317 great wedding photos!

So, I finally sorted through over a thousand wedding photos taken by my friend and photographer David Flanagan to select my favorites, and I posted them to our Picassa web albums. You can watch the slideshow below or click on any of the photos to bring you right to Picassa.



Going through these pictures, I was reminded of what an amazing time we had at our wedding. It was so beautiful and really stress-free (despite the nerves I experienced - that's just genetics!) Thanks Mom and Dad and everyone who helped to make our day so special!

wedding & honeymoon pics

I've finally compiled a Picasa album of the big day with photos taken by friends and family. I've been too lazy (or is it busy?) to add any comments thus far, but you don't care!



And here are the photos from our honeymoon in Quebec City, Montreal, Niagara Falls, and Toronto. Our 10 day trip was amazing! We had perfect weather (apparently we brought it with us since eastern Canada had been notoriously soggy this summer), and the entire "holiday" experience was just awesome!

Quebec City

Montreal

Niagara Falls & Toronto

the ceremony on video!

My aunt took a video of our wedding ceremony (click the "watch in high quality" link for a sharper viewing experience!) The whole thing was officially under 5 minutes long! I was so freaking nervous and lightheaded, I probably wouldn't have been able to stand there much longer without fainting. I also laughed a whole lot. It wasn't because Ryan looked funny or anything - it was the nerves, I tell you!

The beautiful music in the background was produced by my high school violin teacher Mrs. Van Buren's string quartet, and the officiant, Dory, is actually the owner of the catering company we used, Summit Catering. (I highly recommend them for their tasty tasty food and for their personalized yet all-inclusive service!)

now introducing...mr. and mrs. middleton!

Hey everyone! Yesterday was the big day, and everything went so well! I was extremely nervous; Ryan was surprisingly calm. The weather was perfect and the boathouse was gorgeous. We were surrounded by so many loving family and friends. What an amazing day!

Ryan and I at Cooper River near sunset, August 9, 2008

I hired a good friend of mine as our photographer, so in a few weeks we'll have some amazing pictures to share! In the meantime, my super-duper Aunt Betty Jean (the official family photographer), has posted lots of awesome pictures from our rehearsal dinner and the wedding on her Flickr. She even videotaped the ceremony (it was only about 5 minutes long), so we'll be able to share it on YouTube soon!

Well, we're off to Canada tomorrow morning (our flight got canceled this evening due to inclement weather.) We'll be in touch soon!!!

stranger from quebec city

Many months ago, I was working the reference desk at the library on a particularly slow day when a middle aged coupled tentatively approached. The gentleman spoke in broken English with a French accent, and his wife spoke no English at all. After struggling a bit to understand him, I figured out he was looking for a sculpture park he'd heard about here in Frisco (this in itself is slightly bizarre, as French-speaking tourists seeking cultural attractions are rarely encountered on the children's floor of my library!)

Anyway, I asked if they were from France, and he told me they were "on tourism" from Quebec City! It so happened that Ryan and I had just decided to honeymoon there a few days before - I was psyched! I excitedly told him of our plans to visit there, and he asked if I'd like any suggestions. Of course I said yes, and I gave him my email address, fully expecting to never hear from him again.

Well, back in June I got this email from - you guessed it - my Canadian friend! Here is what this amazingly kind man wrote, with his links included in case any of you are considering visiting Quebec City in the future:

When I was traveling in Texas (Frisco) in May, you kindly help us to find where we would want to go (sculpture). You tell me that you will be visiting Québec-City in August 2008. You likely know that Québec-City is celebrating its 400^th birthday this year but in August most of the celebration events will be over. In preparation of your trip I am pleased to send some information about Québec-City and its area.

http://www.ville.quebec.qc.ca/en/accueil

http://www.fairmont.com/Frontenac/?cm_mmc=icppc-_-Branded-LCF%20-%20Le%20Chateau%20Frontenac%20-%20Canada-_-google-_-chateau+frontenac;

http://www.lacitadelle.qc.ca/section.php?lang=en&id=4

http://www.quebecregion.com/e/membres-details.asp?lnMagicNmbr=30794&lnMajMajorBc=200&sMinorMinor=0220

http://www.frommers.com/destinations/quebeccity/A20234.html

http://www.assnat.qc.ca/eng/index.html

http://www.nouvellefrance.qc.ca/en

http://www.valcartier.com/default.aspx?LA=EN

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quebec_City

http://www.portquebec.ca/index.php?lang=fr_CA

http://www.museocapitale.qc.ca/012a.htm

http://www.mnba.qc.ca/Home.aspx

http://www.quebec400.gc.ca/bienvenue-welcome-fra.cfm

http://www2.ignatius.edu/faculty/turner/quebec/index.htm

http://monquebec2008.sympatico.msn.ca/MonQuebec2008/?lang=en-ca

http://www.jacques-cartier.com/index.html

http://www.baiestpaul.com/accueil.php

http://www.ville.levis.qc.ca/Fr/Index.asp

Some Internet sites are in French but most of it are in English. Should you need more specific information let me know.

I just love knowing that I can still depend on the kindness of some strangers (at least those from Canada!)

family fun

On July 12, Ryan's family threw us an amazing pre-wedding bash at Rockin' Ivories Dueling Piano Bar in Lewisville. Ryan's sister Becky is co-owner of the bar, so we were able to take over during the day while it was closed to the public. Lots of family - and a handful of friends - joined us to feast on Ryan's dad's home cookin' and to celebrate our upcoming nuptials, which was especially cool since so many of them will miss the wedding in NJ. Here are some pics of the big day:

my shower and bachelorette party

On May 10, 2008, my best friend Amy and my sister Kristen threw me the best shower and bachelorette party a girl could ask for! Amy's parents were amazing enough to let us take over their beautiful house, and it was soon filled with friends, family, food, and lots of presents (about half of which I had to leave in NJ until we figure out the best way to get them all here!) You know what they say - a picture is worth a thousand words!



As for my bachelorette party, I had an unforgettable and much-needed night out in Philly (as you may know from my Fourth of July rantings, it's my favorite city!) We went out for delicious tapas at Bar Ferdinand, then danced the night away at the 700 Club. The grand finale occurred when we crashed a Liberty Gay Rodeo celebration taking place at our hotel, the Loews Philadelphia, where we retired to play some hilarious games! Due to the nature of some of the photos captured on this memorable night, and in order to protect the innocent, I will only post the PG rated ones. Enjoy!

1 month to go...

Only one month until the big day (gasp!) and the only thing I feel like we really have to "worry" about is strategically packing for the Jersey wedding and the Canadian honeymoon.

Our mission is to bring only carry-ons to Canada for ease of travel, so we will have to pack with the utmost care. I recently bought us these very cool JanSport convertible backpack/tote bag/shoulder bag thingies to make the streamlining easier (and stylish!)

Now to select our most sensible walking shoes...

the invitations are out!

On our way to Home Depot yesterday, we stopped by the post office to drop off our wedding invitations. What a relief to get them out of the house and into the mail!

We designed and ordered them from a great website, MyGatsby.com. I ended up having to hand-write all the addresses with a Sharpie, because the envelopes were too glossy to print from my computer without them smudging. I don't have the best handwriting, so the whole process was a bit of a struggle. Ryan, in typical Ryan-style, saved me from mailing out askew, funky-looking envelopes by designing a template made of card-stock and consisting of three cut-out boxes to write the addresses in. Brilliant!

Even so, though I had a zillion extra envelopes to start out with, I messed up so many that I ended up with absolutely no leftovers. Zero. Zip. I am just crossing my fingers that we didn't forget anyone, because if so, we're screwed...

the first post

Welcome! That's all I want to say right now. See, I was recently bit several times in quick succession by a rabid Texas mosquito, and I popped a Benadryl to put an end to the red, swelling itchiness that has since taken over my leg. Now I am about ready to pass out.

Ryan doesn't even know about this blog yet, but he will soon enough. And then he will clap his hands in glee! We finally have a place to collect our stories and to share them with friends and family (especially those residing far, far away!) With an impending August wedding, we certainly won't be scrambling for new material!

Night!