A Weekend of Fathers and Fun!

This past weekend was definitely as exciting and busy as I had imagined it would be! The fun began on Friday evening with our Sushi Girls' Night. Now, I know this may sound completely ludicrous to some of you, but I had never tasted sushi until Friday! In all honesty, the thought of any raw meat makes my stomach do a little flip-flop, and not in a good way! But, as my dear friend Sabrina and I share very, very similar tastes--and she, by the way, loves sushi--I was determined to try at least one bite at our fun outing! After eating a cup of delicious Japanese vegetable soup I had finally worked up the nerve (or perhaps succumbed to peer pressure!), and tried the tiniest bite of Sabrina's "Out of Control" sushi. It was the most surprising taste--a bit salty, a bit spicy, and 100% wonderful! I was literally amazed! I later found out that this particular sushi contained cooked scallops, and thus is not a "true sushi," but nonetheless, I was thrilled with its taste and very proud to have lost my sushi virginity ;-). At that exact moment I vowed to someday persuade Darling Fiance' (who is even more shy about sushi than I) to try this delicious new treat...I'm still working on that one, but here's to hoping, right?!

Anyhow, aside from the delicious cuisine, I truly enjoyed spending some time with the ladies! Sabrina's girls' nights always feature a "time for sharing" in which each guest answers a couple of pre-determined questions. This always leads to hilarious discussions and great memories! Friday's "time for sharing" focused on two main questions: 1. We were all instructed to wear our favorite color to the girls' night, and were then asked to describe its' significance to us. 2. Describe an event or item that has inspired us as a woman. Now, after first hearing the second question I was rather perplexed by its tone of vagueness. What on Earth has "inspired me as a woman?" After much thought it suddenly hit me--my mother! There is no finer example of "woman-ness" than my loving, kind, and determined mother. She consistently amazes me with her stamina, persistence, and determination, let alone her kindness! We've always said that Mom works about four full-time jobs: her actual full-time job as an Extension Agent in our county; her caregiving job for her father, an Alzheimer's patient that lives with my parents; her job dealing with billing and payroll for the company that her and my father own; and her job taking care of her family and the farm. Shew! She's definitely a busy, busy woman, but somehow she keeps it all together and even manages to put delicious food on the table, too! After sharing this story, many of the women agreed and even mentioned that this inspired them to be better mothers! Some of the other girls shared novels, stories, etc. that inspired them, and I think we all learned a lot about each other and self-improvement! After sharing time, we parted ways and determined that we absolutely must do these girls' nights more often! Below are a couple photos from our fun evening!

The creative presentation of our sushi--yum!

 The girls!

After an evening of much-needed rest following girls' night, I was ready for all the fun that Saturday promised! Around 2 pm on Saturday afternoon Darling Fiance' & I began preparing for Brittany & Jantzen's wedding, which was to take place in Lancaster, about an hour's drive from the city. We had decided to meet my friend Jen at her apartment to carpool to their celebration, which was a wonderful decision! Jen and I gabbed away during the whole ride, which definitely made the trip pass quickly! When we arrived at their ceremony location--a beautiful old church nestled in the heart of the town, the same church in which Brittany's parents had married--we were promptly directed to our seats and anxiously awaited the start of the ceremony. It was a heartfelt and beautiful ceremony, filled with meaningful scripture and beautiful piano music. My favorite moment, though, had to be when Brittany and her father entered the church--Jantzen definitely teared up and as a result I nearly did too! It certainly made me even more excited for our rapidly approaching big day!

Following the ceremony, we made our way to the reception, which was held at Brittany's parents' home, a short drive from the church. They had erected a large tent behind their home, which was filled with round tables that faced the head table. The tables were covered in a floor-length white linen and topped with a beautiful navy cloth, golden chargers, and navy napkins. Each table had its own unique centerpiece, but all contained splashes of navy, hot pink, and peacock feathers--the theme of the evening. Below are a few pictures of the decor:

After quite some time, the Bride & Groom finally made their grand entrance and I was able to more fully admire Brittany's gown. She wore a mermaid-style silk-satin gown with a chapel length train, which was embellished at the bodice and hem with beautiful lace. The back boasted gorgeous buttons that ran the full length of the gown. Her hair was styled in a french twist and was adorned with a peacock broach, but no veil. She looked radiant! Immediately following the couple's entrance, we were directed through the buffet, which consisted of a fresh summer salad, pork tenderloin, green beans, hashbrown casserole, and rolls. The meal was absolutely scrumptious! Later, the special dances were performed and the cake was cut! The music consisted of beautiful ballads from all generations, including "Georgia," "Brown-eyed Girl," etc. but was not too amenable to dancing, and thus, the crowd began to thin. Brittany had, at this point, changed into a knee-length sleeveless white shift dress, and made her way from table-to-table greeting her guests. When she arrived at our table, we enjoyed getting to catch up with her and learning about their honeymoon, which would take place in Jamaica! After speaking with her, though, we thought that we should perhaps head out, and began the journey back home. All in all, Brittany & Jantzen's wedding was beautiful and fit their personalities to a tee! Their magical evening ended with a breath-taking sunset, which made the day that much more perfect! We wish Brittany & Jantzen the most beautiful life together and can't wait to see them again soon! Here are a couple more images from their special day:

Enjoying the festivities:

 Gorgeous Sunset Images:

Jen & I at the Party! Love her!

After yet another desperately needed night of rest, Darling Fiance' & I headed home to spend time with my Daddy for Father's Day. We had already decided on what gift we would make him this year--a fun poster board filled with candy and a cute story. As a picture is worth a thousand words, I'll save you all the lengthy description and simply show you our finished creation:

 Funny, right?

We put the finishing touches on the gift and headed home, where we spent the day laughing, talking, and catching up with my family. Needless to say, our poster was a hit with Daddy! He thought it was clever and creative, not to mention delicious! Later in the afternoon we prepared a delicious meal of steak, cole slaw, and fresh creamed corn from the garden, which my Daddy loved! The best part of the day, though, was when my Daddy & I selected our Father-Daughter dance for the wedding. My goodness, talk about a tear-jerker of a time! We listened to about eight songs, crying through each one, until we finally picked THE song. Again, you'll just have to come to the wedding to find out our final selection! Before long, it was time to head back to the city, and the weekend had slipped away! Darling fiance' & I both agreed though, there was no better way to spend the weekend than with the ones we love--our friends and family!

Til Next Time...

Hugs & Kisses,

A Southern Sweetheart