This is what happens when Ashley throws you a party:

Hey guys did you know that Chicago LOVES me?

That gosh darn city loves me so much it kept Di and I there for oh, about 24 hours, and about 21 of those hours were my birthday.

I mean it was really an adventure really. One that involved a gosh darn high school marching band, 2 broken planes, LaGuardia winning the most inefficient airport of all time, United Airlines making Taca Airlines look like the friggin' Concorde, $3 food voucher (in an airport), O'Hare living up to its nightmare reputation and a dinosaur.



I'd say the meanest thing I heard was a Untied airlines employee announcing to the long line of disgruntled passengers, "Unless I call your name I don't want to talk to you. . ." But then an employee at Hudson News told me there was a TCBY in Terminal C and after the 10 minute walk there I was told it was actually in Terminal 2 and I didn't have time to get my precious (and the Country's Precious) Yogurt. Jerks!

Then we jumped...

This is a photo where Di and I look more like our real age - 20.

Hey, guess how old we are?

Don't we look 12? Yeah, we're 30 (almost)

Hey, did I not Say there was dancing?

How awesome that my L.A. sister & niece flew out just to dance?




My niece is the besteset. She's not used to marathon dancing like her old auntie. Now, at what point are you going to believe me when I say, "This was the happiest night of my life."?

Tell me when it's too much. . .

. . . just kidding, I don't care.

Here's some family shots:


I wanted to do one where Allyson looks pretty, because she was a beautiful Mother of the Bride.



And here's Mich's sister, Charlotte and Mich (in her wedding present dress, well done Niall).



The Clark brothers all wore kilts and did you know they're big like bears? They even scratch their backs like bears (ask Mich about this one).



No but seriously, how perfect that Mich had another dress that wouldn't hinder any dance moves... and oh there was a lot of dancing.






Please look at Jo (mustard-colored dress) - how awesome is she? I told you there was dancing!

I'm taking a wedding break. . . .

For Halloween!
The Real Halloween.


"Ashes"



"Kitty wants some candy."














It's funny because it's true.

Le Wedding, part 2: things I poached

I took these from innocent flickr friends:



I think everyone was thinking,"who knew Niall was so deeply romantic and sensitive..." But I knew all along of course. Seriously, I think we were all in tears after this.





You know the best part? she Always looks like this (IE really good).

Le Wedding, part 1

If i could have a million photos from this day it still wouldn't be enough. You know when your first baby is born and you're crazy busy giving birth and being worried that it won't be pretty enough and everyone will be like: blah, that's the best your DNA could do? But then a few weeks later you see photos and you're like: hey my baby is kind of cute to me I want a million photos of this baby... well, that's how I felt. But in this case the part-Me-DNA-life-form is the reception NOT the hot couple (as you can see below - they didn't need any of my help at being pretty)




The red-eye effect was done intentionally to show the supressed wicked nature of the couple and by 'wicked' I mean wicked-awesome.






Remember when Modern Bride turned their noses at my "White Stripes" cake b/c "No one would want that. . . " Well look what happens when I get my way. . . Awesome-ness!






What? This is allowed - I looked it up.

A hint of what's to come. . . .

Sometimes it's hard to take me seriously when I say, "this is the happiest day of my life. . . " - but not on this day.






Is that a double negative? Does that confuse people? I know it caused a whole mess of trouble on the last episode of "It's Always Sunny..."