"Be My Wife."

"Please be mine, share my life, stay with me, be my wife." -David Bowie, "Be My Wife."

This past weekend was a happy time: the wedding of one of my oldest and dearest friends, Kim. She and her husband, Kyle, got married in Breckenridge, which was absolutely beautiful (if a little windy). The rehearsal dinner was held on a train--the Georgetown Loop, which I enjoyed immensely. Here are a few scenic pictures of Breckenridge and the train ride.

The bride and groom on the train.

The wedding itself was beautiful, and also rather windy. It took a whole team of devoted people to roll out and tack down her isle. My love for Kim in action! That's part of being close to the bride and groom and it being their special day and all. It was definitely an adventure.

But seeing the happy couple more than made up for the amount of work needed. And everything looked just right. That's another interesting thing about weddings: they always seem to come out perfect. Watching the bride walk down the isle was very satisfying. Definitely worth it. Women always looks extra beautiful on their wedding day and I loved seeing the look in Kyle's eyes and hearing his voice soften when he spoke to Kim.

The beautiful bride getting ready for her grand entrance!

The happy couple!

And luckily, I think our bridesmaid toast went well! We were both worried, especially with a joint speech that we had so little time to really coordinate. Kim started out about to cry, but we tried to keep it pretty light-hearted. Here we are, co-maids of honor with the bride laughing. As a small side note, I loved our bridesmaid dresses. Aren't they beautiful?

Here's to a happily ever after! To Kim and Kyle! Congratulations and best wishes!

Gardening Endeavors Part Two

Gardening update! A little bit late, but look at my little garden!

All the big ones at the end are green bean plants. They are going crazy! And the ones in the middle are pea plants. The mini carrots at the far end have yet to do anything. Isaac's planter is above mine in the picture. His is an herb garden so, even though you cannot see anything, there are several tiny oregano and basil plants growing (no spearmint as of yet).

Sadly, our aloe plant, Barnabas is not doing as well, but I think that's due to all of the cold spells we've had. Once it warms up, I'm sure he will perk right up! Stay tuned! I hope our little gardens continue to grow and thrive!

Birthday Coaster Set

So yesterday was my little brother's birthday. He was a little distraught when I took my bear coasters with me when I moved out of the house so I made him his very own, very nerdy, set. Since this was an artistic endeavor, I am going to post progress pictures.

Arik (my now 20 year old baby brother!), my sister, Kema, and I used to play N-64 together. Some of our favorite games included Super Smash brothers (I was always Pikachu, Kema was usually Yoshi, and Arik switched, but was usually Kirby), Mario Kart, Kirby (something about Crystal Shards?), Paper Mario, and one or two of the Zelda games (the Ocarina one and something about a mask...). In collaboration with Kema, we decided to do these four characters: Link, Mario, Kirby, and Pikachu. Though Bowser was sadly left out... Here are my initial sketches:

Then I went to Got Paint in the mall and this is what I came out with. (Keep in mind, these are not the finished products).

And the back sides:

A handful of days later, I went to pick up my project. Here is what we have:

 Turned out alright, yeah? Even my mixed colors came out. Happy birthday little brother! I think he liked them and I think his housemates will enjoy them, too.

Gardening Endevors Part One

Those who know me know that I like plants, but I have a brown thumb. I tend to kill them, apparently by simply being nearby. My mom inherits most of my plants as I am incapable of keeping them alive.

Despite this, I brought home a clipping from an old aloe plant that we have at my dad's house. This plant is HUGE! I hope that the plant is happy enough that I won't be able to kill it, no matter what I do. Isaac and I named him Barnabas. Here is a picture of him:

Isaac likes plants, too, and is a much better gardener than myself. With that in mind, I bought a couple of small troughs and some seeds for him for Valentines Day. We finally bought some soil and planted our seeds a couple weeks ago, "my" planter has mini carrots, peas, and green beans (and an adorable owl decoration) and "Isaac's" has oregano, basil, and spearmint. After moving them inside two or three times for all of the cold storms, we still had no results. But today when I went out to water the plants, I found this!

Yes! A sprout! In "my" planter, no less! This is one is from one of the peas! I was so excited! So until fall, I will keep you posted on our little gardens!

In Honor of Mother's Day

I'm sure lots of people feel this way, but I am pretty sure I have the best mom in the world. I didn't realize how great until I got older and could understand the sacrifices that she's made for me and my siblings. Although we don't always get along or see eye to eye (and we have definitely had our rough spots), she has always been there for me.

My mom and me. September 1988

She is super supportive and non-judgmental. She's always been the "cool mom" and most of my friends have a bond with her. She supports me emotionally, mentally, and financially. I've called her late at night for rides and once at 3am to use her bathroom (long story). She runs errands with me and we have fun together. We love to get coffee and chat. Growing up, I don't think I could have had a better mother. So mom, thank you for all you've done for me.

And here is a wonderful picture with my mom, Nana, and Gramie. Four Generations of women!

May 1988