Thursday, May 22, 2008

Ryan & Christie's Wedding, Part 3


Entrance to sanctuary

The sanctuary


Flowers


Self explanitory!








The Bride's hair



My workspace



Christie's dress









The Bride


A bridesmaid's shoes :-)


Wedding cake


Josiah, the ring bearer

Sunday, May 18, 2008

Yes, I'm still here...

Hey there, everyone! Yes, I am alive and well and haven't fallen off the face of the earth! The last two weeks have been very busy for us although this hasn't totally been the reason for my "time of absence." But, I'm here again and posting a huge post to let you know what's been going on in the lives of the Martin family. However, I will forewarn you, that because of my lack of posts, there's a lot to write about, which will require some time to read. But also know, it's not an article either, so no worries.

As you know, we visited grandparents two weeks ago and had a relaxing time. They live about two hours away in a small country town. We had an extensive amount of rain during our visit, but it did let up for most of the day, which allowed us to be outside and enjoy the weather.

The following Friday, we celebrated Griff's birthday. Bek fixed enchildas for supper and a chocolate torte for dessert. We talked, sang "Happy Birthday" to the birthday boy, and watched him open up his gifts. I might add a small sidenote, too...Griff got "25" birthay spankings!! Yea! *smile*

The next day, we drove over to some friends' house for a graduation celebration. After eating and opening gifts, we went over to the bowling alley and played a couple games. Originally, we planned on playing miniature golf, but since the weather was a little "uncooperative," we opted for the bowling.

For Mother's Day, we attended church and then came home for lunch. Dad grilled chicken for us, which we served along with salad, vegetables, baked potatoes and rolls. Griff & Bek also came over and joined us.

Last Monday night, we cheered on our softball team as they played their very first game of the season. For those of you who aren't familiar with this, a group of men and young men from our church play softball each week at a nearby park against other local teams. This will be Tanner's first year to play. They did pretty good considering it was the first game! We're all looking forward to showing up again tomorrow evening for our next game...and hopefully, a win!!

If you've visited Ab's Spot, lately, you will have noticed that we are babysitting a neighbor's little girl. Her name is Annika, she's 2 and very cute. She enjoys doing multiple things, such as: bouncing on the trampoline, picking flowers (a.k.a. dandelions), playing with playdough, playing on the swingset and enjoying herself with whatever. As I was leaving her room to let her nap, she said, "Happy Easter Bunny!" *grin*

Over the weekend, my friend Christie, became Mrs. Ryan Kriegshauser. (Yes, it is a mouthfull!) *smile* I had the privilege of being one of her bridesmaids, along with four other friends and the groom's sister, who was the matron of honor. We arrived at the church around eight o' clock Saturday morning to begin getting ready. Bek, her sister Liz, and our pastor's daughter, Deana, helped fix the girls' hair for the big day. I had planned on doing my own hair simply because I knew what I wanted and have fixed it this particular way before. But my friend Megan, also a bridesmaid, helped me out once I got my hair in place with bobby pins, and curled my hair for me. Around mid morning, we arrived at the Nelson-Atkins Art Museum in KC to take pictures. We had the best day to take pictures! It was just great outside and there was almost NO wind!! (A great thing for the hair!) If you've never visited the Nelson, it's quite a place. Although I have never been inside, the lawn was very nice and the building was grand.
After arriving back at the church, we enjoyed a great lunch provided by some friends...as well as complimentary coffee by a friend who works for Starbucks. A little bit after that, we walked into the sanctuary to get some more pictures with the bride & groom, as well as getting some snapshots of our own.
Finally, the big moment arrived! Six young ladies proceeded down the aisle while being accompanied by music performed by a couple singing and playing the guitar and violin. After the ceremony ended and the recessional was over, the guests were dismissed by the couple.
Everyone soon made their way to the reception hall where a wedding cake, a groom's cake, cheesecakes, fruit, punch, and coffee were served. The bouquet and garter were tossed, and it soon came time for the couple to make their grand exit amid an atmosphere of bubbles. A white, stretched limo awaited the newly-wedded couple and whisked them away from their family and guests.
I will try to post pictures VERY soon. Unfortunately, I don't have one of the entire wedding party, but, you will at least be able to see the bride, bridesmaid's dresses, etc.

Around mid-morning today, Dad, Mom, Griff, and Abby arrived home from their trip to South Carolina for my cousin's wedding, which also took place yesterday. I'm sure Ab will be posting pictures on her blog soon, so be sure to stop by and take a look.

Well, I think I'll sign off for now. Can you believe you got that much out of me?! I guess that's the good thing about taking so long in posting, because when you finally do, there's so much to write, show and tell!

**Pictures coming soon**

Monday, May 12, 2008

25 Years

























That's right, another birthday! My oldest brother, Griffin, arriving on Mother's Day, May 8th, 1983, celebrated his 25th birthday last week. He's the oldest of our gang and has been a wonderful brother to me and my siblings. Griff likes to work out, plays soccer & softball, enjoys spending time with family and friends, and most of all, absolutely loves spending time with his sweetheart and bride, Bek. We have had the best big brother in Griff and wish him a very happy birthday!!

Happy Birthday, Griff!

Monday, May 5, 2008

On Vacation!

Hey there, everyone! Not that I've been posting much anyway, but thought I would write and say that my family and I are heading out, today, to visit my grandparents. They live about 2 hours away which isn't very far. We'll arrive home sometime Wednesday. Hopefully I can post some pictures before long...my dear old blog seems to be deserted right now. *smile*

Bye!