Jon's Wedding in Tennessee

Wes' cousin, Jon, got married in Tennessee on September 12 so Wes, Megan and I drove my truck to Tennessee for a long weekend to take part in the festivities. Wes and his dad, Dave, were both groomsmen in the wedding. Unfortunately, I didn't do a great job of taking pictures at the rehearsal or wedding, so this is the ONLY wedding photo I have; courtesy of the wedding photographer (Doesn't Wes look so handsome?!?! I think so!). Perhaps Dave's wife, Di, has some she can share with me :-).

In addition to the wedding, we drove to Tennessee so that we could haul a 16' trailer home loaded with work benches, paint and miscellaneous garage supplies. These were all items graciously given to us by Wes' brother and sister-in-law, Vince & Haley. They recently moved from TN to WI and didn't have room for everything, so we inherited it. Here are a few pictures from the drive to/from TN. The picture of Megan is how she spent nearly the entire drive to/from.

It was a short trip, but we got to spend quality time with family and friends. We owe a special thanks to Susan for opening her house to us and allowing us to spend the weekend there. Staying there felt like home and was far better than any hotel we could have found.

XOXO,

SKY

September Birthday Weekend

First and foremost, sorry I haven't posted in awhile. Between wedding planning and work, I haven't had a lot of time to update. However, I'm in Colorado this week (Oct 5 - Oct 9) and hope to have some time after my training class to update everyone on the wedding and our lives.

So here is hopefully the first of several updates: The first weekend in September we had a birthday weekend (My mom's birthday [Mom S] is Sept 2 and Wes' Birthday is Sept 25) in College Station. Wes' mom, Jan (i.e., Mom J) was in town from Illinois and my brother flew in from Tempe, Arizona. We spent the weekend at the aTm season opener football game (we won - WHOOP!), touring the George Bush Presidential Library, the boys working on the sprinklers, and eating, eating, eating! Here are some pictures from that weekend. Fun times were had by all, including Megan!

**HUGS**

Sarah

Same Date, New Place

This last week has been D-R-A-M-A and stressful, but ended wonderfully. Long story short, I asked Wes to call to confirm our venue (mind you we "reserved" it in March) and he was told it was booked by someone else. I guess the only good thing is we found out 8 months before the wedding, not just one month before.

Therefore, we spent our entire Saturday, today, looking at other venues. It went REALLY well...actually the first place we looked at we both fell in love with. We went to look at the others, but knew they probably weren't going to compare. It's not in Weatherford anymore and there is no scenic waterfall or bridge, but it's rustic, charming and hopefully come April the bluebonnets will be coming up. All, in all, we're both happy and excited about the new venue. I took some pictures and borrowed some from the venue's site (Rambling Oak Ranch) and you can find them here.

Building a Home...Together

Wes and I both love the outdoors, especially in the spring and fall when the weather is just right. So, since he'll be moving into my house once we say "I do" we have been adding a large wooden deck to the back yard for the last month. It took longer than I expected, but was definitely worth the work, sweat, and blood (literally - one toe and one finger; both Wes' [We'll be registering for a first aid kit :-)]). Here are some pictures of the process and the nearly final product. Enjoy!

Love,

Sarah

Bridesmaid Dress Shopping - Take Two

Lara and I went bridesmaid shopping again yesterday. This time we checked out David's Bridal. There were two dresses we both liked; but have yet to make a final decision. You can see all of the pictures here. The two posted on this page are the top runners.

Hugs,

Sarah

Congrats Uncle Stanley

Wes and I went to Kerrville, Texas the weekend of July 11 & 12th, as my Uncle Stanley was being inducted into the Texas Pork Producers Hall of Fame. (Yes, this is a big deal!) This also provided a good time for my dad's side of the family to get together. All my dad's brothers and sisters were there including their spouses and even some of my cousins. We had a great time! Here are some of the pictures from the weekend.

Gig'em,

SKY

More Engagement Photos

Wes and I were in Kerrville this past weekend to see my uncle Stanley get inducted to the Texas Pork Producer's Hall of Fame (this is a big honor!). All of my aunts/uncles from my dad's side of the family were there, as well as my cousins James, Katie, Steve, Annie and Stefanie. While we were there I managed to convince my cousin Katie to take more engagement photos of Wes and I. The pictures are rather large, so I only have a handful, but there are more to come.

Hugs, Sunshine & Kisses!

Sarah

Bridesmaid Dress Shopping - Take One

Lara, my maid of honor, and I went dress shopping on Friday to see what we could find. We went to Alfred Angelo's, as that is where I bought my dress and therefore my bridesmaid's get a discount. We tried on a bunch of dresses; but didn't find anything we loved. I've posted the pictures here, so you can decide for yourself! We're going to David's Bridal soon to see if maybe they have something that will work.

Love,

SKY

Family Togetherness

Mark (Sarah's Brother) and his girlfriend, Chrysta, were in town the last weekend in June to spend time with us and Sarah's mom, Susan. Not only did we eat more than we should (mom S's cooking is AWESOME) we spent plenty of time shopping and even had an opportunity to go bowling. You'll notice the brotherly love that Mark and Wes are expressing in one photo! Mom S also spoils our dog, Megan, this time giving her a bone to occupy her time.

HAWAII!!!!

Before Wes proposed, we had started planning a trip to Hawaii with my brother (Mark), his girlfriend (Chrysta), and two others. After seven fabulous days (5/18/09 - 5/25/09) on the Big Island, Kona to be exact, we understand why so many people choose Hawaii for their honeymoon. The only downfall to Hawaii is the flight home :-( . Everyone asks how the trip was and all I can say is "it's exactly what you expect - beautiful!". I've posted a few of the 1500 pictures we took; I'll spare you having to look through them all.

Hugs!

Sarah

Say Cheese

Thanks to a friend that works out at our gym, we had our first set of engagement photos taken.  We greatly appreciate Jack Young for taking part of his afternoon to take pictures for us.  You can find all of them here at Jack's website.

Stop & Smell the Flowers

Wes and I drove to College Station on Friday night to see my mom.  This also presented a good opportunity to take pictures in the bluebonnets growing along the highways.  This is my favorite time of year (i.e., the reason Wes and I are getting married in the spring) because everything is blooming and fresh again.  If you haven't seen the Texas bluebonnets in bloom, you should make a trip to the Lone Star State during the spring...it's B-E-A-U-tiful!  Here are all the pictures

Muddy Love

As any good fiance would do, Wes came out to watch me and four guys compete in the semi-annual Mud Run (www.mudrunfw.com).  We competed as a co-ed team and placed third overall.  3rd place is exciting, but it was overshadowed by the fact that we missed 2nd place by 6/10ths of a second and were only three minutes behind the first place team!!!  We'll get 'em in November!!  This picture shows just HOW committed Wes is and how he supports all the CRAZY things I do!! Here are the rest of the pictures.

4-10-10

There's been a change in wedding date! We've officially moved the date to April 10, 2010 (4-10-10). The change was a result of the venue and the fact that it was booked for March 27th; the date we had originally selected. This is probably for the best considering it was in the 30s here this weekend and there was a blizzard in the panhandle.