Has God ever...

Has God ever answered one of your prayers in such a beautiful way that it almost makes you weep? That it makes your stomach and your heart dance inside of you until you don't know whether you are going to cry or jump up and down? It is amazing.

Two times today. Once for me. Once for someone else. And I am believing there will be many more.

...to go.

Color

Blue? Green? Salmon? Yellow? Purple? I love them all. In muted vintage tones...I love them all. ERGH! But I need to pick one. I feel like I need to see the venue again...to see what colors go with all the brick. It wouldn't be that big of a deal, but I think, always, like a photographer. What would look good in the pictures? So I am thinking - red and salmon are out. At least in the bridesmaids dresses. Yellow - maybe, but not too bright. Blue - maybe, but not too dark. Purple - Nah. So blue or yellow? I looked up "blue and yellow" weddings on the TheKnot.com and found some inspiration pictures.

I love these ladies...just add a lacy ballgown on the bride and it would be pretty great. I like the pale yellows and almost tans.

One of my favorite bouquets that I have seen.

Love the teals as well. Sheesh.

Love the two almost peachy roses in this bouquet.

Love the pale blues. CUTE DRESSES!!!

Adorable. Very vintage - which I love.

More pale yellows. Argh!! How to choose!!!

I am stuck. Pale yellow? Tiffany blue? Pale teal? Country blue? Ice blue?

Help.

Crabtree Falls

Ahhh, now it feels like summer. Hiking, camping, barbeques, laying on the beach or in a hammock - those are the things of summer. I have a class starting on Monday, so I am trying to stuff in some major summer until I have more weekdays off in July. Therefore, Kyle and I went hiking today at Crabtree Falls. It was the perfect weather! Oh and it was National "Take Pictures of Nature" Day....no joke...the radio said so.

1.7 miles up...1.7 miles down...all along a gorgeous waterfall.

We did not try to coordinate. : )

This is how Kyle Wade poses.

Made it to the top. Rarrr.

It was a long fall down...4 whole feet. Parkour!

Very pretty!

The Nays of Dress Shopping

So, some dresses looked pretty on the hanger and not on me. Some dresses were just fun to try on, but definitely not my style. And some dresses were picked by a consultant, who might not have known me as much as the friends do.

Look at my face...hahaha. I even picked this one, and it did nothing for my figure. Blah.

Grecian godess anyone? This is deceptive though. It looks pretty in the picture, but man was I stuffed in it. It was only a size 2! If I go back, I might try on a size bigger, just to see. But no one really liked this one in person.

Vera Wang. This is so deceptive. It looks gorgeous in the picture, but many was it crazy. All that wavy fabric at the bottom was so hard to walk in and sort of perplexing to look at in person.

Pooja wanted me to try the big poof. Ha. It was big alright.

Barf.

Loved this one online, but it felt like a dryer sheet and looked a little like a comforter at the bottom. Liked the top.

Too much going on around the boob area.

Angela wanted me to try on a Disney dress at Alfred Angelo...this one is the Ariel. Just not me.

Picked by the consultant, because it was on sale, and the WORST all day. Ew. I mean just look at my face.

This one I would have bought on the spot if I was a winter bride. Because I looked like a snowflake queen. It was beautiful...and train...perfect. But for winter.

And just a little shout out to my posse (these ladies plus Angela) - THANK YOU!!! I was so blessed to have so many friends, who love me so much, there to help me find a great dress. And I love all of you...and hope I can return the favor when you all shop for your big dress.

Chantilly lace and a pretty face?

Lace.
Didn't think I would like it in a wedding dress.
But...kind of loved it.
With the help of a few great friends, who seemed to know what would look good on me a bit better than I did, I tried on a few lace dresses on Friday and Saturday. They ended up being the dresses that wowed everyone. The dress from Alfred Angelo was the favorite, but the price tag was not the favorite to me.

This is a David's Bridal dress - cheaper, but I wasn't as wowed by it as everyone else.

This is the Alfred Angelo on me. It weighed a lot and had a huge train, which would need to change, meaning more money.

I loved so many dresses. Besides lace, I seem to be attached to ballroom gowns with belts and pockets. Those are the two styles I flip-flop between. Lace is always more expensive, but everyone says it fits me and my wedding better. And, I actually loved the very first dress I tried on - it was a drop waste satin dress from David's Bridal - with no pockets, but a great beaded belt. I think I loved it so much...because the price was so good as well. : )

This is the one from David's Bridal.

Here I am in it. : )

LAST DAY!!!

WOOOO!!!

Well really, I have to go in tomorrow to clean and on Thursday for our staff picnic, but the grading is DONE...the exams are DONE....I have no homework tonight...and I have the most awesome weekend coming up. On Friday I am heading up to MD to start wedding dress shopping. I was originally going up to just attend Rose's bachelorette party and hang out with Pooja Matthew,(I am still doing both :) but many friends and family members have urged me to start shopping for the dress early...so I thought it might be nice to hit a couple of the shops up there that we don't have nearby here. I am so excited...but quite nervous as well, in that all eyes will be on me, scrutinizing what I look like. I will have a blast though, I know it.

But, back to school. I had a great day today, my students helped me clean and then we played Chinese Trainwreck and cards for the rest of class. Across the hall, they were playing rockband. Last days are the most fun. I also brought home stacks and stacks of resource materials to use to start planning my lessons for next year. I can't wait to organize and create.

Well...to end...let me give a virtual *high five* to all teachers, because summer is here my friends. WOO HOO!