Sweet November

Hmmph. Life has been running at rocket-speed the past month or so. Thus my lack of posts. But the kids and I successfully made a three-day trip across Texas to New Orleans for Val's wedding. (Brian flew into town a few days later.) We put on a birthday party for Jack there, and I also planned a bachelorette party for Val. Between those two events, Jack and I both managed to catch a bug, and we both spent a good part of 24 hours being sick. Luckily, it was ONLY 24 hours, and although I missed the bachelorette party, we were both well by the rehearsal. My dad was not so lucky. He did walk Val down the aisle, but couldn't muster strength to do much else that day. We had a lot of other kinds of drama leading up to the wedding, but the wedding itself? Absolutely perfect. Val's dress--the one that I helped pick out in Dallas last July--was stunning, my homemade sash worked, and she was a beaming, happy, blushing bride. RJ looked pretty handsome, too. And the reception was tons of fun, even with a clingy, whiny, 17-month-old girl attached to my hip. I even gave a semi-successful toast, which Val loved, but I think she was a little drunk, because afterward she kept kissing me on the forehead. Brian drove back with us, and we briefly visited the Alamo on our way, but plan to go back to both places--New Orleans and San Antonio--when our kids are a little older (and hopefully more appreciative).

Some of my favorite pictures from the wedding day:

Cake Wrecks

I have weddings on my mind after this long weekend in Dallas. Not since my own wedding has my mind been so consumed with dresses, centerpieces, favors, flowers, and cakes. Thanks to a FB friend for introducing me to this website:

http://cakewrecks.blogspot.com/
"When Professional Cakes Go Horribly, Hilariously Wrong"

The great wedding dress search

I'm in Dallas (Grapevine, actually), visiting my sister and her fiance RJ. Main purpose of the visit? To find a wedding dress for Val! We started with the obligatory trip to David's Bridal, where she found a few candidates, but nothing perfect, nothing that would produce that heart-stopping moment every bride needs when she walks down the aisle. Kate went with us. She was a BIG help.

Next on our list was Lulu's Boutique, housed in a quaint little Victorian near downtown Dallas. The store was charming, the dresses extravagant. And, unfortunately, out of Val's budget.

I guess our third stop was the charm. Although it didn't look like much from the outside (we almost drove away without even going in!), Anonymously Yours had a huge selection of beautiful wedding gowns. Val tried on five and loved the fourth. It was a perfect fit. And she probably spent about half of what she would've spent on a new dress. After our visit, we both swore to become better aficionados of secondhand stores.

http://www.ayresale.com/