July Fourth

Once again we made the trek to the cabin to celebrate July 4th. Luckily this year some friends cancelled, so last minute we were able to invite our friends Stevie and Travis! Stevie's birthday happens to be on July 5th so we get to celebrate both occasions in one glorious weekend! 

Filling up the tank

Filling up the tank in Prescott before heading out on the open road. This beautiful mural was painted after the Hotshots died last year and is a stunning reminder of those who put their lives on the line everyday. 

Andrew being silly behind the wheel

Road trip selfie

And of course no road trip would be complete without acting completely ridiculous! 

We found this gem of a license plate about halfway into our trip. It turns out the driver was a rather large white woman which confused both of us!

We made it to the cabin just in time for dinner and margaritas! Andrew and I drank one too many and then passed out! Stevie and Travis had a terribly long trip from Nor Cal and ended up arriving well past 1am. 

The following morning we were all in high spirits and excited to get out on the boat. 

Stevie and me

No July 4th is complete without at least one article of clothing that has the US flag on it! I found this beaut at a store in Prescott a few months ago and new I had to have it! 

What's the point of friends if you can't be silly together!?

It's so fun to spend time with friends that allow you to be yourself! Stevie and I met our sophmore year in high school and have been pretty inseparable every since! 

Stevie and her bf Travis

Stevie and Travis getting comfortable in the boat. Stevie's hat wasn't very welcomed by Andrew's family, since they are die hard Dodger fans! The hat even took a plunge in the water and A was nice enough to turn the boat around to retrieve it. He must really love Stevie because he wouldn't have turned around for anyone! 

A and me

The only picture I got of A and myself! At least it's a good one of the two of us. After taking a loop around the lake we dropped anchor and played around in the water. 

Caught Stevie applying suncreen

Sunscreen is a must at the lake! Unfortunately she didn't reapply on her back and got a pretty bad sunburn! 

A had to save his beer and the football

Someone (*cough Stevie) overthrew the football to Andrew and here he is gracefully swimming with beer in hand to try and retrieve it! 

After the water

After an hour or so the clouds started rolling in, so while the boys were trying to bring up the anchor Stevie and I took a few more pics together! 

Distracted or striking a pose?

Although this may look like a posed shot we were both looking at the rope that A's brother almost hit us with! 

Unfortunately the boys couldn't pull up the anchor (we all figured it got trapped on the bottom covered in sediment) so we cut it loose and docked the boat back in the slip. Just in time too because the clouds rolled in and the rain came down. 

We drove back to the cabin, played a fun board game, and ate dinner with our friends and neighbors. We quickly had to change and headed back down to the boat to watch the fireworks from the lake. 

Perfect nighttime attire 

I had to wear the shirt again...there aren't many days of the year that one can wear an overt American flag shirt without looking like an idiot! Also jackets are mandatory because it gets pretty cold when the wind picks up on the lake. 

Christina and Theo

Bridget, Daniel, and Christina brought the dogs down to watch the fireworks. The dogs aren't allowed on the boat and the girls get sea sick, so they stayed on docks to watch the fireworks. Lucky thing too because Cooper almost jumped in the water when the fireworks started! 

Stevie getting comfy on the boat

There's that smile

Stevie getting ready for the fireworks! We took the boat out to the middle of the lake and tied up to one of the buoys. This year was ALAs 40th year celebration so the fireworks were bigger and better than any year prior. 

The display was much better than years previous, however, the music they played was all over the map! Overall it was a fun day spent with good friends and family!

Horseback Riding - LA style

During the bridal shower Bridget convinced me to go horseback riding with her. We've been trying to go out riding for almost a year, but our schedules never really allowed for enough time. Luckily, this trip I had a whole day to kill, so we made our plans and met at the stables!

Selfie before my hair was ruined horseback riding!

I managed to convince Andrew's brother D to come along, which worked out perfectly because I could borrow one of his horses! We got a late start but once the horses were saddled up we went off for our ride. 

Lola and I took up the rear, but only for a short time. Lola's not happy unless she's leading!

I was riding Lola - the world's most stubborn horse! She didn't like being lead by a three year old horse and threw a couple tantrums because of it! She also wasn't very happy listening to me, but we did alright in the end. 

Beautiful Bridget and her handsome horse!

Bridget has had her horse for 5 years so of course he was perfect the whole time! Luckily too because D had to break in his young horse, Lula. Lula didn't like to do much of anything - trotting, crossing through water...I think she'd much rather just hang around the stables and eat! 

D riding through the tunnel

The ride took us a couple hours, but I had a blast! I can't wait to get back out there again!

LA Bridal Shower

Last weekend some lovely family friends threw me a bridal shower in LA! This one was held for all our family in friends in and around LA (I will be having another one in SF for all our family and friends up there). The shower was stunning and Marion planned the whole event down to the last detail.

Quick pic before heading off to the party!

 That morning I had a trial run for my hair, which I think went really well. We decided to go with a side swept look so the back of my dress can be played up.

Front door

So pretty

This lovely bouquet greeted you as soon as you arrived!

Backyard setup

Lunch was set up outside, and I managed to grab a few photos before everyone arrived. 

The table set up

Marion was so sweet to decorate according to the wedding colors. Also, green just happens to be my favorite color in general!

She even has beautiful silver!

Table bouquets and wine glasses

 Not too long after I took photos, everyone started arriving. 

Helen and Donna 

Me and Kaity

My mom and me

My mom, me, and Donna

Annie and Bridget

Pat, Donna, and Kaity

Caroline, Heidi, and Angie

 We spent time chatting in the living room before heading out to the garden for lunch.

Michelle, me, and Heather

Enjoying lunch

We ate and caught up before we played a few games.

Pencils with 'wedding bells'

Donna got these fun pencils!

Michelle and Heather

Me opening presents

 After a few rousing games we moved back inside to open the presents. Everyone at the shower was given a room to get a gift for and some people were really inventive with their gifts!

Marybeth creating one of my ribbon bouqets

 So while opening gifts, the women told me about a horrible old wives tale that says the number of ribbons you break is how many kids you will have! Some women even went to the lengths of purposely wrapping the ribbons so tightly that I had to break them! Haha! All in good fun though. I ended up only breaking 3, so that's not too bad!

Ribbon bouquet #1

 I did, however, end up with so many ribbons they had to make 2 bouquets! 

Ribbon bouquet #2

My mom, me, and Donna

I was so happy to have both my mom and Donna there for the shower. Not the best photo of Donna, but it was the only one taken at the end of the party.

Marion, me, and Donna

Marion was such an amazing hostess! She really pulled off a beautiful shower. 

My mom and me

The girls

I had such a good time and was so happy to see everyone. Thanks to all you wonderful ladies who came out to help me celebrate my upcoming nuptials!