Our marriage turned one!

Since we were out of the country last week, I was unable to proclaim my love for my handsome husband via social media on our very first wedding anniversary! So here goes....

Aaron is truly a gem. He has the biggest heart and will do anything to help someone else out. Hes gorgeous, funny, intelligent, and he can fix or make anything he sets his mind to. Aaron couldn't sit still and relax to save his life. Whether its mowing perfect stripes in our tiny yard, working on a custom project inside the house, or helping out a neighbor, the guy seriously doesn't take a break. And while his overly active disposition tends to wear me out at times, I know every other wife in the world wishes their husband was like that so I feel lucky. 

Aaron is my best friend. He is the first and last person I want to see each day. When I'm anxious or stressed (which I tend to be a lot), he brings me back to reality and reminds me whats important. He has encouraged me to go after things and accomplish things that I probably wouldn't have been brave enough to without his reasoning. I honestly believe I could not have found a more perfect person to spend my life with. 

I can't believe it has been over a year since we married. I wish it was possible to re-experience memories because that day was perfect. 

I look forward to all of the adventures we have ahead of us in the future. Oh, the places we'll go... :) 

Happy Anniversary, Aaron!

Carnival Dream Family Vacation

We had a great time on our anniversary cruise! We just got back home today.
Our first stop was the Bahamas. The water was beautiful and we had a blast at the beach. Aaron and I tested out our new snorkel gear and I got a chance to use my new underwater camera. Bryce had fun burying Aaron in the sand. That night we celebrated Mammaw and Pappaw's 50th anniversary at dinner.

The next day was a "day at sea." It was also mine and Aaron's one year anniversary. We relaxed by the pool all morning and around lunch Aaron surprised me by telling me I needed to head to the Cloud 9 Spa on board the ship for a massage and facial.  It was awesome! He also got me a silver monogram necklace and had the cabin steward decorate our room.  sweetness :)

The next day we arrived in St. Thomas. We booked an excursion to go snorkeling at Trunk Bay on St. John.  Trunk Bay has been voted the world's most beautiful beach by National Geographic several times.  I went there on my very first cruise almost 10 years ago and I was very excited for Aaron to see it. Here are some pictures from the snorkeling:

 

Our last stop was St. Marten.  Carnival's Dream studios took professional pictures of our family at this stop.  They turned out great. After that, we did some shopping! I have always wanted a Tacori ring and mom helped me score a great deal on one while we were there. These are some of my favorite pictures from the Dream studios shoot. 

 



50th Anniversary Party

I’ve decided to start blogging again! (& share pictures with family who do not have Facebook)

This past weekend, my mom, aunt and I threw a surprise 50^th anniversary party for my grandparents.  We’ve had a lot of great parties but this one, in my opinion, was the best!  My grandparents devote a lot of time to other people and it was so nice to do something special for them.

The party was held at the College Café in Maysville, KY.  This adorable restaurant is connected to the Maysville Community and Technical College’s culinary school, which my grandfather pioneered.  We ended up having to tell the guests of honor about the party the night before so they would have time to cancel their Saturday plans and pick out what to wear.  They were completely surprised….which really surprised us considering literally hundreds of people had been invited.

There were lots of surprises in store for my grandparents the day of the party - including... A police escort to the event, a lifesize print of one of their wedding photos on display in the restaurant, a 6 tier cupcake display, unexpected family and friends showing up, a special gift from the college, etc...

I also created a video slideshow that was shown during the party; it included pictures from the day they got married and many more from the following 50 years.  We ended our night by sitting down to watch this as a family at my grandparent’s house.  My favorite part about the night was when a close up picture of my Mammaw in her wedding dress came on the screen.  My Pappaw said “She looked like an angel.” & he was right!

I can’t wait to celebrate their actual anniversary this weekend on the Carnival Dream!

The happy couple... Today and 50 years ago!

Generations...

The College Cafe was the perfect place for the party!

Brad and Z-man

Party decor

A sign made by my sister, kelsey!

We had a lot of fun decorating!

The party planners!

MCTC presenting my grandparents with a very sweet gift... A chef prepared meal in their home for them and four of their friends

Me and my soon to be hubby of one whole year!

Derby Shower

My Aunt Melanie, Uncle Andy and Mammaw threw Aaron and I an amazing Derby themed wedding shower this weekend. They worked extremely hard to make it perfect. The decorations and food were fabulous. They are all about the little details. We had a pretty big crowd with people coming from all over the state. We had an awesome time. There was a contest for the best hat and most original hat. I ended up winning "best in show" with a beautiful light blue hat decked out in rhinestones and feathers that my Mammaw made.  My sister, Kelsey, won "Most Original"  with her UK inspired hat.  We also bet on horses and I was surprised with how much people got into that.  Everyone had their own unique methods for picking their favorite horse.  Some people of course went with the best name, some just picked their favorite number, my aunt had to look at each of the horses right before the race before making her final selection and there was a table of men inside surrounding the newspaper with stats trying to decide. My aunt created a candy bar with all of mine and Aaron's favorite sweets. One of my aunt's best friends brought a collection of specialty popcorn flavors to set up a popcorn bar that even featured a Mint Julep flavor. The kids were entertained by a massive tunnel/tent system that Bryce and Tyler set up. It was so fun.

Thanks to all who came and enjoyed the day with us. We had a blast and hope you did too. My Aunt decided that the derby party might become an annual thing now since the theme and activities were such a hit.


  My grandmother made beautiful derby themed wreaths for the front door.

I couldn't get this picture to rotate. This was part of our betting display.

Hat decorations!



Relaxing right before the big race!

 

We had awesome food.... burger sliders, hot browns, corn dogs, banana pudding, cupcakes, etc.. My aunt also created a really cute popcorn bar and candy bar.  

Our jockey! (again, couldn't get this to rotate)

Most of the guests came decked out in their derby attire but they all came with beautiful gifts. Aaron and I were definitely "showered."

Aaron and I :)

My great grandmother, Mammaw and Aunt Kay.  (& little Z, of course)

Aaron was an excellent Vanna White during the gift opening.

The derby winners - my Aunt Melanie (hostess) and Tyler (my sister's boyfriend)! The guests bet on horses during the party. Half of the money went to Aaron and I while the other half of the money was divided up equally between the winners. These two were hilarious as their horse, I'll Have Another, crossed the finish line.  Tyler stood up and said "I just wont the Kentucky Derby!!!!"

Me and my little buds - Zachary and Bryce

Thunder Over Louisville

Thunder over Louisville was this past Saturday. Kelsey and Tyler (my sister and her boyfriend) came up to Louisville so that we could all go together. It was chilly but still a lot of fun. If you've never been, you need to go! Thunder over Louisville is the largest annual fireworks show in North America. This is not your typical fireworks display. Thunder over Louisville is half an hour of any other shows finale - times 4+.  Thunder is the kick-off celebration for the two weeks prior to Derby. More than half a million people show up to this event.  The Thunder Air Show takes place during the day and spectators can see over 100 different planes. When it gets dark, the real "thunder" begins. Over 1 million dollars are spent on the fireworks for this show. This year a canon was continually shot during the show and it was so loud and startling we saw several people drop to the ground instinctively when they heard it. SO funny. As the charming gentlemen standing in front of us said, "this sh*t make da urf shake!"

 I didn't take this picture but it was a good shot of the fireworks. We sat to the right of the boat this year.

 Kelsey took this picture of the fireworks.

 This is a shot of the fireworks waterfall on the bridge. It's really hard to get a good picture of this without a good camera. This picture just makes it look like the bridge is blowing up. This mile long display is one of thunder's signature bridge effects.

This part of the show got people really excited. In the video, you'll see the rainbow colored fireworks on the bridge shown in the first picture.

Here is the video portion of the waterfall. You can also faintly hear the canon. The video doesn't do this justice!

This is part of the finale of the fireworks show.

Projects, projects, projects!

This weekend was VERY busy. Aaron and I helped my aunt and uncle with various projects around the house.  Aaron and Andy spent 20+ hours installing....well, I'm not really sure what you call it, but they finished out the underside of one of their decks. (pictures below) They also installed some new lights under the deck.

I helped my aunt with some derby themed projects in preparation for our upcoming derby party/wedding shower/cook-out. My family loves themed parties! Aunt Melanie has come up with some great and very creative ideas. I can't share pictures though - I am under orders not to spoil any of the surprises. I think it is going to be a really good time. I'm not big on typical church showers. I think they are incredibly boring, especially for the guests. I am excited.

Oh... & today we are officially 2 months away from the wedding. Yay!

Getting closer to the Wedding! :)

I've been working on the wedding programs this weekend while I've had some time off for Easter break. I got to put on my dress today so that my Mammaw could make the final measurements on the dress before she begins to hem the bottom. Our wedding coordinator at the Don sent us more choices for the brunch menu, table arrangements, and other details. All of the final decision making is getting me really excited! 70 days left! Here are some pictures of the venue that mom and I took last summer.

A picture of Aaron and I in front of the Don Cesar Beachfront Hotel in St. Petersburg, FL. We will be getting married on the beach in front of this hotel on June 17th.

A picture of the Sunset Pavillion - our reception will be held here following the wedding.

The aisle I will walk down toward the beach during the wedding.

A view from the room the wedding will take place in in case it rains on the morning of the wedding. Fingers crossed that the weather will be perfect!!

Here is a picture of my family at the Don on June 17th, 2012.

:)