- Ti-Ti's Times -: Beloved: We are Gathered Together Today....

So here it is. One of the long awaited posts.
No, not Jenni and Lance's wedding. Not quite, although that one is nearing completion.
Nor is it the second most longly awaited blog about house renovations, although decorations are nearing their completion as well.
This is Stephanie and John's wedding blog- hence the weddingish title (don't you like the word hence.... it's right up there with mayhaps and skaplooshing).
div>I have a few more pictures that I'm going to put up on facebook after I send the CD to the Aardsma family.... so yet another thing for you to wait impatiently for. (P.S. Aardsma's it should be in the mail by Monday or so)

At first I had only filled this blog with pictures.... and then I got to thinking about how that doesn't really tell the whole story of the wedding. And then I got to thinking about what the whole story of the wedding was exactly. And so I decided to kinda break down every day I was in South Carolina for you. Don't worry, there are still pictures mixed in and more at the end.

Let's see if I can even remember this....

Wednesday-
You pretty much heard all about my Wednesday with my previous post about flying. Yep, that's pretty much all I did Wednesday. One thing that wasn't mentioned was that I flew out with the Senn's, but neither of us were properly introduced at that point so we hadn't the foggiest we were traveling together. We could have had lunch together at Atlanta. We also went out to eat with family, after touring Brittany and Kenny's new house, and of course, goofing off with masks.

Thursday-
Today was spent decorating the church, playing with flame throwers- I mean lighters, cutting ribbon, tying string, and me bruising myself up royally... you know. General, clumsy things like running myself over with a cart, falling through a chair, almost falling off ladders, and sticking my finger with push pins. The church isn't finished yet, but is very close.

Friday-
Woken up by Anj and pretty soon the whole family is in the room on the bed, just chatting. Then it's back to the church we go. More decorating to be done. Katie and I head off to the clubhouse to check on decorating in there. We set up all the tables and chairs and find out the table cloths we have don't work at all... they are a strange combination of too short and too long. We head back to the church and then pretty much directly back out to Walmart to get plastic table cloths. After a needful stop at Chick-fil-a we head in, only to find they don't have enough of the gold design ones so we combine it with the silver. And then it's back to the clubhouse to put them on...... and guess what? The gold design is only on the side of the cloth, barely visible.... that's not very nice. Then it's off to get our nails painted and some down time with the bride (who is looking a bit stressed).

Then it's off to change for the rehearsal. The bride is looking less stressed now. A few bridesmaids decided to bring their shoes to practice with......... we all decided that we will throw our shoes at the preacher if he goes over 10 minutes. And now we head off the the rehearsal dinner, hoping not to get lost in the dark. And then home to bed.....

Saturday-
Strangely I don't think the dogs were the ones to wake any of us up this morning. Steph gets ready for her hairdresser to come at 9ish.

I attempt to get ready while also playing photographer for Steph. We all head to the church to finish getting ready while I again try to combine curling my hair with photography...... (does it smell like burnt hair in here to you??) And then I take pictures of Steph getting in her dress with her mom and sisters. How many Aardsma's does it take to put on a wedding dress? Then we send the bride off for a first look. Now I can concentrate on getting ready......(this church is sadly lacking in plug ins). And then we head off to join the couple in a park for pictures. Just a hint for you all: don't try to rock climb with 5 inch heels. Doesn't work so hot... neither does walking in mud. But I'm a Colorado girl who normally rock climbs barefoot anywho. Then it's back to the church to wait...... and then the dreadful, awful, terrible, horrible moment comes. We must all put our shoes back on and walk down an aisle and stand for 45 minutes. Oh, and it's time for the wedding. After a few tears from the bridesmaids (from the shoes, of course), Stephanie is now a married woman. Then some more pictures with family and the reception. But the day isn't over yet. After we send the couple off (with Mr. A hiding in the back seat....lol) we all head to meet the couple at the clubhouse. And more pictures of family, then good food and another goodbye to the couple. This one's for real. Some of us head back to the church to get some things that were left there. We of course had forgotten the church key and so we stalked around banging on windows and doors, shivering in thin dresses. What about clean up? you ask. This was the most awesome wedding I've been too. Stephanie had a couple families in the church volunteer clean up for us. It was amazing. And then it's home to change into sweats and then to the video store to drown our sorrows in an action/adventure movie, in which we all promptly fall asleep.

Sunday-
Well- the important part of my story is over and so after sleeping in, finishing our movie, and a lovely, filling dinner, I head to the airport and home. In which travel, I lose a most valuable piece of jewelry. No, this isn't Barbie speaking. This is sentimental and teary eyed Ti-Ti, the one you don't see too much. Between the Greenville airport and getting on the plane in Atlanta I seem to have lost my graduation bracelet. This is the one that everyone in my family had given me a charm for and present to me at my highschool graduation..... and yes, I'm very teary eyed about it, even now- 25 days later. And so on the plane to Denver I drew a picture of what was on it. Maybe some day for my birthday or some other event I will rebuild it..... And if you are ever in Greenville or Atlanta and come across something shinny that happens to look very similar... well, you know where to send it.