Pics from Brett's wedding weekend

Many of you wanted to see pictures from my brother's wedding, so here they are.



Lisa wanted to get married outside. Due to unpleasant Oklahoma weather (no shocker there!), her wish was unfulfilled, but I took this picture of the couple in the location where she wanted the wedding. Pretty, huh? It's their backyard! (When it comes to making things grow, my brother got all of the good genes. I've been known to kill a cactus.)

Here are my mom and dad at the rehearsal dinner barbeque. After watching the wedding video, my dad said he was going to shave his beard because he didn't recognize himself. My mom claims he's working on being the "town character."Notice Garrett made sure I had a nametag on my belly for Max, too.An hour before the wedding, Lisa noticed her garter was missing, so I went to a store that sold them. They didn't have blue, but it seemed to do the trick anyway. Here is her beautiful and aromatic boquet, basket for the flower girl, pillow for the ringbearer, and garter.

Lisa did a very good job in making the wedding elegant. However, she surprised Brett with a few special touches. After the vows, they turned to walk down the aisle. The music? Star Wars. The groom's cake was also a nod to their love of cinema. That's Boba Fett and Padme Amidala.

Lastly, here's a pic of the couple as they cut the cake.They returned from their honeymoon today. I hope it was fabulous--and that they don't mind me posting all these pics. Just know that if you're my friend or relative, I may very well put your picture on this blog!

My brother is married!

My brother married his sweetheart on Saturday. They've dated for seven years. After the preacher announced them "husband and wife," my uncle cried, "Hooray! Hooray!" Obviously, it was an event many of us have anticipated for years. We had the rehearsal dinner Friday night and the ceremony on Saturday.

It was fun to see family and meet my brother's co-workers, friends, and new in-laws. I was impressed by how truly nice everyone seemed to be. Also, I was so grateful that Brett and Lisa planned the event on a date I could attend. It was a special time.

Garrett purchased a Flip video recorder and put it to use. He originally wanted it for the baby but rushed to get it in time for the wedding. He hoped to catch a blooper for America's Funniest Home Videos, but the wedding went smoothly. I look forward to seeing the clips he took this week. I interviewed him and the best man after the bride and groom left in their abused car. Garrett and David have the same "haircut" and claimed they'd seen a couple of really hairy guys around the car, so I guess they're cleared.

Unfortunately, I cried during the ceremony, which alarmed the bride and her mother due to the belief that the tears cried during the wedding are tears the bride will shed during the marriage. Since I'm not much of a crybaby, we decided my tears didn't count since they were probably due to pregnancy hormones. Still, it was touching to see my brother taking his vows, winking at his bride, and being the happiest I've ever seen him in my life.

When I return to NJ, I'll post pictures.

Wednesday, May 14--23 weeks!

I took the bus into the city today to see my friend Stephanie and a show. The beautiful day and fun activities made up for the beginning of the journey. The smells of the perfume in the magazine I was reading and the guy sitting beside me combined with the stop and start motion of the bus to make me wonder if I would have to use my purse as a barf bag. Nausea, be gone!

Once in the city, though, it was a perfect and gorgeous day. We ate lunch alfresco at a little French restaurant. Then we went to a show called Perfect Crime. It's the longest running drama in Broadway history. According to the program, Catherine Russell, the lead, has missed only four shows in 20 years. (We speculated that she must be either one dedicated or incredibly lonely woman.) The show was a good mystery. Max and I didn't exactly like the gunshots much--he jumped around a lot! The men in the show were all impressive. The show is at the tiny Snapple Theatre. It's a cozy, and worthwhile experience.

After the play we went to a bridal boutique. Stephanie is marrying a super-nice guy on 8-8-08 in Paris. Unfortunately, we won't be able to attend because it's only a month from our due date. Still, it was fun to get to help her with her wedding dress. It was one of those afternoons that made me thankful we moved here.

While at the boutique, we observed a bride-to-be having a horrific problem with sizing a dress for her August wedding. Apparently, she'd selected a mermaid style gown several months before. At some point during the engagement she got pregnant. She's currently three months along and one of her breasts alone equaled the size of my belly. She was huge. They were trying to find a different gown and order it in the right size to fit her. None of her friends or family could go with her that day, so Stephanie and I befriended her. My heart hurt for the girl. She was such a sweet thing. Getting married and having a baby should be joyous occasions. I feel so bad for her that the two are getting crammed together with one tainting the pleasure of the other. I hope she has a lovely day.

As for me, I was officially 23 weeks that day. The people at the bridal shop didn't even notice I was pregnant until it came out in conversation. I guess they thought I was just built funny. Hmmm. I'm not really sure how to take that.

Wedding Bells

My brother is getting married!

Yes, to the girl he's dated for so long. Lisa's nieces and nephews have called him Uncle Brett for years. She's in all our holiday photos and is really already part of the family. So, when Max comes along, "Aunt" Lisa will be official.

They may have had a long courtship, but they're engagement will be short. They're getting married in June. I appreciate that they planned a date where I can still fly because I'm thrilled for them and want to be there.

Unlike me, the rest of my family has green thumbs. I, on the other hand, am the only person I know of to massacre a cactus. (Hey, I thought the car would be like a greenhouse and be good for it!) Anyway, they have beautiful yards. They're having a very small wedding in the backyard. It will be lovely.