We Are Family--Singing the Night Away

April 1, 2012

After the wedding, we took the whole wedding party and extended family to our local karaoke place, Thai Fusion, to sing the night away and keep the party going. Obviously, our signature family song is We Are Family, and of course we ended the night on a high note with a group number--Summer Nights. The highlight of the night would probably have to be a tie between Laura's rendition of Madonna's Like a Virgin (complete with wedding dress!) and Laura's mugging during Danette's version of Carly Simon's You're So Vain. Hysterical! Definitely a night to remember.Lisa, Scott, and me.
Chase, Gwynn, and Toni
Doug, David, Sean, Jim, Joe, and Scott--handsome group of guys!
Me, Rosa, Lisa, Danette
Lisa and Laura--the talent Mayes girls sing.
Chad--the groom's brother and Best Man
Laura rockin' out to Doug's song

I Do

April 1, 2012

In a quiet, beautiful little venue called A Secret Garden, my little sister got married. She and her husband Sean opted for a lovely and intimate setting, where they could take their vows among close friends and family. Like five years ago, when I got married at the same location, the weather the whole week leading up the the big day was beautiful and sunny, but as the day drew nearer, forecasters predicted a much stronger possibilityof rain. Even the morning of the event, much like the morning of my wedding, skies still shone favorably. Just before the music cued up for Lisa and I to lead the procession down the aisle, large droplets of rain began to fall, increasing in ferocity as the ceremony progressed. I have heard that weddings that blessed with rain are good luck, and if that's true, then Laura and Sean are lucky indeed. Thankfully, having known that the weather might be somewhat inclement, they had rented a tent and heaters, so the setting was even more intimate. And just as it had during my wedding, just after the ceremony the rain slowed, and then stopped, in time for the guests to wander the garden before jumping out onto the dance floor for the reception. Laura said she hadn't minded the rain at all--in fact, had enjoyed it. She loved the ceremony and everything about how it had turned out. She thought it was beautiful and perfect, including the rain. Having been there myself, in nearly the same circumstances just five years before, I know exactly how she felt--and I couldn't agree more.

The four siblings: Lisa, Scott, Laura, and me
The groom Sean and his mom Toni.

Cousins: Nicholas, Bailey, and Devin
Laura with the nieces
Singin' in the rain.



Me with my hot date.
More cousins: Taylor, Devin, and Bree


Three sisters, third time walking one down the aisle. He's getting pretty good at it!

Handsome brothers--Sean with his best man, Chad.
Bree and Nathan

Estelle, Grandma, and Aunt Margaret


Lisa, Laura, and me
My beautiful children, all dressed up.
Laura and Toni, getting ready for the big day.

The Night Before the Wedding

March 30, 2012

Laura and Sean didn't have a rehearsal for their wedding, and therefore there was no official rehearsal dinner. However, since lots of family was coming in from out of town for the wedding, we all decided to get together for the evening. Several members of Sean's family were able to travel up, so we got the opportunity to visit with them in a slightly more intimate setting than the wedding--the same little restaurant we took Laura for her Bridal Shower, Piazza del Pane. I'm so thrilled that Laura is inherited such a fun and loving group of people as her second family!

Pre-Wedding Family Get Together Pizza Night

March 30, 2012

My baby sister and me
Danielle and Aunt Laura
The happy couple--Laura and Sean
Me with my soon-to-be brother-in-law Sean.
Nathan
Brothers--Chad and Sean Byrnes

In Which My Favorite Drink Turns on Me...

March 28, 2012

In my mini-fridge at work, there is one spot which is inexplicably several degrees colder than any other spot. I mean, I can put three cans of soda in there, and the two on the outside can get perfectly chilled, and the middle one will freeze as solid as a rock. That special 'frozen zone' also moves periodically--you never know where NOT to put the soda can. So today during 7th period, I pulled a can out of my fridge which had clearly found itself in the frozen zone. You know what a soda can looks like when it's been frozen? It looks like this:

And I, in my infinite wisdom, decided that if I let it thaw for a bit, I could pop the top, pour it into a glass, and enjoy a refreshing taste of my Diet Pepsi. I could be patient. I could wait a bit. I set the can on my desk and waited through lunch and even through a bit of my afternoon class. At one point during class, as I'm talking to my kids and we're progressing through our activity, I nonchalantly wandered over to my desk and determined that even though part of the drink was still in solid form, it appeared to have thawed enough to allow me to pop the top, which I did. The POP, in fact, was more like a a POW!! as the soda exploded with force--all over my face, my shirt. Diet Pepsi was dripping from my hair, and from the poor, hapless girl (and, thank goodness, great sport) sitting in the unfortunate seat closest to my desk. Easily the most embarrassing thing I have done in class in a long time. (That, Fate, is not a challenge, by the way!)

In case you're wondering, this is pretty much what I looked like. All I can say is, thank goodness I was wearing a black shirt today. The front of my shirt was soaked. And the biggest downside was that I didn't even get to drink my Diet Pepsi!

Formal Engagement Photos of Laura and Sean

March 25, 2012

With the wedding coming up this week, Laura and Sean had pre-wedding pictures taken out at Venice beach. These photos were taken by Courtney Hill of C.Hill Photography, who did a lovely job of capturing the very soon-to-be husband and wife. Looks like they all had a lot of fun at the photo shoot!