Sara was gorgeous. The bride and the matron of honor. Bridesmaids. Me with my baby sister. Anyone want to guess how many "Are you next?" comments we got? The capes were our lifesavers. Micah had a matching suit. Siamese twins. Chris and his wife, Valeen. Bridesmaids. Sisters. Friends. Swing dancing. Dave and Ellie cut a rug. The fam. The wedding was perfect.
Apparently Anoop is gone. I didn't watch the show, but from the recap I read, I didn't miss much. In fact, with the new elimination format they are using, I can finally say that I'm so over American Idol.
In other news, we leave a week from today for New York for my sister's wedding. Yesterday my dad texted this picture from Sara's backyard ... It's gonna be a cold five days.
Anyway, Sara's the third (and last) of my siblings to get married. Did you know I'm the oldest of four? This might sound kind of weird, but I always had a strong feeling that I'd be the last to get married. So, Sara, I guess I should say thanks for not waiting too long.
Yesterday's post was a heavy one. It's hard to know how to follow that. I think for tonight I'm just going to give you a few random thoughts going through my head right now...
Chris took me tonight to this little French restaurant in Old Colorado City. It's actually an old house that's been converted into a restaurant. But it still looks very much like a house. The ambiance was great - very warm with a muted elegance. And the food was fantastic! I'd recommend it to anyone in the Colorado Springs area looking for a nice place for a date.
Tomorrow is the Superbowl. I don't really care about either team, but for Chris' sake I'll root for the Steelers. I always enjoy watching the game ... well, actually what I enjoy is watching all the extra stuff like the Star Spangled Banner, the commercials and the halftime show. What? You never know when the next wardrobe malfunction may occur.
My sister Sara gets married four weeks from today. We're going to New York for her wedding. It will be a blast, I'm sure! (Upstate New York in February? Definitely a blast of arctic wind.) Anyway, I'm excited for her wedding. It's been fun to watch how God worked in her life to bring her to this point. It's still hard to imagine my little Sara a married woman.
Well, that's all for tonight. It's late, my belly's full of French food, my eyes are heavy and my bed is calling my name.
My sister Sara got engaged a few weeks ago. She's getting married to this great guy named Zach. (Henceforth, they will be know as The Sach.)
This last year, The Sach decided to move from San Diego to upstate New York. As my sister is now a resident of New York, engaged to a native New Yorker, her wedding is going to be in New York.
In February.
I don't know if you heard, but just last week The White Witch took up residence in New York. She announced her arrival to the area with a severe ice storm. President Bush actually declared a state of emergency. It's FLIPPIN' freezing.
Here are some pictures sent from The Sach ...
I'm a summer girl. I love me some tank tops and flip flops and the beach. And I hate being cold.
I'm going to start praying right this second for an early summer.
Good Wednesday morning, blog world! How is your week going? Mine is going swimmingly. I think. (Actually I'm not sure what that word means. But I like how it sounds.)
I just found out via another blog that Clay Aiken (or Clayken, as I've dubbed him) has confirmed he's gay. Not much of a surprise, I suppose, but at least the rumors are finally put to rest. Now despite what including this news on my blog may lead you to believe, I'm not really a fan. (Well, except for his Christmas album which I really like.)
On Sunday we officially launched The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants Clothes Co-op! My friend (and co-Co-op-er) Amber posted about it. (Watch out for the phenomenal video footage. )
Today is Wednesday. Which means a week from now Chris and I'll be on a plane bound for NY! For 12 days. I can't wait ... beachfront wedding on Long Island, Wicked on Broadway (maybe I'll see Clayken in the city like my friend Suzanne did), time with my fam (especially this one) then on to more fun in Virgina and D.C.
While I'm playing in NY, my team at work is moving to a new part of the building (Compassion's building is ginormous now), and wood floors are getting put in my house. When I come home I'll practically have a whole new life! I hope Havana remembers me.
For your listening pleasure, I leave you today with a ROCKIN' version of Wild Horses, sung by Alicia Keys and Adam Levine.
Just in case you were wondering, according to Dictionary.com, swimmingly is an adverb meaning: without difficulty; with great success; effortlessly. So it's true ... my week is going swimmingly. How's yours?
One of my memories from our family vacations to New York was picking fresh fruit. Mmmmm.... Sister #1 Sister #2 Sister #3 (plus an add-on) At the blueberry farm there this barn with a cool door. And one more photo of the little guy ... just 'cause.
P.S. I can't believe it's August already. I think summer was shorter this year.
Time in Albany has been great so far. And the fun news ... the trip is only halfway over! This little guy has made it worth every second. I'm seriously considering a move to New York for the next 18 years.
I'm off early tomorrow morning to fly to New York and see my sister and her hubs. And also my other sister. And her boy Zach. And my cousin Jillian. And her new puppy. And perhaps most exciting of all ... to meet the new man in my life.
I'm flying Delta this time. Let's hope this trip goes a little smoother than my last one with Northwest.
I'm bringing my computer so I'm planning to post from there, but just in case we're too busy seeing Royal Crown Revue, playing Settlers of Cattan, picking fresh fruit (a NY tradition) and sailing on Zach's boat
I'm in upstate New York right now visiting my sister and her husband. My baby sister. Who's very preggers at the moment. I flew out here now because:
1. I wanted to see her with a big ol' baby belly and I'll be in Hawaii when she actually has the baby. So unless I see her now I wouldn't get to see her pregnant.
2. I wanted to give her a baby shower. I feel like it's one of the big sister "official" duties and even though I live thousands of miles away, I didn't want to miss out on it.
I had a hellish trip out here. American Airlines' problems are causing all sorts of chaos with the other airlines trying to cover for them, so even though I wasn't flying American, it didn't matter. Then there was a medical emergency on the incoming plane we were supposed to depart on so that made us leave 1.5 hours late which meant I missed not just my original connection, but also the connection they rebooked me on. Then I met Ms. Grouchy Pants, the Northwest Airlines ticketing agent who was unbelievably rude to me and told me she couldn't help me because she was supposed to go on break and how on earth could I have managed to miss both flights ... etc. I was so tired and frustrated by this time that I just started to cry. I couldn't help it. You would have thought that would soften Ms. GP a little, but nope. Not a smidge. I'm normally a very patient and understanding traveler, but this was a hard trip.
In the end I made it to Albany. I flew from Denver to Minneapolis to Atlanta to Albany. But I made it.
And even though the weather people predicted rain for the whole time, so far the sun's been shining.
Sailing on Zach's boat. Ellie and I helped out by reclining on the bow. Not Zach's boat. Just another one on Saratoga Lake. Dave finds Snake #1 on our hike. It promptly peed on him. At the summit of Sleeping Beauty. Lake George in the Adirondacks. Wow. Bumps Pond on the way back down the mountain. (In Colorado this is called a lake.)
Last summer I went to New York City. I stayed with a friend in the upper west side of Manhattan. I remember walking through the streets of Greenwich Village at night. Every highrise I walked past had rows of large, brightly lit windows. Through the windows I could see glimpses of massive and beautifully decorated lofts, every one completely different from the next. Each window was like a snapshot into someone's life - a freeze frame from an episode of Friends. I would see a small piece of their home and imagine what their name was, where they were at that moment, what they ate, where they shopped, who their friends were ... I was fascinated by the life journeys represented by these windows. There were unending possibilities of fame, heartbreak, triumph and tragedy.
I think those Manhattan windows intrigued me for the same reason I like reality TV shows. I'm a natural born people-watcher. I love anything that allows me to see into someone else's life. I'm fascinated by other people's life stories.
This is also why blogging appeals to me. I can literally sit for hours at a time and read people's blogs. When I'm reading a blog, it's like I'm being allowed inside another person's head for a momentary glimpse of their world. And every blog links to a bunch of other blogs that link to other blogs that ... well, you get the idea. It's sort of like a black hole. It sucks me in.
When it comes down to it, though, I guess that's really what life is all about - sharing in each other's life journeys. We are people created for community.
The bride and the matron of honor.
Bridesmaids.
Me with my baby sister.
Anyone want to guess how many "Are you next?" comments we got?
The capes were our lifesavers.
Micah had a matching suit.
Siamese twins.
Chris and his wife, Valeen.
Bridesmaids. Sisters. Friends.
Swing dancing.
Dave and Ellie cut a rug.
The fam.
The wedding was perfect.
It's gonna be a cold five days. 
Last summer I went to New York City. I stayed with a friend in the upper west side of Manhattan. I remember walking through the streets of Greenwich Village at night. Every highrise I walked past had rows of large, brightly lit windows. Through the windows I could see glimpses of massive and beautifully decorated lofts, every one completely different from the next. Each window was like a snapshot into someone's life - a freeze frame from an episode of Friends. I would see a small piece of their home and imagine what their name was, where they were at that moment, what they ate, where they shopped, who their friends were ... I was fascinated by the life journeys represented by these windows. There were unending possibilities of fame, heartbreak, triumph and tragedy. 
