Highlightin’ the weekend…

First, let’s talk about shoes!!!

Thanks to Alison at Mama’s Weeds, I learned how to tie my shoelaces.  I’ve always had a problem with tying my shoes too tight or too lose.  I like my wiggle room!!!

Voila…problem solved!!  If you haven’t already checked out her post, I recommend doing it and trying this out for yourself too!

By the way, the Asics Gels were wonderful!  I can’t believe what I’v been missing out on. 😀  It’s nice having a pair of shoes that make my legs feel fresh and comfortable.  Totally worth the extra bit of money that it cost to buy them at a specialty store. 🙂

I went for a 2-miler in them this morning, and I felt as if I was literally bouncing off the ground.  I had to mentally force myself to slow down because my legs were feeling overconfident but my breathing was starting to let me know my pace was a little too fast for comfort.  I foresee many wonderful miles ahead! 😀

On to the wedding…

The church where Wendy and Jerry were married was gorgeous!!!  I couldn’t get over the ceilings and colors of the church.

The reception was beautiful as well.  The center peices were so fragrant, and I loved all the colors that were used!

And the party favors were absolutely adorable!  “Meant to Bee”…how cute is that? 😀

Anyways, on to the food!! 😉

The appetizers were mouthwateringly delicious!!  On the left I had an olive quiche.  The center was soft and full of black olives, with a nice thin, flaky crust on the outside.  Loved these!  And the dumpling was absolutely wonderful too.  I could taste spinach and some sort of cheese, but couldn’t make out all the ingredients.  I also snagged a bacon & scallop appetizer as it was traveling around.  It melted in my mouth.  😀

There was also a buffet table filled with a wide selection of cheeses and a crudite platter too.  I had a field day with the veggies and the adorable carrots.  The broccoli was blanched, which made for a tasty addition too. The blue cheese was amazing, but the other cheese was just okay so I left that with the other cracker to save room for the entree. 😀

My parents were sitting at the same table as I was, and we all enjoyed some good company with other friends and all the good food. 😀

After the hot appetizers made their rounds, they brought out a fruit plate for everyone.  I never start my meals with fruit, but I actually really enjoyed this.  Everything tasted so fresh and juicy!

Then came a caesar salad which usually gets a bad rap due to the cheese, croutons and dressing.  I left the croutons, and didn’t need any dressing due to the strong parmesan cheese sprinkled on top. 😀

This may have been my favorite part of the meal.  It tasted like a mix between gelato and italian ice.  I would take little pieces of the fresh strawberry and mint in each bite, and it was a little bit of heaven on a spoon. 😀 

The main entree was Chicken Marsala with green beans and mashed potatoes.  I cleaned my entire plate, it was delicious.  😀  And this was after about 3 hrs. of being served the starters to the meal…it was pretty drawn out which forced me to slow down and enjoy the food rather then wolfing through it.  I like to remind myself that my tastebuds are in my mouth, not in my stomach. 😉

I can take or leave most wedding cakes, but this one was so good that I enjoyed the entire slice.  There was a rich, chocolate filling (tasted like ganache) between the layers, and the frosting was light and “whippy”  There were drizzles of cherry sauce sprinkled on the bottom which gave the perfect hit of fruit to the deep, intense chocolate.  Very tasty!

The day ended with some photos.  Nicole made an absolutely gorgeous bridesmaid.  Here she is with husband, Nate. 🙂

Me with my dad…don’t mind the windblown hair, it was crazy breezy outside! ha…

Phew…I’m so happy to be relaxing tonight!!  I shouldn’t be tired considering I was just on vacation, right?  😉  A good night’s rest is the perfect cure, I think. 😀  Hope you’re all enjoying a wonderful weekend!!