Christin gets hitched!

This past weekend we drove to Fuquay to take part in Christin and Jason's wedding! The picture above is of Chicky and her bridesmaids at the bridal luncheon on Friday before the wedding. We had a wonderful lunch at the Art Museum in Raleigh. It was fun to eat at a swanky, modern restaurant because let's face it, Roxboro doesn't have too much to offer in that department. :) Christin also gave us our gifts at the luncheon---she was too sweet! We all got monogrammed bags with beach towels that had our names embroidered on them. Plus we got pearl necklaces and earrings to wear in the wedding! They are gorgeous and I look forward to wearing them again soon!

The rehearsal went well Friday evening. There were 9 bridesmaids, 3 honorary bridesmaids, and 9 groomsmen. That's a BIG wedding party, and everyone seemed to keep up with what they were supposed to do. The rehearsal dinner was at the Rand-Bryan house in Garner. The food was AWESOME. We had a great time and really enjoyed the slideshow of Chicky and Jason growing up. Jason's dad gave a little speech and so did Jason's brother, Luke...and I'll admit, I got a little teary eyed with Luke's speech...gotta love weddings. :)

The wedding went off without a hitch on Saturday. I think the high was like 101 or something...needless to say it was HOT HOT HOT. We took bridal party pictures before the ceremony outside and Christin wanted shots of her with each bridesmaid individually. So all of the bridesmaids ran into the vestibule and we took turns running outside to take our picture with Christin. We tried to stay in the air conditioning as long as possible! But poor Chicky was stuck outside taking all the pictures! She was a trooper though, and you could never tell she was hot because she was gorgeous regardless. And the poor guys with their black tuxedos---I don't even want to think how hot they were. BUT at least the ceremony and reception were all indoors! :)
I almost fell as I was stepping up on the altar steps...but good thing I regained my balance and Amanda was behind me to lend a helping hand! haha...I don't think anyone was focusing on me anyway (thank goodness). Christin's brother, Lee walked her down the aisle to the front of the church, and then her Big Daddy took her hand the rest of the way up to the altar to give her away. It was such a sweet moment.
It was fun getting ready because we had so many girls running around, eating, doing makeup, steaming their dresses and trying to stay cool. I was anxious just to see Chicky's dress because I hadn't seen it in person. And it was absolutely beautiful. Christin is stunning anyway, and I can not wait to see the professional pictures. Here are some pictures that were posted on facebook:

Chicky and I

The bridesmaids posing for the photographer

Waiting for the ceremony!

Now they're married!! Time to take pictures!

Jeff and I at the reception
(nice shirt, baby)

All of the bridesmaids came out and danced with Christin's dad after their father/daughter dance. The DJ was playing "Stuntin' like my Daddy" and we were breakin it down for Jerry! :)

You can tell the reception was fun and the dance floor was packed all night!

Mr. and Mrs. Harman headin' off to their honeymoon in the Dominican Republic! Congratulations Christin and Jason! Love you both!!

BUSY!

I can't believe it's been a couple of weeks since I posted! We're still busier than ever.

July 4th weekend was wonderful! The weather was perfect. We went to Lake Gaston on Saturday, the 3rd, to visit with the Wallace side of the family. It's so great to see everyone and catch up. We spent most of the day at the house that Aunt Barbara and Uncle Roy rented. My cousin, Donald, his wife, Amanda, and their 2 boys, Brian and Eric were up from Florida--it's always fun to hang out with them. Especially since we don't get to see them but twice a year (if we're lucky). Then, for dinner we drove over to Uncle Bob and Aunt Jackie's. Oh man, I could go for one of those hamburgers off the grill right about now! We always have a blast cuttin' up and telling stories with the Wallaces. :)

We left the lake after dinner and drove straight to Atlantic Beach to stay with the Jennings crew. We stayed at "A Place at the Beach" at Grandpa Don & Grandma Sybil's place. It was so nice to just sit in a chair on the beach and read my Twilight book (yes, I am a Twilight dork now!). We had great seafood and great times just relaxing with family. We drove back home Monday afternoon, and had to prepare for the short work week.

The next weekend we were finally at home!! We spent our time cleaning and doing yard work that was waaaaaaayyy past due. It is so nice to just stay at home sometimes...I am such a homebody! I love to just come home, cook a meal, and cuddle on the couch with Jeff.

Being at home didn't last long. This past weekend we were in Fuquay for a surprise party for Jake. Amanda rented an inflatable slip-n-slide and bought decorations and food for everyone. But go figure, it stormed like crazy all afternoon and night on Saturday! We still got to take turns on the slip-n-slide when the lightning, thunder and rain would let up occasionally. Everyone had a great time, and I know Jake was surprised! :)

Sunday, we went to the Durham Bulls park to watch the USA national team play Korea. Jeff and I bought tickets for Jake for his birthday. It was storming, yet again, on the way to the park, so we opted to go grab some sushi for dinner and wait for the storm to clear out. Dinner was GREAT and the storm rolled out, so we went to the game. We stayed about an hour because the storm clouds returned again! It was just a rainy weekend. But we needed the rain, so it's hard to complain.

This weekend will be another Fuquay weekend! Christin and Jason are getting married!!!!! I am so excited for them! I am taking off work Friday to take part in all the bridal party fun of getting nails done and being treated to a luncheon before we get ready for the rehearsal that night. The wedding is inside at Fuquay Baptist--and thank goodness because it's supposed to be HOT! We're going to have a great time, and I will post pictures next week hopefully of the event! :)

Hope everyone is having a wonderful summer so far! Thanks for keeping tabs on the blog! :)

Eclipse

Ok--I never thought I would be one of those crazy people who is IN LOVE with the Twilight saga....but oh my goodness, how could you not be?!? :)
I had no idea what all the fuss was about, but I had been wanting to watch the first 2 movies from the twilight series before we saw the 3rd (Eclipse). So Jeff and I rented Twilight and New Moon and watched them both back-to-back...and I loved it! haha! Needless to say, we went to the theater last night to see Eclipse and it, of course, was wonderful. I feel like a dorky 14 year old girl watching them and liking them so much, but you just can't help it! Jeff has been a good sport and enduring my new obsession. He likes the movies too, but I'm pretty sure it's just because he knows I like them so much. I'm off to read the books now and wait for the next movie to come out. OMG, I love it! :)

Carolina Beach

This past weekend, Jeff and I went to Carolina Beach with Amanda & Jake. We all took Monday off and made it a 3 day weekend. It was so nice to kick back and relax!
We had to leave for the beach early Saturday morning because Amanda went to the Rascal Flatts concert Friday night with her co-workers and someone was renting the condo we were staying at and they wouldn't be out until Saturday morning anyway. We made it to the beach around 11:00am, and the people had already left the condo. That was great because then we could unload the truck and get all of our things together to hit the beach!
One of Jake's bosses (David) owns the condo next to the one we were renting and him and his wife, Michelle, were at the beach Saturday too. So we all packed up our coolers, chairs and towels and went out on the beach for the afternoon. It was sort-of cloudy, but it was still very hot and humid.

Saturday evening we all went out to eat and had a few drinks. Shelley and Tyler were in town for a wedding in Wilmington and were actually staying only a couple of blocks from us! So later on, we all met up and went out to do a little dancing. It was fun, but we were all a little tired, so we called it a night.

Sunday, we got up and went to the store to get snacks to take out on the beach for the day. Fishing licenses also needed to be purchased. After running those errands, we loaded up the truck and Shelley & Tyler met up with us again and rode out on the beach with us for a few hours. It was so great to see them! 2 weekends in a row we got to see Shelley--and now we will see each other again for Chicky's wedding on the 24th! Can't wait!! Amanda, Jake and Jeff did some fishing, while I tried to stay cool on my new float in the water. The guy with the huge hummer ended up parking right next to us on the beach, so Jeff took a few pictures....I don't know how they get in and out of that thing!!

Sunday night was chill. We ate dinner at Jack Mackerals (delicious!), and then we rented a movie from the redbox in the Harris Teeter, and Amanda was on a sushi kick, so she ordered some take-out sushi on our way back to the condo. It was so good! We watched the movie and then went straight to bed....it was nice to get some good sleep for a change.

Monday was GORGEOUS. There was a constant breeze and it was sunny and a little cooler. I hate leaving the beach on days like that....I almost wish it would've been rainy and cold. haha! But it was a great couple of hours on the beach before we had to pack up and head home. It was a wonderful weekend full of some much needed relaxation and time with friends.

Mom was keeping Tucker and Scout for us...and I do believe she bathes them every time we leave them there. So I told her that we will have to start dropping them off over there a little more often. :) They LOVE staying there and running through the creek and playing with mom and dad's dogs. At least it's a change of scenery for them too.

Anyways---July 4th is this coming weekend and it will be busy like always. We are going to Lake Gaston on Saturday to visit with the Wallace side of the family. We always look forward to that! It's so much fun to catch up and enjoy the lake. Then on Sunday, we are heading to Atlantic Beach for a couple of days with the Jennings crew. Looking forward to that too! That will be 3 beach weekends in a row for me....I love it! My wallet, on the other hand, does not love it so much. haha. Pictures from the past weekend are below, and I'm sure there will be a post from the coming weekend too....stay tuned! :)

Amanda & Jake

Amanda & Jake going to dinner

Jeff and I

The Hummer

*~Sweet~*

Tyler & Shelley

Chillin on the float

Amanda & Jake fishin'

Jeff

Me & Amanda

Kure Beach Bachelorette Bash!

My best friend, Christin, is getting married on July 24th and we celebrated her last big night out in Kure Beach this past weekend. It was a BLAST to say the least! There were 13 girls sharing 2 bathrooms, so it was very interesting and we all became very close! haha :)

Amanda and I rode together Friday evening after work down to the beach and we arrived around 9:30pm. Christin had gone to a late dinner with Danielle and Lydia, so that left everyone else at the house to put up some decorations! We had fun that night, staying up until about 2:30am, playing games and sharing stories. It was nice to catch up with friends that we hadn't seen in a while---Especially our friend, Shelley, who was in our wedding in 2008 and we have not hung out since then! A trip to Charlotte will be planned soon, girl! We need to hang out more often...I miss it!!

After sleeping in a little on Saturday morning, we all headed out on the beach to soak up some rays. It was very HOT but the water felt great. Later on, we headed back to the house to make sandwiches and cool off. Then it was time to start taking showers and getting ready for the lingerie shower. The bathroom situation was not nearly as bad as I thought it would be! Everyone seemed to be quick and considerate of everyone else's need to use the shower/bathroom and we all were ready by 5:00pm!

Chicky had a wonderful lingerie shower, and I think Jason will be pleased! :)
While trying to pose for a picture, I broke my cute sandals I was going to wear out (they were cheap, apparently), so I ended up having to wear my plain flip flops out. But that was just fine.

At around 6:00pm, we headed to dinner at the Ocean Tiki Grill & Bar. The food was great. Kelly Mac, Jessica, Amanda and I sat together and started creating "The List" for Christin to complete when we went out later.....we came up with a bunch of things....and I'm pretty sure none of them got completed once we got to the club.

After dinner, we headed back to the beach house and hung out, had some drinks, played some games and got all decked out to hit up the club. We rolled out to Tangerine's at about 10:15pm and stayed until after closing. It was sooo hot in there! We were all sweatin and dancin like crazy! But we had such a great time! The song of the weekend was "OMG" by Usher and I'm pretty sure it got played at least twice while we were at the club.

We all ended up walking the 2 miles back to the house afterwards, and when we finally made it back to the house, we stayed up for a while just hanging out. I think we went to bed around 5:30 in the morning?? Crazy. But it was such an awesome weekend! :)

Amanda and I packed up our stuff and left for home around 9:30 Sunday morning. It was Father's Day, so we needed to go ahead and head back. Once I got home, I went straight to the bed and slept for 6 hours! I was so exhausted.

I know Jeff was happy to stay home that weekend, because he got a bunch of stuff done around the house that he had been trying to get done for a while. But I'm sure he wasn't expecting me to sleep the entire day away on Sunday. It was definitely needed though.

We went to dinner Sunday night at the Homestead to celebrate Father's Day with Jeff's dad, Jay. It was a great dinner and a good time. My dad is working up in New York, and won't be back home until August...but we sent him a card and we definitely miss him so much! Both of our dads mean so much to us and we appreciate all they do for us and our families. We are very blessed to have such wonderful people in our lives.

This coming weekend, Jeff, Jake, Amanda and I are heading BACK to Carolina Beach for a relaxing time---we are taking a 3 day weekend! We can't wait to just chill out on the beach for a couple of days! It's awesome to have great friends to spend time with! :)

Below are pictures from this weekend! Enjoy! :)

Shelley, Christin and Laura

Laura, Christin, Amanda

The girls on the beach

Christin with her decorations

BFF's Laura, Chicky, Amanda

Raleigh crowd

Being Silly

Greenville Crowd

Christin with her lingerie gifts

Everyone hanging out

A Lake Party...

So we went to Chicky and Jason's wedding shower at Lake Tillery on Saturday and had a great time! It was a HOT day, but it cooled off a little bit later on in the evening. Jason's friend, Jared and his family hosted the party and cooked some AMAZING food for everyone. Check out some of the pictures that Christin took...

Us hanging out on the dock

Jared cookin on the grill!

Everyone waiting to eat

Amanda, Chicky and Laura

This coming weekend, all the girls are heading to Carolina Beach for Christin's bachelorette party! We are so excited and ready to have a great time!! I'm sure some pictures will be posted when we get back.

Jeff and I both have softball games tonight---AND they're both at 7:30, so we don't get to watch each other play (grrrrreat!). Plus it's about 95 degrees outside, but at least we'll be sweatin' off some calories I guess. Hope everyone is having a great day!! :)

Here we go again...

Ok--so we're trying the blog thing again! We'll see if we can actually stick to it and keep everyone up-to-date on our exciting lives!

Here are a few updates about us:

• Jeff started a new job recently working for Your Mobile Technician (YMT). He is the service manager for the business. The owner is Brandon Patrick, one of our good friends, and Jeff is loving every minute of working there. I have to admit, I was a little jealous when he went to his first day at work wearing shorts and flip flops! But we feel very blessed that Jeff has been given the opportunity to work with Brandon and his business and can’t wait to see how much the boys can help YMT grow!
• We both have been SUPER busy with sports, bible study, weddings, work and everything in between. It is unreal how crazy things have been lately! In the past few weeks, it’s rare for us to get home before 10:00pm every week night. We are thankful to be involved in so much and we would rather be busy than not, but we are definitely ready for things to slow down a little. I keep saying we need a vacation! :)
• The dogs are doing great. Jeff combined his parents’ and grandparents’ 10′x10′ kennels and rigged up a pretty large fenced area off the back of the house recently. We had a neighbor (a completely rude, old, miserable person with nothing better to do) complain about Scout running through their yard on occasion and we had to do something. Both Tucker and Scout seem content with the new situation though. We’ll see how long it last before they figure some way out of it!
• We are thrilled that several of our friends are entering into the wonderful world of marriage! :) Jake & Amanda tied the knot on May 22nd, Christin & Jason will be getting married on July 24th, Zach & Abigail are getting hitched on September 25th, and Mike & Katy are takin' the plunge on May 7th, 2011. We are so blessed to have such wonderful friends and take part in this awesome time in their lives! We can't wait to see all the weddings unfold!
  

We will be posting pictures also, so stay tuned (we know you're on the edge of your seats)! Thanks for checking back in on us!