The Reunion of An Era

May 2009, almost four years ago, marked the end of an era--I moved out of our Pathways apartment and moved back home to Bakersfield. It's hard to believe it has been that long. In a lot of ways, it seems like just yesterday.

That, my friends, is why I was absolutely giddy about going to Jacob's wedding this past weekend. I was beyond ecstatic to see dear friends from that precious era of my life--some of whom I haven't seen since I moved home. #nostalgic #sentimental

Christy and I arrived to the church a bit early, so we found our seats and walked around outside for a minute in search of the restroom. As we were walking out, we spotted Jake, Jeff, and Aaron. You would have thought I was a little girl at Christmastime. I. Was. So. Excited. to see them. (enter more giggling here).

Me: Jacob! You're getting MARRIED!

Jake: Yah. That's happening today. (goofy grin)

Same ole' Jake. It warmed my heart. He continued this throughout the ceremony--making silly faces, telling the static from the sound system to quiet down, and quieting the crowd as they cheered at the end so that he could finally kiss his bride. I pretty much loved every minute of it.

They were so incredibly happy... and everyone there was almost equally as happy for them.

LOVE those faces!!!

The reception was a blast. I loved the huge hugs, the warm hearts, and the great memories we made. 

I especially loved seeing my boys. Jeff and Aaron and I were close to inseparable for a time during college (Me and My Gang)--joined later by guys like Jake, Sam, Andrew, Zach, and some others.

Aaron 

Jeff and Andrew (terrible angle) 

I remember praying earnestly and desperately my freshman year of college for God to bring me some guy friends. Although I loved the girl friends I had made in the dorms, I so missed hanging out with guys as I had done all growing up. God answered in a huge way with these wonderful boys men. We shared crazy adventures, quiet afternoons, lots of laughter and tears, and made some amazing memories. I've missed them so much, and it was SO good to see them! Love my boys!

Jacob and Beautiful Bride, Nadia

I also had an amazing time laughing, dancing, photo boothing, and carrying on with my girls. They are some of the greatest women I have ever known. 

Loved seeing Jamie again! It's been too long!

Christina, Christy, Jamie, Erin, and me

Gotta love photo-boothing. We certainly made some memories in there!

Oh! And, let's not forget about the amazing couple. Here they are cutting the cake!

Absolutely gorgeous!

Jacob, good job on getting married so we could have this great reunion. To all of my college friends (those that were there and those that weren't), I miss you terribly. I am so grateful for the time that God gave us together, and I'm even more grateful for those relationships and friendships that God has allowed me to keep for now and hopefully for a lifetime. 

Wedding Weekend Highlights!

Brother and SIL's wedding weekend was definitely one to remember! We got to stay at a beautiful hotel, eat lots of delicious food, wander around South Coast Plaza and the surrounding area, and spend lots of time with family and friends. Can life get any better? I submit that it cannot! ;)

Some special moments that I enjoyed were the family dinners we shared, going with Brother to get his tux the day before the wedding, walking to breakfast with Brother and some family the day of the wedding, random dance parties with the girls while getting ready for the wedding, Caitlin singing "Two is Better Than One" during the ceremony (and pretty much everyone breaking into tears), and brunch with all of our family and some friends the day after the wedding.

Oh! And gaining a sister-in-law....that was also a huge highlight. :)

Since the wedding happened in 2013, I thought I'd pick my top 13 favorite pictures to share with you.

1. Here are the girls at the rehearsal. We didn't see each other before or discuss what we were wearing--the black and blue (same shade, even!) just happened. We found it quite amusing. :)

2. Emma, the flower girl (and our cousin), was quite adorable. This was the sign on the wagon she pulled out of the ceremony. The sign on the way in said "Here Comes the Bride."

3. The rehearsal dinner, at Magianno's, was DELICIOUS! Here are Polly and Scotty holding an S & P that our uncle carved for them! He also carved an "E" for one of the center pieces at another table. He's quite talented, and his handmade gifts are always very special to us.

4. I just love this picture. How could you not?? She's gorgeous.

5. Here we are shortly after getting ready up in the bridal suite. We were having a little too much fun. :)  

6. I just really like this picture of the two of us. He's pretty darn handsome.

7. This is Polly and Scott's brother-in-law, Jason, walking around with his little girl, Natalie. I'm not sure he realized that he was "walking her down the aisle" at the time. I'm so glad I happened to snap this picture. It's so precious, and I know they'll love to look back on it one day. 

8. Here are Scott and Polly with their niece and nephew. I like the look of them with kids. Now that they're married, they should get started on a few of their own! ;)

9. Yah, she's just so purdy. This was right after she got ready and right before their first look.

10. Here are Natalie and Blake (being pulled by Emma in a wagon). They pretty much stole the show (until Polly walked out, of course). There were a few times during the ceremony that I got a bit choked up. Each time, I'd just look over at the babies to keep myself from crying. :)

11. My twinsie uncles. I love that they look so much alike in this picture. I couldn't tell them apart for many years of my life, so I just referred to them as "Uncle B."Now, of course, I can tell them apart...but can you?

12. Here we are out on the dance floor having a ball!

13. Confession: this picture was taken BEFORE the reception. I was so tired after the ceremony and during the cocktail hour that I just sat down on the floor for a while. Emma decided to join me, and it made for quite the Kodak moment.


Well, there you have it! If you'd like to look at more pictures (a couple hundred), go visit my Facebook page. Enjoy!

Brother's Wedding...Check.

We've returned home from the wedding festivities.

We

are

exhausted. 


Tomorrow shall be interesting.


Once I have a chance to upload all of my pictures, I'll share my favorite gems with you. Until then, enjoy this tid-bit:


My brother and I went from this...

....to this...

And, as an added bonus....I now have a sister-in-law!!!

Stay tuned. There is much more to come!