We bought art!

Real art! Like one-of-a-kind, from an art gallery, art!

OK, if we're going to get into technicalities, we had a gift certicate to use from moving into our place, so really we didn't buy the art. But we are still excited.

Will's favorite phrase now is "I like our art." I hear it about 7 times a day. But I like it, too, so it doesn't bother me to hear it over and over again.

Slowly but surely the place is coming together!

To my big brother:

Happy (30th) birthday to you, Happy (30th) birthday to you!

Happy (30th) birthday, dear Andykins...

Happy (30th) birthday to you!

You're growing older...but not up! May you continue to be a positive role model of maturity and wisdom for your niece as well as your own future children.

And don't stop having fun! :)

HAPPY 30th BIRTHDAY BIG BRUDDER!

Mawwiage...

Mawwiage is what bwings us togethaw today. Mawwiage,that bwessed awwangement, that dweam within a dweam...

LOTS of wedding schtuff to report on this blog! First of all, a big Congrats to Molly and Kelsey, who became "officially" engaged this weekend!

The ring:

The couple:

And another big congrats to Colin and Jackie, who tied the knot over the weekend!

Colin gets a lot of lip from Will for living in the middle-of-nowhere Iowa, but really, Pella is an adorable little town. Its city center is charming and reminded me a lot of Bruges or Gent in Belgium. The town is actually meant to look more like Holland, complete with windmills, tulips, and a molengracht river running through it. The weather was perfect, the humidity was low, the bride (and groom) looked beautiful and happy, and the groomsmen were well-behaved...for most of the weekend, at least!

Some pics from the weekend:

Exchanging rings:

My handsome boy toy cleans up well!The groomsmen Jackie went with a black and white theme and yellow accents- it was really pretty. And her dress was gorgeous!Hey everyone, come see how good we look!

The bride and groom!

Will and Colin have been great friends since highschool

This. Is. Fantastic.

I know that this video is all the rage right now, so most of you have probably seen this, but I still have to post it. Because it is awesome. And seriously, it puts a smile on my face when I watch it. And I have, like 6 times today.



Kudos to this couple for having a good time on their wedding day!

Speaking of weddings, we're in Iowa to see Colin and Jackie tie the knot this weekend. I wonder if tonight's rehearsal will include some dance lessons...

Movie night!

Will had a rare day off today, and took advantage of it by trying to find more permanent locations for all our stuff. This included taking a random ziplock bag of change to Coinstar to cash it in. The grand total came out to $18...which was exactly enough to treat ourselves to a movie tonight! So Will and I had ourselves an impromptu date- dinner at The Cheesecake Factory and then we saw The Hangover. I can't remember the last time I laughed so much during a movie. It was hilarious. I'm already looking forward to its DVD release, just so I can watch the outtakes. It's not a deep movie by any means, but it was hysterical. A great way to spend a random, rainy Wednesday night.

My Life...

Taken from Leslie's blog...thought I'd give it a try tonight!

Time... 8:57 PM

I am working on... this blog! I've spent the evening paying bills online, writing emails to old friends, and searching for upcoming concerts and trivia nights in Nashville.

I am thankful... for Will and his amazing ability to put up with me and my sometimes crazy behavior, for free tickets to Houston for Andy and Sandy's wedding (thanks to Southwest travel vouchers!), for central air, and for our enormous movie collection that's making it easy to forget that we don't have cable at the moment.

From the kitchen... at the moment nothing. Maybe a brownie before bed though.

I am wearing... brown yoga pants and my favorite green Guinness t-shirt from our trip to Ireland.

I am creating... or recently created... a list of recommendations of places to visit in Ireland for several of my friends who all happen to be planning Fall trips there.

I am going... to Pella, IA for a wedding next weekend. One of Will's good friends from highschool is getting married, and Will is a groomsman. Ironically, Colin and Jackie (the bride and groom) met in Decatur while they were both teaching at Mt. Zion HS. Small world. :)

I am reading... a few books from the library. The main library is only a 1/2 block from our new place. That place is HUGE...almost intimidating how big it is. I didn't even know where to begin to look when I went there on my lunchbreak last week, so I grabbed about 5 books that had interesting titles/covers and have been working my way through them this week.

I am hoping... to hear some good news in the next couple days regarding my future. And no, it has nothing AT ALL to do with being, or becoming, pregnant. Or engaged. Relax everyone. :)

I am hearing... Will watching "8 Mile" in the living room. I'm also hearing him laugh a lot. I don't remember "8 Mile" being that funny...I must be missing something.

Around the house... boxes, boxes, boxes. We are still not unpacked. Slowly but surely it's coming along, but we need to make some purchases before we're more or less settled. On our "want/need" list: a dining room table, a big area rug for the living room, a computer desk, a poker table for the game room, a king-size platform bed, a 50+ inch TV, and fun artwork for our big, empty walls. Can you guess which are the "wants" and which are the "needs"?

Making me happy right now... I got to see Carbon Leaf last night for the first time in almost 2 years! I'm even happier that they'll be playing in Nashville again in just a couple months Other things that are making me happy: new shoes from DSW (for only $13 on clearance!), and the idea that bedtime is quickly approaching.

A few plans for the rest of the week... trivia night either tomorrow or Thursday, early morning workout sessions at the Y, and another trip to the library at some point. Will is going to Orlando for the weekend for a work conference, so I'm sure I'll get through several books while he's gone.

Andy and Sandy's Wedding Shower/4th of July weekend

It was a very fun but busy 4th of July weekend! The festivities kicked off on Thursday night with a wedding shower for Andy and Sandy at Lock, Stock, and Barrel. Thank goodness the weather cooperated! It was really beautiful outside so we were able to host the event on the patio. Most of our Decatur-based relatives made it to the shower, and it seemed to be a great success. Everyone looked like they had a good time. Some more than others. And I think that someone knows who she is. I won't name any names, but this particular cousin of mine seemed to be in great spirits all night. I hope she recovered OK the next day. :)

The happy couple at their shower:

The drinks on the patio at LSB continued for awhile after the shower ended. One particular cousin, Erin joined in the picture! :)We spent Friday afternoon with Grandma Wingard, looking at old family photos. Grandma shared her homemade macaroni and cheese reciped with me, too. I'm looking forward to making it soon!

Mom and Dad have been working hard in the backyard this summer! We spent the majority of our time at home hanging out on the back patio. Friday night we grilled out and enjoyed some homemade sangria, sparklers, and the traditional 4th of July flag cake. Ella helped mom make it this year, and they did a good job!

Ella sampling her cake creation:

Ella's first time playing with Sparklers:
Ella and I singing Taylor Swift's "Love Story". She loves that song, and actually knows all the words!

Andy, Sandy, and I spent Saturday, the 4th, in St. Louis. We arrived around 3:30 PM and amazingly managed to eat 3 times before going to bed that night. Drinks and wings at Culpeppers in the Central West End, a delicious Italian dinner at Charlie Ghittos in the Hill, and dessert at Ted Drewes. A tasty run through St. Louis! We were able to see the fireworks at The Arch, too. Their flight left at 7 AM the following morning, so I was on the road by 6 and back in Nashville by 11 Sunday morning. I spent the rest of my holiday weekend napping. I am always so exhausted after a weekend at home. I stay up way too late visiting with family and friends! A very fun weekend, though!