Autumn arrives in early morning, but spring at the end of a winter's day.

What a gorgeous day today! I spent the morning taking pix of the beautiful peonies I inherited in my back yard. The buds are so plentiful and ready to burst that they are already falling over! (pictures to follow soon!) I also got in a few pictures of my azaleas and roses before the battery had enough. Should get some more tomorrow morning (before a good lawn mowing) and I may even try and pick up some more perennials at Lowe's since the combined effort of the puppy and cat killed my healthy and beautiful succulents over the winter :(.

I had about a third of these...until we got the puppy.

I had a great girls night with my mom, indulging in cheddar biscuits and Walt's Fried Shrimp at our favorite rubescent crustacean. Delish! We spent our evening gabbing over which restaurants in Wichita we wanted to revisit the most since we will both be traveling that way soon. Barnards, Felipe's and NuWay are all def on the list! After dinner we stopped at Half Price Books where I spent around $300 in mind between the Fantasy/Sci-fi & Baking section. I have definitely settled on going back and picking up a baking book my bestie Michelle showed me last weekend. It had some great recipes for breads and pies. MMMMM!

THE WEDDING, Part 2

After saying our "I do's," we whisked off to take what seemed like 10,000 pictures that pretty much all turned out amazing. My favorites featured (of course) fall foliage and PUMPKINS! Let's not forget my husband's unique golf cart driving. LOL! When we arrived back at the club we were ushered in to our own private geek soiree to the stylings of Star Wars, specifically, the hero's chorus in A New Hope. Nerdfabulous!!! There were the customary toasts, everyone made me cry, especially my matron of honor, Kaleigh, and then feast. I don't actually remember eating anything but I know from all the comments and from the original tasting that it was mmgood. being a Pasta, potatoes, roast beef, chicken. Oh, somewhere in there we had our first dance between nnounced and food! We chose "Lucky" by Jason Mraz and Colbie Caillat because it pretty much sums up the way we feel about each other.

After cutting the cake, making the rounds, and pretty much partying as hard as we could, Chad and I saw our guests off around midnight and we spent our first night of wedded bliss in Lawrence at the Holiday Inn (giggles). We had a short "honeymoon" at the fabulous boutique hotel in KCMO, the Rapheal. We took a carriage ride through the Plaza and ate at our favorite Hibachi restaurant. We also got the special "romantic" package at the hotel. Oh la la, it was faboo!

I'm trying to convince Chad that we should revisit for our second anniversary even
if we have to put down our own rose petals and bring our own wine!!

Whooosh!! So, this is a bit awkward..

I've been, well, away to say the least. See there was this whole wedding thing, job changes, etc, etc and I guess felt too busy to keep up the YBRE. In reality, I think I was a little overwhelmed by the caliber of other people's blogs! I mean seriously, the serious amount of crafting, art and the plain internet smarts some of my fellow bloggers have just made me feel so darn inadequate! But, no more excuses! I'm a homemaker/stay-at-home-mom -in-waiting and I should use this time wisely! Plus, my AMAZING parents just bought me a lightly used Bernina Activa 210 for my recent 26th birthday and my SPECTACULAR husband surprised me with a new Nikon Coolpix S3100. Um, so, I really have no other choice but to update you on all the cool things going on in the Yellow Brick Road East!

Let's take it slow over the next few days and I'll update you on the last year and a half at the YBRE. First things first.



The Wedding!! 10/3/09 Man, I can't believe it's been more than a year and a half! All the crazy bumps we went through don't seem like much looking back on them. Scanning through our engagement and shower pictures...awww, it was like another lifetime ago. But I won't wax too sentimental. The big day was FANTASTIC! It started out with a brunch with me and my besties at a great restaurant in downtown Lawrence, then we all had our hair done at Salon di Marco (an amazing place, cannot recommend enough) while we hurriedly finished some last minute programs. After that it was off to Alvamar to "suit up" pix. Chad and I wanted to be pretty traditional and not see each other before the wedding so there was some strategic planning on the part of our photographer, Cate (a friend of mine from an old college job and a very talented artist! Please check our her other work here.) Before long I was in my dress & singing "Like a Prayer" with my best friends in the dressing room and then all of the sudden I found my self on the first tee of one of the most beautiful autumn days ever, surrounded by pumpkins and mums and next to the kindest and most wonderful man ever to boot!!

More pictures soon of the reception!!

So it's been a while!! But things are going great. Chad and I are officially (well, almost) Mr. and Mrs. Blake! I say almost because I was supposed to be able to change my name last week but of course the wedding certificates didn't come in the mail until the day after I was off. Anyway, October 3rd went off with, well, very few hitches and the actually wedding day was mostly stress free and one of the most wonderful days ever! It was gorgeous out, the leaves were bright and I was surrounded by those I loved! What more could I ask for? How about a night of gettin' down on the dance floor!! Oh, and that's me driving up to Alvamar with my wedding dress wrapped in a sheet and piled on top. (Mom had to get a pic!)

Life has started to settle down a bit. It's wonderful to actually live in my own home! Scout loves her big back yard and has already dug a hole under the inadequate chain-link. Guess what we're building this spring! She gets to go with me to Lawrence every day where my mom picks her up and takes her home to play with Cassidy, her big, furry brother. No point in her staying by herself. I have to say the the drive is hard, not so much in the morning like you might think, but in the evening when I need to get home and make dinner.

We are thinking of expanding our family soon. I know what you're thinking and don't get too excited. I've got it in my head that I want a cat. I just feel like this big house needs something and since we don't need a baby and think a little fuzzy one might be just the right fit! I will keep you updated.

Things to look forward to:

1. Wedding pix!
2. New kitty?!?
3. Thanksgiving at our house
4. Christmas!!!!
5. Painting the bedroom?
6. Planning the new front garden layout
7. Vacation to New England!!!!!

More of the crazies

I'd like to say that Chad and I are settling in to our house all snuggly and tight, but...not so much. Of course, half of that has to do with the little hitch that I only "live" there on the weekends and visit on Tuesday nights. We did get most of belongings moved in over the weekend of June 18th; his from Stilwell and mine from Lawrence. All that remains is my oh-so-heavenly bed that I will not give up until October and some beautiful vintage 1960's vintage furniture his grandparents are giving us as well as some other essentials (some great dining room furniture, washer/dryer!!!, patio furniture).

Chad also picked out an early wedding present for himself; a 40 inch plasma TV which he was allowed to place in what he has lovingly termed the "TV Spot" or the brick area above our fireplace mantel. It, despite my skepticism at first, rely does look wonderful there. We also finally go to hang up our biggest winning from our Las Vegas trip, our Mangelsen original, "Teton Teddy" which was my early wedding present! Oh, and by the way, the new carpet and tile in the kitchen looks fantastic!!!

Chad and I are both having a pretty good month so far business wise. He was recently given a raise for all the great work that he has accomplished and is now an Engineer 3! My lia sophia business is starting to take off. I had my third show last night and really enjoy that effort that goes in and the product that comes out. I'm super excited because I reached my New Beginnings goal and will receive another great jewelry premium in free products which I will be picking out of the brand new catalog!!!

In other news, saving for the wedding had been going extremely, especially with my new business, that is until last night when my Anti-Lock Brake light came on as well as my anti-lock brakes, mind you it's summer and dry as a whistle, and I started to smell a burning. All of this on top of the fact that my whole exhaust system needs to be fixed is not looking good. As I was luckily right near my mechanic who specialized in VWs I very cautiously drove it over and parked it in the lot and waited for my parents to come pick me up. So, hopefully I will still have a wedding after my car is fixed!