more wedding photos

The compilation of wedding photos links - updated!:

Proofs from wedding photographer (e-mail me for the password)
Alexa's pictures (Need to activate free Snapfish account)
Mom's pictures (on Flickr)
My pictures (also on Flickr)

tile?

Our refrigerator is now sitting in the midde of our living room next to the stove, which is strangely disconcerting. We finally finished tearing up the floor in our dining room and kitchen. We had a bit of a history lesson.. instead of just pulling up a carpet and pad like we thought we would be doing, we ended up finding a layer of flooring from each decade, one on top of another! We started by ripping up the 90's berber carpet, underneath which we found a very 80's patterned carpet (country blue and mauve, of course, like everything else at the church). Under that carpet was a sticky pad, which had cemented itself to some very red, very 70's "faux brick" press-and-stick tile. We attacked that mess with roofing tools and finally putty knives and hammers to reveal the original green 60's linoleum underneath. Phew. We went out and bought our new backer board and slate tiles, had them delivered, and then the tile guy didn't show up. I am hoping that our new living room decor (ie the fridge and stove) is very, very temporary.... oy vey!

clouds have lifted

Finally, the rain has stopped here after a solid grey, wet week. September is here in all its glory. On the right are some type of lily that is planted frequently in the gardens all over campus, and they turn these beautiful shades of orange and yellow. They were especially striking by the Natural Science courtyard fountain today, where the benches are in danger of being gloriously overrun with vibrant, robust vines. The trees are starting to show signs of turning also, but still have another month or so to go.

Along with the sunshine I've felt God's peace returning today. It feels so awful when we drift into such relentless self-centeredness for a time...When the understanding that it's really about more than you comes back, it's such a welcome relief, like a glass of cool water. It's so hard sometimes to just let Him care about you instead of wasting your own energy on yourself. I'm sick of me. I'm glad He's still there.

Our grand, baby-inspired house project is about to begin! Justin, Matt and I began clearing out the basement last night to start preparing for its transformation into our master bedroom. I am especially excited, though, to FINALLY tear out our stinky, nasty, stained, doggy carpet in the dining room and re-tile that and the kitchen floor. This weekend, Justin and I are deciding on tile (or slate, or brick) for our floors and will get the material to start on Monday.

This weekend is also Jake's 2nd birthday, which gave the "boys" an excuse to go toy shopping earlier this week. With the amount of enjoyment that Dad and Uncle Mattie get out of toy shopping, our child is never going to lack for things to play with I can tell you that! :-)

the big event

Alison and Taure's wedding was beautiful. I have a bunch of photos here at my Flickr site. Tropical Storm Ernesto decided to show up and make us forsake the outdoor gazebo, but the room where we had the ceremony and reception had a panoramic view of the stormy waves. I was so glad to finally meet the bridesmaids, Alexa, Tracy, Antonia, and Cheryl. They were all gorgeous in their pink and green dresses, but no one was as beautiful as the bride!

Justin performed the ceremony, and even in spite of a mix-up with the pianist everything went smoothly. Everyone seemed to have a great time and was dancing the night away. It was great to connect with family and friends that I havent seen in years as well as meet my new ones. It was especially fun to hang out with our new niece and nephew, Mercedes and Dalton. Mercedes had to know ALL the details of how Alison and I misbehaved when we were kids!

On Monday we went up to see Nana and Dudley in New Hampshire. It has been far too long since we have been to see them. Nana took us to a farm to get ice cream and a beautiful apple orchard... and I forgot my camera. Of course. Nothing can capture the smell of fresh, piney, mossy New Hampshire air though.

After a long drive back to Michigan, we're catching our breath and gearing up for the rest of the month. It's going to be a rough one at work for me as I am very busy with the returning students. School's back in with a vengeance!

what a month can bring

First of all, my apologies for my lapse in posting! August and September have been so full of news and trips and work. I think I have filled most of you in personally with the events of the month, so I will now go ahead and put them up here.

Yes, it's official... I'm pregnant! I found out a week after I got back from Alison's shower. After a flurry of doctor's visits and worrying that everything was OK, an early ultrasound confirmed that the baby is in the right place and growing normally. As of today I am 9 weeks and 3 days along, and my due date has been bumped up to April 9th. If Murphy's Law is in effect, I will be having the baby on Easter Sunday and the preacher will have to miss church. :-) It is too early to tell if it is a boy or girl, but we will find out as soon as we can. Justin is already making grand plans to renovate our basement and move his office into the house.

I have been feeling pretty sick for the past few weeks but hopefully will improve once my first trimester ends in the beginning of October. I never though Indian food, Thai food, and chocolate would sound disgusting to me, but just typing them makes my stomach turn! bleeeah!

Also since my last post, we've had a visit from Jeanette, and just got back on Tuesday night from a trip to Connecticut for Alison and Taure's wedding. Lots and lots to write about. I will put up details and photos in other posts soon. I'm still trying to get my suitcase unpacked and house put in order from the past few weeks. We'll see if that gets accomplished tonight!