Happy Holidays from the Perry's!

Christmas cards didn't happen for us this year. I've discovered it's difficult to accomplish things during the holiday season without a car. Anyway, I hope a digital holiday greeting is the next best thing. Here's to a wonderful Christmas to all!

Favorite Holiday Films

I love the Christmas season for many reasons, but one of the best things is watching my favorite holiday films. I realized this year just how many favorite holiday movies I have. Here is my top 10 list:



1. Charlie Brown Christmas
Why? It's a classic! And when Linus tells Charlie Brown the true meaning of Christmas I always get a little choked up. This movie epitomizes the true spirit of Christmas for me.

2. Elf
Will Ferrell in an elf suit! This is one of my favorite movies to quote. "I like to smile, smiling's my favorite." "I'm singing! I'm in a store and I'm singing!" "I like to whisper too." "Santa! I know him! I know him!" And the list goes on.

3. Emmett Otter's Jug Band Christmas
One of the lesser known muppet holiday specials, this one has been a staple in my family for years. Kermit even makes an appearance!

4. Miracle on 34th Street (the original)
Another Curry family tradition. It's witty and touching. It reminds us that Christmas is a state of mind that should be felt all year round, not just once a year. And if the federal government can acknowledge the existence of Santa Claus, it must be so!

5. While You Were Sleeping
This makes my list of top movies in general, but the fact that it is set during Christmas makes it a must-watch as I kick start my holiday spirit.

6. Home Alone
What can I say? I love when he fools Joe Pesci and the other guy into thinking he has a house full of guests with all the mannequins. I think of that part every time I hear "Rockin Around the Christmas Tree." Why exactly did they have all of those mannequins anyway? I also like his heart to heart in the church with his neighbor. Something about his grandparents buying him a sweater with a giant bird on it. "I'm in the 4th grade, a guy can get killed over something like that." It also has some great music!

7. Love Actually
My favorite part is the pageant at the end. I'm a sucker for the Mariah Carey song and also for all the kids dressed like sea creatures during the manger scene. I especially love when the kid in the octopus costume gets wedged in the car between Hugh Grant and "Natalie." I giggle through the whole thing.

8. Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer
One word. Hermie. He's just so passionate about his love for dentistry!

9. Serendipity
This movie always makes me want to go to New York at Christmas. And go ice skating...Someday it'll happen.

10. Tie between Mickey's Christmas Carol and A Christmas Story
I haven't seen the first one in years, but it was the first rendition of "A Christmas Carol" that I ever saw and it's stuck with me. And what can I say? The pink bunny suit in A Christmas Story is pretty much amazing.

What's your favorite holiday film?

Cat in a Box

I stole this from my friend Kate because I love it.

The following takes place in 1994...

Can the limitations of 90's technology stop Jack Bauer from saving the world?

Food, Water, Heat...Basic Cable?

Justin hooked up our rabbit ears and new digital converter box today so we can stop being Amish and get a few basic channels of television. I actually watched The Office "live" on television for the first time all season! So exciting! He is now back in my good graces after this morning's boot incident.

Random Rants on a Thursday

Today’s post was going to be about how amazing my husband is for putting up all our Christmas lights on his day off yesterday. (As I walked around the corner on my way home from work, I was met by a beautiful light display on our house. Super exciting!) But, today’s post is no longer going to be about that because he fell rapidly out of favor this morning. First off, he made fun of the fake uggs I was wearing to walk to work. I should know by now to ignore him and wear whatever I want, but one can only be called “boots” so many times before a negative complex starts to set in. So, I changed into my heels and left the house only to get about two blocks before I realized that I left my keys at home. I stomped up the porch steps hoping that my two-year-old temper tantrum would elicit some type of sympathy from Justin, who was walking out the door. I did my best pout-y face, laid a guilt trip on him about never driving me to work, and stomped off with keys in hand expecting a nice offer of a ride in return. NOTHING people! No offer(something about being “late” to his own job – whatever!), only some nonsense about “I don’t even get a kiss?” A kiss? Bah! Make fun of my boots, make me walk to work my heels (in the cold!) and expect a kiss? He may have gotten an obscene gesture instead as I walked crankily down the street. (I'm not proud of it.) I think I have shin splints now from walking in my heels, not to mention the mini-run in my nylons (which I know are “Fashion Don’t #1” for style conscious women, but they couldn’t be helped today.) I’m over it now, but Christmas lights or not, Justin's still on my list! And tomorrow I'm wearing my boots - teasing or no! :)

Farewell Four-Wheeled Friend

(Not my car, but this is what the scene looked like)

I had to say goodbye to my car last Friday. It had been sitting in front of the house dead for almost 3 months, but I'd been in too much denial to do much about it. It was basically my fault that the car stopped working (mostly due to gross negligence on my part). We decided an operation was way too expensive for an 8-year-old car with a lot of miles on it, so we pulled the plug. I ended up donating the car to a non-profit organization and watched it get towed away for the last time on Friday. I definitely had a mini-outburst when I saw the tow truck pull away from the curb with my poor, sad, dead car.
Now Justin and I are officially a one-car family. Fortunately, I walk to work, so a car isn't necessity in my life (a HUGE blessing!) I definitely miss the little things though. For example: Justin won't take me to Target. He insists that no matter what I go in for, I always spend more money than necessary. He is willing to spend more $$ for the same product at Longs than allow me to set foot in a Target. It's awful! Target is like Disneyland for adults! I love it! To get there I either have to steal his truck when he isn't looking or beg someone else to take me.
I'm making light of the situation, but inside I really am sad about my car. :( It's the first time in 13 years of driving that I haven't had a car to call my own. I did learn a good life lesson from the situation though - I need to make time to take care of my personal life! And let this be a lesson to all of you - a) don't ignore a service warning light and b) make sure you change your timing belt every 90,000-100,000 miles! Don't let bad things happen to good cars!

A first look at Firstlook

My brother-in-law Jeff and his cousins started a band earlier this year. They're all really musical, so many of our family functions turn into some type of jam session anyway, so it just seemed natural for it to happen. Firstlook just finished recording their first 6-track CD and they are planning to kick off a small tour next summer. They're just starting out, but I'm really proud of them! And, as the wife of their band manager, I feel like I share some responsibility in helping them achieve future success.

You can check out their newly revamped myspace page and listen to an album preview now!

Seattle

Looking back over 2008, I realized that I've gotten to cover a lot of territory attending various conferences for work. This year I've been to Austin, Las Vegas, Kansas City, Salt Lake City, and now Seattle. Seattle's a pretty hip town that kind of reminded me a lot of K Street in Sacramento, only with bigger buildings and more rain. It was a short conference, so we didn't have a lot of time to sightsee. We managed to make it down to Pike Place Market just as they were closing up for the night. We also stumbled across the original Starbucks where I went in and ordered a pumpkin hot chocolate - a drink I randomly made up (it wasn't bad) - and took the obligatory "I'm in the first Starbucks" photo!

Normally I attend conferences by myself, but this time I went with two other people from my division. I tend to revel in my own company, but it was nice to have people to enjoy meals and walk around with. I stayed in a hip W Hotel that kept most of the lights turned off and played techno dance beats in the lobby and elevators, which gave me some moderate concerns about my safety, but I had a great window seat in my room and had some nice quiet moments staring at the pretty lights down below. I also had the chance to walk around a bit downtown and check out some of the holiday decorations.


And here I am enjoying my "original" Starbucks drink by the Macy's. Yay Seattle!

Belated Thanksgiving

Our Thanksgivings are always a full day of family fun. We usually start off the day in Lafayette where, if we're lucky, my mother-in-law Lynn makes us swedish pancakes (reserved only for special occasions). Then we head over to San Mateo where Justin's alma mater, Junipero Serra High School, hosts an annual alumni water polo game. Justin's only missed one year since he graduated in 1998 and that's only because we spent that year in Costa Rica.

Sommer and I usually find a way to avoid actually watching the match (except for a few well timed hoots and hand claps) and this year was no exception. We took Jeff and headed to Starbucks. Prior to that outing though, we realized that the three of us have pretty much the same haircut and highlights (thanks to us having the same hairdresser - yay Stephanie!) thanks to the dad of Justin's friend Andy who couldn't tell Sommer and I apart for a minute. This is our "we have the same hair" pose - ask your hairdresser for "The Perry."

After the game we headed to Hayward to "Grandmom's" house where there is always an amazing dinner. I've narrowed my favorites to green bean casserole and this sweet potato concoction that is to die for. While there, I made Justin take some pictures of the Firstlook jam session. Their debut cd is done and in the process of being duplicated now! You can hear a preview of it on their myspace music page. Hooray!

After dinner we headed back to Lafayette. When we finally decided we were hungry again, Jeff, Sommer, and I headed out for a snack. NOTHING WAS OPEN! It was the saddest thing ever, but we came home and we all played a role in making tacos. And Justin and Sommer schooled Jeff on the couch.

I feel pretty lucky to have so many great family members! My husband (even though he annoys the crap out of me sometimes :)) is my best friend. I love Jeff and Sommer like they're blood and of course Mike Nunan is my in-law hermano to the second power. As is the norm, my family has to go it alone on Thanksgiving, which always makes me sad. But I love you mom, dad, and Aunt Pat and I am so thankful for you! I am a lucky girl in many ways. :)

5 Years Ago...

I'm sitting in the lobby of a Seattle Hotel feeling overwhelmed by the Christmas spirit. It's odd because I have a long list of blog topics that I haven't gotten to, but I can't seem to get the memories of the one holiday season I spent in the retail industry out of my head. It could be because two songs on the hotel dance/pop/muzak soundtrack were tracks on the Limited Too Christmas soundtrack that was on repeat for about 8 weeks of my life back in 2003. I took the job at the Limited Too during what I call "the dark days" of Justin's and my life. We had recently moved back to Stockton and through no fault of our own, both ended up jobless around the same time. I knew I need to make some cash fast, so I headed to the mall in early November, hoping to pick some hours doing retail sales. I was 24 years old and had never done retail work before and was feeling kind of low. I mean, I had been a big fish television producer in the small pond of Yuba City and now I was a nobody about to indenture myself for $6.75 an hour during the most materialistic time of the year. A few stores were hiring, but the Limited Too called back first. I went into my interview with two other girls (both in high school). I knew I had found my niche when part of the interview consisted of a pop culture quiz (I happen to be a vault for random celebrity and entertainment knowledge) which I totally aced. As the oldest person working in the store (even older than the managers), I usually got the most sales, could work the most late shifts, and therefore, got the most hours. Not gonna lie, it was tough working in the mall during the busiest shopping season of the year and not have the money to buy anything, but it was FUN! I loved being immersed in tween culture, listening to one girly pop song after another, and serving the needs of the customer. As soon as the holidays were over I started working a temporary full-time job on top of my 15-20 hours a week in sales and, though working two jobs got a bit tedious, I ended up staying there for 6 months until I got a more permanent (and more "lucrative" - ha!) job at The Record. Although it was a rough time in our lives financially, I look back on my Limited Too days fondly and sometimes wish I had the flexibility to go back and pick up a few hours here and there. Although now I'm 29 and would basically be a grandma in Limited Too land!

Here are some trends that were big in '03:
Step back Jonas Brothers, we sold pens, pillows, etc. saying "I love Justin," "I love Ashton," and "I love JC" (as in the other NSYNC'er). I totally have "I love Justin" socks and a pen (for obvious reasons). :)
Hilary Duff's sophomore album (No Miley Cyrus here!)
Lizzie McGuire
Jesse McCartney
The Cheetah Girls (High School Musical didn't exist yet - I wish!)
The early stages of the pop/punk rock comeback look
Initial purses/bags/wallets

The ABC's of Me

My crazy eye freckle (see below)

A To Z.
A is for age: 29
B is for burger of choice: Not a fan...okay...In-n-Out Cheeseburger
C is for the car I drive: N/A - I broke the Saturn
D is for your dog's name: N/A - Zippy the Cat!
E is for essential item you use every day: lipstick or lipgloss
F is for favorite TV show at the moment: The Office
G is for favorite game: Apples to Apples and Taboo
H is for home state: California
I is for instruments you play: Saxophone - but only in 4th grade
J is for favorite juice: Cran-grape
K is for whose bum you'd like to kick: No one at the moment
L is for last restaurant at which you ate: Casa Flores
M is for your favorite Muppet: Kermit and Grover
N is for number of piercings: 2 (ears)
O is for overnight hospital stays: None
P is for people you were with today: Justin before he went to work & Zippy!
Q is for what you do with your quiet time: Read & veg out
R is for biggest regret: See letter "C" - would have changed my timing belt at 90,000miles.
S is for status: Happily Married
T is for time you woke up today: 6:38am (and it's SATURDAY!)
U is for what you consider unique about yourself: Eye freckle, only child, non-drinker, weirdly intuitive and self-aware.
V is for vegetable you love: Green beans
W is for worst habit: Procrastinating
X is for x-rays you've had: Teeth, wrist
Y is for yummy food you ate today: Eggo waffle
Z is for zodiac: Gemini

Oh yeah...

See more Natalie Portman videos at Funny or Die

I was so excited about my Twilight post (below) that I forgot about the whole "future of the nation hanging in the balance" thing. It's election day! And yes, I did rock the vote. I won't say how I voted, but I will say that my ballot included a diverse mix of both conservative and liberal politics. I don't like to adhere to labels.

Get out there and VOTE!!!

Twilight is Coming!

Twilight Trailer in HD


The Twilight movie comes out in 16 days. I. Can't. Help. Myself. I know it's cheesy and ridiculous, but I'm still giddy over it. All the girls in my office are severely addicted to the books and we're all planning to be among the first in line for the midnight showing on November 20/21. We're making shirts. It's gonna be awe-some. :)
Now if only I could convince Sommer to read it! Sister: 2 pages in the line at Starbucks is not going to cut it! Get to reading!

Apples!

We made a trip to Apple Hill last weekend with the rest of the Perry's and our friends, the Haaland's and the Child's. It's sort of an annual tradition, that unfortunately doesn't actually happen every year. This year there were lots of new additions to our group: Babies! I started off the day with an apple donut and ended it with an amazing caramel apple. It was a great day!

Our whole gang at Apple Hill


Freida and I just LOVE our caramel apples!


Justin and I trying to take a good picture.


Hermanos


Ryan, Freida, and Bella

A-MAZE-ING

I took my student leadership group, the TigerPAC, to the corn maze in Lathrop on Sunday night as a bonding activity. I forgot how much I love "the country." Being there at night with the dust and the bright lights reminded me of Sutter High football games for some reason. Ah, childhood! We had a great time. I made the girls take a picture of me in the corn, then in a corn cutout...they pretty much humor my dorkyness all the time. When I made a reference to being a "grown up lady" who didn't NEED to take a picture in the corn cutout, Randi replied "yeah, a grown up lady who couldn't decide what to wear to watch High School Musical 3." Which is a completely different story that I'd rather not discuss in this forum. (Suffice it to say, I saw the movie, it was cheesy AND amazing, and we might have "dressed up.") :)

Here are some photos:

New Obsession

I haven't been in much of a blogging mood lately, but I wanted to share my latest obsession: Picnik.com

picnik.com is a site that let's you enhance photos, add text, framing, etc. It's AMAZING!!! I've already used it on a few projects for work and it makes me feel like a legit designer (even though all I really did was hit a few buttons). Here are a couple of practice runs I did on some personal photos.

The Overkill Threshold

You know how it goes. You like a song. It starts getting a lot of radio play and you continue you to like it. Then, it happens. You hear said song just one time too many and you reach what I like to call: the "song overkill threshold." I am at that place now with the song "Love Remains the Same." It's the one that plays over and over again in the previews for the new Nicholas Sparks flick Nights in Rodanthe, which I really wanted to see - UNTIL the aforementioned overkill threshold kicked in. Now I'm afraid if I hear that song one more time I might lose my mind! Not only do I hear it at the movies (previews), I also hear it at the gym, I hear it repeatedly on the adult contemporary station we listen to at the office, and if I had a car and I actually drove to work I would probably hear it there too. IT'S EVERYWHERE!!!

I actually had to look up the name of the song because I had no idea who sang it or what it was called, I just knew I heard it ALL THE TIME! Much to my surprise, the singer is Gavin Rossdale! As in the former frontman of 90's alterna/grunge/rock band Bush. Bush! I loved them! As a straight-laced high schooler I felt really hardcore when I listened to Bush and now Gavin Rossdale is singing a sappy overkilled song on adult contemporary radio like some teenage emo band!?! Man. Maybe for Gavin Rossdale's sake I'll temper my dislike for the song and celebrate his return to mainstream radio.(Disclaimer: I will admit that my estimation of Bush's "hardcoreness" may have something to do with the level of my "straightlacedness.")


What songs have you reaching for the dial?

Lars and the Real Girl

Based on the recommendation of another blogger I follow and my own curiosity, we rented the movie "Lars and the Real Girl" last night. The premise is a bit off-putting - a lonely, socially awkward man buys a "doll" on the Internet and parades her around town as his girlfriend. The real plot of the movie isn't about the guy and his doll (this film is sweet and wholesome, not raunchy at all - in fact the "church" itself is a character in the film), but it's about how a community comes together to support a person in crisis. It's definitely a quiet, independent film, but it's uplifting and happy in a "Little Miss Sunshine" kind of way. The script is innovative and tender and definitely a must-see! Check out the trailer on youtube and just see if you can stay away!

Life in a Fish Bowl

We recently got a new dining room set (thanks Mom and Aunt Pat!) which necessitated a habitat change for our little fish friend Winky. We decided to go with something a little more modern, the Biorb. Zippy is intrigued by this as Winky was always inaccessible to her in his former home. We keep repeating the phrase, "Fish are friends, not food."

Old Married Couple

On September 7th Justin and I celebrated 6 years of wedded bliss. (Let's be honest, the levels of blissfulness vary day by day.) :) To commemorate the occasion, we were able to get away for one night to our favorite place in the world, Monterey. We happened to be there the same weekend as the Cherries Jubilee car show, which made the "row" more crowded than usual. It was also unusually warm weather for Monterey, and I know I specifically ordered a forecast of overcast and 60. We had a nice time, except for our anniversary "dinner" which consisted of greasy appetizers and virgin pina coladas in the bar of a wannabe upscale restaurant that Justin was convinced was a front for a mafia ring. What??? After waiting over an hour for a table and filling up on the aforementioned "meal", we decided to call it a night. Then, being the exciting and energetic couple you all know we are, we promptly fell asleep after paying $17 to watch the documentary of the guy who tightrope walked between the World Trade Center towers on the hotel TV.


Close up of a random rock formation on the beach. There were a ton of them! I'm still not convinced it wasn't part of some weird cultish activity. (File this idea next to Justin's weird mafia intuition.)


Rocking a shorter, blonder 'do. Mom hasn't seen it yet, so this is for her. :)

Wishin' For Free Ice Cream?

Tonight is "the World's Largest Ice Cream Social" at Coldstone Creamery! Stop by any Coldstone tonight between 5:00-8:00pm for your free 3 oz. ice cream created by wish kids Jack and Emily. Feel free to buy a Make a Wish star or donate a few dollars while you're there!

The Make a Wish Foundationgrants wishes to children with life-threatening illnesses. Justin and I have been involved with the organization since January 2005 and it is amazing! Every wish kid we've met has been awesome. Not all of the stories have happy endings, but Make a Wish provides a spark of hope and happiness in the midst of their dark world of sickness, doctor visits, and sadness. Issaac went on a shopping spree to Toys R Us. Trinity got the ultimate backyard playset. Eric got a sweet braille laptop and GPS system. Lauren went on a trip to NYC. Jayda, Grantley, Elizabeth and their families get to go to Walt Disney World. And next week me meet Henna - who knows what her wish will be? (She did mention something about Hawaii.) :)

It's the Little Things

Ping Pong Cat


I was inspired by my friend Kate to post a funny cat video. Justin and I about died of laughter watching this. Maybe you have to be a cat person to enjoy it. I don't know, but like I said in the title of this post, it's the little things.

Zippy's Buddy

As you may have guessed from previous posts, we really love our cat Zippy. She is the coolest cat in the world (others can attest to this fact), except that she doesn't really like anyone but us and she's kind of a biter.

Anyway, here she is taking a nap with her buddy. We find her "tiger friend" all over the house, sometimes in bed with us, sometimes looking out the window, sometimes as "prey" that's she brought to us as a treat.


Side Note: I bought this Tiger as part of a birthday present for Mike Nunan, but Zippy got it out of the bag and claimed it before I could get to it. But, it's a tiger, so it fits right into our family of Pacific alumni.

Jim and Pam Forever

New episodes of The Office start on September 25th!

Back to School

A new school year is starting today for the University of the Pacific, both my alma mater and my employer. As the alumni staff member in charge of student programs, my last few days have been consumed with activities for new students.

On Friday I accompanied a group of students to Pixie Woods for a service project. We weeded and landscaped a small area of the park. It was a million degrees outside, but it was fun working with the students and giving them advice/answers to their Stockton/college life questions. We also took a tour of Stockton via city bus (my first time on the RTD) and pointed out local highlights like Tiger's Yogurt, Chipotle, Lincoln Center, and the downtown movie theater.

Saturday was a packed day. It started with our Alumni Association board meeting and ended at Tiger Nights, the first campus "party" of the new school year. I've been working with some students to start a student/alumni group on campus. We gave out free "I Heart Pacific" stickers and did Tiger Trivia.

Here is the "crew" and I rockin' my latest shirt project (and our stickers) at Tiger Nights. (Devon had to wear her Theta shirt or risk being fined, so we let it slide.) :)

On Sunday, we welcomed the freshmen with the Tiger Roar, a relatively new campus tradition where student leaders, greek houses, the pep band, and alumni surprise the freshmen with fight songs, yelling, and confetti as they exit the new student convocation ceremony. We had a great contingent of alumni volunteers and enjoyed a fun afternoon of welcome. I love being a Tiger. Indeed, I heart Pacific!

Trailer Park

I love, Love, LOVE seeing movies in the theater! And within that experience, my favorite thing is watching the previews. On occasion I've been known to get so wrapped up in the previews that I actually forget what movie I'm there to see. One thing I've found over the years is that you get an interesting look into the human psyche if you listen to the people around you make editorial comments during the previews. For instance, during the preview for High School Musical 3 I heard a girl behind me say: "Ugh, I'd rather poke my eye out with a screwdriver." Whoa. Latent frustrations over her days as a high school outcast perhaps?

The Entertainment Weekly Fall Movie Preview issue just hit my mailbox yesterday, so here are a few films I'm looking forward to in the next few months. I haven't seen the trailers for all of them yet, so I reserve the right to update the list upon further review

Burn After Reading - September 12th - the latest Coen brothers film starring Brad Pitt
High School Musical 3 - October 24th - that's right, I said it.
Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist* - with Michael Cera (Arrested Development, love him!)
Australia - November 14th - the new Baz Luhrmann film with Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman. (I'm fuzzy on the premise, but I love me some Baz Lurhmann!)
Twilight - December 12th - see previous blog about the book. SO EXCITED!!!
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button - Brad Pitt is old, then young! It's a mystery.
Revolutionary Road - December 26th - reunites Titanic co-stars Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio.

*Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist

What movie are you looking forward to this fall?

Babies on Parade!

So, this year everyone, I repeat, EVERYONE, I know decided to have a baby. Okay, that might be a small exaggeration, but there are now many MANY new babies in my circle of friends. Here's a few snapshots of the babies I am most closely connected to (there are many more babies of friends/acquaintances that I decided to omit).

Jack, December 7, 2007 (mom Kari is a good friend from high school - she lives too far away now in NY!)


Caden Cruz 2/21/08 (I met his mom Ancelle through my work with the Make a Wish Foundation - love her!)


Cole Henry, June 9, 2008 (his mom Leah is my cousin!)


Isabella Grace, June 14, 2008 (parent's Ryan and Freida are good friends of Justin and I)


Lily Josephine, July 4, 2008 (Stacy is a great friend from HS and college - she even survived a year as my roommate!)


Here are three high school friends in August: Kari and Jack, Melissa and Lindsay (born November '07), and Stacy and Lily. I was supposed to be there that day, but I would have had to hold the cat or something for this photo.


Coming Soon...Riley Paige (August 16, 2008 or sooner!) (Her mom Carolyn and I "ran" a marathon together in 2006!)

A Wedding ReCap

As I mentioned earlier, I am way behind in my blogging, but this event was too important not to document. The much anticipated wedding of my sister-in-law Sommer went off without a hitch (with the exception of a small eyelash issue) on Saturday, July 19th at Bennett Valley Golf Course in Santa Rosa. Everything was perfect and Sommer was the most beautiful bride I have ever seen - WAY prettier than Katherine Heigel and that's a fact. :) Here are some highlights:
Mike and Sommer Nunan!

Sommer's good friend Stephanie from high school did all of our hair and Sommer's makeup. Basically she's a superstar.

Justin and Jeff were such dedicated groomsmen and brothers. Look at how well they disguised their boredom while waiting for the wedding to start.

I may have gotten a little territorial in my role as maid (okay matron) of honor, but I think I earned that right. If for no other reason than these cute flip flops that Sommer and I designed and made for the bridesmaids.

The reception was super fun - especially after I was done with my speech and could relax(there was laughter, there were tears - mostly mine, basically it couldn't have gone better!) Well, aside from my awesome speech, the highlight of the reception was definitely the photo booth!

We got to see our good friends Ryan and Freida! They have an adorable new baby, Isabella Grace.

Jeff Perry, being the extraordinary musician that he is, had the honor of playing the first dance song, "I Want to Grow Old With You" from the Wedding Singer.

Funny group wedding photos are my favorite and I love this picture of the bridal party.

Yay for Mike and Sommer joining the married club!