A Wintry Weekend of Weddings!

For the second time this year, Daniel and I attend back to back weddings- one on Friday and one on Saturday! This time around the Friday wedding was for my dear friend, Emily, and her wonderful fiance (now husband), Mike, who is an Ensign in the Navy. I've known Emily practically since birth and it was great to see her walk down the aisle so soon after my own wedding to a man in uniform. Who would've thought two little girls who loved playing dolls together would end up marrying military pilots?

Here are some pictures from their wedding:

Walking down the aisle!

The happy couple at the reception!

In between Em and Mike's ceremony and reception, we headed to the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner for my cousin, Mary Kate and her new hubby, John. Despite heavy traffic, we were able to get all the necessary players to the church and then to the Claddagh Irish Pub for the rehearsal dinner, which was delicious! After a yummy dinner, we hopped back on the road to celebrate with the first newlywed couple of the weekend!

After a steady snow which started late Friday night, Saturday morning brought an early wake up call and a snow covered landscape for me. Daniel dropped me off at the Venetian Salon at the Waterfront and preparations for Mary Kate and John's wedding day began at 9:00am. Bridesmaids Jenny and Becky (cousins of John) arrived shortly after me by way of Starbucks. The bride, matron of honor (Mary Kate's sister, Sarah) and mother of the bride, my Aunt Ann, arrived within minutes and the hairspray, bobby pins and curling irons were flying during the chilly, snowy morning.

With several calls to vendors and possible indoor photo locations, Sarah arranged to switch us from a 10 passenger limo (aka "sled on wheels" according to the limo company) to a smaller, but safer Escalade. She also found that the Carnegie Museum would let us "unofficially" inside to take photos. A quick call to my dad and we had secured transportation for the whole wedding party with the help of his Acadia.

Back at Aunt Ann and Uncle Wayne's house, we enjoyed some lunch and got dressed in our beautiful bridesmaids gowns- but nothing could compare to Mary Kate's gorgeous wedding dress. She was absolutely breathtaking! After anxiously waiting for the Escalade to return to the house after dropping off the first trip, Sarah, Mary and I were on our way to the church!

A beautiful ceremony was followed by a fantastic photo shoot at the Museum. We got access to the Grand Staircase and the photographer snuck the bride and groom into the Hall of Architecture for some great shots. The photo op was completed with an outdoor group shot with snow covered trees in the background. The reception was held at St. Nick's Cathedral Room, the same location as our reception in July. It has a huge dance floor, which was filled with both sides of the newly combined family for a great evening of celebration. Another wedding detail that Mary Kate and John had in common with Dan and I- they chose to honeymoon at a Sandals resort in Jamaica, although they'll be at Sandals Whitehouse while we chose Sandals Grande Ocho Rios. I'm looking forward to hearing about their balmy, Jamaican Christmas when they get back in a week!

Here are some photos from their big day
(to see them bigger, go here):

Latest belly photos- weeks 20 and 22

Here are a couple photos of me and my ever-growing middle:

Week 20, which is the halfway point!

Daniel and I after Emily and Mike's wedding- Week 22

Where We Are Now!

So after an ingenius packing session (see below) and lunch at my parents' house, Daniel and I hit the road for our halfway point- St. Louis, MO. When we arrived at the Cherokee Lodge and got settled, it became our home, which is why I am only letting the housekeepers in about twice a week- I enjoy our privacy and since I spend a lot of time in the room, I use the "Do Not Disturb" sign a lot.

 Here are some pictures of our first place at Vance AFB.

Here is the kitchen... yes, the stove is that small... and I have fully learned to appreciate the usually standard double sink in the kitchen. Thank goodness we have a normal sized fridge!

Our bed- not quite as pretty as when the housekeeper makes it, a recliner that we've never used except for storage and a nightside that plays host to my glasses and cell phone which is what wakes us up every morning.

Outside of the building- our room is on the other side where we see this outside of our door:

There are displays like this all over the base! I'm excited to show our little one all the different planes once he or she arrives!

Where We Were....

While Daniel and I were living in Pittsburgh, we rented a house that was close to work, close to my parents' home and within walking distance of my favorite pizza shop! Some of you have visited, but for those who didn't get to see it, I thought I'd post some pictures. Unfortunately, the rooms will look extremely bare because the pictures were taken while we were packing up the car to drive out to Vance...

Here is our beautiful HUGE kitchen- though we didn't have a lot of cabinets, we had space- something I miss very much since moving into the Cherokee Lodge.

Here is our pretty mantle in the living room- once covered with several picture frames, candles, but left rather empty after my in-laws came and helped us pack up our many wedding gifts!

Another view of our living room. The pretty china cabinet that came with the rental was one of my favorite pieces and displayed some of our china and crystal while we lived here.

Gracie, my littlest sister, in the guest bedroom- furnished with a twin bed, my wicker desk and a vanity set lent to us by my mom.

Daniel, me, Mom and Gracie at our side door- the house is rather unique in that there is no front door, but our little stoop was always welcoming- especially after Gracie left her hand prints on the corner during a painting session!