Double Wedding Weekend

This week, we've had the Angerts in town with us. It has been such an amazing visit, and I am so thankful they drove halfway across the country just to spend time with us. We are very sad that they are leaving us tomorrow. I'll post more about their visit soon.

Meanwhile, I would love to give an update on how the Double Wedding Weekend went. This past weekend were both weddings I coordinated independently through my new little business venture. One was on Saturday and the other was on Sunday. You are probably thinking that only a crazy person would agree to do something like this. You would be correct.

 

{My first wedding! The bride's color pallet was purple and green, and the reception was held in this cool old barn. I snapped this photo w/ my phone before the guests arrived.}

First I will say that the weekend was a great success. I feel so blessed and overwhelmed by all the support I had around me. Also, both of my brides were incredible... the farthest thing from bridezillas. They were both so laid-back and fun to work with.

That being said, there were definitely some bumps in the road. We did as much prep work as we possibly could beforehand, but the weekend still turned out to be crazy and full of unexpected crisis moments. For example, the florist for my first wedding (pictured above) was supposed to arrive at the barn at 11 a.m., and did not arrive at the barn until 1 p.m. See all those flowers? We did not have a spare two hours to get all those flowers where they needed to go. Also, we had a bunch of decorations outside, including a large chalkboard menu, when a large gust of wind came and blew everything all over the place, knocking the chalkboard off the easel it was resting on. Thank the Lord for glue guns. For my other wedding, there was supposed to be a sparkler send-off, but it turns out sparklers are banned right now for some reason (something about wildfires?), and so we had to improvise with rose petals left over from the ceremony flowers. 

I got hardly any sleep, I was practically eating Emergen-C straight out of the packet, and I have massive booboos on my feet, BUT I got through it. And I feel very blessed to have had the opportunity to gain so much experience in such a short amount of time. It is a great feeling! I am proud of my work, and I could not have asked for a better weekend to kick off what will hopefully one day turn into my career. 

Fires

Well hello there. It's been awhile since we've updated, but we've had a lot going on lately. I'm sure you have all seen the news - the wildfires in Colorado are out of control. Since I posted last, fires have broken out in Boulder, Estes Park, and Colorado Springs. The fire here in Fort Collins is almost contained, and we've had a little rain in the past couple of days. Still, my heart is breaking for the thousands of people who've lost their homes.

{the fire in Fort Collins}

Last week, M was in Estes Park for a youth conference. He said it was amazing, and I think all our kiddos who went had a blast. I got to go up there last Friday, the day of the beach volleyball tournament. Our kids took second place, which was pretty impressive, considering the fact that none of them even play volleyball. 

All this talk of fires and evacuation plans has got me thinking and realizing how incredibly blessed we are. Parents, you will be happy to know that yes, we do have an evacuation plan if this fire, or any other fire this summer, happens to cross the reservoir into our town. We will pack up our dogs and some clothes and maybe a few priceless possessions, get in the car, and drive. There is so much freedom knowing that, while it is so sad that people are losing their homes, we don't need all our stuff in order to be happy. If we are safe and healthy and have each other, that is more than enough. 

Nashville

Hey folks, we're home from Nashville! It was such a blast. I want to go back already. Here's a little recap of the trip...

We stayed in this beautiful house overlooking the lake. The sunsets were pretty incredible.

The groomsmen, doing some rehearsing before the big day. The wedding was held on this beautiful antebellum plantation... it was gorgeous!

Morgan with the groom, one of his roommates from college. Don't they look like they could be related?

Before leaving Nashville, we had to stop by the Opryland Hotel. It was just as I remembered it from when I used to go there as a kid. Frenches, let's go back!

So that pretty much sums up our trip. Back in Fort Collins, they are starting to get the wildfires under control. On the shuttle on the way home from the airport, we met one of the fire fighters who's been working 12-hour-plus days to put out these fires. He says its the worst fire season he's ever seen, but that they are making serious progress and saving lots of houses. Please pray that it would rain soon, so that these brave men and women can get a break and that the fire will go out! 

Weekend Recap

The big news around here right now is that we are in the middle of the largest fire our county has seen in a quarter-century. Basically, the entire fire is larger than our whole town. Fortunately, the fire is a little ways from us, but many people who live outside of town out in the foothills have had to evacuate. Not to mention, there is a HUGE cloud of smoke and ash covering the sky. It looks like a volcano erupted. Being from the South, we are not used to these crazy fires. I mean, sure we had forest fires in Georgia, but never like this. Please pray for the people who have had to evacuate. It would be so scary to leave your home and wonder if it will still be there after the fire has subsided.

This weekend, we took our kiddos to Elich Gardens, an amusement park in Denver. It was fun, but I got major sunburn.

Some of our friends had a cook-out / house-warming party, and they rented a septicycle. I have seen people riding them around Fort Collins, and while they are a little goofy-looking, they are really fun to ride... especially after a couple of drinks! (So I am told...)

Our friends also got four laying hens: Patsy, Bertha, Betsy, and Shannon. Dad: the darker ones apparently lay turquoise eggs... Did you know this phenomenon existed?!

Sunday night, we went to see Mat Kearney play in downtown Fort Collins. He was amazing, but the smoke was so bad that our throats and eyes were burning by the end of the show... I don't know how he was able to perform!

We are headed to Nashville on Thursday for a wedding. I am so excited to get out of town for a little bit and hang out with some of our good friends from college. 

Please pray that the amazing folks who are fighting this wild fire would be able to get it under control! Pray for the people who have been displaced by the fire. As of now, the fire is only 5% contained. That's better than nothing, but there is still a long way to go! 

Weekend Recap

Well hello there. Hope you had a fabulous weekend! Here's how we spent ours...

Feist / Bon Iver concert at Red Rocks...

... and fried chicken and waffles at Restaurant 415.

The Civil Wars

Last night, I got to see the Civil Wars play in Denver. They put on an amazing show. I was gushing like a teenage girl at a Justin Bieber concert. Embarrassing.

As I was looking back through my pictures from the show, I realized they all have this person's giant head in them... Oh well!

I am still feeling a little bit starry-eyed. They were amazing! You can't really tell from the picture (thanks to the giant head), but Joy Williams is eight months pregnant and rocking some high heels! Respect. 

Lately

Been feeling a little under the weather lately. I am looking forward to a nice, relaxing weekend. We have zero plans, and I love it.

Georgie likes to spy on the neighbors...

I can't believe summer is almost here. I am so excited, and it's so hard to be patient. 

Tonight, we're headed out for wine and tapas. Happy weekend! xo.