wedding post 3 of 3

It is hard to write this last post.  When something is this perfect, closing the chapter is difficult.

I have very few words, mostly pictures.

The kids, as usual, came up with a dance routine.  This one was to Pitbull and Ke$ha's "Timber."  The adults had to listen to that song on repeat no less than 70 times.  Kathryn said, "Well, some people have a wedding song. We have Timber."

It was exhausting to stay up until 10 pm playing with cousins.  It was necessary to be forced to nap a couple of times.

Besides getting hitched there was just so much other fun to have.

Have you ever played "Farkle?"  If you haven't, you should totally try it.

So what I haven't told you about this ginormous house we rented is that the decor was a little, how shall we say, out of date.  Let's just say 1982 called and it wants back its silk flowers, floral sheets and mauve countertops, along with its jean jackets and fish net stockings.   There was a McCall's magazine in one of the bathrooms from 1991!

One of the things that we noticed when we looked at the house last fall was that the old-fashioned bed spreads just had to go.  We bought solid colored down comforters for each bed, along with coordinating high thread count pillowcases to give the rooms a more updated feel for our families.  We also surreptitiously moved glaring decorating faux pas that were intolerable and stowed them a communal cabinet to be systematically returned at our departure.

For whatever reason, there was a multitude of stuffed cats everyone.  And one mole-like animal that gave my sister the creeps.  We joked all week about these creatures (as in, how many stuffed cats does one house need?) and then when we were packing up, we decided to have a little fun.

Kathryn had left already and we began staging the animals, photographing them and sending her the pictures.

This one features the adorable bird house Braeden and Michaela so proudly made for us as a wedding present.  We thought they would appreciate having it featured in our shenanigans.

Here is the creepy mole.   We truly could not help ourselves.

Trish took it upon herself to try every single drink on the drink list.  She made up a check-list and had it signed by the official bar tender (Kristi) and both brides.

I haven't stopped being wowed by the shiny bling on my finger.   It has a story all of its own and was chosen with such intention and love that it makes me happy with each and every glance.  Sandi has a beautiful celtic band with bezel set aquamarine stones that is so perfectly her. 

I cannot tell you how painful it was to say goodbye to this place, to this week.  

This will always be the place we got married, right here on this lush knoll before the sea.  It is indelibly marked on my heart as one of the richest and deepest experiences of my life. 

And now our gorgeous, hand-made bench has a spot of its own in our backyard.

There is much left to say except thank you.  Have I said that?

Thank you.

The outpouring of blessings for Sandi and I and our family has been enormous.  We feel each with such depth and cannot fully express how much we cherish and appreciate them.  Blessing and love right back to each of you.

And while this is post 3 of 3, I will share some more of Mark's AMAZING pictures in a while.  But for now, I shall give you all a break.