David and Crystal Wedding website

So I created a site in shutterfly where anyone can go view pictures of David and Crystal's wedding. I am finally getting close to being done....I just have the reception to go! So anyway, instead of posting a bunch of pictures, here is the site: http://davidcrystalwedding.shutterfly.com

The Parthenon

I almost forgot....well,....actually I did forget....we visited The Parthenon while in Tennessee. Yes, for whatever reason they have a life size replica of the Parthenon (as in Greece) in Nashville Tennessee....we had to check it out!!

It was actually pretty cool, I was surprised at how huge it was. Anyway, here are some pictures .

A very ugly Athena....


( I am now adding more pictures...I couldn't find them because they were hiding inside my "wedding reception" folder...yeah, don't ask...although this would be kind of a cool place for a reception!

Ok....now for more posing children....

So now I guess I don't have to go to Greece.........haha

Our House Finally Closed!!

I almost forgot to mention...it has been so long in coming....but our house that we put up for sale last Sept finally sold. The people that ended up buying it have hung in there since March...the short-sale process was soooo long!! But it closed this Monday and now we are no longer the proud owners of any house! We are so thankful to just have it done and behind us. We went back to drop off the keys and garage doors openers, and I had very mixed feelings, in one sense relief and in another sadness. Sadness because we had picked everything for that house just how we wanted it, and the plan was to live in it for a long time, and sadness because we threw away so much money...well, that feeling actually is more like disgust! Many lessons were learned and for that, we are very thankful!!

Ahhhh..a four day weekend...

So we have a four day weekend (the normal 3 day, plus my kids have Friday off) , I have no idea what we are doing, but my kids are both having sleepovers...one here and one at a friend's house. This is what is seems the weekends are about now that they are getting older! Maybe we will do really fun stuff like spray for bugs and mow the lawn.



Both girls are now back in soccer. Abigail has had practice for a few weeks (David is her coach as usual), and Hannah just started. Hannah is also starting individual swim lessons next week. I am not sure how all the sports will fit in with junior high homework...but isn't that what junior high and high school are about??: school, homework, sports, dinner, homework, sleep...wake-up....start the cycle over...fun stuff...

On the way home form Nashville...

So when the girls and I got off on our layover in the Minneapolis airport, we discovered that there was a tram. Given that we had a substantial layover we could not pass up the opportunity to ride it back and forth. I personally very much enjoy airport trams, they are so nostalgic for me!! We flew out of SeaTac when I was very young and that airport has the underground tram (riding this meant vacation and the excitement of flying!!). I used to be able to sit on the platform at the end so as to have the best view of the tunnel. I think I am just a little too big for that now, but my girls still enjoy it!!




Speaking of small delights...during dinner at the airport, Abigail found this pepper packet that was three stuck together and was so excited that she told me I had to take a picture!! She wanted to show her dad her treasure :)

A Teaser....

Here is just one beautiful picture of David and Crystal...just a teaser...

Rehearsal and Dinner...

Ok, so here are a few pix of the rehearsal...much more later after they are really edited! Also if anyone has opinions about where to upload all the completed wedding photos to, I am open...I can't say I will do what you suggest :)... but I will try to accommodate!

I arrived to the rehearsal a little late, but found out I was earlier than the groom to be, who was stuck in traffic :)

The groom to be's grand entrance!

A very tired ring-bearer with his blankie and thumb....

Then after the rehearsal we drove back to Nashville for the dinner at the Spaghetti Factory...lots of pix here...no need to edit :)

Greta was not enjoying my flash!!!

After dinner all of us siblings took to perusing Nashville's very happening bar and music scene, complete with kids in tow....

Our "bar" of choice for the evening...










Late night ice cream....Yummers !!

David and Crystal's Wedding (part 2)

So after a good sleep Thursday night we got up and met up with my brother Josh to go visit the Hermitage, which is Andrew Jackson's house. He was the president; not the civil war general ("Stonewall Jackson") for those of you who may have history confusion as I do. The Hermitage as a plantation and the grounds and home are beautiful. (In my opinion is wasn't worth the cost of admission....but still enjoyable to see. From there we went and picked up my sister Christin and had lunch in downtown Nashville at the Wildhorse Saloon, it looks like it would be hopp'n at night, but it was pretty mellow for lunch! Then it was off the Clarksville for the the rehearsal and back down to Nashville for the rehearsal dinner. There are only a few pix of the rehearsal b/c I am going to edit them and put them with the wedding photos :)

Some cute shots of the kiddos (and Josh :)

Lunch with Auntie Christin!

David and Crystal's Wedding (part 1)

We traveled to Nashville/Clarksville last week for my brother's wedding to his beautiful bride Crystal. It was really wonderful to see most of the family again...it has been a long time!! I got to photograph the wedding...and yes, I am still working on the photos, I am waiting for my new editing software to arrive and so I should have them uploaded late next week:) But for now here are some of the trip photos and narrative!

The girls getting to eat a rare delicacy before the flight....DingDongs :)

A couple of the streets in Nashville...we got in late Wednesday night...actually the girls and I got in late, David got stuck in Detroit overnight (he was on a different flight)...but Thursday morning we went out and explored downtown. It is quaint, lots of old brick buildings, tons of bars and music! And for those who wonder, yes, Nashville is very humid!! :) I will take my dry Arizona heat any day!!

Inside the Union Station Hotel, it used to be a train station, the architecture was beautiful! That is me (Jennifer) and Abigail sitting at the bottom on the stairwell in this photo (by Hannah :)

Some other shots around town...

We drove up to David's awesome house in Clarksville and got to meet Crystal and little Levi (Seth and Angel's little one) for the first time! The home is at the end of the development and sits right next to a pasture and a stream, it was a really peaceful setting. I was very impressed to see it already furnished...at least way more than our first house was!!

Angel and Levi

Levi chugging his bottle over lunch!! He is such a cutie!!

After lunch we went to Dunbar Cave Park where David and Crystal were going to get married, so I could scope it out....


David and Crystal.....I think this first shot is the best.... :)

Abigail with Uncle David's glasses look'n cool...

So....the Grand Ol'Oprey is just this concert hall...nothing to write home about! The hotel next to (pix below) is amazingly huge and looks beautiful, but my kids were too tired to deal with walking to it and through it!

So after a long first day we ate dinner and went back to the hotel to sleep!

Back at School!

School is in full swing and we are back to getting up at 6:00 (well I get up a little later :)...

Hannah has 7 classes and loves switching classes and teachers for the first time. I was worried she would have trouble focusing and it would confuse her, but it actually seems to be working better for her than when she had to be in the same class all day. She says she is better able to focus, and she has been really responsible with her homework and keeping track of everything. I am so proud of her!

Abigail loves her class because her teacher is really nice and of course... pretty...that always helps in Abigail's book :) She usually has her homework done before she even gets home. She wants to take full advantage of her free time and is always very motivated to get her work done quickly...which is a good thing :)

Hannah and Abigail have both been really into their future hopeful vocations lately. (Hannah wants to be a game designer and Abigail a fashion designer) I often wonder how and if these paths will play out. They are both so passionate about their interests.

I took Hannah to a free class for kids on computer programing just a couple weeks ago. We used a program called Scratch from MIT that is really cool and created for kids. It is pretty basic and completely visual, but it teaches the basic underlying concepts of programming. Hannah loves it, and has been working on some cool projects. Basically you have a little "sprite" that you can change and make do all kinds of things, you can add "if, then" statements and change what the background does, add sound etc....and best of all it is free! The class we went to is talking about offering more advanced programming and robotics in the future, and Hannah is so excited about that!!

Abigail has created a very large notebook for her fashion designs. She got this huge 3 inch binder and didn't know there was a cool thing called a "3 hole punch" so started punching holes in paper one sheet and one hole at a time to start to fill this thing. I had to stop her after a small stack of sheets and encourage her to use what she already had to begin with:)...and to show her a 3 hole punch! (she thought that was a very cool invention) She has announced that she is starting her portfolio of designs! She actually has some really great ideas, she still gets frustrated because what is in her head, she has trouble putting on paper. She is a great artist, but I have tried to encourage her that drawing people and clothing is really hard for anyone! I guess the next step is I need to teach her to sew...I have been procrastinating...I am not a good teacher of anything...:(

Abigail has also informed me that she planned out her whole birthday (which is not until the end of October!) in a monkey theme...she loves to plan (esp her birthday)...takes after someone I know, maybe ! She has got the cake, decorations, give-aways, games, time, invitations etc, everything all planned out and just waiting for me to execute...we'll have to work on the cost!

Hannah decided to get contacts and loves them! She is doing a great job of remembering to take them out too...she is so excited to see again! (the eye doc. told her she is legally blind without correction...Hannah was impressed...takes after her mother unfortunately!) Her glasses broke a few months ago, but we had to wait until we got insurance and money to get new ones!

Here are some recent photos of making brownies...and the best part...eating the batter