An Embarrassment of Riches

This past weekend my bridesmaids threw me a FANTASTIC shower at my mother's house. It was wonderful -- lots of my favorite things -- mimosas, strawberries, family and friends. 

My favorite moment: Opening my white, handmade afghan from my Grandma Hoying. Her crocheting skills are amazing...and she only makes white blankets for future brides. Mine was a long time coming. 

Here's my favorite gift: The CUTEST lil' deep fryer EVER.

Just perfect for two.

Said chocolate-covered strawberries...mmm...

My bestie, Katie, who is a lovely and talented dentist practicing in Reynoldsburg, Ohio.

Family gathered...

Friends perched high on a lofty tower! (The floating head is my bridesmaid and friend, Kaye, of earlier posts). She was so great that day (and every day!) helping and facilitating the whole she-bang. From left to right: Katie, Lori, Brandie, Jessica, Jen, Jamie, Nicki, Theresa. Thanks so much, ladies! I have the best friends in the world. Thank you thank you thank you for celebrating our special day!

And Jeremy is thankful, too! Especially for the fryer. :) 

Birthday Greetings!

Happy Birthday, Holly!

This past weekend was SUPER BUSY but I still have time to make an online birthday greeting to my bestie, Holly. (drumroll, please...)

My Top Ten Holly Memories and Moments 

 

10. Our eighth-grade trip to Washington, DC. I'll just leave it at that. Let's just say I was very insensitive and she probably should have never spoken to me again. Thank God for forgiving friends.

9. Painting her toenails at the James Cancer Center during her treatment for thyroid cancer

8. Having the BIGGEST crush on the same guy during our freshman year; I was at her slumber party the night he called HER and asked her out to a wedding--NOT ME. I was crushed. But like lots of things we've shared over the years, I dated him later that same year.

7. Singing David Allen Coe's "The Greatest Country and Western Song Ever Written" anytime its played in our presence

6. Cheering together for 6 years on the same cheerleading squads. She has put up with LOADS of my bossiness and perfectionism -- but we were GREAT cheerleaders and led GREAT squads.

5. Her wedding day -- getting our hair done by the same hairdresser who did our hair for our Eighth Grade Farewell Dance.

4. Holding her first son, Clayton, when he was one day old at the hospital. When I arrived at their room, I waited in the hallway , listening to her cries of pain as she tried to get up out of bed. ( I believe she had 20 hours of labor before they FINALLY took Clayton by Caesarian; you'd be sore, too.) 

3. Cooking dinner for our boyfriends on a double-date our Senior Year. The bf's were from rival towns, and we wanted them to be friends. I don't think they spoke to one another the entire night. But maybe it was our cooking that left them speechless.

2. Her description of one of the dresses I tried on for my wedding, "Its clean and white, just like a tooth." 

1. I have a motto that I often write on cards and envelopes, it says, "True friends know the song in your heart, and they sing it back to you when you have forgotten the words." Holly had it embroidered on a blanket for me when I left for college. Its still on my bed in my home in Columbus. True friends are like honest mirrors: they show us the good, bad, and ugly in ourselves, and they inspire us to be better people.  Thanks for being that friend, Holly. Lastly, Holly have me a Precious Moment figurine for a birthday in Junior High -- its an elephant with a "don't forget" ribbon tied around his trunk. The figurine's title is "How Could I Ever Forget You?".

Inspired words, indeed, to my dear friend on her special day. 

It's Miller Time

My little sister, Kristin, got married to a super guy, Adam. This weekend. It was a great weekend. I am so happy that she's found someone just as special as she is. Here are the highlights:

The wedding weekend started bright and early on Friday decorating the hall. I don't have any great pictures of the finished hall, but it looked fantastic.

Emersyn had one (or three) donuts while we decorated. She didn't have to squeeze into a bridesmaid dress the next day, lucky girl!

My mom treated us girls to a manicures later that day. Here I'm trying to take a sip of my wine with my paraffin mittens.

Mom relaxing...the calm before the storm.

Kelly showing off her nail bling.

Team Miller prepping for the big game.

Kelly and I surprised Kristin with a little wedding present (see the blue box and bag!), but we didn't give it to her until she had the little paraffin mittens on! She had a doozy of a time getting out the gift--a small silver pendant engraved with her new initials - K.R.M. - and the date of her wedding - 5/23/09. It was just as precious as she is.

Friday night we had the rehearsal dinner and spent some quality time. Here's some of Kristin and Adam's good friends, married (left) and soon-to-be (right).

Dad, calm and collected, for now.

Adam loved his Buckeye Groom's Cake. Kristin loved Adam.

Rehearsal dinner happiness.

Grandma Schafer and me...who's the blondest?

The next day started even earlier; I had a 7am hair appointment. Are you kidding? Here's Kristin enjoying the breakfast of champions: champagne and roses.

After all the pre-wedding primping, it was showtime. All of the Schafer girls holding still for once. From left to right: Kelly, Emi, Kristin, Halle, Mom, and me. :)

Jeremy in a tux!

Movie star bride!

This is my lovely niece, Emi, wearing Kristin's "after-church" ruby slippers. (She wore white shoes to the ceremony).  Emi LOVES wearing big-girl shoes. 

Wow, he's CUTE. Cleans up nice, don't you think?

After the ceremony with my bestie, Holly.

All smiles! So happy!

Nine years ago it was this sister, instead, getting hitched to this guy! What a great example for Kristin and Adam (and Kara and Jeremy, too!).

My brother-in-law Mark, gets the party started.

Libations at Ft. Loramie's local watering hole, Al's. More libations to follow...

The happy couple get some celebratory shots on the bar. You have to see it to believe it!

Kristin has AMAZING friends...they kept the party going! Between the ceremony and the reception we took a spin around to the local bars with the whole wedding party. WILD! 

Happy couple. They are as pretty on the inside as they are on the inside. 

My sisters and I like to eat off each other's plates. Her wedding was no exception. 

Ahh, another picture of my bestie, Holly. She's a mother of two boys, wife of one MOUTHY (but lovable) cousin of mine, firecracker, and cancer SURVIVOR. 

The first dance. 

This my dear friend, Rusty. He lives in DC. I don't get to see him enough, and I miss him enough to cry when he goes, but he makes me laugh so much when he's around that I usually have enough memories to last me until the next time.

This is a wonderful tradition we have in our church: One of the first dances of the night, all married couples are asked to go on the dance floor, then one by one, the DJ asks couples married just one year to leave, then 5 years, then 10 years, then 20 and so on, until there is just one couple left. 

This is the longest-married couple (59 years!), my grandma and grandpa Hoying, and the newlyweds! 

My gal, Meghan, caught the bouquet! She's been my sister's (and my!) friend since, well, the womb. She is the unofficial 4th Schafer sister, though she has two wonderful brothers of her own (one happens to be Rusty, the gentleman photographed above!).

Here's my dad and my cousin, Craig. Thanks for helping me out with my toast, Craig! :) 

This is a dark picture of my aunts and uncles gettin' down and squaredancing! Wish I was a little better so I could keep up with them! 

  

Cuties! Here are my sisters and me at at another bar, Brucken's, for the after party. My face hurt from smiling at this point. So did my feet. ;)

It was a ROCKIN' good time.

      

Plants: Day One

I finally got my plants in tonight. 

Let's see if I have some of my mom's green thumb.  My mother puts in amazing flower beds every year and also keeps up an amazing perennial garden. I'm trying to talk her into a koi pond, too. Here are my efforts: 

Basil-Rosemary-Cilantro-Parsley

Petunia

Foxglove-Petunia-Bacopa

Happy Birthday Halle!

My niece, Halle, turns 6 today! WOW! 

The night Halle was born, I was in the pre-clinical dental lab casting a my first gold crown for a tooth. Funny, I remembered thinking, "Someday I'll melt this crown down and make her a piece of jewelry..." Yeah, haven't gotten close to a casting furnace since...sorry, Halle, I'll have to get your jewelry the old fashioned way...from a store, not from a creepy dentist!

In honor of Halle, here is a picture of her at her first dental appointment ( I think she was three...). 

That's an adult-sized papoose board there, folks, for anyone asking...not a great day at the office when you break one of those out!

It did NOT go very well, as you can maybe tell (no papoose though!), but of course, we spoiled her at Build-A-Bear anyway. I remember that day, me asking her if she liked her bear...to which she replied, "Its not a bear, Aunt Kara, its a Hello Kitty!" Well, duh...

 

Happy Birthday, sweetie! May you always stay as kind and concerned and helpful as you are today! Love Aunt Kara and Uncle Jeremy and Cousin Peanut. :)