Evolution of a Name

We talked for months on what we would call our new puppy.

We decided on Jack.  He was born on Halloween, after all.  (Jack-o-lantern...get it?!)

It fits him perfectly!

It has sinced morphed into: Pooch, Pooches, Poo, Puppy, Puppy-Poo, Lu, Lu-La, Moo, Mooches, Waggles, Doggie, Doggie Doo, Bob Barker, Christopher Columbus, Dora the Explorer, Smash, Smash Box, Socks, Jingle Jangle (personal fav!), Huff and Puff, Grumble in the Jungle...I could keep going...

But we noticed that he responds particularly well with Lu, which we now may have to respell to 'Lou'!  When you call our puppy Lu, or Lu-la, you get a smile and waggles!  Any other name and you get a 'what now?' expression. No waggles.

So, in lieu (no pun intended) of our recent revelation, meet our new dog, Lou:

What a happy puppy!

Think Pink

We will run and we will walk until we find a cure.  Yes, we will.

Yesterday, Brian and I walked in the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure with Than and Darcy and Than's parents.  (Along with quite a few other supporters!)

Than's Mom, Mary, was diagnosed with breast cancer last fall, and we are all in support of her making a fast, full recovery.  There were over 50,000 supporters in downtown Columbus fighting the war against breast cancer.  The turnout was incredible.  There are so many people affected by this type of cancer, and they are all taking a stand against it.  It was truly inspiring and made both Brian and I proud to support our friends and this wonderful cause.

In addition to the walk, we hosted a little gathering (our first official!) at the new pad.  It was a great day for a cookout, not too hot, not too cold, and we enjoyed the rest of the night hanging with some very good people!

It was wonderful to see Than and Darcy!  We can't wait to see you guys again soon!

Jailbird Dog

Our Operation Block the Dog in the Backyard is becoming a success!  Today, we had a fence contractor install some old wrought iron fence that we inherited to block off the two access points to the front yard.  Tomorrow, they will hang the gate on the left side to complete the mission!

I wonder what the visitation rights are?!

Hopefully that ball will end up on the right side of the fence!

We are now functioning under Operation Safe House, for we can't have any unsafe conditions for our dear sweet Puppy Poo!  (We are secretly wondering how long it takes before Jack freaks out about this new 'thing taking over the yard' and just starts barking at it.  We have no doubt that it will probably be at a very inopportune time!)

Either way, the fence looks fantastic, better than either Brian or I had envisioned, and we are incredibly happy that we can now let our pooch out to roam as long as he likes!

Ahh, the life of a very lucky dog!

Amazeballs!!!

Yes, we booked with the most incredible photographers in Columbus, OH - Picture the Love - for our wedding.

Yes, we received the most unbelievable engagement and wedding photos.

Yes, Kim & Eric, the Love in Picture the Love, were FANTASTIC!

Yes, we just received our photo album from our wedding!  (It was an incredible surprise to come home to!)

And no, we have absolutely no regrets!

If you'd like to download and see our entire wedding album, click here! (A google account is required.  All you have to do is log in!)

Or, if you'd like to just look at the real thing, check out the photo below!

True Love

[Spoken in your best Princess Bride Clergyman impression.]

"Mawage.  Mawage is wot brings us togeder tooday.  Mawage, that bwessed awangement, that dweam wifin a dweam...And wuv, tru wuv, will fowow you foweva..."

That movie is an all time fav!  One my brother and I could watch a million times over and still not be sick of it!  It makes me smile thinking of all the funny one liners that we used within our daily vocabulary after we watched the movie, "...anybody want a peanut?!", and it makes me smile thinking of my brother and his beautiful wife.

We headed to Maryland on Thursday to attend my brother, Travis' wedding.  It was spectacular!  We got in relatively late on Thursday and spent Friday tying up some of the loose ends.  Mom and I dropped off the flower arrangements at Tonic, the rehearsal dinner spot, in Washington, DC, while Brian, Scott, and James headed to the hotel to check in.  Once we got everything situated at Tonic, we reconvened at the rehearsal at Mount Airy Mansion, and then we headed back to the hotel to find Brian and get ready for the rehearsal dinner.

A fancy tour bus picked us, the bridal party, grandparents, and, of course, the bride and groom all up and took us to Tonic where we laughed, celebrated, ate delicious food, celebrated, toasted, congratulated, and laughed!  The wedding festivities were well underway and we were all so excited for Saturday's shindig!

After the rehearsal dinner, that same fancy tour bus took us on a monument tour around DC.  It worked out perfectly.  The sun was setting, our bellies were full, the sky was relatively clear, and it was just so wonderful to be surrounded by so many loving family members and friends.  Tomorrow was going to be a very special day!

When Saturday rolled around the excitement was definitely high!  It was an absolutely gorgeous, sunny, 70 degree May day!  We had our complimentary hotel breakfast, picked up Amy and her friend, Jan, from Amy's dorm in College Park, and got ready for the main event!

We arrived at Mount Airy Mansion around 3:00 pm.  The wedding was scheduled to start at 3:30 pm.  The mansion was such a pretty sight!  There were flowers in the sunken gardens where the ceremony was to take place, and the weather was still perfect.  It was simple and so beautiful!  Amy and Jan were in charge of handing out bubbles, James was a junior groomsman in the bridal party, and Nico (Shanel's bro) and I each did a reading during the ceremony.  It was so awesome that Travis and Shanel incorporated all of their siblings into their wedding.  It meant a lot to us, and we were so happy to be a part of such a special day.

I cannot even begin to tell you how important both Travis and Shanel are to me.  Travis has been, is, and always will be my brother.  And I am so proud to be his sister.  He is an incredibly caring, loving, light hearted person, and I would say we have a very special connection.  Shanel is his equal.  A lovely, caring, generous, light hearted, funny woman who will definitely be keeping Travis on his toes!  Together, they are an amazing, inspirational, admirable couple that you just want to be around.  Their love is contagious, and we feel (speaking on behalf of Brian and I, and family, and friends) SO special to be a part of their lives.

The ceremony was lovely.  It captured both Shanel and Travis' loving, laughing, beautiful personalities, and it was a reminder to all of us there of the special bond that we all share.  I cannot speak highly enough of Shanel's family either.  They are an extremely special crowd, and it was incredible to be able to share this day with them.

The reception was equally beautiful and fun and special.  The flowers were stunning, the music made us all shake what our Momma's gave us, and the people that we were all surrounded by made it a night that we will never, ever forget!

I could go on and on and on about the details and amazing-ness of this extremely special day and these two extremely special people.  My words would not do either justice, but I could (and would) try!  Instead, since this post is already a bit lengthy as is, I will stop there and let you peruse the photos of the incredible day, the gorgeous bride and handsome groom, and the love that they share.  It was perfect! Click the photo below to see the album, and check out this short viddie of the grand entrance!

Congratulations, Travis and Shanel!  We love you!

Sir, Yes Sir!

Your duty is as follows:

Please click here.

(Note: This message will not self destruct. That's impossible.)

Weekend Shenanigans

We went to the dog park.

We purchased a new rug for our front door!

We assembled our wheel barrow.

Ta Daaaa!
(And Jack learns that humans are very strange animals!)

In addition, we also put the final touches on our Mother's Day cards and gifts, got to see Kevin, Brooke, John & Leah and Tim, Erin, Miles & Ben (which was wonderful!), hung three pictures (one in our bathroom, and two in our kitchen), did the weekend cleaning and laundry (sigh.), ran some errands, played some golf, (well, Brian golfed...), and mowed the lawn!  (Brian mowed the lawn too.)

All in all, I would say it was a lovely Spring weekend!

Big Balls

Jack received a new toy today!

We dubbed it 'Big Ball'.

It quickly became a new fav!

It lasted 32 minutes and 47 seconds...

The Royal Wedding

As many of you know, Prince William and Catherine (Kate) Middleton were wed today.  The live coverage started at 4:00 am, and the wedding started at 6:00 am (ET).  The gown was stunning, the vows were loving, the crowds were cheering, and the kiss(es) will forever go down in history.  It appears to have been a a spectacular event - a true royal wedding!  Congratulations to Prince William and Catherine!

What many of you don't know is the real royal wedding is actually in 8 days!  Our Prince William of Columbia (also known as Travis, Traverina, Willy T, Willie, Wee Willie, Billie, and I'm sure many others that I am unaware of) will be wed to Princess Shanel of Mohegan Lake (also known as Shanelly, Nelly, Nelson, and, again, probably quite a few others!) next Saturday, May 7, 2011!  We are sure that the bride (and the dress) will be stunning, the vows will be loving, the crowds will certainly be cheering, and the kiss will also forever go down in history!

We are both so excited to be attending such an important and wonderful event.  And while we were just not able to make the royal wedding in England today, we are sure we will be able to make the royal wedding in Maryland next weekend!

We ♥ you, Prince William & Princess Shanel, and cannot wait to see you soon!

Grow Up, Will Ya?!

Ever since I can remember people have always considered me younger than I really am.  Perhaps it's my baby cheeks that I have just never lost.  Perhaps it's the way I dress, or the way I do my hair, or the way I do my makeup, or the way I act, I don't know.  I will probably be thanking my lucky stars in a few years if/when I get closer to looking like my actual age, but for now, I'm not going to lie, it's a little frustrating.  Especially when my very own client thinks I'm a graduate right out of high school.  (Yes, he said high school!)  I almost had no words.  You think I look like I'm 18 years old?  Two years older from being 16?  Ten years younger than I really am?  Well, thank you, I guess, but I hope that doesn't hinder you from deciding to go with my design and our company because you don't think I've got any experience under my belt.

To be perfectly honest, I see no point in growing up.  Why should I?  Who wants responsibility and seriousness?!  I want fun and laughter!  I'll be 29 years old next month.  I, evidently, look like I'm 18, physically feel like I'm 16, mentally feel like I'm 38, and act like I'm 9.  That puts me at an average of 22.  So, in lieu of celebrating my 29th birthday in May, I will be celebrating my 22nd birthday.  I think that's a good compromise!

Forget real life.