For You I've Waited All The Years....

You may have noticed that there was one notable "event" left out of my summer in review blog. No I didn't forget... I just figured it deserved a blog of it's own. Brian and I tied the knot on July 4th. It was a gorgeous day and everything was perfect. It all turned out better than I ever could have imagined and it feels wonderful to finally be Mrs. Shuart!

Picture courtesy of our wonderful photographer Jessica Kirsch

I always wanted an outdoor wedding and my sister Barbie's backyard in Ubly was the perfect location for it. The landscaping, pond, bridge, gazebo, basically everything looked wonderful. One guest described it as a "backyard paradise". The ceremony itself was short, sweet, and just had that intimate, personal feel to it. Our good friend Geoff Ferris played a beautiful rendition of one of my favorite Coldplay songs "Til Kingdom Come" as I walked down the aisle. The moment was almost surreal and I was doing sooo good at not crying until I walked over the bridge and into Brian's eyes, which were very teary. And so I cried... but not too much because I made a promise to myself not to ruin my make-up ;) I get gosebumps every time I listen to the song now, reliving that moment over and over in my head. I'd have to say it's in my top 5 (along with the proposal and birth of my children).

As for our beautiful flower girl and handsome ring bearers- I think they stole the show. They walked up the aisle perfectly, throwing petals the whole way. The cutest part was when they paused at the end of the bridge and threw every last petal. They had to make sure the basket was empty. I think everyone would agree they were adorable.

The reception was also exactly as I dreamed- white garden chairs, white tablecloths, chandeliers, candles, flower centerpieces, table runners made to match the bridesmaids dresses, personalized boonesfarm bottles for the toast (my fave!), a sweet candy buffet, and 3 perfect cakes.

And of course the best part was the tent being filled with our closest famiy and friends. Dinner was great, drinks were plenty, and the DJ played until approx 2 in the morning as the guests socialized and danced the night away.

So when people ask about the wedding, the word I most often use to describe it is "PERFECT!" I just wish I could do it all again... and again... and again! And I wouldn't change a thing.

Where Did Summer Go?

Seemed that our summer was so busy it flew right by. I didn't get a chance to update the blog with all the fun things the family did so here is our summer in review:

Isablle and Christian played on their very first tee ball team The Okemos T-Tots. They started out a little shy but by the end of the season they really got into it!


We took a trip to the Detroit Zoo. The kids really seemed to enjoy it. They said it was much better than the "regular zoo" (AKA Potter Park Zoo in Lansing). The faves seemed to be the butterfly garden, the peguins, the arctic ring of life, the river otters, and the giraffes.

We attended the Shuart family reunion at the city park in Bad Axe. It was a good time catching up with family and the kids had fun playing with their cousins at the park and playing games.


The kids lucked out and happened to be in BA when the Huron County fair was going on so we attended both the Huron and Ingham County fairs this year. You never can get enough fair food ;)

Of course, no summer is complete without a Tigers game. We took to the kids to both a Friday night game so they could see the fireworks and a Sunday game so they could partake in all the fun kids day activties. While the line for running the bases after the game is unbelievably belong, it is worth it. The kids enjoy it so much. All we heard about for days was how they ran by Paws at second base and stepped on home plate after Granderson.

I tagged along on a day care field trip to see the Lansing Lugnuts play. The kids thought it was cool to get their tickets autographed by the team mascot Big Lug.

We took the kids to see 1, 2, 3 Imagine with Elmo and Friends. They still walk around saying "1 close your eyes 2 think you're there 3 imagine you can be anywhere!"

The kids enjoyed several of the festivities in the Thumb, including the Hatchet Festival and Ubly Homecoming. The twins entered their first pedal tractor pull and Isabelle got first place in her weight class. Can't say we ever thought we'd own a trophy with a tractor on top!


We managed to have fun on the rainy cool days too. Took our first family bowling trip to Holiday Lanes. I thought it was a disaster waiting to happen but the kids surprised me and were very well behaved. Something I definelty recommend and will do again!

While the summer was a little cooler than we would have liked, we made the most of the rays when they were out. Many trips were made to the beaches, splash pad, and pool.

PHEW..... and that is just some of highlights. Now you can see why I didn't have time to blog!