Berkeley and the Wedding Dress Fitting.

This is the first post in a series of posts about my recent trip to California, where I got to see my beautiful sister get married. Her ceremony was so unique, she was so beautiful and the trip was so fun that I had to share the details here.

She lives in Berkeley, California near the college of the same name. We arrived on Tuesday and immediately were petitioned by Alyson and Andy's (her HUSBAND..that's so weird, my sister has a husband now!!) dog, Daisy, to be taken on a walk. So while on the walk, I decided to snap some pictures of the colorful houses and local flora.

California amazes me because due to the (somewhat) steady climate, flowers and ivy just overtake EVERYTHING. There was even a Walgreen's completely covered in ivy. Its so pretty everywhere you walk, because flowers of all different colors and shapes are just....everywhere. I had a field day.

Pink house!

A door on one of the houses.

Bah. This was growing in an unkept yard. Can you believe it? The only thing that grows in an unkept yard in the South is grass, and the mosquito population.

white picket fences are my fave!

this was one of the doorways of a house.

o yeah, you know we see this kind of tree all the time lining the block. no big.

calla lillies, my favorite flower, GROWING in my sisters yard. sigh.

mom, going back up the stairs to my sister's house with Daisy.

On the second day, we went to get Alyson's wedding dress from the tailor's. She looked so pretty in it! And the house that the tailor lived in was nestled in the hills surrounding Berkeley. There was like a whole suburban neighborhood, just winding through the mountainside.

they had these deer statues everywhere. "spot the deer" game? o yeah, it happened. 

I took a few pictures of the baubles in this ladies sewing room. Did the sound of a camera clicking make her want to kill herself at the end of that day? Yeah, probably. 

...pretty colors....

Then my sister started trying on her wedding dress! (and shoes, and jewelry...)

lookin in the mirror

(she feels like a princess, you can tell :) )

the back

the front.

putting her shoes on

pretty shoes. 

her necklace, something blue. 

her engagement ring, also something blue. 

so adorably happy. remember guys, no matter what a girl says, she always wants to be a bride. ALWAYS. No exceptions. 

*Quote of the Day: "Never let loyalty and kindness leave you! Tie them around your neck as a reminder. Write them deep within your heart. Then you will find favor with both God and people, and you will earn a good reputation." 

- Proverbs 3:3-4  

Classical Looking Girls are Better Than You.

When you're a thirteen year old girl, everything your mom says is an insult and you start looking at what all the boys in your class are attracted to. 

Therefore, I wanted to be hot. You know the type: tall, leggy, wore lots of makeup, had shiny long hair and was, well, .....GROWING faster than all the other girls. 

"No, no!" My mom cried, "You have such CLASSICAL looks, don't ruin it with all that makeup!" 

And every time I heard her say the word "classical", there was suddenly a want in my mind for a sharp object to be nearby. 

But then, Pirates of the Caribbean came out and suddenly a whole new world was opened up to me. Keira Knightley was classically beautiful, didn't wear lots of makeup, wasn't *ahem* well developed and still got Orlando Bloom?!

Ok, classical I can work with. 

I definitely idolize this girl not only for her acting talents, and playing most every acting role that I could ever want in my life (HELLO what girl doesn't want to play Elizabeth Bennett opposite a studly Mr. Darcy?!) but also for her looks and introducing the world of classical beauty to me. 

House of Elle

Polyvore

Vogue "Wizard of Oz" shoot

The age

Polyvore

All the rest, Kieraknightley.net

And of course, in Pride and Prejudice

Simply, Classically, Beautiful. 

* Quote of the Day: As high as the sky is above the earth, so great is His love for those who respect Him. He has taken our sins away from us as far as the east is from the west. 

- Psalm 103: 11-12

These Are A Few Of My Favorite Things.

I got this idea from www.mausumi.com and decided to give it a try. In no particular order, this is my list of 100 things I love. What? It's summer and I'm bored. Enjoy.  

1) spending time with God.

2) walking in the woods alone.

3) Athens, Ga.

4) traveling.

5) Mexican food. 

6) Debi Treloar's photography:

7) Waffle House at 2 am.

8) arts & crafts. 

9) Jane Austen books. 

10) the annual mountain house trip with my friends. 

11) Twizzler cherry bites. 

12) my cowboy boots. 

13) Robert Downey Jr. 

14) Bluebird Vintage blog.

15) Days Like This - Van Morrison.

16) the smell of grilling food.

17) Welsh Corgis.

18) carnivals. 

19) SEC football.

20) a starry sky.

21) Starburst jellybeans.

22) dresses.

23) Because I Said So.

24) Ray Bans.

25) Paris, France.

26) Parisian culture in general.

27) baking something new.

28) Anthropologie. 

29) Luke (below) and Logan, my dogs:

30) spending time with my mom. She's the strongest person I know. 

31) Bakerella.

32) Starbucks skinny Cinnamon Dolce Lattes. (with two Splendas).

33) World Spins Madly On - the Weepies. 

34) Francesca's. (the store).

35) Little Five Points.

36) My friend's music: Matt Wright, John French, Emily Hearn, Kevin Justmann (Urban Ocean)

37) Musicals. (especially Seven Brides for Seven Brothers and Oklahoma)

38) playing/watching sports with my dad. we like all the same things. we're just two peas in a pod, really. 

39) good Southern food.

40) being productive.

41) the crackling sound when you play a record. 

42) the air before a big thunderstorm.

43) the smell of honeysuckle. 

44) Cadbury eggs. 

45) castles. 

46) UGA's North Campus:

47) Lady Danville. 

48) girl time. 

49) Relay For Life. 

50) Dr. Pepper.

51) Savannah, GA.

52) Razor - Foo Fighters. 

53) Catch and Release. 

54) any Jon Krakauer book. 

55) weaving in and out of Atlanta traffic - I feel like James Bond. 

56) picnicking in Piedmont Park on a sunny day.

57) the sun hitting the leaves on trees. 

58) Italian food. 

59) Paula Deen. 

60) peanuts in the shell with Diet Coke. 

61) Tridelt! 

62) people who don't judge and take the time to understand others. 

63) walking, especially through scenic areas.

64) sarcastic, intelligent humor. 

65)  my sister Alyson and her husband-to-be, Andy. With their powers combined, they are probably the sweetest people you will ever meet. 

66) New Orleans, LA

67) summer.

68) the Avett Brothers. 

69) James Avery jewelry.

70) Audrey's goofiness, and her willingness to do anything for a friend in need:

71) Francesca's warmth and caring for others.

72) Jack's strength and his protectiveness over the ones that he loves. 

73) Bret's big heart and his ability to make friends with anyone, anywhere.  

74) Jimmy's honesty and his sarcastic sense of humor (and how he's secretly protective of his friends).

75) Matt's love and kindness to everyone he meets. 

76) my girl friends at UGA, who probably know the most about me, but are still friends with me anyway.

77) reading Harry Potter books while drinking hot cocoa.

78) Zepplin's Restaurant in Clayton, GA.

79) popcorn and twizzlers at the movies. 

80) Cake Wrecks. (funniest blog ever).

81) Reese Witherspoon

82) the Tarzan Soundtrack. Phil Collins and Disney was the best collaboration EVER.  

83) Needtobreathe.   

84) countryside. 

85) Priscilla of Boston wedding dresses:

86) I still can't get enough of Scooby-Doo cartoons after all these years.  

87) Fox Theatre. 

88) watching ballet performances.  

89) Priscilla Ahn. 

90) Mary Mac's Tea Room. 

91) A CUP OF JO.

92) In Your Atmosphere - John Mayer

93) It's a tie between peanut butter and chocolate and caramel and chocolate.

94) cute Southern accents. 

95) my guy friends at UGA. they're the best guys you'll ever meet, honestly. 

96) reading the Lord of the Rings books at Christmastime.  

97) my step-sister, Gracie who is the funniest person alive, and my step-dad Doug, who is kind without reason. 

98) Regina Spektor. 

99) Southern gentlemen. 

100) hanging out with this guy: 

More Bragging on Friends. Because I am One Proud Mama.

Ok so, I brag on this guy all the time. But that's because he's my best friend, and the greatest guy you'll ever know. Who is this superman you ask?

My friend Matt! 

Yes, he too is a musician. And super talented as well. But sorry girls, he is taken by a beautiful fairy princess named Francesca. So, sorry, no man candy today. 

This is he and his ladylove. Everyone say it with me, "Awwwww!"

ANYHOO, you need to check his website and his myspace and his twitter and his house and....what? Too far?

But seriously, I would just love to go to each and every one of his shows because he rocks the house all the way down. Sadly, we are separated by his artsy fartsy school, Belmont, but I still get my Matt Wright kicks on his website:

 

http://mattwrightmusic.com/

and on his Myspace: 

http://www.myspace.com/mwrightmusic

You just won't be sorry. Especially if you've ever thought "where can I listen to the flower child of John Mayer and Ben Folds?" Then I have just darn well taken you to the promised land, haven't I?!

* Quote of the Day: "To ease one's heartache is to forget one's own." - Abraham Lincoln