Val's Wedding Weekend: Part II

Val's rehearsal dinner was a blast, but the wedding was even better. I must first say the two weddings I have been to with Maggie have been worth it because she shuts down the dance floor. Meg and Joe may have a party girl because she doesn't stop when there is music playing. The wedding was beautiful and so was Val. Here she is before becoming Mrs. Wilson.

We tried to get a good family picture, Mom, but it wasn't happening. This is our best.

The reception was at a place called the Darby house which was incredible. They took us to the reception in a horse drawn carriage. We had to wait quite awhile for it, but the kids liked it and
Charlie, the horse. Here are Meg and Josie riding. Josie is happy, as usual. I'm not sure Meg liked Charlie as well as the rest of us. We weren't allowed to pet him, orders from Meg :)

There was a stuffed lion immediately when you walked in the doors. Owen was too funny, pretending he was stuck.

I thought this picture was too cute. She was having fun with the tea cups.

My two favorite dance partners. This is definitely my idea of a good time! All we need is for Josie to learn to walk so she can join us. I love my nephew. He is truly a little prince, and a bit of a handful too! He loved all the kids running around and wanted to join them.

Here was Maggie the whole night.

Here is Maggie at the end of the night.

Doug and I had lots of fun too. He danced with the kids as much as I did. Here we are half way through the night, still having fun.

Val's Wedding Weekend

So this weekend was my friend Val's wedding, and it was a total blast. The rehearsal was Thursday night so I had to be there early to rehearse with the guitar player. We literally rehearsed for twelve minutes! We ran it twice, and it worked fine. Gotta love professional musicians. So, Doug and I had an hour to burn before everyone else showed up. I think we snuck into every room at the church, played as much basketball as I could in high heels, talked to every person that was around in the church, and then this is what we did to amuse ourselves.

Yes, we were ready for things to get started! Val and company finally got there, and it was the quickest rehersal ever! She was so funny -- we kept talking, and she would get in trouble for not listening. I've never seen a bride so laid back. Afterward, we went to a great Italian place for the dinner. It was great because my sister showed up too so a bunch of us from college got to catch up with each other's lives. i totally enjoyed it. I forgot to get a pic with Mike (from college), but he is a marathon runner so I had a long conversation with him about running and outdoor stuff. Meg and Doug were totally bored with that conversation, and it showed. They prefer a movie and McDonalds to a run anyday :)

Here they are hanging out and making comments just like they use to in college.

I loved seeing Josie and getting some "bonding time" with her. She is just perfect!

I loved being with my sis too. It was kind of like being back in college, except she had a baby :) Meg looked great, and it was nice to get some sister time that we don't always get when the kids are around. Val and Gary are the awesomest couple! They are a blast together and seperately. She got a great guy . He is really easy-going and personable and fits great with Val. Congrats and best wishes, you two!

The last time we were all three together was probably in college!

Elizabeth is another friend from college. She looks amazing and has two kids! Wow! She and Steve (her husband) are moving to Africa soon. I told her to expect a guest. :)Here is Meg with the girls from her class. Lookin' great, ladies.

Busy, Busy

Ok. It has been over a week since the Kentucky trip, and I am getting antsy. This last week has been crazy busy because I have to get all my work done before my friend Valerie's wedding this week. That is why I have not been calling people back (for my GA friends) or emailing (Tara). I promise next week will be a bit less hectic, and I will be better at being back in touch. For now, I know I will be back in Georgia to do "Smoke on the Mountain" and another show during January and February. I have to learn to fiddle a bit, play guitar, and learn some mandolin. Woohoo! This should be fun. I have been practicing on my guitar skills, and my cousin's violin will be delivered to me at the wedding so get ready, Mike and Becky! Also, I have been playing some tennis with my new raquet (thanks, mom and dad). I forgot how much fun the game is. Five miles is a breeze now so I am going to up the running miles. I get to see my sister's family at the wedding on Thursday and Friday so I am especially excited. I have a feeling I may be dancing with the kids the whole time during the reception. (Remember your wedding, Liv?) For now I am off to bed. Good night.

Red River Gorge

Red River Gorge

If last Friday is an indication of the rest of the summer then it is going to be good. I took a rather impromptu trip to Red River Gorge, KY. -- God's land. :) The two Wolverine coaches, Travis and I, (which I might add have a winning team in the league -- surprised?) headed early Friday morning to Kentucky to hike. After four hours of driving, we arrived at the gorge. Travis is a runner so I think he thought this would be a piece of cake. After an hour of hiking, we were both sweating and after another hour of going uphill, we were a bit winded. His words later were, "I thought we would be on gravel most of the time." We ended up getting a great workout and having a great day. (Yes, DJ, it was much nicer than Lumberjack) Luckily, Travis was ok with my "snacks" and didn't need three full meals so we spent from noon to 8:30 hiking and basically had some beef jerky, trail mix, and bananas. (See, mom and Meg, there are others like me) We made it to an arch called Grey's Arch. It was huge; although, the pic below does it no justice. We ended up free climbing it which was somewhat of a challenge, but we made it. We snuck into a campground bathroom that night, cleaned up, and then headed to Lexington to eat at Atomic Cafe (one of my favorite's in college). It was as good as I remembered, and the sweet potato chips were amazing! (Mom, your's are as good though) We ended up leaving at midnight and getting home at 4 am and then we had soccer the next day! Despite our exhaustion, our team won! That's some true coaching. LOL! Anyway, it was a great trip, and I'm so glad we did it. Here are some pics from the day.

I'm that tiny blue dot on top of the big boulder.
This is Gray's Arch.
This is when we made it to the top.
This is looking down from the top.
Ah, I miss seeing this.

We met this snake along the way. Travis tried to pick him up, but he was too quick.

I wanted to find those caves!
Travis taking a break

A Day at the Farm

We took the kids at our church on a field trip to Marmon Valley Farms in Ohio. ( I bet you know where that is, Joe) I must say I was dreading it, but I ended up having a blast. My friend Joey and her husband Jason went as chaperones. Travis, the "head" soccer coach of my team, went too. The kids had fun. I think we adults had just as much as they did. Here are some pics of my day on the farm.
Maggie will love this one!

Joey actually liked this pig! Here I am with "the girls" going through the hay maze.

Joey was a novice horseback rider.

Then there was me. Travis in his non-soccer coach mode. Is this called metro?

I liked this rope bridge a lot. Travis liked climbing a lot. Wish he liked watching the kids that much! JJ!