Go Team Havens!

Aren't weddings just so fun? Mark's sister's wedding was on Friday and getting the Seymour family together is always such a kick. The wedding was at the Hollywood Schoolhouse in Woodinville, WA, an adorable brick venue perfect for nuptials. I didn't get too many pictures because I was too busy stuffing my face and dancing (really) but I picked out a couple to post. The rest can be found here.

We found this carousel horse upstairs while we were waiting to make our grand entrance. It made for a great photo-op. :)

Congratulations to Mr. and Mrs. Jesse Havens! Of course, the DJ had to play "Jesse's Girl" (Rick Springfield... still going strong). I love Jesse's Converse shoes and Kelly's hot pink flip-flops. You guys threw a great party!

One year

Mark and I get to celebrate our first ever one-year wedding anniversary on Sunday. I know everyone says this, but I can’t believe a year has passed already. Yet it feels like plenty has happened since we celebrated with everyone and took off for Belize. A new small group formed out of our old group, and it has been amazing to see our friend’s lives changing as they experience God’s faithfulness. The change in small groups and the passage of time have brought a change in our friends group too. Friends have moved away from Seattle and new ones have arrived. We’ve traded our first apartment together for another one, although we still have the keys to the old place (and just last night rescued Mark’s bike from the walkway where we left it). We have more bills (hello Netflix) but have thankfully kept our jobs. Maybe I CAN believe a year has gone by. And I hear it just goes by faster the longer you live…

Some pictures of the Vanderpol wedding

Gorgeous day out... here are Cody and the guys waiting for the bride.

Vows vows vows. I do. I do.

Take this ring.

Excited! Yay!

Very typical Cody and Jessica moment. I don't think anyone was surprised.

Lovely ladies out in the sun.

Dance party under the tent. Mingle/dance music courtesy of Mark and Heather.

Funny story noting the difference between guys and girls. See the dress I was wearing? Black, white and yellow, a modern kind of paisley pattern, scoop neck.

During the wedding reception, Mark comes up to me and says, "Heather, some girl here is wearing the same dress as you!"

Heather: "Oh no, really? Where is she?"

Mark gestures toward her and I do a once-over.

Heather: "Um... Mark, that's not my dress."

Mark: "Really?"

Heather: "That dress is BROWN, white and yellow, has large flowers on it, and has a V-neck."

Mark: "Hmm... well it kind of looks the same."

Next time a guy tells me that I'm wearing the same outfit as someone else, I won't be so quick to worry.

Beginning of a wedding weekend

One of Mark's best friends is getting married on Sunday, so this weekend has been almost completely set aside for wedding festivities. Mark is in the wedding, and our involvement has been a great opportunity to pay back our friends for the incredible amount of time and effort they put into our wedding nine months ago.

Mark and I braved Friday afternoon rush hour to drive up to Arlington for the rehearsal, which meant an hour and a half of NPR and cat naps for me. Once we arrived at the location, a darling outdoorsy spot with an adorable arbor complete with lake and bald eagle, I settled myself into the porch swing and prepared to take on the role as wedding party add-in. I'm just along for the ride, people! Luckily, another girl was just along for the ride too with her husband of two months, and we conversed about our state as newlyweds. I couldn't have planned a better evening.

After we stuffed ourselves with barbecue, courtesy of the parents of the soon-to-be-newlyweds, the guys headed off to commence the bachelor party while the girls took off for the Matador in Ballard for some after-dinner drinks. It took some finagling but we finally got all 10 girls parked and inside the restaurant. And what's a bachelorette party without a little bit of excitement? Around midnight, a man walked up to our table (apparently tipped off by our waitress) and introduced himself as a professional lap dancer, and he would be pleased to do the honors. Half the girls were horrified and the other half were dying laughing, but we told him that we were so sorry, but the groom would be extremely unhappy if he found out about this. Our lap dancer friend appeared disappointed but came back later with a shot of tequila for the bachelorette, which she downed to humor him. She's such a good sport.

Well, it's 2 a.m. and I should probably head to bed. But the weekend isn't over and hopefully by Sunday I'll have photos of the nuptials! It's sure to be a gorgeous day!