Summer Solstice

June 21st...

the official start of summer in the Northern Hemisphere & the start of winter in the Southern Hemisphere. It's also the longest day of sunlight for us and the shortest day for those south of the equator.

This is how I chose to spend my evening during the longest day of sunlight here in Spring Hill, KS:

Blogging on the patio with my "furry kidz" :) We all love summer-time!

Especially Millie - this is her favorite spot & her best impersonation of "Jabba the Hutt" - LOL :)

Fun in the Sun

Today I spent the afternoon with my girlfriends Deb & HK. It was HK's birthday so we all met downtown at The Jones for a day full of sun & fun.
I had never been to this place before nor have I ever heard of it & after being there today we all agreed we would be going back. The Jones is located downtown across from the Sprint Center on the rooftop of the Cosentino's Market. It reminded me of a pool you would find at the hotels in Vegas. Every lounge chair has tableside service so you can't sit in them unless you have reserved them & plan on ordering at least $50 from the bar. It is only $5 to get in but if you plan on sitting, you will be on the side of the pool or in the pool. They also have table-service cabanas to reserve as well as lounge-couches for bigger parties.
Deb had reserved a cabana for all of us & we ended up being SO thankful that she did. About 30 min after we got there, a thunderstorm blew in & we spent the next hour under the cabana sipping our cocktails & doing what we could to keep dry & make the best of a bad situation.

Eventually the storm finally blew over, the clouds disappeared, the sun came out, the DJ appeared & then the place started filling up with all kinds of interesting people.

I would have to say the best part about being there was the people watching. The majority of the crowd were single, twenty-something's with beautiful, ripped, tan bodies. I found most of the girls to be ridiculous as they had their hair & makeup perfectly done, were wearing 4-6" stilletos with their teeny-tiny bikinis & wore tons of flashy jewelry (huge earrings, bracelets, long necklaces, etc) - I guess they didn't plan on getting in the pool?!? Needless to say, I had left my stilletos & "bling" at home :) Maybe next time...

Later in the afternoon, our friends Marlo & Toni joined us for HK's birthday celebration.

Shortly after they arrived the rapper Lil' Jon appeared in the DJ booth to spin records & DJ for the next couple of hours.

Me, HK & Toni managed to push our way up to the very front of the booth where we hung out & watched the famous rapper. I couldn't believe how short he was - probably 5'6" - & was in awe of all the gold & diamonds in his "grill"! Everytime he would flash a smile I felt like I was being blinded for a few seconds :)

It was so much fun watching him sing & spin his songs, dance around & do his famous "yeeeaaahhh"! He even bought us ladies in the front row a shot of Greygoose Vodka & did the shot with us!

Unfortunately, I had to leave my girls early as the hubby & I had a neighborhood get-together to go to that evening so around 5pm I had to say goodbye. It was such a fun afternoon spent with some of my closest besties & the b-day girl HK had a fabulous time as well!

Mucho thanks to Deb for planning such a fun day & "treating" us girls to such awesome hospitality :)

Game Night

Tonight I ended up over at my friend Jilly's house for our monthly gathering of game-night. After a very long day at work, it was nice to be able to relax, enjoy the evening with some of my favorite ladies, have a glass of wine & snack on some yummy food. Jilly outdid herself - like always - & made chix fajitas along with some dee-lish spicy bean dip.

As with most of our game-nights, we didn't end up playing a "game" but instead spent the evening chatting away well past midnight. Keri unfortunately had to leave early so she isn't in the group photo :( You may notice a new face in our "group" - my next door neighbor Julie joined us as she had so much fun with the group last Friday night. I think we may have a new "game-night" member?!?


Thanks Jilly for being such a great hostess with the mostest!

Top 2 Tuesday

This weeks topic: Top 2 Guilty Pleasures...

1) Mini-Concretes @ Sheridan's - this months flavor: Choconut Joy. Similar to a DQ Blizzard, this concrete is a dee-lish blend of vanilla frozen custard, chocolate shavings, blended coconut & roasted almonds. If you like Almond Joy candy bars, you will enjoy this. Unfortunately it is only available until June 30 :( I usually treat myself once a month (sometimes two :) to a mini-concrete. My other favorite flavors are: Grasshopper (mint, choc chips, oreos) & come October I get the Pumpkin Pie Concrete where they take an entire piece of pumpkin pie & blend it with vanilla custard. Sooo good!Pictured: Mocha Almond & Grasshopper Concrete

2) Reality TV - I am shamelessly addicted to reality television shows & take great pleasure in watching them. I am pretty sure that 90% of my tv-watching is made up of trash TV. Some of my favorites: Big Brother (starting July 8th), Biggest Loser, Hell's Kitchen, The Hills, The City, Survivor, Amazing Race, American Idol, Bad Girls Club...I could go on & on. My husband has often said I need an "intervention" because I watch too many reality shows! OH - add Intervention on A&E to my list too :)

Fun-filled Friday

Tonight I had some of my girlfriends over for a fun evening filled with food, laughter & girl-time :) Shane later told me it sounded like a bunch of "hens" downstairs - guess we were having a good time & a bit loud?! He was a good sport about the whole get-together & ended up staying upstairs in the bedroom with the dogs while the girls enjoyed the evening.

After 2/3's of the girls had gone home, the rest of us (the game-night girls + 2) decided to head on over to the Hideout - the local hole-in-the-wall bar here in Spring Hill - which always ends up being a good time.

For the first hour, we were the only ones in the bar & as the evening went on a few "locals" had showed up which made the night even more interesting. We had a good time playing pool, chatting with the bartendar, picking songs on the "jukebox" & taking tons of pics.

Pre lemon-drop shots...

Post lemon-drop shots...

Group shot with a random "local"

Group photo with our bartendar Adam - using the self-timer of course!

Thanks ladies for yet another fun-filled evening :)

Top 2 Tuesday

Tuesday's topic: 2 favorite books

1. The Last Lecture - this book was amazing and Randy Pausch's courage was incredible. This is a definite must read. It'll make you laugh and it'll make you cry, but most important, it'll make you live.

2) The Art of Racing in the Rain - is a heart-wrenching but very funny and uplifting story of family, love, loyalty, and hope. This book looks at the wonders and absurdities of human life...as only a dog could tell it. It was so good that it only took me 2 days to read it!

Reception

Once we got to the reception, first things first - we all grabbed an ice cold beer. It tasted dee-lish after being in that heat all afternoon! Then we took a few pics before everyone got there:

Next we lined up for the wedding party introduction. Once they introduced all of us then out came Mr. & Mrs. Steve Freier :) They led us through the buffet line which consisted of salad, stuffed artichoke chicken breast, garlic mashed potatoes & green beans which was all very good.

After everyone was done eating, my brother stood up to thank everyone for coming, especially those who have traveled so far. He also spoke of Meghan's side of the family & said even though they were a bit overwhelming when he first met them, he was thankful they all accepted him & consider him part of their family.

Next came the speeches by the matron of honor (Meghan's sister Sarah) & best man (my brother Chris) which were both short & sweet. Then my favorite part of the reception - wedding cake was served :)

While we all ate cake, Meghan & Steve had their "first" dance to a Michael Buble song followed by the mom/son dance & daughter/dad dance. Then it was time for everyone to get out on the dance floor.

The night ended around 11:15pm since Parkville has a city noise ordinance so the majority of us took the shuttle back to the hotel where we proceeded to have one more drink before bed. We all gathered in the lounge & sat around discussing the days events.

It turned out to be an awesome day & a beautiful ceremony & we couldn't be happier for Steve & Meghan!

Ceremony

We made our way upstairs into the chapel & one by one all 5 bridesmaids & groomsmen walked up to the altar. The doors shut & reopened again & there stood the bride looking as beautiful as ever. As Meghan made her way to the front I kept looking at my brother's reaction & found myself shed a tear to see him beaming. It was awesome to see them both so happy!

The introductions were made, the unity candle lit & the vows recited. My dear friend Stetson sang a beautiful song called Angel by John Stoddard & it of course made me cry. It is an awesome song & Stetson did an amazing job singing it.

Before we knew it, the ceremony was coming to a close. Before they kissed, they did the "fist-bump" & then Steve whipped out his Chapstick, applied it & proceeded to kiss Meghan. It was too cute! Anyone who knows my brother knows about his addiction to Chapstick :)

We then made our way to the reception for dinner & dancing but first had to stop with the siblings & get a pic!

L to R: Chris, Heather, Steve & Jen

The Big Day

GETTING READY

So the big day is finally here! After they spent months planning, it will be over with in just 14 short hours. The sun is shining & not a cloud in the sky - looks like it is going to be a beautiful day for a wedding :)

Our day started out by waking up early, having breakfast at the hotel & then me, my sister & my mom got our hair done in my hotel room. My stylist Emily traveled all the way up north to us from Spring Hill to do our hair & she did a fabulous job - as always! By 11am we were done & me & my sister headed to the Hawthorne House where Meghan & the other girls were getting ready.

The matron of honor Sarah (left) & the bride Meghan (right) getting there hair done.

My sister Jen (top) & bridesmaid Julie getting ready.

The groom, groomsmen, ushers & father-of-the-bride waiting to get dressed.

Once the reception area was decorated, the hair was done, make-up applied & lunch ate it was time for us all to get dressed. Meghan seemed to be excited as well as overwhelmed by all that was going on around her. Her mom & sister helped her get dressed while the bridesmaids watched & took pictures.

Me & my sister Jen all dressed & ready to go.

Pictures were scheduled for 2:30pm so once we were all ready, we made our way down to the chapel. Steve was inside the chapel waiting on the altar with his back facing the double doors & the photographer was inside to capture the moment that Steve saw Meghan for the first time. It was a private moment shared between the two of them which they both had requested. We all waited in the entrance with the doors shut while they had their moment. Then we were allowed in the chapel & watched while there were more pictures taken. Here are a few that I took:Then the entire bridal party made there way outside for pictures as well as family pics & pics of the bride & groom. Our family friend Mary Ellen was taking candid shots of the entire wedding weekend & is giving me a CD with all the pics on it so once I get that, I will make a photo montage to share with everyone & post it on my blog. So I apologize for not having more pics of the day to share with you all :( Here are a few pics from the reception area while we were waiting:

These were their favors. You plant the heart in the soil & wildflowers will grow.

The wedding cake - my absolute favorite at any wedding :) Each tier was a different flavor & it tasted dee-lish!

We headed on down to the chapel around 4:45pm & waited in the basement while guests arrived & were seated. I think by this point we were ALL ready to get the show on the road!

Pool Time

Today we had most of the day free so we took my nieces & nephews to the Tiffany Springs Aquatic Center located near the hotel. The sun was shining & it was HOT so definitely a good day to be at the pool.

It ended up being a really nice facility with an area just for little kids to play on, splash around in, slides for bigger kids, a lazy river where you could float around on & lots more.

The little ones had a good time & I'm pretty sure the big kids did also :)

Here are some pics of all of us enjoying the fun & sun:Cousins Cael & Lane

Cousins Joslyn & Tanner

All of us floating down the lazy river

Let the wedding festivities begin...

The wedding weekend has finally arrived. 5 years ago this month I introduced my brother to a co-worker of mine & at the time I never thought we would be where we are today - celebrating the wedding of my brother Steve & dear friend Meghan.

All our family arrived to KC today & everyone is staying at the Hilton by the airport. I am staying at home tonight but will check in to the hotel Friday to be closer to family. Plus it will save time & money not having to drive back & forth to the Northland everyday.

At 4pm I made my way north to meet everyone at the Hawthorne House chapel for the rehearsal. We went through the "walk-thru" of how the wedding is going to take place & spent some time visiting with family.

Afterwards, we headed over to the Zona Rosa area for the rehearsal dinner at the Hereford House. We dined on a dee-lish KC BBQ meal which consisted of a salad, chicken breast, brisket & beef ribs with garlic mashed potatoes & broccoli. Then a huge piece of chocolate cake was served which made for a yummy ending to an awesome meal.

After we ate, we all headed back to the hotel & all met in the lounge for an after-dinner cocktail. It was nice to be able to visit with relatives I hadn't seen in awhile & spend some down-time with my family.

Top 2 Tuesday

This week's topic is your top 2 Bachelorette "picks" from the show but seeing how I haven't been watching this show then I really can't participate. So instead, I decided to pick a different topic. With my brothers' wedding coming up this weekend, I have chosen my top 2 favorite things about weddings :)

1) the "moment" when the bride walks down the aisle & the look on the grooms face when he sees his bride for the 1st time is truly priceless. It makes me all warm & tingly inside to see the joy on their faces as well as everyone around them.

2) cake - I LOVE me some wedding cake - especially white cake with a raspberry filling & buttercream/almond icing. I don't know what it is, but wedding cake tastes SO much better than regular cake. It is a perfect ending to any reception.