Adam & Nicole's Wedding: The Ceremony

Now for photos of the ceremony!

 The Stroudmore Inn has a lot of wedding chapels (five, I think).  Adam and Nicole got married at the Woodland Chapel.

This table that held the unity candle has particular significance.  It is made from the trunk of the willow tree that used to be in my parents' front yard that Adam used to climb when he was younger.  Adam put that chain around the tree years ago...and the tree grew around it...so the chain is embedded in the wood.  The company that my parents hired to cut the tree down wouldn't take this piece away with the rest of the tree, because the chain would damage the equipment they use to grind up the wood.  Adam and my parents had half-joked about turning the piece into a table.  One of my parents' friends from their church (the father of the boy who was the ring bearer for my wedding!) actually had the equipment needed to even out the piece in order to make a table.  So my parents paid him a visit to have the piece cut and the legs put in, and then Mom used EnviroTex to seal it.  It's an amazing table.  It looks like one of those $1000 tables you see at high end craft shows.

 This location was beautiful.  I joked that I wish I'd known about this place when CJ and I got married!

 I loved the woods surrounding it.

My father got ordained as a pastor a few months ago, specifically in order to perform the ceremony.
It's still a little weird to me that my dad is actually a pastor.  He's been a deacon at his church for years, but now he's an actual pastor!  Someone called him "Father" and he replied "Yes...father of the groom!" (my family is not Catholic and I think someone calling him "Father" probably either weirded him out or amused him)

 Here comes the bride!

 Beautiful dress!

 "Mawwiage!  Mawwiage is what bwings us togethah today!"

Yes...that is actually how my father began the ceremony!  Everyone loved it!

(if you don't get it...you really need to watch "The Princess Bride")

 The mothers lighting the unity candles.

 The kiss!

 Mr. and Mrs. Chatfield!
So happy!

Adam & Nicole's Wedding: Pre-Ceremony

I took SO many pictures yesterday!  It's hard to decide which ones to post!  I think I'm going to have to do separate posts for each section of the wedding instead of one HUGE blog post.  This entry is pictures from before the ceremony...

Nicole's tank top she was wearing as she was getting her hair and makeup done.

Mom helping the bridesmaids put on their shoes.

(left to right)
Nicole's grandma, my and Adam's grandma, and Nicole's Mom. 

 The grandmas becoming friends!

 The bride in her beautiful dress!

 Nicole giving my mom a Pandora charm bracelet...and both of them trying not to cry!

 The signifigance of the beads: Love and Faith, Wedding colors, Little Boy, Daughter/Mother Hearts. Service to her Country (Mom was in the Air Force before I was born), and a Snake (referencing a snake ring my dad has always worn and Adam wears one as well...the ring is in reference to a song Dad used to sing in church about a Bible story about Moses and the Israelites in the wilderness).

Adam and our parents.

 Me and my "little" brother. (Contrary to popular belief, I am the older one!)

Not many pictures of me...since I was behind the camera most of the time.  I'm sure there will be more once the professional's photos are available.  I feel bad because I have no pictures of my husband either.  I have no good excuse for that one.  Again though...I know the professional photographer got pictures of him.

A Beautiful Wedding...

It was a beautiful wedding...

This photo is all you get for now.
I'll post more pictures later this week.  I'm a bit wiped out from dancing right now. ;)


It was such a beautiful wedding...and maybe the most fun reception I've ever been to!

The Adventures of Hal the Sweater Monster (Episode 4: Road Trip To the Poconos)

 We stopped at Sonic in Binghamton, NY...the closest Sonic to us...3 hours away from Rochester.

(Sonic has a childhood nostalgia for me.  When my family lived in Kansas when I was a kid, Dad would always take us to Sonic.  They really need to build one in Rochester or Buffalo.)

On Rt 80, we ran into a traffic jam caused by construction that must have added another hour to our 5 hour drive to Stroudsburg, PA. 

Luna was even bored.

But we finally made it to the log cabin style house we are renting for the week with my parents and their friends!  It's a very nice place!  I'll have to post more pictures later, even though pictures don't seem to quite do it justice.  The pictures I saw online didn't prepare me for how nice it was. (BTW: My "good" Sony camera DID come in the mail on Thursday...all repaired!)

Packing for the Poconos

~Sigh~ I hate packing...

But at least my packing looks pretty!

 I also had to wrap the wedding present.

 Terra decided to jump in my suitcase before I started packing.  I'm not sure how to break it to her that she's not coming with us! (Don't worry though!...She won't starve.  I have a friend coming over to feed her while we're gone.)

At one point I walked by a pile of pillows and blankets left on the TV room floor from when I babysat my friend's kids the other night, and Luna was almost camouflaged!

A few minutes later, I walked by and the animals had switched!

Then Luna demanded that I take a break from packing to play with her!

I have just about everything packed now.  I suppose I better get back to it! (have I mentioned that I hate packing?)

Out and About...And Camera Frustrations

I went to the salon today to get my hair trimmed and the layers put back in, so my hair looks its best for my brother's wedding this weekend.

 After I went to the salon, I stopped over at the Shirt Factory Cafe.  They have a new outdoor lounge space I read about, but haven't seen yet.  It wasn't open to the public when I went today, because they were doing some work on it.  I peeked in and really wanted to disregard the sign, but I was a good girl.

 A glimpse of my new haircut!

Sorry for all the Instagram-ness lately.  My "good" camera (a Sony Cybershot DSC-TX10) had to be sent in to be repaired.  It stopped recognizing the SD card for some unknown reason.  We sent it in once, but they didn't fix the problem and we had to send it in again.  I'm a bit frustrated, since I'd like to have my good camera to take pictures at the wedding...which is in just a few days.  Sony's customer service has not been making points with me.  We'll see if my camera comes in the mail before we leave for PA on Friday.

Some Monday Words...

Instagram Sunday: Kittens and Quilts

CJ and I went to our friends' house Saturday night to hang out and have a bonfire.  They live on a farm and have lots of kittens right now.

This kitten decided to snuggle right up to me!

 This kitten, my friend's kids named "Asoka", after the character on Star Wars: Clone Wars.  We watched her catch a mouse outside...and then try to find a place where she could eat it by herself, without the other cats trying to snatch it!

 Luna "standing up" on a chair.  (her newest trick)

My "new" quilt.  :)

The Adventures of Hal the Sweater Monster (Episode 3: The Library)

 Visiting our beloved, local library earlier today!

Hal LOVES books! (Especially craft books!)