Mississippi Wedding Memories

This past weekend we had the pleasure of attending a beautiful wedding! The bride is the daughter of my first cousin Kathleen. The wedding took place at Our Lady of the Gulf (isn't that a pretty name) on Beach Boulevard in Bay St. Louis, MS. The church faces the Gulf and the view is incredible!

The church has had some hard times since it was severely damaged in August of 2005 during Katrina. Below is the church as it looks today...the major structure of the building withstood the storm! Other buildings close by did not fare as well. Kathleen's home, which was next door to the church, was washed away with the storm surge.

The most amazing thing about Katrina and this church is that these beautiful stained glass windows that would seem so fragile withstood the hurricane winds, yet every one of the heavy wood pews were washed away! Click here to see a picture of the inside of the church after Katrina.
This is a statue standing in the church today that was heavily damaged by Katrina. It was recovered from the debris and lovingly restored to it's former beauty by church members.
Everything about the wedding was beautiful including the gorgeous bride and handsome groom! The church was packed-I think everyone in Bay St. Louis was there! I didn't take photos there since a professional photographer was present.

The reception was held at the Great Southern Club on the 15th floor of the Hancock Plaza building in Gulfport, MS. The room is surrounded by glass with a breathtaking view of the Gulf.

Jubilation, a band from New Orleans , provided the music and it was awesome! They played old favorites such as My Girl, Mustang Sally, Sweet Caroline, Brown Eyed Girl...and on and on.
My husband and I were totally surprised when we recognized Willard, one of the band members. He and his wife Erin had traveled with us and a group from New Orleans to Italy for New Years! On that trip he played with the New Orleans Jazz Ambassadors. It really is a small world after all! Here are some picture highlights of the day.

Amanda and her dad enjoying a dance

Amanda, Kevin (the groom) and Kathleen, mom of the bride

My Aunt Jane, the bride's grandmother...

My husband and I enjoying the music!

And finally, here is a collage of note cards that the bride and groom presented to their guests. These photos were taken in Bay Saint Louis before Katrina by Mimi, the bride's aunt and godmother.

Mimi died a tragic death in the early part of 2007. I thought this was such a special way to memorialize and honor her memory. I'm sure she would approve of being such a special part of the festivities!

Attending the wedding was really enjoyable for us. Not only did we get to witness the beginning of what promises to be a wonderful marriage, but we got to visit with so many family members that we don't see that often. I'm to thankful that we had the opportunity to go!

Pink Shoes!

I made this pics in San Antonio 2 weeks ago at the Texas Folklife and Heritage Festival. In the museum, there is a display of shoes from famous Texans. Naturally the pink ones caught my eye!

This first pair of boots belongs to Heloise. Remember her hints? Does she still write a column for newspapers? This second pink pair belonged to Mary Kay of Mary Kay cosmetics. The shoes have a label inside with her name on it. Remember the pink Cadillac she drove?
I also saw shoes from other famous Texans such as George Strait...but they weren't pink, so they didn't make it to this post! It's funny how I am noticing pink everywhere.

Thanks to Beverly at http://howsweetthesound.typepad.com/for hosting Pink Saturday.

Happy Pink Saturday!

Kelli's birthday-Show and Tell Friday

Today is my daughter Kelli's birthday! I wonder where all the years have gone. I would like to show and tell you about some of my favorite pictures of her.

She was about 2 months old in this picture...just starting to smile!

Here she is at age 2...the same smile!

Kelli the night we celebrated her graduation from nursing school in front of Red Lobster. Kelli and Chad on their wedding day in 1998.
Kelli with Connor in June of 2003.
Kelli in the fall of 2007 at Connor's soccer game...just a few weeks before Cooper was born.Kelli and Cooper this year...May 2008.

Kelli and I have so many things in common including reading, gardening, bargain shopping and antiquing. Maybe one day soon I'll post some pictures of some of her special things in her home.

One interest we don't share is our profession!

She is a nurse, and I am a educator.

But the biggest interest we have is in the picture below......

Connor and Cooper

Thanks for stopping by today. Please leave Kelli a comment on her birthday!
Thanks to another sweet Kelli at There's No Place Like Home for hosting Show and Tell Friday.

A Trip to Paris

Mommy Holly and Heidi have asked us to plan our dream vacation. Here's mine!

My dream vacation would be to go back to Paris! This time I would go with my husband, and any and all family and friends that would like to go! That includes any of you..my new blogging friends!

Since money is no object, we would stay 2 or 3 weeks. If my kids or anyone else wanted to come home early, that would be okay!

Paris...the city of lights!

When in Paris before, we were only there 4 days. Hardly enough time to explore all the little shops! Here is a flower market pic that I took from the outside. This time, I'll have plenty of time to go in!

We made it to this French department store about 30 minutes before closing after a full day of sight seeing. On my dream trip, I will devote several days to shopping since I'll have unlimited funds!

When I was in Paris before, it was COLD!! This time I'll go in the spring, so there won't be a need for all the heavy coats! There will be alot more going on along the side of the river Seine during the warmer weather! We would see lots more artists at work! Maybe one of them will do our portrait!

We did go to several little restaurants while in Paris. It was fun, and I enjoyed every minute even though they were always crowded! On this trip, we would probably just reserve the entire cafe!

We walked past the Opera and I took this pic from the outside. Time didn't allow for a tour, or show. On this trip, we would attend as many of the events there as we wanted to!We did manage to make it to Moulin Rouge one night. On our fantasy trip, we would have baby sitters along for all the young ones so we wouldn't have to worry about their safety!

We would also have plenty of time to enjoy the parks in Paris! They were pretty in the winter, but I can't wait to see them in the spring!
Since we have unlimited money, we would stay at the Ritz! It is close to everything...including the river. All the rich and famous stay there!

Here is the Berne Opera where we stayed before. It was cute and cozy...but definitely not the Ritz!
We would have our own tour guide and reserve this entire bus for our friends and family! Our tours to the museums and landmarks would be private and given by the best guides!
And since it will be warm weather, we won't have to worry about snow in Paris that will delay our flight home!

Leave me a comment so I'll know to make your reservation.....pack your bags, and I'll see you at the airport! Bonjour!

Let's Go Antiquing!

I'm always ready to go antiquing especially when I can find someone who enjoys it as much as I do! Yesterday my friend Janet and I went to Laurel, MS. to visit the Lauren Rodgers Museum of Art. Before we went to the museum, we went to Collins to the Antique Galleria. Collins is about 60 miles south of Jackson, and 30 miles north of Hattiesburg. The store was very well maintained and the merchandise was artfully displayed. I saw lots of things that caught my eye!

This little table with a shelf would have looked great on my porch, but it was already sold! Don't know the price.

I love this old oak chest. Cooper will be needing something eventually...and is was $300 and in great condition.

Here is another mahogony chest that would look great in our guest bedroom. It was $400 and in excellent condition.
I seriously considered this little oak chest to replace an end table in our living room. It was $125.

I really loved this oil painting on canvas....the frame was beautiful! I am not sure if it is a good buy or not. It was 30% off of $275. I will probably keep looking for something that is more of a bargain!
Here's another cabinet I liked. It is in the same finish as my kitchen cabinets. It would look great in my breakfast area. I think I can get something a little cheaper though and paint it myself. It was $750.

This little tea pot set with plates and cups was so cute. It would have looked great with my china! I didn't price it!
Here's Janet's reflection in an oak hall tree. She is modeling a little mink hat....she bought it to wear to an event with her teacher sorority.
You may be wondering what I bought...nothing of great value...just some things for my porch, etc. The little red birdhouse is for my porch, the vase to put flowers in for a gift, and the sign for my garden.Also, I found this cute little set of Mary Engelbreit's Season books for $2 each. There is one for each season, and they are full of ideas for all the holidays as well as thoughts!There is so much more to see than these pics show! There is a little resturant in the store too...we had chicken salad, fruit, and fried green tomatoes! We liked the store so much that we are planning another trip there next week!

San Antonio Day 2

On the second day we were in San Antonio, we went downtown. It was my first time in San Antonio, and I was amazed at how beautiful the city is. First we went to the Riverwalk. The Riverwalk is the 2nd most visited attraction in Texas according to our tour guide. He told us that the Riverwalk was only about 30 years old, and was the brainchild of two women! Not surprising is it?? I can't believe they were able to pull all of it together!
Here is a picture of our group on the Riverwalk from left to right:
Sandie from North Carolina,Lewis from Mississippi, Diana from Orlando, Janet from Mississippi, Maude from Miami and France,and me!

The pictures taken really do not do justice to the Riverwalk! It is much more beautiful than the photos show!

Another Riverwalk photo:

We browsed several shops. This picture was taken at one of my favorite shops. (Sorry...didn't get the name) This is a tree of collectable fairies! I have not seen these any where else.

We visited the Alamo early in the day, which may have been a mistake...it was pretty crowded. I think everyone else had the same idea! We rented the headphones for an audio tour, but were nearly through with the tour before we figured out which buttons to press!

Finally, we ate lunch at the Rain Forest Cafe. This was my first experience there! I want to take Connor....maybe one will come to Birmingham or New Orleans. Overall, I enjoyed my trip to San Antonio. Part of the fun for me was visiting with old friends and meeting new ones too. I already knew Janet, Lewis, and Diana...and met Maud and Sandie for the first time.

When I go back, I'll go with my husband, we'll stay downtown, and we'll go in the spring or fall! It was hotter in Texas than in Mississippi!