The Start Of Our New Adventure

So we did it! Hitched, honeymooned, moved, and slightly unpacked in South Carolina.

For those of you who haven’t figured it out, we have a blog now! SURPRISE!
I make no guarantees that it will be updated frequently, but I’ll give it a good try!
On the left side under our picture, you’ll see a link for “our pictures”. We’ve posted a bunch already. Mostly historical and from Hawaii but I’ll make sure to keep posting pictures there. So to see the newest ones, just click the link. I’ll also put the professional ones there when we receive them.

I’m reporting from “our” living room in South Carolina. Calling things “ours” is gonna take some getting used to, especially since I still own a house in AR. But for now, they are both our houses. The kitties are great after the 3 week vacation from Dan and Ginger is still in vacation mode. This might become more “home” to her after a week or so.

So, back to the opening line. Yup! We did it! No more planning, last minute changes, or organizing! Wedding is over, and now we move onto the good stuff. All that planning and stress did turn out great though! Most everyone who will be reading this attended the events, so I’ll try not to bore anyone.

To start off the weekend, the small group of us attended the rehearsal and then Mom and Dad hosted the best party at their house Friday night. We kept it in true Arkansas mode and went with a catfish caterer. He came right out to their house and fried it up. YUM! The downside: Dad’s garage is gonna smell like McDonalds for a month. But the house was spectacular. Their house is gorgeous to begin with but Mom definitely knows how to decorate for a special occasion in addition to her already stunning decorations. The whole house was beautiful. It was really, really great. So very special. Better than anything I could have done and it was fantastic to have it at their house.

Mom and Dad’s party set the stage for Saturday the 17th. We all got up and dressed and made it to the church on time. My side hung out at Mom’s for the morning and she did my hair (it was amazing!). Dan hung with his family and got to the church a few minutes before me, so I had my gumshoe Mark help me get in without any spoilers. The anticipation was building but with my crew by my side, everything went well. Mom and Chris helped me get all pulled together and Dad and Mark ran routes with Dan, Msgr Malone and Dan’s team. Everyone was great!

The ceremony was truly extraordinary. It was a full Catholic Mass, with Sean reading a couple special passages Dan picked. Msgr Malone was fantastic, the soloist and organist were phenomenal and both the bride and groom got a bit emotional. My mom played 007 with her video camera and captured a few snippets of the special moments. Dan has them on his laptop, so I’ll have him load a couple at some point for everyone to see.

After the ceremony, we chatted with a few guests, took some pictures and then headed over to Chenal CC for a family dinner. Breathtaking! The florist did an amazing job, the cake was beautiful (and very very yummy!), the harpist playing in the background was so special, and having all the family there was terrific.

Dan took charge of the honeymoon planning, and he did sooo GREAT! Just over a week in Hawaii was awesome. Ahhh, 70-80 degrees every day, a sandy beach 5 steps away, tasty tropical fruits, all the fresh fish I can handle (hello!! Have you met me??), and the best part is the resort. It was incredible! Keep tuned, we’ll be posting another section on our adventures and sight seeing in Hawaii.

Thanks to everyone who attended the wedding festivities. You made it so very special to both Dan and me.
Ok, as I mentioned, I’ll try to keep updating. So keep checking in!
Oh, and thanks to Chris for her phenomenal pictures. I hijacked a few from her site and put them out there. Thanks Sis! You’re sooo talented! :-)