Pre Wedding Fun...

We had lots of fun preparing for my brother Ben's wedding to Devon! We flew down to California on Thursday and went right out to Devon's wonderful parents' house. They made a wonderful meal for us including the best chicken I have even eaten in my life - no joke! It was great to spend some calm time getting to know them and with Ben and Devon before their big weekend!

On Friday Devon's dad's business partner's wife hosted a beautiful bridal luncheon. Then we had the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner. It's always so great to spend time with our family! Especially with the kiddos! We really missed Dan and Nina, though! :(

Jen, Heather, me and Devon at the bridal luncheon. Jen's pregnant! She looks so beautiful! The silly baby was always shy around me and never let me feel him kick!

Drew wanted to get in on the rehearsing. Both his parents were in the wedding, so he was stuck with me and Jesse.

He didn't seem to mind being stuck with us too much.

Jesse and Antonio. So cute and sweet!

Devon's gown was so beautiful. She looked amazing. She wore the bracelet that Jen and Heather gave me for my wedding. It was her 'something borrowed' and it looked great with her ensemble. :)

... and on to the Big Event!

Ben and Devon's wedding was so wonderful. The location was one of the most beautiful houses I've even been in. It's called the Kohl Mansion and it's in Burlingame, California. In the Bay Area. It was exquisite! Jesse and I got to babysit my two sisters' kids during the ceremony. They are the sweetest boys and did so well for us! The only problem was that Drew (15 months) was too happy! He kept laughing and stuff. :) Antonio (4 1/2 months) was happy chilling out on Jesse's lap, sucking on Jesse's hand.

Here's Ben with the priest and his guys. He looked very nice and calm.

Dum, dum da-dum!
This is a lovely shot of the beautiful Kohl Mansion and Devon and her dad John walking up to Ben. It was such a pretty wedding. The weather was perfect and Devon looked stunning!

Devon and her bride's maids. Jen and Heather are on the end on the right. Devon had all the maids pick their own dresses in the same color. It looked great and each girl looked amazing.

Me and Ben before the wedding. My hair is a bit wind-blown.

Jesse, Steve and three of my brothers. What a group of good looking fellas!

Week in Review

This past week we got to do lots of fun things!

We got to attend concerts at the wonderful Oregon Bach Festival.......and go to the US Track and Field Olympic Trials!


On Monday night Deena and I went to see the OBF chorus, orchestra and Youth Choral Academy perform with Garrison Keillor. It was a lot of fun. He's a funny, funny man, I tell you what!While we were watching Keillor, Jesse and my dad went to the trials and did a more manly event. They watched lots of runners and stuff. Jesse and I got to go to the opening day the previous Friday where we saw lots of qualifying races, but on Monday Jesse got to see some actual final races. It's pretty cool how Eugene is becoming Track City, USA once again!
Tuesday was a rest day at the trials so the Bach Fest did a special concert honoring Bill Bowerman. It was a nice tribute to one of the founders of Nike - a true Man of Oregon.
On Wednesday we got to take Kenton and Katrina to see the 5 Browns. They are a group of siblings in their 20s who all studied piano at Julliard. They were a lot of fun to watch, very talented and had great personalities. It was fun to have a fancy night on the town with our friends!

Thursday I got to go see the Youth Choral Academy. This is the 11th year of the Academy and it holds a very special place in my heart. I was a member of the Academy the 1st and 2nd year of its run, and a chaperone the 3rd year. It's such an amazing experience for the high schoolers involved. I learned so much about music in the few weeks I spent with Dr. Anton Armstrong and his crew. This year I got to go with my step brother Adam who's a professional singer, so that was cool!

Besides all that, we spent lots of time with Kenton, Katrina and Finn. I had lunch with Mom and Becky, we watched fireworks at Alton Baker Park with KK&F, went swimming with the Ruddicks, Chases and Henrys...

I'm still looking for a job. There are resumes out there and other things in the works, so send your happy thoughts towards all of that!

First day at work!

Jesse had his first day at his new job last Monday! He was offered a position at his old bank, Siuslaw Bank. He's doing more interesting things than he was doing before, so that's fun! It's sad to have him back at work and me still looking for a job. I miss him. :(

I decided to take pictures of Jesse on his way to his first day of work.He's such a big boy!! He can tie his own tie!Just a little tantrum when I dropped him off with donuts for his co-workers.He was really brave and walked in all by himself!!

Now hopefully I can find a job so I can help contribute to our family! Prayers are appreciated. :)