Six Down. None to Go.

The end is here! Really there’s not a lot left to do but curl up into a ball on my sofa and not leave the house until 2011 (if only!).

Last and certainly not least was Eric and MaKenzie’s bash at Edgefield outside of Portland.

Eric and Kenz have been together exactly as long as JP and I. It was Kim and Dan’s Halloween party nearly four years ago. Kenz, who was still living down in Portland, decided to come up and visit me for the weekend.

I have a distinct memory of driving with Kenz giving her the run-down of who was going to be there that night at the party and when I mentioned Eric her face light up.

I totally called her out and made a small wager with her and I was a WINNER. Four years later it was more than a little incredible to watch them get married.

Thursday night was an Oregon Duck themed rehearsal dinner to watch the UCLA v Oregon game and eat entirely too many tater tots. Yum.

The happy couple

This was followed by cigars and whiskey. At the bar we met a thoroughly entertaining guy who was a batter inspector – no kidding.


The batter inspector



Me and Shelby with whiskey

The next day was an early start for hair and makeup. The salon where we got our hair done was so adorable I could hardly stand it. And I could not have been more pleased with how my hair turned out. Thanks so much, Magnum Opus!

And honestly it was the most on-time and organized wedding I have ever been a part of. The girls had a great time getting ready.

Me and Kelly B getting ready



Kim and me

 The bride even did all of our makeup. I was recruited as the false eyelash installer.

Cousin Kelly getting her make up done by the bride

Kenz, Kim and I have become pretty dedicated false lash users, once the other ladies saw the results, pretty soon, the two Kelly bridesmaids and the mother of the bride wanted them too.

Almost ready

Pretty quickly it was time for photos. Luckily the weather held off and we got some shots outside. The wedding party had an extra half an hour before the ceremony started. So what is a group of people surrounded by multiple bars? Shots. Obviously.

We lined up with plenty of time for the ceremony to start. Revered Dan did a great job with the ceremony. It brought out the personalities of both the bride and the groom. And was wonderfully short.

After a thanksgiving feast it was time to get the party started. The DJ was playing the jams and we did our best to keep up.

Bride and Bryan



Shelby, Stacy with me and Taiece



Amy and Steven

Me and Tess - getting tough

Dancin'

We even danced so hard that Ray unplugged the speakers.

Whoops

Kenz and Eric, we had such a wonderful time celebrating with you guys. You planned and hosted a wonderful event. I wish you all the best as you start your life together.

Violet in Hush Puppies Hatties in black

Five Down. One to go. By violet.

It’s getting down to the wire with the weddings. Five of six was one of my close friends Miss Lindsay. Lindasy is a sorority sister from college. She and I lived together the year before I moved in with JP.


Go Ducks!




Back in the day, Jessica, me, Lindsay and Melissa

The best way to describe Lindasy is that she is one classy dame. She might come across as a little reserved but you get to know her a little bit, she’s got a spunky sense of humor and could likely drink you under the table. At the same time she’s incredibly well-mannered, will go out of her way to not put you out. She’s been a great friend to me in both good times and bad. And to top it all off, she’s got a great sense of style that never does her wrong.

Triple threat birthday party - Linds, Taiece and Gunjan

When she started dating Neil, it seemed like a good match from the start. He’s got one of the coolest jobs around, shares Lindsay’s love of animals and consistently hilarious. And when he proposed to Linds, I could not have been happier for the two of them.

New Year's last year

I knew that their wedding would be a good time. And it certainly was.

The day of, Tess came up from Portland and stayed with JP and me which may or may not have had a little something to do with us running late. I knew if anyone’s wedding was going to start on time it would be Lindsay’s.

Luckily we made it with a few minutes to spare even which is good because the ceremony was a quick one.

I know all brides are beautiful but there’s something about one of your good friends standing at the top of that aisle. Just tugs at your heart strings in a different way.

The beautiful bride

Then it was time to chow down.

Yum

And get down. And get down we did.

The DJ was playing the jams

EC was getting into the groove

Ray leading the party

The groom getting down with the ladies

Get it done Jeff Gibb!

Shake your groove thing

Lindsay, you are one classy dame. It truly meant the world to me to be a part of this day. Neil you have one special lady and I know that you will take care of her. Congrats you guys, I wish you all the best.



Violet in Saucony Jazz Nylon/Suede in red

Four Down. Two to Go. By violet

We turned the corner on weddings with JP’s cousin Courtney’s bash back in San Louis. It felt like déjà vu to be back in San Luis just a month after Erin’s wedding.

The first thing you should know about the bride and the groom know how to get down. The groom, Brad, works at Marston’s on the main drag of downtown. So they can bring it.

Once we got down to San Luis, we met up with some of JP’s family that was in town. His cousin Scott, brother of the bride was in from Oklahoma. He cracked me up the whole weekend.

Liz, the bride (cousin Courtney), Scott, the groom (Brad) and JP

Friday night was a meet and greet at Marston’s. I was my chance to meet some of the JP’s family, including the bride (!) and catch up with those I hadn’t seen in a while.

Saturday we spent wandering around downtown, but really it was too hot to do much more than duck in and out of air conditioned shops.

We rode a really cool trolley out to Spanish Oaks Ranch for the ceremony and reception.

The ranch was beautiful – rolling hills with a great view of sunset.

The bride was stunning. And the groomsmen we cracking me up – the highlight was getting the rings out of a Cracker Jack box.

Love this photo of father and daughter

As the sun went down the party heated up - Liz and I shut down the dance floor. Also genius flip flops for everyone.  My feet certainly thanked the bride and groom for that party favor!


The cousins

 On the way home, I even got to spend a little time with this lovely young lady which always cheers me up when I’m feeling blue. And there was also In-n-Out burger to put a smile on my face as well.



Chloe


Courtney and Brad, thanks so much for inviting us to be a part of your special day. It was a most excellent party.


Classic JP

 Next up, you’ll hear all about Lindsay and Neil, just as soon as JP processes the over 700 photos he took from the event.



Do you think I could get another piece of cake?



Violet in Jessica Simpson "Jessica" pump in ivory patent

ps Photos with the white borders are JP's.  Without are mine.  Notice the difference?

Cin Cin. By Violet

So we are getting down to it with the weddings this year. I’ll tell you all about number four of six as soon as I can. But before that could happen we needed to celebrate Kenz saying good-bye to her singlehood.

When I checked in with the bride about planning her bachelorette party wasn’t too keen on the idea of hitting the clubs and dancing until dawn. So her amazing maid of honor and I planned a day of wine tasting instead.

Lucky for me, a co-worker of mine who knows Woodinville wineries like nobody’s business laid out a plan of attack for us. Even our lovely driver was impressed with our picks – thanks so much Shelby!

Speaking of our driver, as with these kinds of events, the driver can make or break your experience luckily Butler took care of us.

We started the day with brunch at my place – you need a good breakfast in you to get through a day of wine tasting. Then we were off to JM Cellars.

I’m pretty sure that if John at JM ever wanted to leave his wife, he’d have our whole van full of ladies waiting to be next in line. Not only was he an Oregon alumni rocking Duck gear in preparation for the game later that day but he also gave us a few barrel tastings and told us the story of how he started the winery.

Clearly, I had to support my fellow duck by purchasing a bottle of wine so a bottle of the 2004 Syrah came home with me. We probably could have stayed there all day but there were other wineries to visit.

Next up was Januik and Novelty Hill. It had a much different vibe than the more quaint JM Cellars. With the modern décor and packed tasting room – it felt a little cold in comparison. But the wine was still good.

Next stop was the decidedly much smaller Brian Carter. It was basically a trailer but luckily there was a lovely patio and the weather cooperated for an outdoor tasting.

Our last stop was a converted warehouse – Efeste. I’m just going to be honest, by this point I would have had a good time anywhere. But as luck would have it the guy pouring the wine was very nice and answered all of my questions. So a bottle of the bold Final-Final red blend was added to my collection.

Overall, it was a great alternative to your typical bachelorette party.

Violet in Born black boots

I know. by violet

I know.

Believe me, I would have much rather been here blogging these past few weeks then the dark, taxing and sleep-deprived place that I was/still am. Basically, work took over my life. And in the midst of this already crazy season, I’ve hardly had time to eat let alone sit down to share my mundane and small little life with all seven of you.

But please don’t give up on me. I’m trying hard to come back. To find the time. I love it here. In fact, I was really sad because my one year anniversary as a blogger came and went a few weeks ago without me even being able to acknowledge it.

It really just goes to show you that life is, indeed, what happens when you are busy making other plans.
Violet, in her sad, black flats