's introduction of the first (of many) triple-digit temps, summer has officially arrived in North Texas.

Isn't that great?

We are celebrating by getting the h*ll out of here to attend (and participate in!) the nuptials of my beloved sister.

And so, off we zoom, to points north, to cooler weather, and family and fun.

It's never that easy, though, you know? We leave tomorrow, in order to avoid some storms heading in from the northeast (???) and today is going to be NUTS.

It started out with my quick trip to the tailor this morning to... um... get my dress altered again. (hi mom!- don't worry, it will be ready by 6pm tonight! heh heh good thing we tried them on last night, instead of Sat morning... heh... heh... ok, not so funny, moving on) The girls have a hair appointment at 11am, and Action Man might need to make a quick visit to the Doc for his sinus headaches that have all of a sudden appeared every 8 hours for the past 3 days.

Such is life when you are trying to go out of town.

:)

All of my little peanuts are in the wedding, and I can't wait to post pictures of them. The little girls look like miniature Cinderella's in their baby blue gowns. We tried them on last night, and they were so funny, bustling around in the bathroom, genuflecting and dancing in the mirror. I'm afraid they might steal the show. The boys will be serving at the altar, an honor for which they have been practicing since January at our own Sunday masses. It does a Mama's heart good.

This wedding is such a joyous occasion, not only for my sister and her intended. It is so wonderful to see extended family and old friends again. For my sister it will be a kind of mini college reunion, as many of her friends make the journey to be there. And, as we meet her future in-laws we will be forging new friendships and creating new bonds. They will be her family as well.

Wild to think about.

Prayers appreciated for our trip tomorrow. We are becoming old hats at this 12 hour drive, I know. The kids are troopers. But this ol' Mama worries a lot. Pray at least for a peaceful rest tonight and an uneventful day tomorrow!

Bless you!

:)

Just When I Thought...

... we really were growing corn in our backyard:


















I was greeted by the sight of this beauty first thing in the morning:
















My landscaping neighbor told me what these were, but since I apparently can't even tell the difference between a pansy and a petunia,* the name of these beauties completely escapes my mind...
















But they sure are pretty!



*As revealed so eloquently when my knowledgable neighbor informed me that he had a flat of petunias to give me. And then asked, "You do know what a petunia is, don't you?" Whereupon I triumphantly pointed directly to his pansies. Yup, I'm a smart one!

:)

Anyone Else...

...know of three awesome Catholic husbands and fathers who will be spending their evening re-living those (shudder) high school years glorying in the despairing sounds of The Cure?*

I do.

:)

While I wouldn't mind taking a peek around at the goings on of the actual concert, I think I'd not really be interested enough to stay. Robert Smith may be an amazing artist, but he just creeps me out with his eyeliner and lipstick after all these years.

DH has found some great friends who love going to these sorts of concerts and it should be a fun trip down memory lane for all of them.


Minus the eyeliner, of course.**

:)


* even if, as DH claims, he didn't like them until college... I remember the fads of my friends wearing lots of black and lots of eyeliner in high school. As a result, I didn't like them until college either.

**there is a story here.... if I could only tell it and find that picture!!