Here Comes the Bride!

As promised I am here to deliver the details of Becca's wedding and what all has been going on with the Kennedys in the last week, and as always it is nothing short of entertaining. Where to start on this quiet night.....Dereck is out at the office all night on Staff Duty, and normally I wouldn't be too worried about the fact. One night of staying awake and being the point of contact is acceptable, but doing so after going on a land navigation maneuver the night before at 1am means this kid is going to be awake for three days straight. And to that end I am certain that I would never hack it in the Army. The mere idea of staying awake that many hours without naps makes my head hurt. So far he is doing ok, but he had a tired air at dinner when he came home for a few minutes. I won't be too worried until he starts hallucinating or calling me monkey or muffin or something else silly and nonsensical- that can be expected of me at any time, but not Dereck!

So, the Friday before Becca's wedding kicked off with the Bridesmaid brunch and pool time. My luck however would be that I read the invite to mean that we come in our swimsuits to lounge at the pool after eating and getting some of the wedding items ready, in reality however everyone else came in nice dresses with hair and makeup done. And to that end I owe Sarah Toles a big hug, especially since she called the night before and I convinced her that we should just wear our swimsuits and coverups. Then when I walked in and saw everyone looking spiffy in their dresses all I could think was, "thank goodness they love me the way I am," and Becca might be one of the most low-key brides ever and laughed with me at my "appropriate attire." So, after eating a delicious brunch, preparing last minute wedding items, and painting our toenails, we hit the pool, something I had been ready for the whole morning. Spending time with my girls from high school, laughing about how crazy our lives are, and basking in being around such special people absolutely made my morning- I knew at that moment it was going to be a fun weekend. After cleaning up and making myself presentable we hit the dress rehearsal and proceeded to be one rowdy wedding party. But what can you expect when it is Becca's bridesmaids? Chaos and fun, plain and simple. Luckily we had a super sweet woman from Asbury moving us around, and before I knew it, we were headed to the rehearsal dinner at a beautiful outdoor nature reserve in South Huntsville. True to Becca and Brian's personality we had BBQ, cornbread, sweet tea and tons of other Southern fixings, which I stuffed myself on past the point of return- a girl's gotta get good BBQ while she can! Finally, we hugged Becca goodnight and got ready for the big day.

Saturday morning the bridal party met up in the morning for communion and prayer time before the business of the day kicked up, and it was such a special time to be still and have bonding time together. The girls then went out for lunch at Cyn Shea's downtown and we got a sneak-peek of the reception site. Before I saw the site I had millions of ideas of what it might look like- afterall, it was an old lumber yard that's been renovated for parties. The cool part about it was all the porches with antique bicycles and benches scattered around and framing the dinner tent and dance floor. We all loved it and couldn't wait to get our dancing shoes on. Finally, we hit the church, got dressed, checked each others' hair, and then ran out to take pictures. The photographer is the wife of our old youth pastor from Asbury, so it was fantastic to have a familiar face telling us what to do in the battery of shots, which I have a feeling turned out super. Before we knew it, it was time for the ceremony, and there I found myself standing near the altar watching Becca become Mrs. Page. Yet as excited as I was, I also felt this sadness that we are all taking steps in different directions across the country. Basically, we need to quit growing up! The reception was a blast even in the sweaty summer heat of AL and I have to admit that I had some tired feet at the end of a night full of dancing, hugs, and conversations with people from my Madison life. All in all, I think the wedding was a blast, but that may be the yummy wedding cake swaying my judgement!

Sunday and Monday were fantastic too since Dereck and I got the opportunity to relax and spend some great quality time with our families. Dereck hasn't been home since the wedding, so it was a great time to hang out, and the longer we were home the more it felt like a vacation. We had awesome food, saw our families, and got to sleep in, and if that isn't the definition of vacation time what is? Tuesday we drug our feet and finally came back to Washington and life as normal. We were sad to leave all of our friends and family, but it was also nice to come back to what is now our new home and to see our crazy puppy. Ritter survived boarding super and came home full of spunk and energy, which made me feel silly for being so anxious the whole time I was gone. I think I was secretly worried he would get sick or die while I was gone, leaving me to feel like the worst pet owner ever. Ritter in fact has helped me to get a job, so I should be taking him on million-minute walks as payback.

Last week when I walked in to talk with Ritter's boarding place I randomly met the owner and struck up a conversation that led to me being offered a job, provided I show him my credentials, which I was more than happy to do. So, I am thrilled to say that I am now the Public Relations Specialist, aka Marketing person for Ritter's boarding place. I am more than excited to be on the team, but also am full of that nervous energy that comes with starting a job, especially that fear of not being good enough, or prepared well enough. I have so much to learn about the pet industry and have a big job ahead of me, but I am incredibly happy to also say that God answers prayers in His own time, and I am uber appreciative of the opportunity ahead. More details on what I am doing and planning in blogs to come, but I had to share the happy news while I still had energy in my typing fingers.

All in all life isn't too shabby on this side of the country, even if it is only 50 degrees during the day. I love wearing my sweatshirt at the end of May! Ok, not really, but life is going too well to complain!