Christmas Time In Arizona

The parental units have landed and should be making their way here soon - they had to go get their rental, but should be making it here soon.  It's been a day of cleaning, working out, IKEA for 2 new chairs - 5 people and only 4 seats is not cool.  Plus even number of chairs just makes more sense.  Now back home and laundry and waiting :O)

7 years...

7 years ago today we woke up to a world without Gerard Downing.  A world without a man who lived his life to make this world a better place for his wife and kids.  He did it as a lawyer in Boston while meeting the love of his life, Pamela, who was an artist to the soul.  What better love story could you have than a lawyer and artist finding their way in the North End of Boston before moving to western Massachusetts to settle down with a family of four children.  A true Irish Catholic family with 4 amazing children named Benjamin, Margaret, Nathaniel, and Nicholas.  They lived to serve their community and make their friends better for being a part of their lives.  It was one of the coldest mornings on record and Ger did what he always did - went downstairs to make coffee for Pam, walked out on the porch to check the thermometer which had been blown around the corner due to the wind.  He took the last step off the porch and took his first step into heaven.  Our worlds came crumbling down with a heartache that no one could understand how to get through. 

7 years later his wife and children have carried on the legacy a man like that leaves.  They have achieved greater expectations of themselves with the drive of their father beside them always.  We all miss him everyday and know he keeps his family and friends safe until we all meet again.

Mr. Downing - thank you for my best friend and for being the best Mr. Downing anyone could ever ask for.

Love and miss you everyday.

Hot Chocolate my love!

Starbucks Hot Chocolate!  This is my latte factor - the entire reason I could end up not being a millionaire!  Sorry but even the local shops suck at it - I am not a coffee drinker so I am allowed to love Starbucks to the ends of the earth.  Especially considering they are the only ones that make a hot chocolate worth drinking.

 
Then they went and made the Salt Carmel Hot Chocolate and OMYLORD!!!!!!



Amazing Sunday already started!!!!

NKOTBSB HERE I COME!!!!

OMG!!!!  I HAVE TICKETS!!!!  DREAMS REALLY DO COME TRUE EVEN IF YOU HAVE TO WAIT 10 AND 20 YEARS!!!

Pretty much the last boy bands I never got to see in concert - I never saw Boys II Men, but I feel my boy band concert seeing will be complete with this one.  June 30, 2011 I will be at the US Airways Center in Phoenix to see New Kids On The Block and Backstreet Boys in concert together!!!!

I have been watching their AMA's appearance today and looking for all my CD's.  I must study up again - even though those songs are forever in my brain for life!  When I am old and remember nothing I will be humming NKOTB and BSB songs with some Boys II Men, *NSYNC, and 98* mixed in.  Probably a little MMM Bop for good measure. 

YAHOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!

PATRIOTS!!!!

To the guy who walked up to me at Whiskey River on Thanksgiving Eve and told me he hated the Patriots and he was a Jets fan - I say - I'd hate us too considering we just beat your team like they stole something! 

  This is Mr. Tom Brady - in case you live under a rock.

  This is Mr. Danny Woodhead - one with football.  He reminds me of a little Rudy - so small they can't find him!


These are my favorite boys on my favorite team!!!! Love you Patriots!  Tom you rock and Woodhead you can stay forever - I'll keep you :o)  Gotta support those DII players who go into the NFL and make people realize what a real player is!


The End.


P.S. Who wants to make a bet that kid from Whiskey River is crying tonight? :O)

Anyone else notice?

I missed the whole month of November with posts!  Man that flew by!  I get the whole relativity thing - I feel like I talk about this a lot, but I never really considered why life moves so much faster the older you get until my Dad made the point of relativity.  Anyway - I think I have spent the last 6 months of this year really contemplating that and really understanding how it works.  Kinda crazy to think that it must be even faster in another 10 years, which means my years will last like 8 months by then.  Well I think you should see some Disney pics - not all of them because holy that was a lot.  However a select few will be nice... enjoy!

Buying tickets the first day at Magic Kingdom!!

Joseph, Steph and I before going inside the Magic Kingdom!

OMG IT'S STILL THERE AND STILL REAL!!!!!!

My favorite teddy bear ever!  Pooh Bear and my favorite T-I-DOUBLE GG - ERRRRR!  Yep I waited in line for these two - and got their signatures :O)

oooo my favs!

First night of lighting the castle!!!  There is Donald, Goofy, Mickey and Minnie!!!!!!

Isn't it amazing?!?!?!

Magic Kingdom was my favorite and I will post some more later.  Right now, I need to go and wrap my White Elephant gift and go to bed.  Later!!!!

I get bored

Okay, so being single and having all your friends who were neighbors move away means there are some very boring nights!  Well tonight was kinda one of those nights and i went for a run - came home and after watching some DVR stuff I found the timer on my camera.  Now I haven't done much on here since Halloween and there is a lot that has happened, Disney World, I aged a year, work is full of crazies - instead of all of that.  You get this!

Okay this was the first and there was a flash in this one.  Clearly there was too much counter and the flash wasn't helping much.

This is the next one - without flash because DUH there is enough light right in the corner.  I think i was getting confused by the beeping for the countdown and I was kinda over that picture so this is half hearted.

I almost fell over.  You try balancing on one foot for the 3rd time for 30 seconds now and tell me you might not have a moment of falling over!

I forgot the timer and just clicked the button.  Catching up on Ellen in the background haha!

Now this was the final picture because it really just catches the essence of my ridiculousness.  O that and the battery was about to run out on the camera.

So there you have it - my Wednesday night at home watching TV.  Nothing but fun haha!  Think they saw me in that outfit running - it did get pretty dark before I got home.   Good thing I have a ridiculous orange colored shirt from a past race :o)

Peace out - maybe next time will be a Disney pic.

All Hallows Eve - 2010

Well I have to say - I haven't really participated in All Hallows Eve or Day in a very long time.  I have half heartedly been out on those days, but this year I really got into the spirit and made sure to make it a fun one.  On Friday I showed up to work even earlier than normal to get the computer going, get my stuff out and throw on my costume.  I was waiting for people to get to work when I remembered it was Friday and I could have shown up 10 minutes later than my usual which would be about 5 - 10 before 8, and still have sat around for 20 minutes before the first person walked in.  Besides Peter and Bert who are always there before me and sometimes Rose who was there that morning.  Well I sat at my desk and when I heard the code start to be punched into the back door I threw the head up and this is what they saw:

I'm Gumby haha!  In case you don't know what I look like, you still don't.  That is Aimee who was the only other person who dressed up.  Well I did that for about an hour until most all were at work.  Then the costume was too hot to stay in although I did get work done while dressed in it.  I brought it out a couple more times as random people showed throughout the day and made sure to show everyone who had decided to work at Meridian that day.

Saturday rolled around and this was the night for the party.  I met up with Dan and Michelle at their house and we got some stellar pictures.  The night involved a stop at Taco Bell, driving around town with Gumby in the back seat waving to people, a party and a bar.  Below are just some of the highlights and most of my softball team and good friends participating in the events.

Dan, Michelle and I

Jenny, Courtney and Dan photo bombing

The ladies of softball - Michelle, Courtney and Jenny

The 3 most outrageous - Dan, John (who was a senior at WWU when I was a freshman and when I joined softball on a random team ended up being the captain on the random team I joined - small world) and I

The crew - top left to right - No Idea, Courtney, Me, Michelle, John

bottom left to right - Jenny and Dan

Michael Jackson attacks Gumby - Gumby actually looks scared!

Gumby and Santa get their groove on!

Gumby gets some more action!

Gumby can't catch a break

Gumby and Vegas hanging out

The boys - Dan, can't remember, Elliot and John

Gumby hanging out with the Taco Bell drive thru crew

All in all it was a great night and the Gumby costume was a huge hit!  I am loving All Hallows Eve again and excited when it comes around next year :o)

Have a great All Hallows Day and tonight I am going to go walk around with Dan and Michelle while their kids, Trinity and Ethan trick or treat :O)

GREAT WEEKEND

This was a great weekend.  Friday started off a little crazy with taking my car to the shop at 7am - again!  Same code was coming up on the check engine light that came up during Labor Day weekend and I ended up fixing for $390.  So I was super pissed when the same code was coming up and everything else that might have been wrong with that code would have been uber expensive.  So I drop the car off and walked the mile to work.  I could have taken the shuttle, but I was too annoyed so I took the walk.  Got to work at 7:20 and the say was off and rolling.  Nothing too crazy that happened and finally at 1 pm I got a call my car was ready, which was a little concerning considering they never called with an estimate.  Honda explained that they checked all the work they had done, and checked everything it could have been and nothing was wrong.  They turned the code off and I would just need to drive it and if it came on again bring it back.  Made me feel 100 times better.

It was Shanda's going away part on Friday night as she and Ross are moving to Oregon. Ross already lives there, but she has no job tying her here so she took off for the adventure. Well first we sent her off by going to Lucky Strike in downtown Phoenix.

This is Ross and Shanda - flannel was the name of the game with them heading to Oregon

Shanda and Michelle - sisters and Michelle is going to miss her a ton!

I don't own flannel, and the one shirt I have that says My White T Is Green had a smudge on it.  So, just went with my LC jeans!, Banana Republic shirt and Ann Taylor jacket.  Hey Northwest people dress cute too, so it works.

Michelle, Courtney, Shanda and Ross - there were like 10 other people there to celebrate, but the camera ran out of room for pictures so this is what we ended up with haha!  There was a lot of ridiculous dancing and bowling going on because Lucky Strike is not just a bowling alley, it is a night club.  FABULOUSNESS all around!!!!  I got to bust out "Get Out Of Your Mind" dance routine from SYTYCD with Twitch and Alex.  I know some of it so it was hilarious!

We will miss you Shanda!!!!!

Saturday I cleaned the 3rd floor, vacuuming, laundry, picking up, bathroom cleaning, sorting, putting away - really going to town.  I was over it and never did the 2nd floor, but I take heart in knowing the upstairs is looking fabo.   Went to bed early as I wanted to be up by 7 to start my 5 mile run.

Ended up waking up at 6:45am with no alarm.  Got up and got ready to go for a run.  The first mile was good, mile 1.5 to 2 kinda sucked, but then I sucked it up and ran the rest of the way home.  Got my 5 miles in with a 13 min and 52 second pace.  Not the best, but I felt it was a great run and I felt good, so the pace can be worked on.  I came home and finally took a shower - I can not tell a lie I had not showered since Friday morning and it was kinda fun haha!  At 11 I left to go play softball for noon with Where My Pitches @!.  We won the game before we started because the other team forfeited, but then we won the game for reals still even giving them one of our players.  So that was good :o)  It was like winning twice.  Now just home and enjoying the New England Patriots play San Diego.  O football Sundays!  How I adore thee.

My cousin Tonny will be here late tonight and I get to have dinner with him on Monday and Tuesday night.  Nothing but greatness going around right now.  O and did I mention the weather is unbeatable right now and Arizona is once again the best weather in the country!

O have to share this random picture of 4 guys who work in my building and we saw them walking to lunch one day this last week.  We all were taken aback and ended up saying "WHOA" when we saw it and then got a good chuckle.

HELLO Boy Band! 98* much? haha!  Love it!



Chilean Miners

I just want these guys to come out of this mine and I can hardly wait.  I can't lie I actually have a nervous feeling as I think about them.  I just want all of them to get out of there safely given they have survived so bravely for 66 days.  I mean we never find these guys alive and here is an opportunity to get 33 of them out alive.  Technically 35 because they are sending two down there - which holy cow talk about bravery by two other people!  To jump in a body fitting capsule and go a mile underground to stand and help these 33 miners jump into the capsule and send them up.  When you could have volunteered to be the guy that talks them all through the issues should they arise - I think that makes a hero.  I think that makes a person who deserves the best in life when they are willing to go help those in need when anything could happen and survival is not guaranteed.  Which then again nothing in life is guaranteed, but we don't all sign up to test the limit all the time or very often.

O the nerves - I will be so excited when all 35 people are out and all have been to the hospital and can recover into a happy life again!

10.10.10

This turned out to be a great day - which any day alive and living life is a good day :)  It started out with another night of sleeping with the window open and the air conditioner off.  I woke up around 7:15 and hit the road running by 8 am.  It wasn't going to be over 100 degrees, but even though the high was only going to be 91, the desert has a tendency to heat up quickly.  I have been known to be out running and within one hour the temp's jumped 7 degrees - that's tough to handle.  So I started out on my first 3 mile run of my half marathon training.  The first mile went by without a hitch - I took about 15 seconds around the 1.3 mile mark to walk and drink a little water.  I was off and running again, but trying to get in the zone a little when a 150 year old man went running by me.  WTH?!?!?!  Dude was like 3 times my age and went flying by me like I was standing still.  So I sped up a little, but realized there was no keeping pace with this beast of an old man and just went back to my 13-ish minute mile pace.  Around 2 miles I took 20 seconds to walk and then started running again.  Around 2.6 miles I walked again because at this point I had run a full mile with no shade and the sun beating down on me - it was heating up and the sun was getting a bit tough.  Once I rounded the last corner for home I ran the last .5 miles (ended up doing 3.1 with the whole loop) homes and felt good.  I took a shower immediately, but expected the tense muscles to kick in and the knees to start hurting, but that pain and tension never came!!!!

At 3 pm it was time to play softball in the 90+ degrees and it turned out to be another win for us.  We had to play in the sun filled dugout, but at the end of the day we won so all was well.  The main issue I took with the day was after the game when we all went to Four Peaks.  There are 11 people for our team and the place was packed with football lovers.  The Cardinals were playing and I take no issue with the place being packed, but about the time one of the girls on our team decided we should eat with the other team - only there were only 10 seats and 22 people - was about the time I realized I was dealing with a person with no respect for constraints in life.  It's her way or the highway and I have noticed this a lot lately, but when the servers there looked at me and said "we told her there weren't enough seats, but she won't listen" was the time I decided I was going to leave.  I felt terrible for the servers who now have 10 people sitting at a table and 10 more clustered around it and standing in a doorway to the patio with no where to go.  I did not want to be a part of the problem and didn't want to be associated with that kind of disrespect as I have been in the past.  So I left along with another team mate who was feeling the effects of the heat after she had been out all night drinking.  I don't know what happened - I am sure they got a table given that the Cardinals game ended within minutes of us walking away, but I just couldn't stand to be associated with it.  I knew I wouldn't be able to keep my mouth shut about how rude this team mate was and it would probably be to her face.  Rude people are the most irritating types of people because half the time there is no reason for it.  These people just needed someone to tell them the world didn't revolve around them and all of this could have been solved and these situations avoided. 

I was able to come home and shower again - then get ready to go to Britt and Josh's for pork shoulder on the Big Green Egg!  It was wonderful and we had jalapeno poppers and I had the sweet peppers to avoid the spice - i made pulled pork tacos - we had corn salsa - hummus - pita - asparagus...it was heaven for dinner!!!!!!!!  There were 9 people there and we all went to town.  I got to bring some of the pork home, so my lunch with be pulled pork tacos tomorrow :)  Which tomorrow is another bank holiday - so I will be chillin at home.  only down side being they are turning off the water at 9 am and it wont come back on until 4.  However, I will do some grocery shopping and try to rent a carpet cleaner to clean an area rug I got from Britt for my house.  So that's the plan tomorrow as it should be okay weather to clean the carpet in the garage.  And if nothing else I will hook up my huge fan down there and make it livable :)

Well that was a lot for one day - so have a great day and remember "rude people suck, but you don't have to suck with them!"

call reporting

So life is flying by and in the mist I have gotten in a rut at work.  I mean I have things to do, but I haven't really been challenged in a long time.  Well today that all changed.  It's quarter end and I finished the board report, but the resulting report of a quarter end is the ever important call report.  I have never had the opportunity to do this report, but about 2 months ago another manager showed me how to navigate through this report.  It's the report that is on file with the government so any and all can pull and see what's going on with any given bank.  So it has to be right and no little slip ups that get fixed next quarter.

Well today at 9am I got the mention that Ryan had already started on it and it was due at the end of the day.  Now, yes, he wasn't using my version, but I needed to try and keep up so my questions were relevant to what he had just done, so the answer were more in depth with more explanation than - ooo I cant remember what I did there.  So I was in a panic and when the formulas weren't working correctly and somehow I was managing to get 2 FDIC codes for one loan - it's not possible.  Especially considering all the data I was pulling in was from the same major trial balance that had been broken up into 3 department reports - so sub reports of main report - shouldn't have 2 different FDIC codes.  Plus how in the world my formula was pulling loans that didn't even exist on a report; I don't even think the excel creators could explain.  So after an hour and a half of that, major panic and stress, people avoiding my cubby because of the horrible negative bubble I was putting out, and a response of "how is that even possible" from a co-worker I decided I should start over. 

Just like shutting off a computer and turning it back on to fix the blue screen of death or a "not responding" program, all the sudden my formulas were working and all my charge offs and recoveries had FDIC codes imported in.  Then all the sorting and breaking up and summing of all the 14 categories could begin.  Then link the sheet and create like 7 other sheets of various other data - I was finally on my way to winning this battle called the Call Report.  My brain hurt and at 5 pm I was just down to 3 questions unanswered, but I need to wait on Ops and Accounting for actual answers.

So tomorrow we pick up again and hopefully the answers come in and all my numbers match what Ryan has.  Then I will have to make a how to sheet that is much clearer than the initial one.  Color code it and make it pretty and in 3 months hope it all comes back to me again :o)

Happy Wednesday people!

1 week done

I have started my 16 week training program for the PF Chang's Half Marathon on January 16, 2010.  I have horrible knees and after just a week of training I am a little concerned about how it will all go.  However, it could just be getting the knees used to this strain again and I am making sure I come home, ice the knees, get the electrolytes in my system and get some protein back in my body ASAP.  I will just have to keep myself on track and make sure I do everything possible to recover each time.

Some issues might come in with playing softball on the same days as my long training days, but again we will just work thru it and see where it gets us :O)  If I can't do it then such is life, but I wont give up until its necessary.

Leave for softball in another 2 hours - here's hoping for a win :O)  If not o well at least its always a good time!

Dodging?

Okay I know its ridiculous, but I am totally dodging going out tonight.  I need to be up early to run and then have enough time to recover before playing softball at 2.  I know it seems like a lame excuse, but ever since being invited to this birthday excursion non of it sounded like fun.  Probably because it was thrown out to me that it would be a great way to find a random guy to go home with.  Getting the odd looks of "O this girl doesn't just want a random hook up" is getting old so I am just staying home. 

Make some dinner, catch up on the DVR and watch Letters to Juliet.  Just seems more up my alley right now than random bar hoping and pretending to find a conversation with someone :O) 

Entitlement

I can't remember if I read it or I hear it somewhere, but it has stuck with me this whole week.  When adults get cancer or any very horrific sickness its hard for them to understand because there is a sense of entitlement.  The questions of why me?  What did I do to deserve this come to the surface.  The thing about children is that children don't ask those questions and can accept sicknesses easier.  They don't feel entitled to this life.  What is it that makes adults so entitled?

Maybe its because I am not feeling well this week and feel like something is very off.  I'm sure its nothing, but I haven't been sick in a long time and this is not a cold or flu - something just isn't right.  I have a doctors appointment next week anyway and this time I will go in with a list of questions to try and figure out what is going on.  It just makes me think - how do adults get to that entitlement about life?  Probably due to the hard moments they have lived through, but the only thing you are entitled to is your spirit.  So don't ask why me all the time - ask why not me and what can I do to work with this, not against it.

Entitlement - interesting concept. 

It's a DUCK!!!! I LOVE THE DUCK!!!!

Okay so I haven't had a chance to post my football pictures so here are some with some info on what's going on - o wait its a football game - DUH!

That's Britt and I - you will notice that Britt is in red (not ASU maroon) and you will notice that I am in green with some writing.  That's right I bought a Duck shirt and showed up as a Duck fan!!!!!!!  You will see in a moment that this was a work event and possibly there was a suggestion that we wear other colors.  Here's a hint, I am 27 years old and don't take well to people telling me what to do and when to do it - that's what the first 17 years of my life was about.  Thanks!

Those horrible yellow shirts with ugly backs on them was for my bank and were provided to each of us.  In my defense I did not sign up for a shirt on purpose and then they made me pick sizes literally 10 minutes before they placed the order.  So this is when the Oregon shirt was ordered.  Those colors are awful on me and the Duck is a wayyyy cooler mascot.  O and I am not from Arizona!  I just live here!

There are some more MB'ers.  In their dreadful shirts.  HAHAHAHA!

It's the whole reason I came - THE DUCK!!!  Now I am not a Duck alumni and I do not cheer for the Ducks, I just cheer for the Duck.  Or I cheer for the whole team when they play ASU hahaha.  Did I mention that the president of my bank fired me 3 times that night and I just said, "Okay!!!", laughed, gave the O sign and screamed GO DUCKS!!!.  Yep its a wonder how I have lasted this long haha!

Okay and then totally unrelated you have to see this picture of my friend/co-worker, Melissa.  She has resigned and her last day is Friday and this is what happened about 3 pm this afternoon and lasted until she left at 5pm:

The most hilarious thing is that you cant really tell her real hair from the wig "black" hair because its the same color.  Fit perfectly and really who doesn't love a banker that looks like this? :O)

Happy Wednesday!

no water makes life...interesting

Woke up this morning to no water in the complex.  Apparently the water line blew at 3:30 this morning and they have been trying to fix it since 5am.  Well its 12:18 now and there is no water still.  I will eventually be going to Britt and Josh's - how weird is that?  Britt and Josh now in the same place!  Anyway, I will have to go over at some point if the water doesn't get turned back on because I still need to shower and run errands.  Britt and I are going to the ASU vs Oregon football game tonight.  My bank bought us the tickets, but they never said you had to wear ASU colors or root for ASU.  Well I have no intention of not rooting for ASU until ugly shirts with ASU colors and the bank name written all over them were handed out, pom poms, and then crocs.  Well okay I got croc flip flops and those were AMAZING!!!!!!!!!  However, being the person I am when it became an implied mandatory thing is when I went online and bought an Oregon Ducks T-shirt.  GO DUCKS!!!  I will be in green in a sea of maroon and yellow.  I am not 5 and I react like a little sister and the @$$hole (in a funny way) that I am when someone tells me I have to do something at the age of 26.  So today I am a DUCK fan :O)

I am planning on bringing my camera and taking pictures, so I should have some fun pictures to post later.  Here's hoping for some water turn on!

Have a fabulous Saturday!

little ice cube heart

I know I should understand and intellectually I know and have read that its addiction.  Its a disease.  It's uncontrollable until the commitment is made to change.  However, I dont understand because its the most selfish thing in the world.  Alcoholism - its all about the drama and distruction of those around you.  It's not about just destroying your life, you have to destroy everyones.  I have no patience for it and I was the bitch that wouldnt be the friend or even the co-worker that would talk to this person.  However, at least I didnt have to be around it when the shit finally hit the fan.  I would go through this with a best friend or a family member, but not for a person I dont even know their middle name or what their childhood fishes name was.  That's too draining!  That's not the entire worlds responsibility - at some point dont they have to take responsibility for their actions and not bring down every person whom they have ever met down with them.  That's what pisses me off and that's what my ice cubed heart can't stand or understand.  Maybe someday I will have the compatision and understanding for this disease, but it wont be today.

That may make me a bad person in some people's eyes, but at least I am honest and dont waste their or my time faking like I care.  All I care about is they get help - if they dont then dont take everyone down with you.

Laura and Toby's Wedding

It's been a while since I was able to update, but with two vacations back to back and then month end at work right after coming back, well you can understand.  The first of the two vacations was to my 3rd cousin Laura's wedding to Toby.  I know what you are thinking, who goes to 3rd cousins weddings, but I only had 7 1st cousins growing up and Laura and her siblings were like 1st cousins as much as we saw them.  Angie and I hung out the most, but I was never able to make it to Angie or Stacy's wedding because I was in college or just out of college.  Christopher isnt married yet, but I might not have a chance to go to that one so this was my last chance to really see these girls.  I hadnt seen them in 10 or 15 years, as crazy as that sounds, but it was great going.  Here are some of the quick shots I could get off my camera.

First here was somewhere on the road from Omaha, NE to Sioux City, Iowa.

Apparently Vegas was just over to the left here of the gas station and random hotel.  I have been to Vegas a decent amount of times and I do not believe I remember seening this portion of Vegas...ever!  HAHAHAHA! :o)  Yes I made my mother stop so I could take this picture!

This little doll is Stacy's first and she has the coolest name ever!  Rigleigh!  Her dad is a huge Cubs fan and what better name to have for your daughter than Wrigley, only spelled Rig and Leigh like her mom's middle name.  Now if I could just figure out how to name a kid Fenway and be that cool, I would.

No I did not teach her to stick out her tongue, she had that talent before I got there so I didnt have to haha!

Here are some other photos of the wedding - the bridesmaids dresses were amazing!the church alter.  O we were family so we got 3rd ROW!!!  Very VIP if I do say so myself.

Mother of the Bride, Stephanie, and brother of the bride, Chris.  Little blurry, my cell phone camera is not fabo.

Toby and the guys waiting on the ladies :)

Toby's sisters are the left two then its Angie and Stacy.  Angie and Stacy flipped positions in the middle of the ceremony so that each could be the maid of honor - this is a thing they have done at every sisters wedding. :O)

lighting the unity candel together.

Their first dance and the guy in the forground is Brian and his girlfriend - another 3rd cousin that I havent seen since I was 8.

I dont have any pictures after this because well I was busy dancing, enjoying the family time I had with extended parts of the family and eventually going back to the hotel for a nap.  It was a mid-western wedding for sure and being from the east coast and mostly understanding how those all go off, it was a bit of a culture shock.  It was really adorable and fun and very family oriented.  I always love seeing how everyone does their wedding and this was no exception.

My Granny unfortunately was not exactly nice to myself or my mother during the 48 hours we were in town.  However, after her screaming at me less than 24 hours after seeing her I just never spoke to her again and stayed away from her.  It's sad I guess, but I refuse to have that kind of negativity in my life.  There are enough things in life to be insure about and I dont need my Granny adding to that on a famly adventure that was otherwise spectacular.  So, next family adventure will have my brother or my father around for protection from the evil Granny because then she isnt a jerk :O)  Has to impress the men on the Rupke side I guess haha!

Next installment will be the Portland, Spanaway, Kent, Seattle, Bothell, Vancouver adventure :O)