pretty pom

as seen at my brother-in-law's wedding in June

Kelly

three

Happy October 3rd and happy eve of our 3rd anniversary to us.

{photo taken of a university elevator floor number on a recent visit}

I looked back and realized that I never posted about our "rehearsal dinner" for our wedding so I thought I'd do that now. (I'm also retro-publishing part of this post back in it's chronological order as well.)

The venue where we got married had a lot of different events all the time so you didn't get to book it for an entire weekend or anything. Basically we got it for the day of our wedding and that's it. I think there was a high school homecoming dance there the night before our wedding.

We didn't have attendants and since our family members who took part in our wedding doing music, readings, etc. are all polished speakers, performers, etc. and our preacher is very accomplished at doing weddings and we certainly weren't his first, we decided that a formal "rehearsal" in the space was not important to us.

(Sidenote: our wedding ended up starting about an hour late because the deejay we hired did not have all the equipment he needed unfortunately. I guess if we'd done a rehearsal with him then the delay wouldn't have happened but it just wasn't practical given all of the logistics in play and it was fine in the end.)

So back to the night before the wedding . . .

We decided that we what was really important to us was actually getting to spend time with all of the wonderful friends and family who were coming to our wedding, particularly the many, many people who came from out of town and who we don't get to see just every day.

My old youth minister, Greg, once said that there are two times in your life when everyone you know and love is going to gather in one place. One of those is your wedding and the other is your funeral. Obviously, you only get to enjoy those people at one of those events. His point was to soak up that time with the people you love and who love you at your wedding rather than getting overly focused on details and things.

So . . .

we went a different route than the norm and had a big social at a park and invited everyone who was invited to the wedding to come the night before and hang out.

We made it simple by getting sandwiches, chips, soft drinks, etc., nothing fancy, and everything was just serve yourself.

That meant we got to enjoy

family

old and new friends

big hugs from people we hadn't seen in a while

beginning to be hospitable together as a couple

sweet conversations

watching our friends and family from both sides join together and pitch in to set out food, etc.

This was actually one of my favorite parts just watching all of the people that we love individually meeting each other, smiling, laughing, talking, working, eating and playing alongside each other. It was neat.

We talked and caught up on each other's lives.

People came from Alaska, California, Illinois, Massachusetts, Missouri, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, other parts of Texas and even overseas. I may even be missing a place or two.

It was so very special to us!

We had simple decorations.

Many handmade by friends.

There was laughter,

football

hugs

and smiles!

I think it was absolutely perfect for us and I'm so glad we did it.

What a wonderful night that in some ways seems like so many more than three years ago.

Kelly

Colorado Springs Streets - A-Z {Academy} part one

You all guessed right! We're starting with Academy.

Academy Blvd. is named for the Air Force Academy that is here in Colorado Springs.

It is quite a long street and therefore this "tour" of Academy will be broken up into a few parts.

Do you see the Goodwill peaking out in the photo above? Unfortunately Goodwill here seems to be *way* overpriced. I saw a basket there for $60!!

I prefer the Arc thrift store but that is on another "A" street, Austin Bluffs.

I began my exploration of Academy at the north end and worked my way south.

I did not know that Carmike Cinemas were a chain. Every time I see this sign I am transported back to my college days because the Carmike in North Little Rock and the Chili's nearby were pretty standard date night or girls' night fare during those years. Adrian and I do not tend to see many movies so we'll see how long it takes us to make it here. I am pretty sure there is an IMAX in town but I'm not sure of what all our movie options are yet.

In Dallas I had a Dollar Tree very close and it is handy for solid color plates and napkins, holiday stuff occasionally, ribbon (a lot of the ribbon for our wedding came from Dollar Tree), etc. Even pregnancy tests actually! The first test I took when I was pregnant with David was from Dollar Tree but I wasn't sure whether or not to believe it. Turns out it was right.

There is actually a new Dollar Tree open very close to our new house but it is good to know this one is here too.

I am not one to frequent IHOPs. I much prefer the Original Pancake House and thankfully there is one just an hour away in case we really need our fix (we used to drive 20 minutes in Dallas so what's another 40?). At the same time though IHOP's new cinn-a-stack pancakes and their chocolate chip pancakes with whipped cream could possibly lure me in. Where pancakes are concerned you've just got to keep your options open, right?

Anyone ever been to Good Times? I have not. We do like custard. There is also a Culver's down the street and we do know that we like them but with a name like Good Times perhaps we should check this place out too. What do you think?

Gotta know where all of the Chick-fil-A's are!

I actually haven't eaten here is soo long! Almost everything on their menu includes dairy & egg so it's been out for us as we eat with food allergies in mind. Speaking of food allergies though, here is a little update: David is thankfully *not* allergic to wheat! Eggs are still somewhat suspect but we're thinking he might not be allergic to those but he is definitely allergic to milk. Still, this is so much easier to deal with than all three which is where we started.

*And* he is also weaned so mama can now eat whatever she wants. :)

Chipotle doesn't quite compare to Freebirds but I do like their rice and if I get a vegetarian burrito I find it pretty good. Bluebell came to Colorado though so maybe Freebirds can be next. I think everyone here would really like it. They love barbecue around these parts it seems and Freebirds burrito with barbecue sauce . . . um yum!

Here was my teaser picture. We really like Thai Food and we love basil so this place should surely be good, right?

I am excited to try this place out. Have any of you been here? Is it any good?

I like the Hu Hot signs. They are fun to me. We've been here once so far. As Mongolian Grills tend to be, it was a little pricey in my opinion. I might go again sometime at lunch.

You can see Barnes & Noble peaking out of the trees. Very Colorado looking, right?

I have already been here. I wanted to buy a paper street map. Why would I need one when I have maps on my iphone? I don't know exactly except that I just wanted one. I wanted to be able to unfold a map and spread it on the table and get a good overview and see the whole geography.

We've been to Whole Foods a couple times already. Once was to get yummy salami, prosciutto, etc. for a Mother's Day picnic in the park. It was a lot of fun. If you're familiar with Natural Grocers (which is also on Academy, basically across the street), Sunflower Market (which is also on Academy just a little further south) and Whole Foods, how would you compare them? I have been into Sunflower Market a couple of times quickly and have not yet been to Natural Grocers.

I thought this car was fun that I saw as I drove through parking lots stopping to take photos through my car windows with my little point and shoot.

Chapel Hills Mall is one of two malls in town. It seems fairly quiet. We are shopping for a new couch and I asked the man at Dillards if they have furniture. He looked at me like I had three heads and said he's been told that only their New York City store has furniture. Our suburban mall in Dallas had furniture but maybe they are phasing furniture out or something. Who knows. I called Denver too and they don't have furniture. hmmm . . .

On Academy there is also a Michaels (very important), Steinmart, and Ross that I didn't get a good photo of. I have traditionally preferred Marshall's or TJMaxx over Ross but I have discovered something new and wonderful. Have you ever noticed how the Ross shopping carts have those long poles to prevent you from taking them out of the store? David *loves* to hold onto it and shake it and is generally entertained by it while riding in the cart which definitely buys mama a little more shopping time. Also, there is an older man who works at the door and always greets us so nicely when we come in and talks to David so that has won me over too.

Also not pictured is Pei Wei which I have found to be one of *the* most kid friendly restaurants. They will bring your high chair to you so you are not trying to schlep your baby on your hip, diaper bag, etc. while dragging an unwieldy high chair across the floor and in between tables and they are always extremely gracious about any mess. I have always liked them for their food but they have gone even further up my list. Plus it is super easy to eat there with a milk allergy! Yea!

Another not pictured is Five Guys that I went to for the first time the other night. I liked the burger but missed what all the hype is about the fries. They do have malt vinegar for you to dip your fries into though which is a definite plus.

Nearby also is Noodles and Co. I was happy to be reunited with them! They used to have locations in Dallas many years ago but they have all closed. In my single days their mac and cheese with broccoli and chicken added was a favorite dinner splurge. I am excited to have their mac and cheese again soon. Being able to eat dairy again is wonderful! I definitely think I appreciate it more.

And finally for this leg of the tour, Burger King. They are worth a mention for their frozen cokes. My mom and I have sort of been addicted to getting them lately. My sweet dad has gone out to bring them back for us more than once.

More on Academy to come later and if you know anything about Academy Blvd. in Colorado Springs, I'd love to hear about it. Thanks!

Kelly

wedding Wednesday - eye candy

photos by Rachel Debell Photography

wedding Friday - it's time!!!

photo: Kelly

Do you remember this post?

I had set it to automatically post at the time of our wedding.

After all of the planning, dreaming, waiting and getting ready, it was time!

I loved showing up at the Cotton Mill and seeing how everything had turned out. Everything was ready to go, I felt great and I was so excited that it was finally time to marry Adrian.

photo: Rachel Debell Photography

I really like the crosses on the door in the background of this picture.

They were already there and went great with our decor.

photo: Rachel Debell Photography

a shot of my bouquet

From what I can remember, my hands were calm. I was just ready and happy and sure.

photo: Jenni

For some reason, the bottom of this photo is gray, but I love the way the sunlight is streaming in on the podium where we will stand together before God and all of our family and friends and publicly state our commitment to each other for the rest of our lives.

It was beyond my imagination to get to stand on such a beautiful bed of rose petals as we said our vows but it turned out to be quite doable to get bags of rose petals from our florist and was one of the easiest ways to cover the makeshift stage that was provided.

What I didn't know until the day of and what you can't see in the photo is that the stage was quite high actually and it would have been quite a step up from the floor. My brother and my friend Mindy, and maybe some others, I'm not sure, found some smaller steps to put in front of it and draped them with crocheted doilies that had been made by my great-grandmother. It was so special to me to have her present at the wedding in that way. What a blessing!

photo: Betty

Everything is ready and it is almost time for the ceremony to begin!!

photo: Betty

Seating

and finally . . .

photo: Rachel Debell Photography

the ceremony

What a blessing it was to be surrounded by our family and friends for such an important occasion. The whole room just radiated with joy.

photo: Rachel Debell Photography

Kelly

wedding Wed, uh, Thursday - almost one year!

this photo by me, all others by Rachel Debell Photography