West Texas Weekend

Nothing like a West Texas sunset, even from the parking lot of the Hampton Inn off the highway.

Howdy! I'm still shaking out the "y'alls" from this past weekend, too:) We left Friday morning on a flight to Odessa for Ry and Samantha's wedding in Midland. Aaron was the Best Man and so we were/he was busy with wedding stuff for most of Friday and Saturday, but we had a really great time making the best of our short visit out there.

As I mentioned, we flew in on Friday morning. The ride was a bit more turbulent than my liking (something to do with the hot weather), but we arrived in one piece. Aaron went to pick up his tuxedo at the mall while I got ready for the rehearsal and then we were off to the rehearsal at Golf Course Road Church of Christ in Midland, Aaron's parent's church. This was the altar set up for the wedding:

I got busy chatting with one of the attendant's wives during the rehearsal and we both sat there, so happy to be on the "other side" of it all. I still love everything weddings; I'm just happy I don't ever have to plan ours again! More pictures from the rehearsal:

Aaron talking to the Groom:

The Groom and his guys:

The Bride and her lovely ladies:

Ry's cousin, Baby Bill, was the ring bearer and the flower girl pulled him in a wagon--how precious is that? Here he is, practicing:


After the rehearsal, we were off to the dinner. The decorations were really cute-Ry's mom had decorated with baseballs and little cheerleader megaphones since Ry played baseball and Samantha was a cheerleader. The food was catered by Catfish & Co. and standing in line for food, I experienced a little bit of culture shock! To be honest, I wasn't really sure what I was putting on my plate, but I went for it and got a bite of everything until this is what I had in front of me:

(For my non-Southern readers, clockwise from left, baked beans, hush puppies, fried okra, fried chicken, and fried catfish.) I kept thinking, "surely there will be some salad at the end of the buffet line"...haha, false. Everyone at our table had a good laugh at my expense and I tell you what, everything was SO GOOD! We topped all that off with some homemade vanilla ice cream and strawberries and washed it all down with tea. Mm, mm, Texas!

Here we are post-dinner. Do I look like I just ate more fried food in one sitting than I've eaten in my whole 27 years?

During dinner, Ry's dad gave a toast and we watched a sweet slideshow of Ry and Samantha.

Gifts were passed out and some more pictures were taken to finish off the dinner. Here's the Weaver family minus their new addition as of Saturday afternoon!

After dinner, the boys left to see "The Hangover" and the girls hung out in the hotel lobby area to have a send off party for Samantha. Because they were going to be honeymooning in Cancun, Samantha's sister and Matron of Honor hosted a super cute island themed shower for her. It was really fun getting to spend time with the Bride the night before her big day. Here are some pictures from the party:

Enjoying our punch:

Samantha opening gifts:

Samantha opening my gift to her:

Yum, cookie cake!

Me and the bride!

The next morning, Aaron got up WAY early for an 8am tee time with the guys (that's 6am to us California kids) and I slept in:) Terrie and I chatted over coffee and then we headed over to Aaron's Nana's house. Aaron's Aunt Shirley and her husband, Danny were in town from Dallas for Ry's wedding weekend so after some time visiting at Nana's, all us girls headed out for some shopping. I am so excited because I bought a bunch of stuff to decorate our kitchen and it all made it back to California in one piece. Now, I just have to wait about a month until we're into our new apartment, darnit! We had lunch at home with the boys (Craig and Aaron) and then Aaron had to run off to the church for pictures. The wedding started at 5pm so I had time to hang out at the house with Craig and Terrie before we headed that way. The wedding was lovely and I think one of my favorite parts was that the grandparents and parents walked into the song "Beautiful Boy" by John Lennon BUT Ry's mom, Raylene, had sung it. It was such a special part of the wedding and got us all teary for sure! From where we were sitting, it was a little difficult to take pictures but I managed to get a few:

Mr. and Mrs. Ry Weaver!

Had to get one of the handsome husband escorting the Matron of Honor:

The reception immediately followed the ceremony at the church and so we had a lot of fun visiting with people and eating lots of yummo cake. They had wedding cake, cookie cake, and the chocolate cake from Rosa's Cafe (a local restaurant favorite and Aaron's reason for being).

The Bride and Groom getting punch for their toast!

The boys were betting that Ry would get Samantha but he was sweet (smart guy!)


Too bad this picture came out fuzzy, Josh's eyes are closed, and the boys heads are chopped off, haha! It's the only picture we really took at the wedding!

Unfortunately, a storm was coming in so Ry and Samantha had to make their getaway pretty quick. We were going to do streamers for their send off but it was too windy and rainy:( So, we made a lot of noise and I think they got the picture of how much they are loved!



The rest of the weekend just flew by. We had lunch with some family friends on Sunday after church, which was really great. But, before we knew it, it was time to head to the airport. I don't usually take airplane shots, but I was near the window and I couldn't let this beautiful view go to waste as we were flying back to California.


We were pretty exhausted when we finally got home last night but the trip was more than worth it. It's so nice to get away for the weekend, and even better when you get to see family and witness and celebrate a brand new marriage. Life is even sweeter today for a very special friend of mine...right before we went to bed on Saturday night, I missed a call from one of my best friends, Sarah. I had a REALLY good feeling about this call, so I called her back and she told me the great news..her boyfriend, Ryan had proposed that night! Sarah and I have been friends for more than 8 years now, so I am just thrilled that she has found the man of her dreams. Aaron and I spent time with her and Ryan in DC last Spring and just recently, they were in California for our wedding, when Sarah was one of my very special bridesmaids. Sarah and Ryan, we couldn't be any happier for you both. We love you and we hope you are enjoying every SECOND of being engaged.

Happy Monday, everyone!

"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." Matthew 6:19-21