Wedding Photos are Coming!

Trying so hard to be patient -- not my strong suit! :-)

Kind of like Christmas morning and all those packages to unwrap!

In the meantime, what a shot of Mark and Jen!

Wedding magazine material for sure......

Stay tuned!

Wedding Preview

Congrats to Mr. and Mrs. Mark Woodard, Jr!

Just thought I'd toss out a wedding "teaser" from one of the FaceBook crowd's posting. I'll let you know the link for viewing the "official" photographs once the newlyweds get back from Mexico. I think the gal shot 3-4 thousand shots, so there should be so great ones for us to view.

It was a perfect weekend for the perfect wedding for the two most perfect and special children on the planet Earth! We had a great time with family and friends. More details to come in the next few weeks as we come down from the wedding high!

Wedding Countdown- 2 Weeks!

Boots & Adeline

Boots and Paul came to visit over Memorial Day weekend.

We had a nice visit with Adeline at the Pines.

Don't these two look like they could cook up some mischief?!

Flowers from the Garden and a Visitor

The daylilies are spectacular this year! Of course, we say that every year, don't we?

And the rest of the garden is a gem, too!

Even little furry creatures come to admire and make their home with us!

Hope everyone is having a fabulous summer and come see us in the garden.....

Wedding Planning Weekend in Charlottesville

Since we were banned from talking wedding plans over the holidays (see photo above), I was champing at the bit to get the show on the road in January. You know me -- I love a good party planning session!

But, in all fairness to Mark and Jen, their Fall was quite busy. Jen's work at Ernst and Young ramps up in September with college recruiting visits and doesn't really slow down until the holidays. And just as her work was slowing down, business picked up for Mark at Chatelaine. (Be thankful for that in this economy!) Add in their "social-butterfly" calendar, and the wedding planning took a back seat in 2010.

This January Mark and Jen have gotten back on the planning track. They have been busy with developing a wedding web-site (coming soon to a PC near you!) and prioritizing the planning agenda. We met Mark and Jen this past weekend, along with Steve and Mary Beth, to look at rehearsal dinner sites and to visit the Charlottesville Bridal Show to check out the local vendors. Unfortunately, Bo and Donna were babysitting with Bryce and Turner back in Lynchburg and could not join the party. Jen and Mark will be giving them the scoop this week.

It was really (and I mean REALLY) cold in Charlottesville on Saturday! Despite the temperatures, we made it to four potential sites and met with the owners to talk space, decor, food and drink. Each place was unique, so it will be interesting to see which one the kids choose and how the plans develop. Charlottesville is such a quaint college town. It has a lot to offer in venues that can create any number of unique wedding experiences. And what bride (or groom) doesn't want her (his)wedding to be a one and only event?

On Sunday we visited Saint Paul's Episcopal Church where the ceremony will take place. After the service we were able to meet the rector and to walk around the space. Mary Beth has been in touch with the church and is familiar with the Episcopal liturgy and protocol for weddings. That is a great help in the planning process.

After lunch the group headed over to the Boars Head Inn for the wedding show. Mark was unsure how many other grooms would be there, but he wasn't the only guy in the room! And besides there was plenty of food to keep Mark, Steve and John focused -- wedding cakes, fruit, wines, reception food! We all registered and entered as many of the drawings as we could as we walked around meeting the vendors. And in the end, we "won" three drawings -- all parent tickets that won were quickly turned over to the bride. :-)

Everyone got on the road by 4 p.m. and headed back to DC and to Charlotte. It was good to visit with Mark and Jen and get a better feel for their wedding vision. And they seemed to feel that the 24 hour whirlwind tour was helpful and productive in their planning.

We are all back home, standing by for further instruction from bridal central! This is a fun process, and we are enjoying being together as it moves along! Hopefully, the big decisions will be locked down soon, and then we can really (and I mean REALLY) start the party!

Mark and Jen at UVA (Oct 2010)

Matthews Snow

We got our second snow of the winter, and the first of the year, this week. Snow started falling early in the morning on Monday. Light and fluffy, it was beautiful to look at from out the windows. Later in the afternoon, we went out with Prince. We trekked through the neighborhood in boots and enjoyed the beauty of nature at her best. When we got home, John shovelled snow and put it on the plants in the greenhouse!

The sun came out today (Wednesday) and the temperature was above freezing so the thawing has begun. This morning the trees with icy tips glistened in the sun. And by the afternoon most of the major roads were dry, but the yards looked like glass lakes as the snow turned to melting ice.

We are expecting very low temperatures again tonight and tomorrow, so we will be in a re-freezing and thawing cycle until the weekend. Not sure what that will mean for schools. CMS has been out all week. Parents and children are reporting major "cabin fever" (per Michelle, Facebook buddies, and the news stations), and the high schools have exams starting Thursday. So hopefully, the buses will roll tomorrow. Glad I'm beyond that. I just have to wipe Prince's paws when he comes in from frolicking outdoors. :-)

Enjoy the pictures with a warm cup of hot chocolate by the fire!

Best spot in the house when it snows!