Angeleque and Hunter's Alabama Wedding

WARNING- Loooooooong post. ;)

April 31st- May 2nd

Angeleque and Hunter's much-anticipated wedding weekend finally arrived! Sadly I forgot my camera. Thankfully Hunter's mom and some of my friends took photos and shared them with me. I also used a few from the wedding photographer, Arden Photography. So here are the wedding activities shown through photos.

After the traditional wedding rehearsal on Friday afternoon, we headed to a downtown Birmingham location for dinner. The room was called the "Bottle Room" and you could definitely see why when you entered. It was like walking into a wine cellar/old library...very cool! The food was delicious, the slideshow was sweet and the speeches were heartfelt.

The almost Mr. & Mrs.

Giving my awkward speech...and looking scary.

 

 The bridesmaids at the after-dinner party

Saturday was the BIG DAY!  It started it with a PJ & Pancake Party! Angeleque gave all of her bridal party a pair of wedding pajamas to wear to our breakfast~

Yea for PJs!

Then it was time for us and Miss Parsiyar to get ready!

Fastening all of her buttons

Then we took some pre-wedding photos:

The Maid and Matron of Honor with the beautiful Bride!!!

All the girls in front of the Carraway-Davie House, the ceremony and reception location.

After all of that, it was time for the moment we've ALL been waiting for!!!!!

The wedding was scheduled to be outside, but the weather was a little unpredictable, so it was moved indoors.

Inside the house. One Hostess, Meredith, got a great photo! Such an intimate ceremony... :)

As you can see...

I couldn't be happier for these two.

 

And they sealed the deal with the kiss!!!

Then it was time to eat, drink and be married! ;)

Chris and I at the reception eating the yum yum yummy cake. Doesn't he look cute in his tux? :)

The other part of our roommie crew, Suzanne and Mandy, looking fab!

  

I was honored to be asked to sing "At Last" at the ceremony.

And that was that. They're now Mr. & Mrs. Linville! Congratulations, guys!!!

Love you, Ang! You looked absolutely gorgeous! Thanks for letting Chris and I be a part of your special day!!! :)

Angeleque's Bachelorette Party!

So last weekend was the "fling before the ring" for one of my bestest buddies, Angeleque! All of the bridesmaids packed up, grabbed the bride-to-be and made our way to Austin, TX. Our first stop was to enjoy the view (and eat) at the famous Oasis Restaurant on Lake Travis.

Then we visited Flat Creek Estate in Marble Falls, TX for a wine tasting. Below is a photo of us in front of their vineyard.

After checking into the hotel and getting Angeleque decked out in the traditional bachelorette garb (i.e., veil, sash, ring, etc.), we left to eat dinner at Hula Hut.

Group shot in the hotel room.

Out and about

Hugging my soon-to-be-married friend!

Hope you had fun, Angeleque!!!

Angelque & Hunter: The Engagement Photos

I've decided to debut a few of the photos I took of my love-struck friends on March 14th. The happy couple asked if I could take their engagement photos so they could have a few to display at their May 1st wedding. I was more than happy (and honored) to fulfill their request.

Here are some of the photos for your viewing pleasure:

Aren't they an adorable couple?!?!

Thanks for being such great models, Angeleque and Hunter! You both were great to work with and I'm so happy my first official engagement photo shoot was of the two of you! :)

Tea Time!

So yesterday was the big bridal shower I helped plan for my amazing friend, Angeleque. Carolina and I have been planning this event for almost two months, so it was nice to see all of our efforts finally come to fruition yesterday. We threw a "Southern" tea party, where guests wore fancy hats, pearls and spring attire in honor of the bride-to-be's upcoming nuptials in Alabama. I have to say everything was perfect! The room looked fabulous, the food was super yummy and the guests seemed to all have a fun time. Honestly, the look on Angeleque's face when she walked in made every second of work spent on this special affair completely worth it. We hope you enjoyed it, Ang!!! Love you!

Photos from shower (courtesy of my wonderful hubby who took all the photos so I could properly enjoy and host the shower):

The main table~

Treats and Tea Cups~

The bride, Angeleque, opening one of her gifts

All the guests~

The bridesmaids (minus Ana)

The former UT roommates :)

Can't have a tea party without a proper tea photo~

The "master planners", Donna, Carolina and myself

Partying for a Purpose

This past weekend Chris and I joined some of our friends for a day of drinking. I know, I know...sounds a bit immature but it was a fundraiser supporting Alzheimer's research. Basically we were drinking for a good cause. Aren't we caring, selfless people? I knew you would agree. ;)

We began our pub crawl at noon on Saturday and had a good ol' time until around 4 PM. At that time we decided to head out for and grab something to eat. We soon realized Chris may have had just a little too much fun.

Chris and Adam getting down

Photo of "Team Awesome" and "Team Awesomer" at Sugar Shack from Chris' couch spot

Photo taken by the event people. Glad they caught me doing what I do best...sitting. ;)

Chris really liked dancing on that couch...

We attempted to eat at Taverna, but came to the conclusion Chris just needed to be put to bed. We took our food to go and headed home. Chris passed out and I spent the rest of the night watching the Olympics (which is something I had NO problem with).

Overall, a fun time, but I think we need more practice before we try that again... ;)

Feel Better, Ryan!

Our friend, Ryan, took a nasty fall late last week. She slipped and hit her head, lower back and elbow, leaving her in quite a bit of pain and covered in bruises. We just wanted to wish her well recovering from her injuries!

Ryan, we hope you feel better soon! Until then, stay medicated, get your rest and work as little as possible. ;) Love ya!

UPDATE: Ryan had to go to the ER yesterday because she felt her symptoms were getting increasingly worse. She was told she had experienced a concussion and will be feeling "off" for days, weeks, and possibly months. There is no known treatment for a concussion other than time and rest. Please send Ryan your positive thoughts as she is in a lot of pain at the moment. Thanks! -2/22/10

TX/OU Weekend

This past weekend, Ryan, Chris and my mom went to see the Texas Longhorns take on the Oklahoma Sooners at the Cotton Bowl here in Dallas. For those of you that aren't big college football fans, this is one of the biggest games of the season for UT (and OU, too), therefore the tickets are hard to come by.

Whataburger is a big UT sponsor and since Ryan is the Marketing Representative over the Austin area, she was able to snag us tickets to this year's game! When she gave me the news that week, I couldn't believe it- it took everything I had not to squeal with glee while sitting at my desk at work. I immediately called Chris to give him the great news! Ryan knew that she, Chris and I would be going, but she still had one ticket up for grabs. I threw out a few friends' names here in Dallas, but when my mom mentioned she wouldn't mind driving up to see it, Ryan and I were all for it (plus it helped so that none of my friends felt snubbed).

Both Ryan and my parents arrived in Dallas Friday night. Once everyone unloaded their belongings, we headed to Pappadeaux for dinner and then to a bar for some karaoke! Ryan, Chris and my dad all went up there and performed like pros (well, Chris was the showman and Ryan and my dad were great vocalists). I wish I would've thought to take pictures. :(

The next morning was the big game! We left the house at 8:45 AM so we could make sure we got into our seats by 11 AM. Thank goodness we left with plenty of time because we got to our seats with only ten minutes to spare before kickoff!

The game was an ugly one with both teams only scoring one touchdown each and the rest of the points being field goals. The first half felt like it was the longest in college football history, lasting a little over two hours (a typical college game lasts 3 hours for all four quarters). I can't complain, though, because we still had a great time. The weather was beautiful- sunny with cool breezes periodically. We all got a little burnt, but it was worth it. WE WON! Final score 16- 13! Like I said, it wasn't a pretty win, but I'll take it! :)

(Click to see the enlarged version)

I couldn't decide which pictures would best showcase what a great time we had at the game, so I decided to make a collage with some of our photos from both the game and the fair

Chris and I during the game

Ryan, mom, Chris and I celebrating right after the BIG WIN!!

After the game, it was time to hit the State Fair of Texas! It was so packed with all the people leaving the game. We had to fight our way out of the vicinity of the stadium to get some walking room, but once we did that, we were able to make our way to my favorite fair treats- funnel cakes and corny dogs!

Eating our Fletcher's corny dogs! :)

After having our taste of fair food, we took Ryan and my mom to see Big Tex because you can't go to the fair for the first time and not see him.

Me with the first time fair-goers, my mom and Ryan, in front of Big Tex

After that, we were ready to head home to keep my dad and Shamrock company. Later that evening we all went to Pappasitos for dinner and then called it a night. The next morning everyone left and we were off to our photo shoot of Cohen Jones (more on that in the next blog entry).

Ryan- thank you for thinking of and taking us along as your guests!!!! We had a fantastic time and it's all thanks to you! :)

Mom and Dad- So glad you could make the trip up to Dallas to watch the game and hang out with us! Love you!

Austin City Limits Mud, I Mean, Music Festival

ACL's Music Festival was held this past weekend at Zilker Park in Austin. In case you haven't heard of it, ACL is a three-day outdoor music festival where great bands and up-and-comers alike perform. Chris and I were one of the lucky few (thousand) people in attendance for the big event.

We arrived on Friday afternoon just in time to catch one of the bands we've been wanting to see for quite some time- Phoenix! Even though they didn't play Christopher's favorite song, he still had a great time as evidenced below:

Yup that's him on the big screen taking the photo of himself! :)

Chris and I have been to quite a few ACLs. This was the first year they've held the festival in October and it made ALLLLL the difference on Friday- it was sunny, mild, with a cool breeze (as opposed the the usual sweltering heat). I read that Austin spent $2 million on putting new grass so that festivalgoers (and other visitors to Zilker Park) would have a more enjoyable experience. Chris loved the grass so much, he decided to walk in it barefoot. :)

More photos from Friday:

Val and I at the Phoenix show

Chris at the John Legend Show

Chris and Michelle enjoying their beverages at the Kings of Leon show

Now Saturday was a different story. Chris, Ryan, Michelle and I arrived to ACL and it was cloudy, muggy and had rained a little before our arrival. After being there for about twenty minutes it started to rain...and it kept raining for a couple of hours.

Chris and his Jack Johnson album cover impersonation.

It wasn't what I would call a downpour, but it was a steady rain that led the beautiful grass beneath our feet to slowly become mud. Not what I would describe as the ideal situation for an outdoor concert, but we tried to make the best of it:

Ryan, Me and Michelle in a pose from our Tigerette days

(PS- we were watching Mos Def perfom at this time. He was pretty boring so we had to entertain ourselves.)

So, the condition of the ground got worse as the day went on and one of my favorite bands, Dave Matthews Band (DMB), wasn't performing until 8 PM. Our legs were throbbing, we were muddy and tired, but once DMB came on...it all went away. Dave had an awesome performance, reminding me why I love them so much. :)

Dave Matthews Band!

On Sunday, Ryan, Chris and I headed over to Hula Hut for lunch because it's not a real stop in Austin without a trip to my favorite restaurant. :)

Ryan and I leaving H.H.

After eating, Chris and I headed back to the festival. No rain, but the ground was MUCH worse. We watched the Arctic Monkeys (a band Chris was really excited to see), went to the tent to watch the Cowboys lose another game at the last second, and then The Dead Weather and Pearl Jam to end ACL.

Photos from Sunday:

View of part of the festival with the Austin skyline. Yup...all of the brown ground is mud.

While we were waiting for Pearl Jam to start.

The end of ACL '09! Time to head home...

A big thank you to our dear friend, Ryan, for allowing us to stay with her for the weekend! And another big thank you to Chris' mommy for taking care of Shamrock while we were away. :)