Without further ado, I bring you Tori and Jesse’s wedding day…

Hair and makeup by the stylists at Salon Bella Vie in Strongsville, OH.

So I teared up a little when I saw this.  Jesse gave Tori a scrapbook on the morning of the wedding day, full of cards that she had given him.  There had to have been hundreds of cards inside.  Tori, thank you for single handedly keeping Hallmark in business.

Love these shoes!

The Amasa Stone Chapel at Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH.

This Saturday, I met the Emily and her bridesmaids at Posh the Salon in Downtown Durham where they were getting their makeup and hair done.  Posh is a modern salon in the heart of Durham’s Historic District with beautiful exposed brick walls and a welcoming and talented staff.  After leaving the salon, we headed to the Summit Church’s West Club Campus, to prepare for the ceremony and pictures.  Kyle and Emily opted for a “First Look,” during which they took a moment together to pray and to let the anticipation and joy of the day soak in. The First Look allowed us plenty of time before the ceremony to take pictures of just the two of them while escaping the rain that rolled in right after the ceremony.

Which brings us back to the dinosaurs…

The North Carolina Museum of Natural Science in Raleigh, NC was a perfect location for family and friends to mingle among exhibits and dance among dinosaurs. Many thanks to Amanda Stallard (event coordinator) and Stephanie (NC Museum of Natural Science) for paying special attention to the details and making the day a success!

Kyle and Emily, I love you guys and I hope you are having a wild time in Belize! I can’t wait to hear all about it at your California reception next week!

When Amanda (Maid of Honor) was choosing a hairspray at Posh that the girls could use for touch ups, I told her “No pressure…the state of everyone’s hairstyles rests on this decision.”  Her response: “I know, and there are so many choices, but this one says forceful and 23, which is my lucky number.”

Q: How many ladies does it take to put a pearl necklace on a bride?

A: Three bridesmaids to hold up the veil, a wedding coordinator to clasp the necklace, and a sister to tell her how fabulous it looks!

Sweet moments during their “First Look.”

*View more images from this wedding on Facebook or see all the images from the wedding at www.emilyandkyle.amygoodrichphotography.com.

Here are some of the highlights from their engagement session in the Sarah P. Duke Gardens in Durham.  (Notice: they are sporting their Duke Blue).

Kyle chose a custom designed setting for the engagement ring.  Love it!

Here comes the infectious laughter…

Wedding pictures are on the way!

More pictures in the online gallery…

I adore these purple stilettos.

This moment between Regan and her dad was so sweet…like father, like daughter.

The Pergola in the center of the Duke Gardens was a perfect place for the ceremony and on a rainy day you’ll have the whole place to yourself.

We went back to the Umstead Resort and Spa in Cary, NC for some family portraits and the reception. I can’t get enough of that place.  The staff is amazing and the halls are lined with gorgeous art collections, a detail lover’s dream.

     Denise and Dean exchanged vows overlooking Lake Junaluska and the Methodist Conference and Retreat Center. There were so many different ceremony venues at Lake Junaluska! I think the outdoor Ampitheater was a perfect fit for their day…and it only rained during the rehearsal (which is exactly what we had planned on…of course).

The girls started out the morning at Abigail’s Red Door Salon in Waynesville.

The reception was also outdoors at the Shook House Museum in Clyde, NC.  

Denise and Dean, I love you guys! Thank you for choosing me to be a part of your wedding day and making me laugh! I had an amazing time at your wedding.

     I’m still in the process of figuring everything out and finding followers and followees. What? Followees is a great word and you know it. Hopefully I’ll have this whole thing figured out soon, I promise! Until then, you can follow my thoughts on twitter. And don’t you worry Danny Franks…I won’t be telling you what I’m eating or when I’m shopping at Target. Unless Target has a mega sale on flip flops…..100 pairs of multi-colored flip flops for a dollar fifty! Now that would be something to tweet about.

Happy Tweeting!

     Add 1397 other volunteers from the Summit Church and 17 deserving organizations, and you’ll get the 2009 Week of Hope.

     Last weekend, the Summit Church teamed up with organizations and schools all over RDU to show them God’s mercy. It came in the form of paint, mulch, books, and food with the intention of reflecting the Love that has been shown to us. I hope that our community saw a glimpse of hope for the future. Recession or bad economy, who cares, it’s our chance to stand up as a church and say that everyone matters. 

     I had the opportunity to work on two projects during the Week of Hope. The first, a redesigned office for the Principal of E.K. Powe Elementary to thank her for her dedication to learning and the education of the children at the school. We gave her office a breath of fresh air with a new coat of paint, a gallery of children’s artwork, and bright colors to match her personality. HGTV would be proud.

     The second project was to create a children’s library for a community in Southwest Durham. Their public library has closed and many of the children no longer have access to books during the summer to practice their English. We spent weeks planning, organizing books, buying supplies, and praying. The result was over one hundred children checking out books for the first time and great conversation with parents who saw hope for their children and the community. 

Check out some of the other projects at HopeForRDU.

     On the fourth, Darren fired up the grill in his Man Kitchen (aka the deck) and we enjoyed  All American Cheeseburgers and backyard volleyball. After dinner we followed all the other Durham residents to the Durham Bulls Athletic Park for some American baseball and fireworks timed to a selection of patriotic songs. I love the way fireworks rock all of your senses! The bright explosions, the bangs and crackles that echo off surrounding buildings, the smoke that drifts by your nostrils, and the gun powder and particles that fall on you when a firework doesn’t exactly shoot off in the direction in which it was intended. Yes, we got more than we paid for this time, then again, it was a free event! Basking in the goodness of all things America, we fought the traffic on our way home and watched our own backyard firework extravaganza, brought to us by the great Ross Goodrich. 

     The next evening we set out to Busch Gardens, Williamsburg via the Norfolk Naval Base. Not exactly a straight shot when you have the wrong address, but once again, iphone to the rescue. (Oh how I adore google maps and GPS) On the way we were within a few miles of the house my mom grew up in. Nostalgia took over, and Darren promised that we would return to explore Norfolk when we had more time. 

    The roller coasters were up early and waiting for us the next morning when we arrived at the park. Bonus: this time the park was open! Last year we made the same trip and found out that Busch Garden’s operating schedule is seasonal in Virginia…something that would never cross the mind of a true Floridian. Needless to say, we had an amazing time soaring and dropping through the air on the rides while Darren’s mom looked on from the ground with our “loose articles” and a queasy stomach. Nothing says family quite like two minutes in the bumper cars!