Going To The Chapel

I love wedding pictures.  But I mean really, does anyone not love wedding pictures?  Probably, but by now, those people have already stopped reading.  Here are some pictures from before the ceremony that I was able to snap as Megan got ready on Saturday.

My Speech

I posted last week about about my sister's upcoming wedding.  Well it that happened over the weekend and it was amazing.  I can say that it was a wonderful time; she looked beautiful and everyone had a great time.  Since I shared Megan's speech at my wedding last week, I wanted to share mine here as well.  Here goes:

Good evening everyone.  For those of you that don’t know me, my name is Me-Me and I'm Megan's older sister.  Megan has instructed me- literally under penalty of death that I have to keep this speech PG rated and not embarrass her... So, I guess that means that this is the end of my speech. Thanks for listening... 

Megan, in all honesty, a few minutes on this special day isn't enough time to describe what you mean to me and so many people in this room, but I will try.

As everyone knows, you have a loving spirit and your kindness and beauty can light up any room; you have truly outdone yourself tonight.  You look amazing and I know you well enough to say that your happiness is genuine and that you’re enjoying every moment of this special day.

To most people, you become like a little sister, perhaps one that they never wanted, but that their life wouldn't be complete without.  

One of your best qualities is that you take the time to celebrate with everyone in the good times- you were there for me when I got married and for the birth of my children…

Oh wait… actually; do you remember that you missed Cullen's birth by minutes????  Why was that again??

 Oh right, because while I laid there suffering, you had been stuffing your face with Oreos and Reese’s peanut butter cups and then YOU needed to leave because you had to get some "rest.”

But you are 100% committed to everyone during the worst of times; and we all know how you love a good drama, the more dysfunctional the better; so bring it on people!  But I can also say that you never judge anyone; you only offer strength, support and love at a time when people need it the most.

As kids, Megan and I were pretty much inseparable and we always managed to keep each other laughing and during these moments our family was either laughing with us… or in some cases at us.  To this day, one of our most ridiculous times spent together was a trip we took to a boarding kennel to pick up our family dog, Murphy.  As soon as the people at the kennel brought out “Murphy” we knew that this wasn’t our dog.  This dog was beautiful… and VERY well behaved.  We tried to tell them it wasn’t our dog, but they insisted it was and because I was only 16 and Megan was 13, we did what any stupid kids would: we took the dog.  And I mean WE TOOK THE DOG.  We drove that beautiful dog home, we brought it inside… the dog practically joined the family.  But a few hours later the kennel called.  The owners of the beautiful dog were there and were refusing to take our dumb dog, so we had to return our new family member.  This has since become one of my Dad’s favorite stories to tell, but what he probably holds out on is that HE was one of the people who were trying to convince us we were crazy; he even rationalized that the reason Murphy’s fur had totally changed colors was because it was summer time and she had been outside a lot…

Megan, thank you for sharing the past 27 years with me; Mom, Dad, Geb and I have loved you so much and for so long and we are happy to welcome Joe into our lives and family.

And Joe, I’ve never really given you any compliments… and I’m not about to start now!  In all seriousness, you’re perfect for my sister; you make her happy and I can tell that the love you two share is real and will carry you through the highs and lows of the life that you’re building together.

As I watch you two create your family, I am inspired by how blessed you both are.  Joseph and Zeta are incredibly lucky to have supportive loving parents who are dedicated to giving them the best life possible. 

My wishes for Megan and Joe are that they have a continued loving friendship and partnership and that they remember two keys to a successful marriage: a good sense of humor and a short memory.  May you love one another and stand together today and always.

... and in case you're wondering, here's the proof:

Tomorrow

Tomorrow is gonna be a good great day. 

 Fingers are crossed, 

Virgin Mary statues are going to be put in windows 

and wishes are being made on my wishbone necklace

 that the weather cooperates and everything goes off without a hitch.

Happy Wedding Eve, Megan and Joe!

The Button Speech

The time is almost here, my sister is getting married.  Her big day makes me think of my wedding, all of the stress and planning resulted in a spectacular event, surely it was one of the happiest days of my life.  By far, the most meaningful part of the day (outside of exchanging vows with my husband) was the speech my sister gave.  It's funny how extraordinary stuff seems to get mixed in with totally ordinary stuff in my house- I found her speech several weeks ago mixed in with a whole bunch of take out menus and appliance manuals, one of my most important memories had been relegated to a place in my house much less deserving than the place it has in my heart.

So, as I take the time to work on my speech, I wanted to remember and share her words to me and Jim on that day:

The Button Speech

First and foremost, I want to say congratulations to Me-Me and Jim.

May your future days together be filled with love, laughter and all of the happiness in the world.

As we all know, my sister Me-Me has a heart of gold, who will do anything for anyone.

She is always willing to listen and always gives good advice.

She puts everyone before herself in any situation.

She is the type of person who will be by your side even before you are finished saying her name.

I can still remember the time when I was about 10 years old and Me-Me and decided to go out for a bike ride down our street.

On this particular day, I happened to be wearing my favorite shirt.

It was purple and silk and I loved it.

During our bike ride, I fell off my bike and ripped my shirt.

I began sobbing and as usual, Me-Me told me that I was going to be okay.

I was crying because our neighbors had seen me fall or that Me-Me stood there laughing at me,

but because I noticed that one of the buttons on my shirt fell off.

As I walked inside the house to clean up, Me-Me had stayed behind to look for that sing button that I had lost.

Eventually, Me-Me had found the button.

Even though Me-Me hated that shirt, she was still willing to find that single button that I'd lost so that I'd have a smile back on my face.

Me-Me, our cousin Kristen and I have always dreampt of our weddings.

I remember when we were younger, we would beg our parents for the newest edition of the JC Penny catalog.

Most kids would't be asking for the catalog, but if they did, they would probably be picking out toys and clothes that they would want for the upcoming holiday.

Well not us girls...

we were picking out our future husbands, children, wedding dresses and my favorite...

household appliances.

Me-Me-

You and I have special bond that goes deeper than just being sisters.

I've always wanted to be just like you.

I mean, who wouldn't-

you're one of the most kind, most caring, funny, smart, most beautiful women I know.

No matter how upset I am you always know what to say to make everything all right.

Just like how you've been there for everyone else, I promise to be there for you forever.

I've looked up to you as my mentor, my hero, my sister, but most importantly, my very best friend.

Jim-

I've know you for the past two years, and I haven't seen my sister happier.

I don't consider you my brother-in-law, because in my heart you are more like an older brother.

Even though it's been a short time, I feel like I've known you my whole life.

I wouldn't want anyone else as a brother-in-law but you.

Keep making my big sister smile.

Welcome to the family and I love you both.

Where Have You Been

Yesterday, I watched one of my best friends in life marry the man that she's crazy in love with; 

then we all watched as they grooved their way 

back down the aisle as husband and wife to Rihana's Where Have You Been.

 It was nothing short of awesome.  

When in doubt, ask someone who will tell you like it is.

Probably should've done a quick background item check...
At least the trashcan filled with wine bottles didn't make the shot.

If I know Nikole, she's saying to herself, "I'm not a policeman, I'm a princess!"

Behind every Bride-- and in this case, next to, is an awesome Maid of Honor.

And gorgeous... I forgot to mention that she's a gorgeous Maid of Honor.

This one's for Bobby's mum.

Lovely ladies.

Ok, so here's the deal.  2 nights before the wedding, I made Jim spray tan me.  He did a good job, but spray tan being what it is, I was streaky as a mother and my friends being who they are, thought it was hilarious and made fun of me.  Well, suck it y'all, it looks pretty decent in these pictures... just don't look at my tan foot.

One of the nicest thing about this weekend was rediscovering why we all became friends 11 years ago; mostly because we're fabulous, but also because we're good looking, nice people.

Pretty sure every Bridesmaid that wears a strapless dress has a picture where they look naked.  Here's mine.

Not to ruin the moment, but doesn't the Officiant look like Janeane Garofalo?

As Jim loves to say, you can take the girl out of Pittsburgh, but you can't take Pittsburgh out of the girl.

The nacho bar was legit delicious.

Can you tell which one is wearing a hairpiece?

Don't let the mustaches deceive you, this wedding party is all 2012, y'all.

Isn't she beautiful?

So, I pretty much Uncle Buck-ed every picture I took.  And what is Uncle Buck-ing a picture you might ask.
Well, it means that I just focused in on two (or more) people during a large group shot, and wha-lah.  A two person shot.

He's one lucky guy.

And she didn't do too bad herself.

This was a posed kiss though.

Mr & Mrs. S.

Oh, so this is where I'll Have Another went to...

I sincerely hope my sons are this cool when they grow up.

I desperately wanted these bangs, but we all know how that turned out...

If I'm ever lucky enough to have a daughter, I hope we have a relationship like they do. 

She's a lady in the street.

These two legitimately are Crazy In Love.

It's a good thing this was early, things got a wee bit slippery on the dance floor as the night wore on.

I heart the 15260.

And the rest of these people heart the people from 15260.

And this was just icing on the cake for Bob's mum.

She makes her laugh and that makes me happy.

It feels good to be back together again.

I was going to crop this, but I didn't have the heart to cut off Nikole's fierceness.  Work it girl.

I inappropriately love him.

We love one another so much, that we save each other's lives... literally.

I heart these two.

Thanks for letting me be a part of your day, Baby Girl.  I love you.