Mary Mary Married Lady!

It was an extremely warm morning - I waited patiently at 9 AM at the temple for the bride and groom to show up so I could photograph them (I was the photographer for the day). It was sunny and there wasn't a cloud in the sky. It was Mary & Jeff's wedding day.
We spent about an hour taking pictures on the grounds and Mary looked beautiful in her non traditional wedding dress and handmade yellow bolero. Jeff looked very handsome in his suit with his button corsage. We were all dressed in our best and we took many combinations of pictures of family and friends.
When we got into the temple, I got to go with Mary to the bride's room and help her get ready for the ceremony. She was so excited and I got a little teary seeing her dressed in white and ready to be married for time and all eternity like I had done 8 years ago in the same temple.
The ceremony was very nice and they looked in love and happy. It was the right thing, in the right place at the right time. It made my heart happy.
Afterward, they exchanged rings on the temple grounds and we took a couple of group shots. Jeff and Mary then got ready to leave for their honeymoon to Puerto Rico. We went out to eat - as we were starving to Cheesecake Factory and celebrated their union in our own way! :)

Mary Goes to the Temple

Honored cannot even begin to describe how I felt to be Mary's escort going through the temple for the first time. She and I have had a great relationship for the past two years and we have been through a lot together and I was so happy for her that she had found happiness with Jeff and that they were choosing to marry in the temple.So many funny things happened that I can't talk about here but one of the things that happened was one of the sisters in the temple asked me if I was Mary's mom! I almost choked! Do I look old enough? She was so embarrassed when I explained I was only a year older than Mary and she quickly took it back but it was a funny thing I will never forget.The day before we wedding, Mary had to go through for herself and so we all went up (all meaning Mary, Jeff and all of Jeff's family and a friend of Jeff's) and had a wonderful time at the temple and feeling so happy. There was so much love and I almost felt like an intruder at times. We took a few pictures after and Mary just glowed - just like I knew she would.

Mary A's Bridal Shower

We had a little bridal shower for Mary at Rosa's Mexican Restaurant at National Harbor a few days before her wedding. It was super fun. The food was amazing and it was fun to meet all of Jeff's sisters and his mother was there as well. In fact, I felt special because I was the only non-related person there! Mary didn't count because she was about to marry in...She got some great gifts and I was so excited when she opened mine - because guess what I got her? Lingerie! Yes - that is what I always get brides because they need a little something for the honeymoon. She laughed so hard and did her nervous laugh which in turn made the rest of us crack up. Even the people at the other tables were looking - it was classic!

Organizing my side of the Office

Those of you who have been in our office - to my dismay - know what a mess it is most of the time. Stuff on the floor, things piled on desks, etc. I took an entire day - from 9 AM until very late at night - close to midnight to really clean my desk and surrounding area. I am so happy with the way it looks. I feel like I can sit at my desk and focus!

SAP Company Picnic - Harry Potter Extravaganza!

Lorne was invited to the US SAP Headquarters office company picnic and we hopped in the car and drove to Philly for it. It was totally worth it.The party was held outside and had a Harry Potter theme. It was amazing all that they had to offer. They had people dressed as the Harry Potter characters, they had a scavenger hunt for kids to win prizes, food galore, quidditch for older children to play, karaoke, huge chess game, magic show and the list went on...bounce castles, rides, pony rides, funnel cake...Jasmine was sorted when we arrived - she was sorted into Gryffindor! I had a great time singing and I became very popular. I even did a song with Jasmine although she chose a song she didn't know well so she only sung the chorus.We had a great time and I can't wait for next year's picnic.

Day 6 of Vacation and Celebrating our Anniversary

It was our last day of vacation and we were sad about it - but we had a great day planned. We went to the Castle in the Clouds (formerly called Lucknow) - the home of Thomas Plant (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Gustave_Plant) who made his fortune manufacturing shoes in the early 1900's.The home was built in 1914-1915 in the by millionaire shoe manufacturer Thomas Gustave Plant (1859-1941) for his second wife, Olive Cornelia Dewey. Its nickname "Lucknow" may have been a play on words on the city of Lucknow in India. The property was assembled from the private Ossippee Mountain Park, an observation area called the Crow's Nest, and a variety of other lodges and buildings. On this property he built the mansion, a stable/garage, gatehouses, a greenhouse, farm buildings, and a golf course. The property eventually extended to 6,300 acres.The house included many innovations which were rare at the time, including a circular shower, interlocking kitchen tiles, and a central vacuum system.After Plant lost his money in a series of bad investments, the house and its contents were auctioned off in 1941-1942 to pay his creditors who allowed him to stay in the mansion until his death, but the furnishings remained with the house. The property was purchased by Fred C. Tobey family and opened as a tourist attraction in 1956.
I found it fascinating and I love this kind of stuff. Before we got up to the house, there were a couple of stops. The first was at a very nice waterfall - though to be honest, as pretty as it was it is hard to impress me since I have been to Washington State and seen some amazing waterfalls.The second stop was a scenic view of Lake Winnipesaukee and the Ossippee Mountains. The pictures just do not do it justice.At the last stop, we boarded the trolley bus to take us up to the house for the tour. It was super cute that they shuttle people that way.The house has a breathtaking view that would be a dream to wake up and see everyday. I really liked it and it transported me back to life in the 1920s. The pictures do a fair job of showing what we saw but I highly recommend seeing it for yourselves if you ever get the chance.After a great day at Lucknow, we went home and got ready for dinner. We had reservations at the Woodshed - just my love and I to celebrate our anniversary. We chose this restaurant because it came highly recommended by Laura and her family and it is Laura's favorite restaurant. The food was delicious and we had a very nice time. I am so blessed to be married to such a wonderful man who loves me enormously.