Happy 40th Rob!

Rob's 40th is next week but we surprised him with a party yesterday at Aunt Pinky & Uncle Charlie's. We had a great BBQ with the family. Later on we watched the Flyers game. It was a fun time! Happy 40th Birthday Rob!

What a blast!

The reception was at the Radisson Valley Forge and it was awesome! The food was delicious, the staff was extremely attentive, and the room was beautiful. The flowers were amazing and the band was phenomenal! The band never took a break and there was never a moment that the dance floor was empty. The wait staff even commented that they didn't know who to serve dinner to because everyone was out of their seat and their food would get cold. You know it's a good sign that everyone is having fun if no one is sitting down. BJ's Best Man speech was very sweet...he threw in a couple jokes but overall it was a very heartfelt tribute to his best friend and his wife. I danced the entire night! Actually, it's now Monday - 2 days after the wedding, and my legs still hurt! Um...maybe that's a sign I should go back to the gym, huh? Jeanna had mentioned, a long time ago, that she thought it'd be cool if there was some greasy food at the end of the wedding to soak up the alcohol. I remember her saying that it'd be cool if we could have McDonald's delivered...ya know, the ultimate "hang-over" cure. Well, leave it to Johnny to bring her wish to her....at the end of the wedding boxes of McDonald's cheeseburgers were delivered!!! Jeanna was so excited and everyone else thought it was the best idea ever...um do you think most of us were "over-served at the bar?" LOL! All in all, it was a fantastic wedding and Brian and I had an absolute blast! We are so happy that we are all now officially family. Welcome to the family Jeanna!

Trolley ride and pictures at the park

After the ceremony the bridal party hopped on the trolley and we went to Valley Forge Park for pictures. We had some cocktails on the way and had a blast celebrating. The back-drop they chose for their pictures was beautiful and I can't wait to see the photographer's pics!

Mr. & Mrs. John Grace III

The ceremony was beautiful! It went off without a hitch....well, except for the trolley guy getting lost and making us late....but if that was the only problem all day we could deal with it. As I walked down the isle I was so extremely happy. Johnny & Jeanna are made for each other. I already think of Jeanna as my sister and this ceremony was making it official. When I got to the alter I looked at Johnny, smiled at him, and winked as if to tell him "good luck." Jeanna looked absolutely gorgeous as she and her Dad walked down the isle to her Groom. I looked over and Johnny was tearing up and I got teary myself. Once it got time to say their vows I could see Johnny getting nervous. Right before Pastor Jeff started to tell him what to say Johnny looked up at Corinne and I as if he was looking for us to give him one more sisterly "it's ok...you can do it." I looked him in his eyes, smiled, and nodded at him. He let out a sigh and then looked at Jeanna. He got through his vows flawlessly and I was so proud of my little brother. I love the fact that he looked at us and it's something I will never forget! The rest of the ceremony seemed to fly by and before I knew it Pastor Jeff was announcing them as Mr. & Mrs. John Grace III. Woo hoo!!!!

(Obviously I don't have any pics from the church as I couldn't hold my camera while standing at the alter....we will have to wait for the photographer's pics.)

Gettin' ready

The Bridesmaids and the 2 Mom's met up in the Bridal Suite at 8ish on Sat morning to start getting ready. Jeanna had breakfast sandwiches and coffee delivered to the room for us...which was very much needed since it was the only food we had all day until the cocktail hour. We had a ball laughing, chatting, and just being girls all morning. BJ knocked on the door and delivered a card to Jeanna from John. It must have been a very thoughtful card because she got all teary eyed while reading it. I went down to John & BJ's room later in the morning to check on John and he was laying on the bed watching TV. It reminded me of the story my Mom told me about how Dad was dressed in his tux and laid on the floor to watch TV on their wedding day. It's funny because guys don't have nearly as much to do on their wedding morning as the girls do....the guys get to sleep in and watch TV...how is that fair? LOL! I gave Johnny a hug and asked if he was nervous, to which he replied "no, not at all." I went back to the Bridal suite to meet up with the rest of the gals. We finished getting ready and then Corinne, Mom, and I had to meet up with the Groomsman to take Groom's family pics. It started to rain a tad but the photographer was able to work with it. When then went back to meet up with the other gals for Bridesmaid pics and the Groomsman all hopped on the trolley to head to the church.

Jeanna & John's rehearsal dinner

Friday started the BIG WEEKEND. Brian and I headed out to King of Prussia around 2ish. When we arrived we checked into the hotel and had time to relax a bit....which is rare for us because we are usually late to events. Later on we gathered up with everyone and took the shuttle to the Wayne United Methodist Church. We practiced for the big day and then headed to the Paddock for dinner. We hung out for a bit, having some drinks, and then sat down to a very good dinner! Johnny & Jeanna said some very nice words to all of us and presented the bridal party with gifts. After the dinner we headed back to the hotel and hung out in the lobby bar for a couple more hours. I kept saying "I can't believe my baby brother is getting married tmr" and Brian had to keep reminding me that John isn't a baby anymore. I know he's not but sometimes it's hard to realize that he isn't a kid anymore. We were having so much fun and didn't want the night to end but we did have to eventually get to bed to rest up for the Wedding Day!

Happy 2nd Alyssa!

Yesterday was Alyssa's 2nd birthday party. It was a great afternoon hanging out back at their house. They rented a bouncy castle and the kids had a blast. Alyssa had so much fun and had us all cracking up when we sang Happy Birthday to her. It was like she was conducting music as we sang because she looked around at all of us and nodded her head along with the tune. She's too cute! Happy birthday to my dear sweet God-daughter! Love you!!

Flyers, Phillies, Flyers, Phillies...

That's been the story of our lives the past few weeks. With the Flyers in the play-off's and Brian's "other love" the Phillies beginning their season I'm now SO far behind on my DVRed shows! I DVR all my shows on the family room TV but Brian now likes to watch his games on that TV. He did used to watch TV in the "man room" but he moved the HD DVR up to the bedroom one night when we wanted to watch a movie laying in bed. That now makes the "man room" TV a non-HD TV. Oh my! The horror! LOL! I've been squeezing one show in after dinner, but before the 7:00 game start but I'm still seriously behind. So, now I'm gonna try catching up on hulu.com. It's definitely not the same as watching TV in HD....but the sacrifices I make for my hubby... Actually, I don't mind too much because I can go to sleep early and he doesn't even notice...so he can't give me a hard time telling me I'm "gettin' old." :)

BBQ w/Rob & Ida

This past weekend we had Rob & Ida here for a BBQ. We were excited to have people over to use our new patio set. The only problem was that it was super hot out...ugh! We quickly ate and then headed back into the air conditioned relief. We had some drinks, watched TV, and caught up on our lives. It was a nice evening.