Madison, part II.......the wedding!

B and I at the rehearsal dinner- so cute in his bowtie!!

P&N are a fabulous couple and, really, there's nothing like going to a wedding where you just know that the bride and groom are just meant to be together.

(Great friends that I really miss!!)

Some of the major highlights of the day were:

1.  Our friend's officiating.  I think many of us were nervous for Parker as he has never officiated a wedding before and you just don't know how that is going to turn out.  He was amazing, you guys.  He gave a history of their relationship which was awesome and had spent an hour with each of them interviewing them prior to writing his ceremony, and it ended up being so incredibly personal.  I don't think their was a dry eye in the house during certain parts. 

(P&N after the ceremony- they had beach balls thrown as they walked down the aisle together)

2.  Upon me telling P that his sisters looked gorgeous in their bridesmaid dresses, he stated "Really, I haven't noticed.  I haven't taken my eyes off her (his wife) all night."  Melt!!

3.  Seeing N as a bride.  N is a total ponytail, hoodie sweatshirt, no make-up kind of girl, so to see her with make-up, her hair done, and an incredibly beautiful, slinky wedding dress on was amazing.  She definitely was the star of the show!

4.  Watching P's dad do air guitar to Baba O'Reilly by The Who.  Eventually all three of his kids joined him on the dance floor.  Hysterical and legendary!

5.  The DJ.  I've never heard a better wedding dj in all of the gazillion weddings I've been to.  He totally rocked and the dance floor was full ALL night long!

(Hottie C and his incredibly beautiful future wife, N)

(M&L)

 6.  Spending adult time with B and our friends.  It was truly nice to get away (though I'm not doing it again, ever!  Well at least for a lot of years!!). 

An amazing honor

Today, my husband will be singing at Betty Ford's funeral service at our church in Grand Rapids.  The services for Mrs. Ford were held in California (where she has spent a lot of her life) and at Grace Episcopal Church in East Grand Rapids, MI.  This is the church we started attending after moving here and the church that B sings at every single week.  After the death of Mrs. Ford, a call was put out to all the choir members to see if they were able to sing, and B is taking off most of the day to be able to have this amazing experience.  I know he is really, really honored that they are allowing our small little church choir to sing at the previous first lady's funeral.  One of President Ford's funerals was also held at our church- amazing, huh?  There is a fantastic picture of the funeral in our gathering space at church that I always sit below when SYT gets fussy during the service.

I am praying that today the choir is at their best and that the family and friends of the Fords are happy with the musical performance.  I am also praying for Mrs. Ford and am thanking God for her amazing life on this Earth.  She was a truly amazing woman.

Guest Post- B's Masters Preview

Okay Ladies, it's that time of year again.  Even here in the 38 degree malaise that is West Michigan, I'm spending the week dreaming of all things green and yellow, of azaleas blooming behind the 12th green, of the Tuesday night Champions Dinner, and of how I can structure my weekend so that I have 6 hours to watch final round coverage with limited interruptions.  Yup, it's MASTERS WEEK!!!

I've done this the last couple of years, including last year's well-received "B's Peeves - Masters Edition," which included my take on several things from marital infidelity to what does and does not qualify as "food."  This year, I'm in a pretty good mood, what with a happy and healthy baby, a loving wife, a good job, a new Niece (other post- I'll let AET tell the story), and the coming start of golf season.  So no Peeves today, it's just a straightforward Masters Preview.  Now, without further adieu:

The Champions Dinner:

Avid Masters fans know that the defending champion is traditionally responsible for hosting an evening of all living Masters champions at Augusta National on the Tuesday night before the tournament starts.  The tradition started in 1952 with Ben Hogan, who invited all of the former tournament champions to dinner at th club with one strict stipulation: "wear your green coat." 

In 1980, Sandy Lyle broke the tradition of everyone ordering off the standard Club menu (steaks, fish, chicken, etc) and served a traditional Scottish Haggis from his homeland.  While the haggis went over like a turd in the punch bowl, the tradition stuck.  Since then, Vijay Singh brought Thai Food in 12 courses.  Angel Cabrerra brought Argentinian meats to grill and Argentinian Wines to pair (yes, please!).  Nick Faldo served fish and chips, Ben Crenshaw flew in Texas BBQ Brisket and sausages, and Tiger Woods served cheeseburgers, french fries and milkshakes after he won when he was 20 (ie- no booze).

This year, Lefty paid homage to one of his golf idols from his younger days.  When Phil was 17 and playing as an ameteur in his first PGA Tour event, he was paired with Seve Ballesteros for a practice round and they struck up a lasting friendship.  Seve (also a Masters Champion) is at home in Spain this year battling cancer in the brain and other areas.  The Champions Dinner last night featured salad with sherry vinegarette, gazpacho, paella, beef tenderloin with manchego cheese and Spanish tortilla (egg and potato baked in cast iron) and something called "Spanish Apple Pie."  Not sure what the apple pie was about, but my biggest beef (get it?) with the menu was that I wasn't invited.  A nice tribute to a nice guy, and it sounds like a hell of a dinner.

(Paella is a party on a plate)

Another Highlight-  The Par 3 Contest.  Every year at 12:30 on Wednesday, Augusta National holds a Par 3 contest for competitors.  It is now covered by ESPN live each year, so it has gained momentum.  Many players bring their kids or wives to be the caddie, and everyone seems to have a good time.  There's frequently a hole in one, and all generations get involved.  My DVR is set.  Side note- no Par 3 Contest winner has ever won the Masters in the same year.  People have gone on record to say they purposefully tanked on the last hole just so they wouldn't win the Par 3.

 (Aaron Baddelay and his Caddie/Wife with their Baby)

(The "Triad" of Jack, Arnie, and Gary Player at last year's Par 3)

(Jim Furyk and his little ones)

On to the picks:

Low Ameteur:

Peter Uihlein.  Reigning US Ameteur champion who is a Junior at Oklahoma State.  Good friends with fellow Cowboy and PGA Tour phenom Ricky Fowler (per Fowler's Twitter feed), this kid has plenty of game and can take advantage of the short par 5's, especially #13, which is essentially a long Par 4 for the big hitters.

(Uihlein after winning the USAmeteur)

Side note on the ameteurs - Another candidate was Lion Kim.  Kim is a senior at the University of Michigan (GO BLUE!!), and captain of the Wolverine golf squad.  He's in the Masters by way of winning the American Public Links tournament.  When asked about his name, he replied "I'm sure my parents got the idea [for the nickname "Lion" instead of his given name of Jun Min] from Tiger Woods...but I know for a fact that they didn't name me Lion Kim thinking I would be the next Tiger Woods.  Trust me, they're smarter than that."  All I read in that is oh crap.  I'm old enough that there's a college senior playing in the Masters who is named AFTER Tiger Woods.  I remember when Tiger went pro... But I digress.
Feel Good Story of the Week:

Tough one.  There's no real Freddy Couples/Greg Norman story line this year.  The Lefty dinner selection is nice, but the only real candidate for a FGSoW would be if Tiger finally lets his guard down and speaks frankly with the media (which he won't do), or if an Ameteur contends for the title.  Since I just threw out my Peter Uihlein pick above, I might as well go with that for FGSoW

Contenders:

Phil Mickelson- This guy seems to love Augusta as much as anyone, and on the heels of a win last week in Houston, he's a contender for sure.  He always plays the week before the Masters (Tiger never does), and he won in Atlanta in 2006 before winning his first Masters the following week.  And if he finds a chance to hit that 205 yard 5-iron out of the woods, off the pine straw, over a creek, to 8 feet for birdie?  Well then, keep an eye out for Amy and the kids on Sunday evening.

(Lefty after Sunday's win in Houston)

(for you Preppies out there)

Martin Kaymer- There are no flaws in this guy's game.  Hits it long, soft, left, right, over and under.  He putts well.  He's nearly as stoic as Reteif "The Mechanical Golf-Playing Robot" Goosen on the course.  It seems like a cop-out to pick the World #1 as a contender, but this guy is the real deal.  And, according to Queen Bee Swain, he's apparently eye candy too.  Any guy who can pull off the ascott/scarf in the desert in February probably doesn't have a hard time with the ladies, if you know what I mean...

(in the finals of the Accenture Match Play in Tucson in Feb)

 Ian Poulter- Poults has come a long way since his "Tiger's more beatable than ever" days of 2007.  He's one of the top ball strikers in the world; a skill that was cited as a weakness for him just a few years ago.  He's a fierce competitor and punishes people in match play competitions like the Accenture and the Ryder Cup.  If he's at the top with one other guy with a couple strokes between them and the field, it could become like a match play event, and my money would be on this guy for sure.

(nice pants...for an Englishman who lives in Orlando)

Ricky Fowler- Young gun.  Nearly flawless game, but hasn't figured out how to put a whole week together and close the deal for a win.  I just wonder what a green jacket would look like over an all-orange Sunday getup???

(add green jacket and I'm seeing a trend here...)

Matt Kuchar- Often overlooked American sharpshooter with a game that fits Augusta well.  I sincerely considered picking him as my winner, but I'll save that for below.  He won more money than any golfer in the world last year, and already has a win this year to go along with his new, more consistent, putting stroke.  Serious contender.

(with the fam after a win)

Pretenders:

Tiger Woods- I think my comment last year was "anytime he's in the field, he's the favorite."  Well, um, that's not true anymore.  This guy is all out of whack, and it's gonna be a while before he gets back... into...whack.

('nuff said)

Lee Westwood- #2 player in the world does more choking than a Red Cross CPR class.  Hasn't won a major.  Won't win a major...yet.

(in fake english accent: "oh bother.  I've lost another major?  Bullocks!")

The Old Guys- In the last few years, we've had good runs from Jack, Freddy, Greg Norman and Kenny Perry.  I just don't see that happening this year.  Nobody over 50 will make a run.  The closest who could would be Phil (40) or Vijay Singh (46...ish?)

Winner:

Hunter Mahan- Another American who has often been overlooked, and is one of the best without a Major title to his name.  This guy has been nothing but consistent this year.  He's also been on winning and losing Ryder Cup teams with big, intense pressure situations.  He's also in those funny Titleist commercials where he serves hot dogs at the halfway house.  He's been in the Top10 in the last TWO Masters (T8 and T10).  With 5 Top 10's this year in only 9 events, he's the hottest guy out there right now and due for a big win.  That's not to say that he'll "win big," but it will definitely be a "big win" for him. 

 (this look could be familiar by Sunday evening)

(all gussied up for Golf Magazine)

So there you have it.  Pick up your mark call it good.  I'll see you in the clubhouse for a cold one.

New Blog!

Someone near and dear to my heart has decided to spout off about running.  Check it out here!

Perhaps if he gets enough interest, he'll do a "peeves" post about running.........

Have a great weekend everyone!

Happy, happy birthday!

\==

Happy Birthday, my amazing husband!  Thank you so much for loving me and being the BEST dad Spencer could ever hope for.  We're both really blessed!

 I hope your presentations and meetings go well today, and I can't wait for our date tonight!  I'm praying you will love your gift :)  I am also praying that this year continues to be good to you!  I love you, B!!

2 years ago today

We stood in this chapel vowing our love and lives to one another in front of our families and friends.

We danced to this song (please jump over and listen- you won't regret it!!)

And we became partners for life

I wouldn't have it any other way, my dear B. 

Lots and lots,

forever and ever,

with all my cells.

HUGE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

BYT, SYT, and I went for dinner tonight at our favorite Grand Rapid's restaurant (so far).  The reason we went on a family date in the middle of the week?

TO CELEBRATE MY HUSBAND'S NEW JOB!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yep, today he was offered a position with a local logistics company after a lengthy interview process.  It's currently a 6 month contract gig (they are really busy) but as long as everything goes well, they'll be discussing permanent employment in December!  My oh my, we are sooooo excited around here today. 

They wanted him to start today (um, yes, today!) but he is starting Thursday and it'll kind of be part time over the next two weeks while we get day care figured out (as I am going back to work on Monday).  I'm feeling a lot little overwhelmed with the fact that they want him right now and baby SYT doesn't have anywhere to go yet.  Anyone want to come live in GR for 6 weeks while we get stuff organized?  Starting next week?  We're great cooks, we have a fully furnished extra bed and bath, and B's really funny! :)  Hopefully I'll have great things to report by the end of the week re: all this stuff.

Want to know what big dorks we are?  Our first financial discussion after figuring out what B's paychecks would be revolved around which college acct we would open.  Yup, not "oooh, can I finally get the graduation present I wanted" or "oh, I've been eyeing this great new dress", but hey, we have a kid now and college is only 18 years away, so let's get on it!!  Oh yeah, and the fact that at the next grocery store run we need diapers as SYT has grown out of his size ones and is into size 2s.  Oh, the excitement of new parents :)

But, in all seriousness, I'm SO proud of my husband and so glad that he will be able to use his brain cells for the good of this new company.  They're lucky to have him!! 

Happy Birthday, B!!

Happy Birthday to my boat driving, lobster pant wearing, marathon running, house fixing, dog walking, puddin' loving, pasta eating husband!!  There is no one in the world I would rather come home to at night.  You are my heart's content!  I love you!!

AEOT

Tonight we are heading out to the Chop House for steak!  YUM!  Absolutely cannot wait to share a great meal in downtown GR together!

B's Peeves- Olympic Edition

Hey Ladies, B here.  You know, the room painter, dog walker, pink shirt wearer, taste tester, and all around good guy.  I have to admit, I read all my wife's posts, but not necessarily every day.  I see her updates, I read your comments, and I now know more about Lily Pulitzer and Steven Bonnano than any straight guy should ever know. 

That said, sometimes, I get a little peeved.  AEOT does too, and I often reply to her with a satirical "why don't you blog about it???"  So now I'm being asked to blog about what grinds my gears.  Who knows, if it's a success (the term "success" to be defined later), maybe we'll make B's Peeves a semi-regular column...

So here goes: B's Peeves- Olympic Edition

1.  Moguls.

Earlier this week, we saw some beady-eyed canadian dude win the gold medal in the men's moguls.  How do we know he won?  Did he get down the hill the fastest?  Did he ski over the greatest number of moguls? No.  He won on a subjective combination of his speed, style, tricks, and NBC telegenics.  Why do they need to do this?  If the object of the sport is to ski over moguls, why don't we just see who gets down the hill first and give him the medal?  The moguls are the same for everyone, so isn't that enough of a challenge?  Why do we need jumping?  Isn't that what "freestyle skiing" is for?  Hell, if you don't want to make it about speed, then make it completely judged, but don't give me a blended score.  It just seems to invite some bitter Belgian judge to knock off a few tenths of a point for the Americans just because of the inferior hops in our beer. 

Yup, here's your winner-

(from nbcolympics.com)

2.  Falling.

So we've already seen the pairs figure skating competition and the Men's "Short" program (AEOT had to explain why a short program and long program were necessary.  Her valid argument is the sole reason that wasn't another Peeve).  Here's my question- When the skater or any one of the members of the pair falls, why do they keep skating?  We know they're not going to win!  I'm okay with stepping out of a jump or making a triple into a double and continuing from there.  After all, everyone could make a small mistake like that, so you need to provide a full program on which to be judged.  But if your butt hits the ice, it's time to move along.  Thanks for stopping by the olympics, and make sure you stop by some of Vancouver's lovely hash bars before you leave.  We're going to give the medals to the dudes who don't fall, and we'll have this competition done in half an hour. 

Really?  Are these guys really going to get a mdeal out of this?

(from zimbio.com)

3.  Weather.

Seriously, what's with the weather?  There isn't a single venue in these olympics that has "perfect" conditions.  Even the indoor ones!! 

(from tonychor.com)

We all know that there's better snow at Boyne Higlands in Harbor Springs, Michigan right now than Whistler, but there's NO REASON the ice shouldn't be perfect for speed skating, short track, and curling.  Which brings me to my next peeve...

4.  Curling.

I want to like this stuff.  Seriously, I do.  But they're showing it every day, and the good ol' U. S. and A is now 0 and 4 after going to "extra ends" in their last 3 games.  The US captain is a pudgy IT Consultant from Minnesota who looks more like an ad for Johnsonville Brats than an olympian.  The biggest problem is- I actually kind of like him!  He looks like the guy down the hall in the Fraternity house who can bong an entire six-pack at one time.  If only he could figure out how to beat someone...anyone.  Heck, I think Borat might have a Kazakh team interested in a scrimmage. 

Either way, here's a little John Shuster eye candy for you Curling Bunnies (the curling version of hockey's "Puck Bunnies") out there-

(from canada.com)

Quick shout out, though, to the Norwegian curling team for their pants.  Not sure who wins between them and John Daly on the golf course lately.  Decide for yourself:

(from chroniclejournal.com)

-vs-

(from gamepro.com)

Okay, I'm not making this up.  While using Google Images to find photos of the Norwegian pants and John Daly's newest duds, I found out they're actually made by the same company.  These crazy Scandinavians are wearing pants from Loudmouth Golf, which is currently the ONLY sponsorship John Daly carries.  Small world, I guess.


and, finally....

5.  Eastern Time.

Those of you who have been following my lovely wife's blog for a while know that we recently moved from Chicago to Grand Rapids, Michigan.  I'm all for it.  I'm a Maize & Blue kind of guy.  I love being Up North.  I'm ready to be a Michigander (that's really what they call it) for the rest of my life.  But, seriously, I'm exhausted.  I can't stay up until midnight just to watch The Colbert Report, and watching it the next day makes it feel like yesterday's news- literally.  And now that the olympics are on, AEOT and I are not getting nearly enough sleep.  And you can guess the level of pregnancy meltdowns that come with an overworked, and over-tired pregnant woman.  Also, since the Red Wings are in the Western Conference, just about every road game they play doesn't start until 10pm here.  It's not like people get to go to work an hour later here, so why does everything start an hour later? 

Ugh.  That feels better.  There's 5 things that are Peeve...ing me right now.  There are several things I like out there, especially in the Olympics, so maybe I'll do one of those in the next few days.  Till then- stay classy, ladies.

ETA:  It's AEOT again, Just laughed out loud reading this!!  Can I say that MY Olympic peeve is Bob Kostas hair??  Seriously,  the dye job is HORRIFIC.  I understand that not all men want to have salt and pepper hair (though it is extrememly distinguished looking to me); however, when I can tell that you have dyed it b/c the color is so unnatural, it's time to find a new stylist.  Maybe it's just because I see in in HD (but most people nowadays do!!).  I should probably stop dwelling on it b/c every night I make the same comment about how bad it is.  To give the guy some credit, I do really like him and I love his pocket squares (right Alexis??).

Also, B and I totally disagree on the moguls.  I simply adored watching them and could watch every single night.  I can't imagine what their knees will be like at 40 (early replacements anyone?), but it is simply amazing to watch them come down the hill so fast, in such a tucked position, and then do really cool skillzzz in the middle.  If you watch repeats, the people who won were truely better than anyone else, so subjective or not, they won because they deserved the gold. 

Sweetheart TAG

I was tagged by Miss Queen Bee for this lovely Valentine's Day tag.  She wanted to know how a few of her married blog friends met and fell in love with their husbands. 

WARNING::::::::LONG

B and I both moved to Chicago in 2001 after we graduated from college (we did not know each other).  That Christmas I met a few of his friends at a party, one of whom asked around, got my number, and then called to ask me on a date.  We went on one date and then his birthday was coming up so my roommate and I went to a group dinner to celebrate J's birthday.  B ended up being there with a few other friends and throughout the night all of us discovered how many mutual friends we had and how much all of us had in common.  Turns out B's aunt and uncle have a condo 1.5 miles from my grandmother's house (up north) and we B, his cousin, my roomie and I all spent 3 summers up north in college at the same time and never met.  This is highly weird as the town is SOOOO small and we all go to the same bars, plus one of my good friends knew and was friends with B's girl cousin.  It also turned out that we were all going up north in a few weeks to go skiing for President's weekend.  So J and I date casually for a few months but it slowly fizzles out and he moves back home.  B and I became great friends and our two groups of friends all settled into a wonderful group.  We all hung out ALL the time.  On NYE 2002 (into 2003) some of the group came over for dinner at our apt prior to heading out to one of the bars.  We all had a wonderful time.  That night both sets of our friends got mad at us individually (and unbeknownst to us) about the fact that we weren't dating and we really should be.

Two weeks later he called to ask me out on a date.  Can I tell you ladies that he called at 7:30 p.m. and wanted to know if I wanted to "grab dinner"?  I was walking home from work, in scrubs, no make-up, hair in a pony.  I said no (as kindly as possible) and told him I was tired.  I didn't even realize that he was actually asking me on a date.  I thought he truly just wanted to eat.  My friend, Katie, spent the next 20 minutes yelling at me telling me that of course he was asking me out and he'd never call again.  So, the next week when he called, I accepted and we went to a little neighborhood pub.  It was such an easy date b/c we had known each other for so long and were already such good friends.  We do state that our "official" anniversary was the weekend of Valentines/Presdient's day weekend when a bunch of our group again went up north to go skiing.  We were inseperable that weekend and pretty much from there on out. 

I did leave Chicago that August for one year as I traveled as a RN.  I lived in Atlanta for 4 months, Denver (LOVE) for 4 months, and LA (can you even imagine me there??) for three.  We maintained a very healthy, happy long distance relationship and truly treasured every moment we spent together when he would come visit or I would go back to Chicago.  We had a few of our "best dates" while we were apart as we would plan such fun things when he came to visit.  B also moved to OK for work for a year (wayyyy long story), so we spent a lot of time apart then too (including a two month break up which was HORRID).  After he moved back to Chicago we moved in together and the rest is history! 

He proposed in April of 07 with the ring around the base of a champagne glass, and we were married in August of 08.  I can not imagine my life without him and I am convinced that God knew exactly what I needed and created him.  Seriously, we just fit together.  I am the luckiest woman to be married to him.  I really don't have any doubts that our marriage will last until we are old and grey.  He is the one thing in my life that I am more sure of than anything.

Okay, long and sappy, but oh so true is over!!!

I'd love to hear a few other bloggers love stories so get going ladies!!

Mrs. Preppy

Shaina

Vineyard Vogue

The Preppy Baby

Thanks, QBS for the tag!!!