Enjoy my photos from the Farmer's Market and my new flowers!
Sunday, May 18, 2008
A lovely weekend in Bloomington
Enjoy my photos from the Farmer's Market and my new flowers!
Saturday, May 17, 2008
Jessica and Rich's Wedding Celebration
Just as I was starting to recover from my sister's destination wedding, John and I attended another wedding the very next weekend. The Bloomington location was very convenient for us and we were really excited to see our college friends get married. Jessica was one of my my roommates in Alpha Phi and a great friend in college. We lived in the 2nd smallest room in the Alpha Phi house (and I heard they only put 2 people in there after us, but whatever!) and shared it with our third friend, Leslie. (And I am attending Leslie's wedding in late June!) I chalk it up to one of those experiences that can only happen in college and you know that it if would occur now, there would be no way you make it out in one piece. I would say that our room was maybe 8' x 8' room that held 3 desks, 3 dressers, and 3 closets. Honestly, all three of us could not stand up at the same time, which was problematic when we were trying to get ready for the same parties. We decided that the person responsible for putting us in that room, put the 3 most easy going people in there and hoped for the best. I still remember when people would come in our room (Alpha Phi outsiders) and you could see the look of panic on their face when they stepped in. The lack of space totally freaked them out and they would have to step outside in the hall.
Well, that is the back story on Jessica and she recently married Rich, her Phi Psi boyfriend from college. I shared many great college memories with them both and was so honored and excited to attend their wedding. Jessica and I were living together at the time she and Rich met, so it is special to see how far their relationship has come. The reception was an ultimate class-act wedding. The outside ceremony in IU's "secret garden" was beautiful, the reception hall was beautiful with it's large windows with stained glass, and the live band was great. Jessica comes from a Jewish background, so glass was broken at the ceremony and we all and danced as Jessica and Rich participated in the chair dance, the Hora, as the band played "Hava Nagila" (even though I am not Jewish, I love this song. It definitely gets the party going and everyone loves it). With additional research, I have learned that the translation of this song title is "Let us rejoice" and that is definitely what we did!
All the best to you, Jessica and Rich! Mazel Tov!
Here are some pictures and videos from the weekend. Friday night John and I went out to Nick's to meet those who were in for the wedding. Tiffany arrived from Toronto, Canada, Jessica and Rich came from North Jersey, and Elissa and John arrived from a Chicago suburb and announced they are expecting! It was wonderful to see my old friends and as you can tell, a good time was had by all.
Tiffany informed me that John and I were not to leave the bar until it closed because she had not been back to IU since 2003. I hesitantly obliged because John and I had a 7k in the morning and the wedding that evening, but we made it all work and had a fabulous time!
Tiffany and me in our coordinating outfits (not planned!)
Getting out pitchers of beer ready for Sink the Biz, the ultimate drinking game at Nick's
Tiffany, Jessica, me, and Elissa
Sink the biz!
Tiffany and Jessica
Jessica with her father, walking down the aisle
Married!
Happily walking down the aisle after the ceremony
The cutting of the cake
The beautiful centerpieces
This was before I realized I needed to turn the camera, I had not loaded Courtney's videos yet before I took this. Sorry, crane your necks for a minute and then it gets better! This is Jessica and Rich dancing to "My Girl."
Jessica and her father dancing to "Brown Eyed-Girl."
First dance - can't tell if this is Jessica's father or Rich? I'm putting money on it is her father.
Me, Tiffany, and Elissa
Jessica up on the chair and Rich is on the other
Jessica during the Hora
It's Mr. Gilbert's turn!
Hava Nagila
Some more rejoicing!
Jessica breaking it down
All the Alpha Phis at the wedding from left to right: Tiffany, Kathryn, Elissa, Jessica, Fathima, and me
It looks like something funny happened here and Jessica was strutting her stuff across the dance floor
Well, that is the back story on Jessica and she recently married Rich, her Phi Psi boyfriend from college. I shared many great college memories with them both and was so honored and excited to attend their wedding. Jessica and I were living together at the time she and Rich met, so it is special to see how far their relationship has come. The reception was an ultimate class-act wedding. The outside ceremony in IU's "secret garden" was beautiful, the reception hall was beautiful with it's large windows with stained glass, and the live band was great. Jessica comes from a Jewish background, so glass was broken at the ceremony and we all and danced as Jessica and Rich participated in the chair dance, the Hora, as the band played "Hava Nagila" (even though I am not Jewish, I love this song. It definitely gets the party going and everyone loves it). With additional research, I have learned that the translation of this song title is "Let us rejoice" and that is definitely what we did!
All the best to you, Jessica and Rich! Mazel Tov!
Here are some pictures and videos from the weekend. Friday night John and I went out to Nick's to meet those who were in for the wedding. Tiffany arrived from Toronto, Canada, Jessica and Rich came from North Jersey, and Elissa and John arrived from a Chicago suburb and announced they are expecting! It was wonderful to see my old friends and as you can tell, a good time was had by all.
Tiffany informed me that John and I were not to leave the bar until it closed because she had not been back to IU since 2003. I hesitantly obliged because John and I had a 7k in the morning and the wedding that evening, but we made it all work and had a fabulous time!
Tiffany and me in our coordinating outfits (not planned!)
Getting out pitchers of beer ready for Sink the Biz, the ultimate drinking game at Nick's
Tiffany, Jessica, me, and Elissa
Sink the biz!
Tiffany and Jessica
Jessica with her father, walking down the aisle
Married!
Happily walking down the aisle after the ceremony
The cutting of the cake
The beautiful centerpiecesThis was before I realized I needed to turn the camera, I had not loaded Courtney's videos yet before I took this. Sorry, crane your necks for a minute and then it gets better! This is Jessica and Rich dancing to "My Girl."
Jessica and her father dancing to "Brown Eyed-Girl."
First dance - can't tell if this is Jessica's father or Rich? I'm putting money on it is her father.
Me, Tiffany, and Elissa
Jessica up on the chair and Rich is on the otherJessica during the Hora
It's Mr. Gilbert's turn!Hava Nagila
Some more rejoicing!
Jessica breaking it down
All the Alpha Phis at the wedding from left to right: Tiffany, Kathryn, Elissa, Jessica, Fathima, and me
It looks like something funny happened here and Jessica was strutting her stuff across the dance floor
Full of sass at the end of the night
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
The SOLD Project
Hey everyone,
Please take a minute to check out what one of my friend's from high school is doing. My friend, Rachel, has traveled over to Thailand to create a documentary to share with the world about how children sold into slavery for sex. She and her colleagues are returning to Thailand to finish the documentary and are asking for help to raise funds for their return.
I recently received this message via Facebook...
"$14 for 14 Days Update
One week ago we launched the $14 for 14 Days Campaign and have been so encouraged by the response! To date we have raised almost $3,000. We still have a long way to go with a need of $35,000... and with thousands more people in our network willing to give $14, we believe we can reach that goal.
If you haven't already, please donate $14 to The SOLD Project and help us get back to Thailand. These stories need to be told..."
www.thesoldproject.com/donate
You can see the videos about their research and their mission here:
The SOLD Project - Web Promo 1 from The SOLD Project on Vimeo.
Here is Rachel:
For more information about The SOLD Project, please visit: http://thesoldproject.com/
Please take a minute to check out what one of my friend's from high school is doing. My friend, Rachel, has traveled over to Thailand to create a documentary to share with the world about how children sold into slavery for sex. She and her colleagues are returning to Thailand to finish the documentary and are asking for help to raise funds for their return.
I recently received this message via Facebook...
"$14 for 14 Days Update
One week ago we launched the $14 for 14 Days Campaign and have been so encouraged by the response! To date we have raised almost $3,000. We still have a long way to go with a need of $35,000... and with thousands more people in our network willing to give $14, we believe we can reach that goal.
If you haven't already, please donate $14 to The SOLD Project and help us get back to Thailand. These stories need to be told..."
www.thesoldproject.com/donate
You can see the videos about their research and their mission here:
The SOLD Project - Web Promo 1 from The SOLD Project on Vimeo.
Here is Rachel:
For more information about The SOLD Project, please visit: http://thesoldproject.com/
Monday, May 12, 2008
The Official Wedding Update
I know it has been a week since I have returned from my sister's wedding, but my week has been insane. I've been working a little late some nights, tried catching up on things when I returned, and one night I totally crashed on the couch by 8pm and I have no idea the last time I went to bed that early.
Anyway, I think it is obvious from the pictures and videos that the wedding was wonderful. I believe all the guests had a great time and JP helped confirm that by saying the night of the wedding, "This is the best night of my life!" and decided that he and his fiancee, Tasha, should get married on the beach and have their reception at the Hilton on Longboat Key too. I guess I will be back there in August and I'm very excited about it!
I arrived in Florida Tuesday night before the wedding and settled in. Wednesday, Courtney and I put in a 16-hour work day. Details, details, decisions, and more details! Courtney's brain was fried by the time I arrived, so I tried to take over, but soon both of our brains turned to mush after all the planning, details, and to-do lists were swirling around in our heads. We hit up the hot tub at 2am (we PROMISED we would do something fun that day even if it was at 2am and we felt so exhausted) and then crashed for the night. The rest was pretty much a blur until the day of the wedding. We were staying with family earlier in the week and then we moved over to the resort. Guests and family started to fly in and soon we took over the hotel. I walked around the pool and the ocean checking out people because if I didn't know them yet, I'm sure I would soon be introduced by someone in Matt's family. Thursday night, the ladies went out to dinner to Cork & The Bottleshop, a delicious restaurant and wine bar. The night got a little wild with some delicious wine and we decided to meet up with the guys. In true "guy fashion" they skipped dinner and headed out for drinks. When we met up with them it was clear they did not go to dinner and I thought, "Uhhh, this may not be a good idea"...but it turned out to be really fun. The girls definitely pounced on the guys and they were surprised, but we had a great time.
Courtney and I, along with most of the guests, took most of Friday as our "fun" day and laid out on the beach, swam in the pool, and basked in the sunshine. We followed around our father with sunscreen telling him he couldn't get burnt - no burns in the pictures! I reapplied sunscreen many times, as did Courtney...but we soon found out that wasn't enough! We got ready for the Welcome/Rehearsal dinner and soon our sunburns settled in. We got to see all the guests who had arrived at the dinner at a restaurant called The Beach House. It was right on the beach and we all enjoyed a beautiful sun set over dinner and drinks. It was great to see everyone who came into Florida for the wedding and we all mingled, took pictures, and exchanged our excitement that the wedding weekend had begun! Courtney gave her flower girl, Erin, (Matt's and Courtney's niece) an American Girl doll that looks like Erin. We all watched as she opened it up and she screamed, "Erin!" The doll did not leave her arms the whole weekend! Courtney and I always wanted an American Girl doll and we had to keep our jealously in check. When I was younger, I wanted a doll so bad. My mother thought getting me a subscription to the magazine "American Girl" would appease me, but after all these years, it obviously did not. We were tired with all the sun and decided we needed to get back to the hotel and get some good rest for "the big day." We settled in and Courtney realized her shoulder was fried, as were my arms. After all the planning and sunscreen, we both cried that we were going to ruin the wedding with our burns. Courtney kept on saying "I have a strapless dress! I am going to look like a trashy bride! What am I going to do? Should I go get self-tanner and try to put it over it? What should I do? Ahh!" We decided that we shouldn't make any impulsive decisions and maybe lots of aloe and a night's rest would help.
Before we settled in for the night, I set up a wake up call for 5:15am. The make-up people were supposed to show up between 5:30-6am and I wanted to get a quick shower in. Anyway, the wake up call came late - at the same time the make-up and hair ladies were knocking on the door. Honestly, the phone was ringing and people were knocking on the door at the very same time. We ran out of bed and didn't know what to do and Courtney firmly directed me to get in the shower immediately. I took the quickest shower ever and was out and ready to get my hair and make up done. The other bridesmaids arrived and we got all beautified and it was really fun...but very early. We pressured the make-up ladies to do something with Courtney's sunburn - at first they did not want to do anything and we were NOT happy - but after some convincing they did it. I don't know why they were hesitant about it, but what matters is that they fixed it!
We packed into the trolley and headed to The Ringling Museum of Art to get pictures taken. The Spanish architecture against the Florida flowers and trees was beautiful and I cannot wait to see the professional pictures! We soon headed to the church for the ceremony. Courtney and Matt were married in the same church as my parents, so it was so sentimental and sweet to think that my mother walked down that aisle to take her vows and marry my father. The ceremony was very sweet and soon Courtney and Matt were married! We packed into the trolley again and celebrated all the way to the reception. All appropriate parties gave their toasts and the official party began! The music was great and I spent most of the evening on the dance floor with friends and family. It was all over too soon and we ended the party with a tunnel sparklers which Matt and Courtney ran through. We decided to have an "after party" on the beach and soon many of the guests (the young and/or the brave) joined us in the ocean for a late-night dip!
John missed his obscenely early morning flight (how could he not after all that fun?), but it all worked out perfectly. We got more time together in Florida and got on the same flight later in the day.
Now I am back with lots of fun memories and thinking about all the fun Courtney and Matt are having in Turks and Caicos. At least we have another Florida wedding to look forward to in August!
Since my return, I attended another wedding which was a complete blast. Pictures to come soon! I can only manage one wedding at a time!
Anyway, I think it is obvious from the pictures and videos that the wedding was wonderful. I believe all the guests had a great time and JP helped confirm that by saying the night of the wedding, "This is the best night of my life!" and decided that he and his fiancee, Tasha, should get married on the beach and have their reception at the Hilton on Longboat Key too. I guess I will be back there in August and I'm very excited about it!
I arrived in Florida Tuesday night before the wedding and settled in. Wednesday, Courtney and I put in a 16-hour work day. Details, details, decisions, and more details! Courtney's brain was fried by the time I arrived, so I tried to take over, but soon both of our brains turned to mush after all the planning, details, and to-do lists were swirling around in our heads. We hit up the hot tub at 2am (we PROMISED we would do something fun that day even if it was at 2am and we felt so exhausted) and then crashed for the night. The rest was pretty much a blur until the day of the wedding. We were staying with family earlier in the week and then we moved over to the resort. Guests and family started to fly in and soon we took over the hotel. I walked around the pool and the ocean checking out people because if I didn't know them yet, I'm sure I would soon be introduced by someone in Matt's family. Thursday night, the ladies went out to dinner to Cork & The Bottleshop, a delicious restaurant and wine bar. The night got a little wild with some delicious wine and we decided to meet up with the guys. In true "guy fashion" they skipped dinner and headed out for drinks. When we met up with them it was clear they did not go to dinner and I thought, "Uhhh, this may not be a good idea"...but it turned out to be really fun. The girls definitely pounced on the guys and they were surprised, but we had a great time.
Courtney and I, along with most of the guests, took most of Friday as our "fun" day and laid out on the beach, swam in the pool, and basked in the sunshine. We followed around our father with sunscreen telling him he couldn't get burnt - no burns in the pictures! I reapplied sunscreen many times, as did Courtney...but we soon found out that wasn't enough! We got ready for the Welcome/Rehearsal dinner and soon our sunburns settled in. We got to see all the guests who had arrived at the dinner at a restaurant called The Beach House. It was right on the beach and we all enjoyed a beautiful sun set over dinner and drinks. It was great to see everyone who came into Florida for the wedding and we all mingled, took pictures, and exchanged our excitement that the wedding weekend had begun! Courtney gave her flower girl, Erin, (Matt's and Courtney's niece) an American Girl doll that looks like Erin. We all watched as she opened it up and she screamed, "Erin!" The doll did not leave her arms the whole weekend! Courtney and I always wanted an American Girl doll and we had to keep our jealously in check. When I was younger, I wanted a doll so bad. My mother thought getting me a subscription to the magazine "American Girl" would appease me, but after all these years, it obviously did not. We were tired with all the sun and decided we needed to get back to the hotel and get some good rest for "the big day." We settled in and Courtney realized her shoulder was fried, as were my arms. After all the planning and sunscreen, we both cried that we were going to ruin the wedding with our burns. Courtney kept on saying "I have a strapless dress! I am going to look like a trashy bride! What am I going to do? Should I go get self-tanner and try to put it over it? What should I do? Ahh!" We decided that we shouldn't make any impulsive decisions and maybe lots of aloe and a night's rest would help.
Before we settled in for the night, I set up a wake up call for 5:15am. The make-up people were supposed to show up between 5:30-6am and I wanted to get a quick shower in. Anyway, the wake up call came late - at the same time the make-up and hair ladies were knocking on the door. Honestly, the phone was ringing and people were knocking on the door at the very same time. We ran out of bed and didn't know what to do and Courtney firmly directed me to get in the shower immediately. I took the quickest shower ever and was out and ready to get my hair and make up done. The other bridesmaids arrived and we got all beautified and it was really fun...but very early. We pressured the make-up ladies to do something with Courtney's sunburn - at first they did not want to do anything and we were NOT happy - but after some convincing they did it. I don't know why they were hesitant about it, but what matters is that they fixed it!
We packed into the trolley and headed to The Ringling Museum of Art to get pictures taken. The Spanish architecture against the Florida flowers and trees was beautiful and I cannot wait to see the professional pictures! We soon headed to the church for the ceremony. Courtney and Matt were married in the same church as my parents, so it was so sentimental and sweet to think that my mother walked down that aisle to take her vows and marry my father. The ceremony was very sweet and soon Courtney and Matt were married! We packed into the trolley again and celebrated all the way to the reception. All appropriate parties gave their toasts and the official party began! The music was great and I spent most of the evening on the dance floor with friends and family. It was all over too soon and we ended the party with a tunnel sparklers which Matt and Courtney ran through. We decided to have an "after party" on the beach and soon many of the guests (the young and/or the brave) joined us in the ocean for a late-night dip!
John missed his obscenely early morning flight (how could he not after all that fun?), but it all worked out perfectly. We got more time together in Florida and got on the same flight later in the day.
Now I am back with lots of fun memories and thinking about all the fun Courtney and Matt are having in Turks and Caicos. At least we have another Florida wedding to look forward to in August!
Since my return, I attended another wedding which was a complete blast. Pictures to come soon! I can only manage one wedding at a time!
Some more wedding memories
This is the guy who played the steel drums during cocktail hour. This is a panoramic shot of the beginning of cocktail hour.
Ok, so crane your necks and enjoy Courtney and Matt's first dance. I don't know why I decided to hold the camera this way...anyone know how to rotate a video? They danced to "Making Memories of Us" by Keith Urban and it is the sweetest song! I didn't know it until the wedding, but now I think it is the most perfect song for their first dance. You can see the music video for it here.
This is a video of some of us on the dance floor dancing to "Shout!"
Friday, May 09, 2008
The wedding story told with photographs
I am slowly organizing my photos and soon will share a link to see all of them. In the meantime, here are some more to enjoy!
Longboat Key, FL - the view from the Hilton
Ky arrives!
Courtney finding out that 2 of her bridesmaids just missed their flights.
Ky's first fun tropical drink
The bride releases me from my duties for a little while so I can enjoy a fruity drink and some sunshine.
The bird we all thought was "so cute" until it ate Courtney's breakfast, proceeded to eat her lunch that day, and wreaked havoc for the rest of our time there.
The ladies lounging poolside.
Johnny - can you tell it is a beautiful day?
Courtney and her ATL friends, Lisa and Deidre
Courtney is so excited for the beach, sunshine, family, friends, and the wedding!
Ladies night out
Ky, Anna, and Courtney
The brides of '08!
Matt, his brother, Brian, and Uncle Tyler
Dad and Courtney at brunch
Rehearsal
The church
Welcome Dinner/Rehearsal dinner begins at The Beach House
Tasha and me
Johnny and me
Me and dad
Mrs. Petersen (Mother of Groom) and Erin (flower girl)
Courtney gives Erin an American Girl doll. Erin names her "Erin" and they became fast friends that night. Courtney and I remain jealous because we want American Girl dolls.
The kids :)
Tiffers and me
On the trolley, ready for wedding photos!
Some of the groomsmen
The beautiful bride, Courtney
Courtney and Matthew Petersen!
Gail with her daughter, the flower girl, Erin
Jen, Elizabeth, and Allison
Let's get you married!
Outside the church
All the photos of parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents from their weddings and lives!
First dance
Courtney and dad dance
Beach shots
Beautiful
Ky, Courtney, and me
Bridesmaids
Dad, Courtney, and Matt
The sunset and photos on the beach
The only picture of my cute hair, appreciate it.
Dancin'
The kids again :)
Sleepy flower girl
Congratulations!
Longboat Key, FL - the view from the Hilton
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