The Wedding

Life has been a whirlwind lately. We have been so crazy busy with all of this house stuff that we don’t have time for anything else. And that’s okay. It’s just a season and soon, things will be back to normal. I can’t wait for normal :)

We officially closed on our old house and are now back to owning only one house. That feels good. For a while I kept asking myself if I should feel sad that the house is no longer ours but actually I just feel relieved. Relieved that we only have one property to take care of. Relieved that that step is now behind us and we can move forward. We loved our old house. But we are on to the next!! Currently, we are still working on renovations in our new house and so we are staying at my parents house. They were out of town anyway so it worked out good. We are working hard to get everything done so we can move in and boy are we excited!! It’s all turning out so cute! I can’t wait to share it with you.

In the middle of all this moving and remodeling, we attended a wedding. My little brother’s wedding. In Oregon. It was hard to take a break from all the stuff here but it was also really good to get away. Plus, I was so thrilled to witness my brother get married! I’m so happy for them both.

I have a million blog posts piling up about our new and old house but I haven’t had a chance to write them yet or to even get my thoughts in order. So instead, I will fill you in on my little vacation to Oregon.

Not only did I get to be in Oregon for the wedding, I also got to go to Idaho for my grandparent’s 60 wedding anniversary celebration and my grandma’s 80th birthday party. Whew! This trip was all about celebrations and parties! After leaving Tennessee, I flew into Boise and spent a few days there before heading to Oregon. I didn’t Instagram in Idaho very much, I mostly used my camera for the anniversary party so maybe I will do a separate post for that. Anyway, from the top left… 1. We of course made several trips to Starbucks and it was the first time I have been in one that had their university colors painted on the walls. See those blue walls? Yep, Boise State. It was still cool though :) 2. On our drive from Boise to Albany. It’s about a 9 hour drive. I rode with my parents and we had a good time. Especially because we hadn’t seen each other in 3 weeks so we had a lot of catching up to do. 3 & 4. Once we got to Oregon, Brett and my Dad built and arbor for the wedding. I helped a bit but my job was mostly to hang out. I know weddings can be a busy time and I wanted to spend as much time as possible with my brother. The arbor turned out awesome and we started calling it amour arbor (you have to say it with a french accent to make it funny). Ya, we’re weird like that :)

My Dad and I also managed to sneak a run in there early one morning (it was still dark which is why we had lights). I love running with my Dad. He is the one that got me started. The only problem was it was freezing. Literally. I hadn’t planned very well and only brought shorts and tank top so I had to borrow a sweatshirt. I guess I was still on Tennessee weather :)

I have the cutest niece and nephews. This is Oliver and he is four. He is going to be Wyatt Earp for Halloween and wanted to show me his cowboy hat. I love the mismatched pajamas mixed with mismatched boots, hat and vest. That boy knows how to dress!

1. This is how my niece and nephew watch shows. All on the couch with the laptop propped on a chair. It’s the one time that the house is quiet and they are all occupied :) 2. Jason just came straight to Oregon and skipped the Idaho part. So picking him up from the airport was a real treat. 3. Jill’s calendar displayed in her bedroom. I thought it was so cute. 4. The two of us heading to the wedding.

1. Me and my new sister! 2. Isn’t she beautiful?! 3. My lovely Mother and me 4. Because I love self portraits… And a little side note, have I ever told you that I have a streak of white hair? You can see it in this photo (on the left side in the front) and I have had it since my early 20’s. I used to not like it but now I think it’s cool :)

1. Brett and Jill had a “first look”. If you don’t know what that is, it’s where the bride and groom see each other for the first time before the wedding and get to spend a bit of time together. Brett is waiting at the bottom of the path and Jill is preparing to go to him with her maid of honor, her sister, beside her. 2. Brett and Jill had their special moment while we all watched from above.These are all of the bridesmaids watching. 3. My little niece. She looked adorable. She wasn’t the flower girl for those of you wondering. 4. My parents. They looked awesome. And check out my Mom’s shoes!

1. My older brother (Josh) and my younger brother. Josh was one of the groomsmen. They looked so cute in their bow ties. 2. Josh and my Mom in mid conversation. I love this pic. 3. We got to see a bunch of old friends that we miss dearly. This is Jason with our friend Curt. 4. Me and my Lindsey. I miss her so much!

1. The actual event! They wanted to go a little less traditional so a tent structure was set up in the middle of the sanctuary with twinkle lights and then tables with the guests surrounded the tent. Then Jill entered through the stage and walked through the amour arbor. It was really cool. This photo is Brett and the pastor waiting for the attendants. 2. The family members and attendants were in chairs along the sides of the tent. My view is taken through the groomsmen. This is during the ceremony when the parents prayed with the bride and groom. 3. The bride and groom. 4. My little niece got a bit bored :)

1. Dancing. Almost everyone got into it. Even my brother and my niece. 2. The getaway. 3. More of the getaway with the bubbles in the air. 4. Another self portrait. I really can’t help myself. It’s a sickness :)

That pretty much sums up our trip. We had such a great time with our families and were so blessed to have gotten to be a part of it. We loved our vacation, but it feels good to be home too :)