Thaner's Wedding In Photos

Since I've misplaced my dumb ol' camera, I had to steal all of these photo from the couple's sister-in-law, Jenae Turley. Thank you, Jenae!

Smoochy, smooch - the couple gets their kiss on to seal the deal. It was an absolutely beautiful day for a wedding at St. Catherine's at Bell Gable in Fayetteville.

Thaner and her dad, David, rode down to the ceremony very stylishly in this 1902 Mercedes. Baller! So of course we all had to strike a pose with it after the ceremony. I'm the short, awkward girl hidden in the middle. Wah, wah.

Now, on to the important part - the party! This was the loveliest and tastiest cake display that I've ever seen. For realz. Thank you, Rick's Bakery, for forcing me to try every single cake and thus adding an unwanted 5 lbs to my already voluptuous ass. My fave was the peanut butter-filled chocolate.

Gorgeous feather table displays! The tablecloths were also pretty sexy. Tables alternated these tablecloths and displays with white and roses, I think (paid attention to the decor up until my first glass of champagne, then it was full on fun focus).

Maybe they were carnations?

There was a photo booth. We got to wear silly hats and whatnot, take pictures and make scrapbook pages for the couple. Mine were all inappropriate. Shocker, I know. Steven really liked the costumes. I really liked the champagne (as evidenced in next photo.)

Ok, so, I can only tell myself over and over again that I'm not really this pudgy and the dress was all scrunched up from dancing up a storm. Normally I wouldn't share with the world such an unflattering photo, but come on, we're having a really, really good time. Sometimes you take one for the team in order to accurately communicate a message. This is mine: Annslee, I'm so very happy that you had the beautiful, super fun wedding that you've always wanted and that I was able to watch my best friend marry the person that she loves. I'm so blessed and proud that you asked me to be a part of it. I love you. Also, doesn't her booty look good in that dress?

Ready for the Weekend

The week has flown by. I swear to you that Monday was only a few hours ago. Now, don’t get me wrong, I am absolutely not complaining, I just hate feeling like life is rushing by and that I might be missing something.

That said, I am ready for the weekend. More than ready. Brimming with excitement. Here’s why:

1. Tomorrow I have a big presentaito that I just want to put behind me. Public speaking is so not my forte.
2. Gretchen is coming up Friday and I feel like it’s been 100 years since I’ve seen her. Half of my best girlfriends are in Little Rock and, even though it’s just two and a half hours away, I hate that we’re not a part of each other’s everyday lives.
3. Sadie gets her stitches out Saturday morning and we get to ask the doctor why the hell she has taken to peeing all over the house. Sick, I know, but a disgusting reality.

And the drum roll please….

4. We’re hosting a Beers Around the World Brunch Tailgate and I can’t wait to cook brunch, hang out with friends, try the international brews that everyone brings and watch my first Razorback game of the season.

I’ve been wrapped up in wedding events the past two weekends and have totally missed out on my favorite time of year. But don’t get the wrong idea, I enjoy watching college football as much as the other guy, but I really love drinking beer outside with friends and the amazing weather that comes with the season. So mostly I love football by association.

In case you’re as nosy as I am, you’ll want to know what I’m serving. Here’s my menu:

• Sausage hash brown casserole
• Overnight French toast (I’ve never made it before, but it’s like a French toast casserole)
• Tons of bacon
• Salsa and chips (post brunch, during game snack)
• French onion dip
• Bacon cheddar dip (Gretchen’s making – I’m excited to try it because really, who doesn’t love creamy bacon and cheddar?)

It’s super simple and designed to be prepared mostly the night before. The last thing I want to do is be stuck in the kitchen while everyone else is having fun, watching the game and trying beers from around the world. I also made up some super cute scorecards so that everyone could keep track of their favorite and least favorite beers. Razorback themed, of course!

Everyone have a fantastic weekend and if you’re in Fayetteville Saturday morning, grab a sixer of your favorite brew and come on over.

P.S. – do you guys think the menu is appropriate for 20 ish people? I tend to go overboard and have tried to rein myself in on this particular event.

Bridal Shower Shindig

So my for first “official” blog post, I’m gonna keep it simple.

This weekend, I popped my bridal-shower-hostess cherry for my best friend and pledge sister, Annslee’s, recipe shower. And while many of our flaky friends neglected to RSVP, the whole event was nonetheless successful. She made out with tons of loot and family recipes, and we got to polish off six bottles of champagne after the grownups left. Not bad for a Saturday afternoon.

As no great feat is tackled alone, two other girlfriends and sorority sisters, Lauren and Heather co-hosted the event. We learned that a group can plan a successful party via e-mail and that, inevitably, you will purchase and prepare a minimum of seven times the actual amount of food that you need. Luckily, I put on my big girl panties and scarfed down at least enough to make up for six of the no-shows who were unable to read my RSVP request on the invite. Heather's chocolate covered cherries were beautiful and decadent and Lauren’s Caprese Skewers were absolutely fantastic – I ate like 75 and only stopped because they ran out. Seriously.

Speaking of invites, I designed the one for this party and it was beyond cute. I don’t care if you agree. It was, I tell you! And the recipe card that we asked attendees to bring along with their coordinating gift was attached to the invite and perforated to tear off. Genius, if I do say so myself. Even more genius was the entire idea, which was Lauren's brainchild.

And if I must continue with the bragging, I made my first successful attempt at decorating with fondant (the first batch was only good enough for the garbage can). Many of you may or may not understand the complexities of fondant, but just know that it involves crying over sugar and marshmallows at 1 o’clock in the morning the night before your party. Or maybe that’s just me, who knows? Either way, the cake eventually turned out lovely – turquoise/acqua on the outside with a layer of red velvet and another of cherry (her wedding colors are turquoise and red) – and everyone appropriately swooned over it. You know I just do this stuff to stroke my ego.

All in all, we had a great time and hopefully our blushing bride-to-be felt special and loved and like the delicate flower that she is (chuckle, snort).

I'll post more photos later, but here's one of the invite with detachable recipe card:




















And just in case you're interested, here's our full menu:

Cake - red velvet and cherry chip with acqua marshmallow fondant
Chocolate covered cherries
Miss Mae's Coffee Crisps, some dipped in dark chocolate
Margarita chicken skewers with cilantro-lime sauce
Caprese Skewers
Tzatzki with pita chips (Lauren picked this up from a Greek restaurant in Little Rock, but I'm not sure of the name)
Poinsetta Punch (Lauren's family recipe)