I'm BACK!

Whew!  What an adventure!  My sister is very organized and loves to keep lists, but there's one very important part of keeping a list and having help - SHARE THE LIST!!!

The wedding was beautiful!  But there was more to it than just the wedding.  My sister prepared for everything.  When I say everything, I mean EVERYTHING!

I arrived on Tuesday evening.  We went to eat and then back to the house.  That was THE rest period for the trip!!

Wednesday, we got more stuff together,  Avery swam twice.  Of course she had to wear BOTH bathing suits!

We had dinner with the Groom's cousin (Best Man).  It's a fading memory that's for sure.


Finished the guests baskets.

These are the scones my sister made for the guest baskets.  She also made jam to put in there as well!

Thursday - guests baskets delivered to hotels, the rest of the groomsmen came to town from New Hampshire - took them to dinner.  This is a place called "5 Guys".  Good hamburgers and fries!!  Boxes and boxes of peanuts to eat while you wait for your food!.  In the picture is Patrick - the groom - on the right and Josh - best man and his cousin - on the left.  Would you believe Josh lives about 10 miles from me?

Friday - Bridal Luncheon.  Bridesmaids received their gifts. 

 Delicious food.  Salad on left and a chicken stuffed with cheese, mashed potatoes and I don't remember what else.

Yarrick (I don't know if that's spelled correctly) our server!!

All of us!

  Next up was manicures and pedicures.  This is my daughter Avery.  She went with the girls - without me.  

Avery on the left, my niece Molly on the right.

                                             This was the time set aside for the parents of the bride and the bride and groom to exchange wedding gifts.

 Prepare for the rehearsal dinner.

Shanna and Patrick making mean faces at each other.  Okay - that's not really helping here. 

Josh on the right cleaning up the garage and driveway! 

The center pieces for the rehearsal dinner.

 On the left are the hot dog baskets.  My sister finally confided that she bought them because she really wanted them and used the wedding as an excuse to buy them!!
On the right are the Chinese lanterns that needs to be hung!

 Decorating the tent for rehearsal dinner.

On the left is my brother and sister.

On the right is my sister-in-law (brother's wife) and my sister's best friend.

Before people started to arrive!

 Rehearsal!

Patrick holding his niece (flower girl) standing next to the bride's dad!

 My daughter Avery on the left.

Patrick

 Bride and her father!

Shanna and Patrick

Rehearsal Dinner!!

 My sister-in-law made all the desserts except the cupcakes.  No, I didn't make the cupcakes.  

I did make the orange and lemon peels!

 This Kayla, although she kept saying her name was Dahlia or something.  No one could understand her except her mom.  This is Patrick's niece - flower girl. She was SOOO cute.








This 'happy' couple is my brother and his wife.  I can say this because they won't look at my blog.  Doesn't this picture describe their relationship?  Oh, let me tell you....sometimes people just need to agree that not every match is made in Heaven.  This one is near the top of that list!  All evening long and the whole reception this was their position.  I really like my sister-in-law, not my brother.

Practice for the bow ties!!

My sister and Josh!

 My daughter Avery and niece Molly catching fire flies!!

Thank you Molly for helping Avery with that!

Saturday - hair, make-up (3 hours later) pouring down rain! 

 Nadine (although her husband and everyone else pronounces it - Naaayy Deeean)  she is also the mother of the ring bearer.

On the right is Lauren.

Molly on the left and Katey on the right.

Get them to the church - late, driving every one's cars so they don't get wet, getting dressed,

I love this picture of Shanna!  She saw me taking the picture and didn't duck in the bathroom!  Instead she made the face - joking around!!  She's a character alright!!

My sister helping the bride get dressed!

Her husband helping the groom to get dressed!!  lol

 My daughter.

My niece Molly.

I love this dress!  The details are beautiful!

The groom!  Isn't he a cutie?

 Finally - the wedding.

The worst part about all of this - I can't remember everything we did.  But we did a LOT!  It doesn't really seem like a lot when I write it out like this but let me tell you....it was busy.  It rained two days when we were there.  Saturday and Thursday I think.  Maybe Wednesday.  However, the rain stopped during the wedding so when they left the church it was mostly dried up outside!!

We had a wonderful time.  Avery had some difficulties walking down the aisle and she was freaking out not wanting to be in the wedding because of it.  Something happened from the rehearsal to the wedding that she agreed, stood in front of the front pew instead of walking down the aisle so she could just step up to her position.  Then she returned to the front pew instead of walking down the aisle.  She did a fantastic job despite being scared out of her wits!

My sister did a wonderful job organizing the wedding.  She worked on this for a year and while her nerves were frayed she did an amazing job.  She gave her daughter and son-in-law the best wedding experience that anyone could wish for.  Patrick is a truly sweet man, not to mention good looking and well built, but he loves and adores Shanna and her family.  As we all have a plate full of problems so does Patrick with his family, in particular his mother.  For the second time in Patrick's life she walked out on him at the rehearsal.  But this time he was welcomed warmly by my family.  My wish for Patrick is that he never again has the feeling of need for his mother and can finally be free of all those feelings to be accepted by her.  Patrick - my sister and her husband, her son love and cherish you.  Not because you married into the family but because of who you are as a person.  I'm proud you call me Aunt Louise.

OH and I forgot - here are some pictures from the photo booth that my sister had at the reception!!  (as I sit here blubbering...)

 Molly and Avery on the left.

Avery on the right.

The rest of the pictures are either Avery alone or with me!