a texas affair

My sister and Alex were married on October 18 in Austin, Texas. Kevin and I had a blast celebrating the big event with them, and Kevin had the honor of performing the ceremony, for which he was ordained on the internet. You may now call him Rev Kev, or, if you prefer, Reverendo.

The wedding was a colorful, DIY-style, family affair at a lovely spot called House on the Hill. My sister and Alex are crafty and creative, and their wedding was a reflection of their personal style. From the vintage plates that they had been collecting over the past few months, to the handmade quilled paper seating cards (made by mom), to the gorgeous farm-fresh wildflowers, to the awesome photo booth my aunt Rita created, to my sister's custom 50's-style dress, to the hand-sewn programs - every well-thought-out detail had a hand in making the wedding lovely and unique.

Alex and Mel are one of the most loving couples I know, and the effort that their family and friends put into getting the entire wedding set up, as well as the speeches given during the wedding dinner, reflected the love that they give as individuals and as a couple. It was awesome to see all of Alex's hipster groomsmen (and their sweet girlfriends), as well as the bridesmaids, and various other friends and family members, pitch in and get everything done the morning of the wedding. Everyone worked hard, and then partied hard until the wee hours of the morning.

For me, the highlights of the wedding were: driving the 1.5 hours with Mel, the day before the wedding, to the beautiful farm where we bought her flowers, watching my sister and Alex say their vows, taking family pictures, watching Alex and Mel during their first dance (they looked blissfully happy), sitting around the campfire eating s'mores and telling stories during the after-party, and seeing the look on my sister's face when her new husband serenaded her with a song he had written for her.

Here are some pictures from the big day:

Didn't everything look lovely? And, now, for one of my favorite pictures (which I think really highlights the mood that day) from the evening. My dad and Kevin enjoying the props in the photo booth. 

Good times! 

two things

Whoa - I am uncharacteristically prolific with the blog posts today! Just wanted to mention two things:

1). I woke up to this today:

Snow in October! Early October at that. Holy cow, we had a whopping two weeks of fall and now this. My autumn wreath looks ridiculous out there (as do my snow-covered potted mums). It is beautiful (the first snow always is), but it's just so early. Not sure what to do - hunker down inside and brood about the early loss of my favorite season, or, put on some toasty clothes (good thing I just checked "wash all mittens and scarves" off my fall to-do list), slip on some bright red boots, and head out the door for a walk in the snow. 

2). We leave for Austin, TX tomorrow for my sister's wedding. I am excited! We've all been busy planning, crafting, and getting very excited about being together for 6 days. And, Kevin has even become an ordained minister of the Universal Life Church (seriously) so that he can officiate the wedding this weekend. He's making us all call him the Rev Kev. Hilarity! I can't wait for tomorrow.

If you live in the Midwest - enjoy the snow. If not, enjoy the fall for the rest of us!

reasons to celebrate

Life is so good! It is such a wonderful, delightful, beautiful thing to see the people one loves experience abundant joy in their lives.

Congratulations to Molly and Patrick, who were married on 10.4.08! May your lifetime together be filled with with "puddles of purple passion" (it's the message that came with the gift that my favorite great-uncle gave Kevin and I for our wedding), family, love, celebrations, and joy. We love you guys.

And, we welcome with love and exictement, Olivia Ann Putnam! Born on 10.9.08 at 12:55 pm, weighing a healthy 8 lbs. 8 oz., to our dear friends Jon and Alyson. Congratulations, Putnams! We are over-the-moon-happy for you two and can't wait to meet your beautiful little girl. Our love and hugs to the three of you.

Life is so so good.

california love

A week ago today, we were in California at one of my best friend's wedding. It was an amazing weekend, and Kevin and I both came home feeling relaxed and happy.

We arrived in San Francisco late on Wednesday night, picked up our rental car, and went straight to Martinez to spend the night at Kevin's parents' condo. Thursday was lovely, with a family lunch and a quick trip to Kevin's old place of work to see his friend, Mike. We were in Carmel by the evening, where we met up with Nicole at our quirky hotel, and then went over to the beautiful Quail Lodge to meet up with the happy couple and other friends. The men played a round of golf while the girls caught up, did a bit of last-minute wedding prep (tying ribbons on favors and wrapping wedding party gifts), and spent way too much time taking silly self-portraits. It was a fun and relaxing way to get the wedding weekend started, and I was delighted to be with my girls.

Friday was spent hanging out at the hotel, getting our nails done, having lunch at the beautiful Earthbound Organic Farm (my new dream is to own a place like this one day, by the way), and then participating in the wedding rehearsal at Berwick Park in Monterey. The rehearsal was followed by a lively group dinner, and then it was off to get a good night's sleep in preparation for the next day.

Saturday was, of course, an amazing day. It started with a power walk around town with Nicole, during which there was - as always - a lot of laughter. Sarah was a gorgeous, happy bride, and I managed to only blubber a little bit during my maid-of-honor speech. All in all, a restorative and joyful trip to our home state!

mr. and mrs. putnam

Kevin and I spent the weekend of October 20th in beautiful Half Moon Bay, CA celebrating the wedding of our friends, Jon and Alyson. It was a beautiful weekend filled with good friends, good food, the ocean, a lovely wedding, family, and perfect California weather. 


We flew into San Francisco on Thursday, and we spent the whole weekend catching up with our friends who live in Sacramento, Seattle, SF, and Half Moon Bay, and whom Kevin has known since his college dorm days. Kevin was finally able meet our friends', Kyle and Sarah's, adorable daughter, Talia. 


It was a beautiful weekend, and we were all so happy to be there celebrating with the bride and groom. Congratulations Mr. and Mrs. Putnam!


On Sunday, we were scheduled to leave from SFO in the afternoon, so we said goodbye to our friends and headed off to meet Kevin's parents and his brother in San Mateo for breakfast. 


Here are some pictures from our amazing California weekend.