Overjoyed - Elated - Blessed - Honored

. . .  to be marrying this wonderful man. . .

April Wedding

I am happy to tell you all that Winter married Dan Bailey today.  They were bubbling with happiness.  They were married by the Mayor of Munising in a small ceremony at Munising City Hall.  We are very glad to have Dan as a new member of the family.

We wish them many years of love and happiness!!!!!

Married!!

I finally got married!! Yaaaaaaaay!!

It was super fun, very romantic, a bit stressful and my I decided to wear my hair in a way I've never ever done before,  but I wouldn't change a thing!

My mom and dad made everything so special and fun for Tyler & I. We feel so lucky!! Here are a few pics!

Congratulations!

Lindsey & Jay - Congratulations on your marriage.

May your relationship grow stronger with each day.
May your home be filled with laughter and great joy.
May God watch over you and protect you through every trial.
May Christ be your center.

-Tracy

Happy New Year!

Things to look forward to on the blog in 2011. . .

New Things

1. A Monthly Scripture Memorization Challenge
2. Book Club - Reading Challenge
3. Recipes from the upcoming cookbook (please don't ask me about the cookbook - it's coming)
4. Monthly Updated Prayer Requests Tab
5. Tutorial on the "Musts" for each post (Title & Labels)
6. Ticker Counter for upcoming babies and weddings
7. Updated Birthdays and Important Dates
8. New Winter Header & a New Look

Old Things

1. Pictures
2. Wordless Wednesdays
3. More Pictures

A Glimpse

(double click to enlarge)

Just a quick glimpse of the wedding that I went to this weekend.  My friends Kathy and Drew were married on August 21st which is my Mom & Dad's Wedding Anniversary.  It was neat to be at a wedding on the same day.  Knowing both the bride and groom for quite some time it was difficult to know which side of the church to sit on.  Their reception was outside underneath a tent (thank goodness because it rained all day) and had a picnic theme.  It was really delightful.  Carrie was bridesmaid extraordinaire! 

Flower Girl

It's hard to be 2 years old and be a flower girl all at the same time. In the midst of all the fun "playing" Alaina had to perform her duties as official flower girl. She practiced, she talked about it, and best of all SHE DID IT without a hitch.

Hi Everyone

Hi Everyone,

It sure was a beautiful wedding and so much fun to be all together. I think the weekend went as well as possible. We sure were glad to have the good travel weather. I liked looking at all the pictures. I will try to post mine sometime soon.

Winter has applied for a new job at the same place but on the adult side. It would be full time and she would get benefits. I hope and pray that she will get it. She missed not seeing everyone.

Lindsey is in her first week of teaching all on her own and is a litte stressed out. Her first day went well but today she had a bad day with many discipline problems. It is a trying class. She will do well though.

Faith ended up with ear infections again after coming home from the wedding. She is doing better now. When we look at the pictures from the wedding she knows everyone's name. She is a smarty!

Hope you all are doing well. Love from the U. P. Debbie

What a Beautiful Wedding - Just Splendid!

January 26 = Wedded Bliss

Pete & Emily's wedding was just beautiful. Their personalities shined the entire weekend! Here are my favorite pic's from the weekend [Oh let's just face it - there are a million favorites that I have and blogger just takes too long to upload a million photos) - So enjoy the slide show at the end!


Blessed Man! (aka Mr. Super Woo)



Family Reunion



Sisterly Love


Lady in Waiting



Proud Pauls



CheeseBalls!


Dancing Duo (Diva and the Dame)



Sibling Smiles



Sacred Union



Raw Talent



The complete slideshow

Finals . . .

There are lots of finals going on today!

I am giving final exams this week in chemistry and biology.
Here's a quick and easy question: If the wavelength of light increases what happens to the frequency?

I had my final dress fitting today. It took a lot longer than I expected but I was finally happy with the results. Thank God for the Miracle Wedding Village.

The wedding is finally here!

Tim, Carrie, Deedee, and I will be heading south to Indiana to tomorrow for the big event. We can't wait to see everyone - and celebrate the union of Pete & Emily.

Love, Tracy

ps. my little guinea pig Ruby finally has a diagnosis. It is unfortunately of lymphoma. Please keep her in your prayers: no pain, no suffering, and that she makes it through the weekend.

Wedding Shower Slideshow!

13 Hours

I had 13 hours of driving last weekend. First to Chicago, then to Indianapolis, and then back to Detroit. I had lots of time to myself; thinking, singing, taking in the sites. It was a whirlwind weekend of Pre-wedding festivities. I was thankful that Pete & Emily included me.

Pete is a real All American - He loves this country - see the flag hanging in his condo? He was really excited to show me all the nooks and crannies of his place - I loved seeing them all! Even his parking space. It still blows my mind how much a parking space costs in downtown Chicago - it's RIDICULOUS! Pete is most definitely downtown!

Here's the view from His condo - and yes that is the reflection of the Sears Tower - it's that close!

So Friday night I drove from Detroit to Chicago - and only nearly choked to death once on the hot pepper that made its way into my Subway Sub. The directions were easy. Pete met me at the front lobby and we ended up parking my car at Union Station for a mere $25 per day. We (Pete, Emily, Anna[Emily's sister], and Brandi[Emily's good friend from Purdue] visited and stayed up WAY too LATE playing Catch Phrase.

Saturday we woke up early and got ready for Emily's big day of bachelorette fun. Pete chauffeured us to her friend Courtney's house where we had manicures, munchies, present opening and what I'm sure every bride insists upon - Guitar Hero!!! It cracked me up - it was a lot of fun.

Whooaa! Check out that ring! Isn't it beautiful. The stones are heirlooms and the the band was custom made by our friend Patsy. It looks fantastic with the accompanying "Wedding Band" too!

Afterwards we had a lovely afternoon at the Drake Hotel where we had "High Tea". I drank a lovely honeybush (no caffeine & from South Africa). They serves mini sandwiches, breads, and some delicious pasties. Emily just loved the Roast Beef sandwiches that had grilled onions! MMMmmmm!

That evening we caravaned from Chicago to Indianapolis. Like a typical Michigander - I promptly forgot that folks in Chicago pay for their roads - We had to all pull over so that Pete could loan his dear ol' sister some spare cash for the toll booths. It was quite embarrassing. The drive went by quickly - I listened to AM radio - a favorite secret pastime of mine - while driving on road trips.

We were welcomed with open arms at the Donnelson Home. Pete, Emily, and the gang got right to watching the Indianapolis Colts play. (ps. the hawkeye's beat up the spartans that night in basketball! He He He! I love winning!) Emily's mom, Lynn, and I chit-chatted for several hours about teaching! Teachers across America have a common bond (of insanity) that no one else can ever understand unless they become a teacher.

In the morning we had a lovely shower. Lifelong friends organized and prepared for the brunch. Emily's mom made a fantastic chicken salad recipe that had fruit in it. I'll have to get her recipe! We played a few shower games and then presents were opened. There were so many lovely things. I thought the most special gift was the dutch oven that Gram Fraser gave Pete with her special recipe for Swiss Steak. It was such a thoughtful gift since Pete loves to cook so much.

I drove home that afternoon in the beautiful fog and snow. I love the way that our country looks!