Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow....

Well it is officially winter here. It started snowing around 11:00 today and has been continuous all day. It isn't really building up other than on the trees and grass, but it sure is pretty.



Everyone around here gets pretty excited when it snows. I was teaching the 3-5 year olds for Thursday Morning Women's Bible study when it began, and one of the kids noticed it during the Bible story and yelled "It is snowing outside!!!" To which everyone else was excited and there went the end of my story for a few minutes while they marveled at the fluffy white stuff falling from the sky.



Some of the kids that I was talking to after Bible Study (there is a home school co-op that meets at the same time) were very concerned that it was going to stop snowing by the time they got home, and the moms did not want them playing in the snow there because most of them did not have gloves or really heavy jackets. Also, I am sure most of the mothers realized wet clothes leads to hearing them whine and cry the whole way home.



One of the other teachers earlier started singing "Let it snow" and a couple of the kids promptly chimed in--it was so cute.

Baby Julian...

Since Matt has posted the pictures of me holding the babies in the group that we hang out with, I just had to post this since I handed baby Julian to him on Thanksgiving (it was the first time Matt held him).

Happy Halloween...

I hope everyone is enjoying their halloween and not getting sick on candy. We went to a Halloween Party on Saturday, so there are some photos from that posted on Matt's Blog for you guys to see :-)

Enjoy!

A Crisp Fall Day

Yesterday, Matt and I decided to go visit the Hiram M. Chittenden Locks (also called the Ballard Locks) and botanical garden.

Here is a picture of the boats being crammed like sardines into the Small Locks.



Because of the amount of time and the number of boats that come through the Locks they put as many boats as possible (safely) into the Locks at one time. One neat thing about the Small Locks is the fact that the walls that the boats tie onto actually move up and down, so the ropes do not have to be pulled throughout the lock experience, instead they tie in and wait for the water levels to change.

Here is a picture looking under part of the bridge that runs along the dam between Puget Sound and Lake Washington.



It was fun to get out and enjoy the crisp blue sky and see the beautiful fall colors. So I decided to take some photos of the yellows, oranges and reds that remind me that fall is here. I think fall is so beautiful, that I had to at least try to capture it on "film" -digital that is- So this first photo is me standing at the base of a gorgeous tree, that is going through the transformation of spring to fall to winter, looking straight up through the branches at the levels of leaves.



This second one is of the same tree, but focusing on the top leaves against the crisp blue sky.



Now we will move onto the botanical garden photos that consisted of a number of different flowers and leaves. Yesterday I had a fascination with the colorful leaves, so the first two photos are of just different leaves that were growing together in the same planters and looking really pretty.



Here are some more leaves...



Then of course I took photos of the flowers because they are so pretty. I really liked all the fuschia bushes. This first one reminded me of water droplets hanging on to the ends.



This next one was pretty cool because of the fact that the fuschia flowers are in focus, but the rest is not really.



And for good measure, here is another picture of a fuschia plant with some begonias along with it.



The next photo is some dahlias that we came across on our way to leave. The vivid colors were so magnificent.



These next flowers I believe are geraniums, but if I am wrong anyone...feel free to correct me. I forgot to look at the signs telling me what they were, instead was caught up taking photos of them. These I liked because of the leaves edges.



Now we have moved on to the purple flowers that I have absolutely no idea what they are. Again....was focused on the flower and not the name, therefore I really have no idea what these ones are. This first one was a tree.



And this next one was a bush. The center flowers are out of focus, but the leaves were very crisp, and the photo still had a cool effect.



Lastly, what is a day out and about without at least one picture of my husband. Mind you I took others, but liked this one. He was walking back towards me because we were ready to head back toward the other side of the lake, and I was able to snap the picture quick enough that it came out looking rather good.



Hope you enjoyed seeing about our day at the Ballard Locks and botanical Garden.

New Appliances...

Finally we have purchased a vacuum which we have been wanting for a while now. Having a decent Bissell 3594 Vacuum seems to make us want to clean the carpet. It was amazing at how much dirt was picked up in our first run-through of the downstairs.

Our second appliance that arrived today, I have not had a chance to use yet, but it is a KitchenAid Professional 600 Mixer in Cinnamon. It is gorgeous, and I am looking forwards to using it. Probably in not too long I will purchase some of the attachments that go with it including the Ice Cream Maker Accessory.

The other appliance that we bought a little while ago now is our Oster 6-in-1 Blender which works great. We have mainly used it to make smoothies and milk shakes so far.

All three of these appliances are awesome. The mixer is so pretty and I am really looking forwards to using it!!

Hair Cut

Almost two weeks ago, on July 26th I went and cut over 13 inches off my hair. As you can see in this first photo my hair was quite long... it was to the point I wanted to chop it off.



The reason though that I had allowed it to grow this long and did not cut it any sooner, was because I had decided I was going to donate it to Locks of Love, which requires that you donate a minimum of 10 inches. So I went ahead and cut it all off, and here are the pictures of me afterwards.





And for those of you who wonder what Matt thinks of it...

...he loves it. It also helps that I wear it down much more regularly since it is so much easier to deal with. Imagine this...it only takes 10-15 minutes to blow dry it, and it will dry naturally in about an hour opposed to when it took at least a half hour to blow dry it and many-many hours to dry naturally (can't tell you how many times it would be damp all day when I pulled it up)

Honeymoon

I know we have been home for more than a month, but I was busy unpacking...You should have seen our dining room after my stuff arrived.

So here are a couple of photos from our honeymoon. We went to Kauai and we had a fantastic time. We went snorkeling, kayaking, horseback riding, relaxed and just had a good time.

First is our photo from the horseback riding. Here is Matt after we remounted after our lunch and swim at the waterfall. It was a nice crisp swim especially in comparison to the ocean water.


Second is a picture of the Blow Hole which was pretty cool to see. It is variant upon the tide, and the tide was not spectacular that day, but it was still fun to watch, and I picked up many video clips from it.

Matt's Blog...

Hey everyone, you can also visit Matt's Blog. He and I post very different things, therefore I encourage you to check out both blogs. Matt's blog is updated much more often than mine.

A Wedding in Short

I decided to post a series of photos that will show you our wedding in short. This is for those who either a) were not able to make it or b) just want to see the photos.

So to start with of course everyone was seated and then the men walked in and waited my attendants walked down the aisle. So the first photo is one of my little brother (Kyle), my groom (Matt), his best-man (Jason) and groomsman (Brandon).



Then my attendants walked down the aisle followed my father and I. So next is the picture of my daddy and I walking down the aisle. This is about the point when my dad asked me "do we really know all these people?" and around us many snickered.



Then my dad gave me away. Followed by vows spoken to each other and to God. This is a covenant that Matt and I both take very seriously. This closes with the exchange of rings. The ring is a symbol of eternity because there is no beginning or end to it, but it is also a symbol of love and devotion.



Next we were pronounced as Husband and Wife and Matt was given permission to kiss me. Followed by the introduction of us as Mr. & Mrs. Matthew Swann.

Our attendants are the following pictures:

This is my best friend (sister) Erin and Matt's best friend Jason as our Matron of Honor and Best Man

This is another set of really good friends. Amy as my brides maid and Brandon as Matt's groomsman.

Our Ring Bearer and Flower Girl were both cousins of mine. Our flower girl is Jessica and our ring bearer is Stephen.

The of course the ceremony was followed by many pictures with family. Next was dinner that was delicious. It was catered by the Vocational Training Center and they did a fabulous job!! After Matt and I finished eating we got to go take more photos. Next were toasts offered up by Jason, Erin, My Dad and Matt's Dad. Then we cut the cake (which was tasty, but was not decorated exactly as I ordered it). Then our first dance, which was, I Will Be Here by Steven Curtis Chapman.



This was followed by a Father Daughter Dance to Butterfly Kisses by Bob Carlisle.



And followed by a Mother Son Dance.

Then we had the bouquet toss, which to my surprise was caught by one of my best friends.



And then also there was the garter toss, which again I was surprised at who ended up with it. So here is a photo of the people who theoretically will be the next to marry if tradition holds up.



Then we went on to open dancing and mingling. I am sorry to say that I did not get to see everyone that came to my wedding. I made a concerted effort, but some people had to leave right after the ceremony and other had to leave right after dinner. So next are some photos of the dancing and such.

My parents dancing.

The kids having a blast dancing away to one of the fun songs. This photo is awesome because it caught the kids jumping in mid air.

This is the Hokey-Pokey of course. What is dancing without the Hokey-Pokey?

But it was my parents who hosted this whole event and are a great role model at them having been married for 28 years. Thanks mom and dad!!



Then after mingling for a while longer we had our last dance, where everyone blew bubbles at us, which gave a pretty cool affect for this photo:



This was followed by us leaving in a clean rental car. Thank you everyone for not decorating the rental car. We really did not want to have to clean it early in the morning before driving to Los Angeles to get to the airport in time.

My Shower...

At my bridal shower, they decided to create a wedding gown and veil for me. So I figured with the fun of it, I may as well share the photos that went along with it. I hope you all enjoy me dressed up in a tissue paper gown. Following is a picture of the rehearsal, because they insisted that i wear the tissue paper veil to my rehearsal.

Dressed in the finery of Tissue Paper

Amanda and her best friend/sister Erin at rehearsal

Me the Graduate

I had to post a picture of me as a graduate.

My sis'

This is a picture of Erin my best friend and sister since preschool. We have known each other now for 18 years and are still the best of friends despite distance and a few moves in between.

Mom and Me after graduation

Here is a picture of my mom and me after graduation

Graduation...

As many of you know I graduated from Vanguard University on May 7th. I graduated with a Bachelors degree in Business Administration with a minor in Mathematics. So this and the next few pictures are pictures from graduation.

Here is the picture of me walking across stage. According to my parents I sprinted across the stage, but oh well.

Finally, Shoes!!

Last weekend Erin found me shoes for my wedding!! Being the best friend that she is, she had been keeping her eyes peeled for a pair of shoes for me. The shoes she called to tell me about seem to work perfectly, we will know for sure on Saturday when we pick my dress back up at David's Bridal.

So, hopefully the shoe saga is over!

In just a couple of days I will be officially graduated from college. On Saturday is my graduation, and I am so excited. The my focus will go to wedding plans since I won't have any homework to do :-) (Oh darn!!)

Wedding Plans continued...

So, I may have a pair of shoes, we will just have to see if they fit correctly and are comfortable. Erin, being the good friend/sister that she is, has been keeping her eyes out for shoes for me. This morning I got a call around 10:45 to tell me about a pair she found at the Carlsbad Premium Outlets. So she picked up two sizes for me and tonight I get to see whether they fit.

So officially I have Jewelry, a Veil, a Dress (the all important part), my bride's maids dresses, their jewelry (but still need to get my flower girl jewelry), a site, a officiant, a caterer, a honeymoon destination with plane tickets, and a fiancé who loves me very much.

Only 56 days to get the rest of it together, and only a week till graduation :-)

More Shoe and Jewelry Shopping...

Yesterday, my best friend/matron of honor and I went shopping for shoes and jewelry. You would think that with all there is out there, especially here in So. Cal. You could find these two fairly easily, but let me tell you.

We returned shoes that I had ordered online through Nordstroms that did not fit correctly, and since they do not carry them in store I had to order them to determine whether I liked them or not. Then we went and returned another pair that I thought, maybe would be a possibility, but they did not fit right and were a bit too casual. So then off to lunch we went. On the way we racked our brains to think of places to look because we had already hit Nordstroms and Macy's to no avail. So we went to Ruby's and enjoyed out lunch tremendously and used my birthday coupon for a free burger so our bill was less than normal.

Then we headed back to the mall to look to see if there were any stores we should check out and in Macy's we are accosted by the lady selling the Microabrasion kit. She insists on demonstrating, and through it I tell her I sell MaryKay and sell a similar kit for less and I think it works better. She did not do a very good job of showing off her product or demonstrating it either in both Erin and my opinions.

Off to David's Bridal we head because we had a 3:00 appointment to have bustle loops added to my dress. During this the alterations lady tries to convince me I should spend $85 to have a small part of my dress hemmed because she says it hangs slightly longer on one side...I think this is a mistake on their part, so if they notice it, they should fix it without charging me because it means they did not cut it straight to begin with. I decline and stick to just bustle loops. Then Erin and I go to see what shoes they have to offer. There was really only one pair we liked and they did not fit right. They were too tight through the toes and the wide width was huge! So we figured we better move on to jewelry looking. We found a necklace and earrings that match my dress almost perfectly! So we made our purchase and headed on to our next stop.


Our next stop was the Marshall's in Tustin that advertises having more shoes than a normal Marshall's. They did have more, but nothing that met our criteria. So we decided to look at purses while we were in there. I ended up leaving with an adorable Franco Sarto purse that is Black with White trim. It is all leather and the right size. While at that shopping center we also checked out Shoe Pavilion and they didn't have any white shoes either...

On to the Tustin Marketplace we went and looked at T.J. Maxx to see if they had gotten any new shoes. Still nothing. So we went to Claim Jumpers and split the House Salad, which is a favorite, and split the spinach calzone. It was not that great. It had too much Ricotta cheese and not enough spices. It was even lacking garlic.

So we decided after that to call it a day since it was already almost 9:00. So the shoe saga continues, and hopefully I can find shoes by June 25, 2005. I have 69 days left to find them...I know they are out there it is just a matter of discovering them.

Shoe Shopping...

I know, if you are like Matt you are thinking, oh no, she can't need another pair of shoes...

...But these are special shoes :-)

Yesterday, I went in search of shoes to wear with my wedding dress...there are some major problems with this:

1.) For some reason, even though it is spring and white is a spring colored shoe, there are few white shoes out

2.) Despite the former, the ones I did find were either:
a.) Very Casual
b.) Had no back strap (I do not want to loose my shoe under my dress)

3.) In order for my dress to not be hemmed I need a 2.5" to 3" heel
(then today my mom told me she could hem my dress, and I should buy shoes that are comfortable...)

4.) I do not have wide feet, but the sandal style dress shoes are cut so narrow through the toes, and I hate getting blisters from shoes.

5.) Stores such as Nordstroms, have a line of Bridal Shoes that they do not carry in the store, so you have to order them in order to determine whether you like them, if they fit correctly, and if they are the shoes you always wanted.

Therefore because of these 5 reasons I did not come home with any shoes, but I did order 2 pairs on www.Nordstroms.com and intend to return at least one of the pairs to the store, when I determine which ones I do not like.

Why, oh why, does shoe buying have to be so tough?

Veil...

So over the 3 day weekend I spent way to many hours in the car to get home on Friday, and a little bit to long to get back on Monday, but I had a wonderful weekend. My little brother was thrilled that I was home. I got to see one of my really good friends, have dinner at one of my favorite restaurants, Quitos, and have some down time. Also, got my taxes all done :-)

While there mom and I went looking for decoration ideas for our wedding. Found some great stuff and good ideas. Then on Sunday Michael's had a 50% off coupon, so I went and bought my veil for $8, where an almost identical one was shown to me at David's Bridal for $100. Makes me wonder why people spend that kind of money on a simple piece of fabric that is gathered together on a comb. Now I just need to find a tiara, or maybe I will make it. I did play with some possible ideas the other day. But my friend Katy suggested looking for one at a costume shop, which I thought was a novel idea. So I will have to do that!!

Photo Time Line-Almost 3 Years

I went to visit Matt for my first excursion to Seattle. He took me on a dinner cruise on Puget Sound. We enjoyed a full meal and enjoyable relaxation, picture taking and feeling the cool air (when we ventured outside). It was definitely something I enjoyed and had never experienced anything quite like it.

Dinner Cruise on Puget Sound

Just ignore the guy behind us...We didn't think about what was behind us when our waiter took the photo for us.

Photo Time Line-About 2 Years

This was Christmas Eve 2003. My mom was busily cooking dinner and dad, Kyle, Matt and I were playing with my dad's new digital camera that he had received for his birthday a week and a half earlier.

Christmas time is such a fun loving time...

Photo Time Line-1 Year

After dating for one year Matt decided to take me to the Biltmore in Montecito for a five course dinner. It was so enjoyable.

Matt and Amanda headed to the Biltmore

Photo Time Line-6 Months

I decided that I should put up a Time Line of photos of Matt and I, since a number of people have asked about photos. So I decided this was a good way to satisfy people's curiosity while being fun.

This first photo was when Matt and I had been dating for 6 months and we decided to go to Solvang for the day, and then go see a play at PCPA. So before we left Matt's house his dad was playing with his digital camera, and therefore we ended up as the subjects of a picture.

Matt and Amanda after 6 months of dating :-)

My dress...

Yesterday, my best friend, Erin, and I went in search of my wedding dress. We had called David's Bridal to set up and appointment, and they said there were none available but I could walk in. So, we decided what they heck, we can go and wait. We got there at 11:15 and were taken back within 10 minutes (we expected to have to wait forever). Kat, our sales associate, sent me to look at Tiara's and shoes to go with my dress (neither of which I bought), and then into my gown I went. It looked so pretty, sophisticated, elegant and gorgeous. Erin and I were still so impressed and knew this was the one. So, I went ahead and purchased it. We were out of there about an hour after we arrived. They sent me home with my dress, and I have to return to have the bustle loops put in and if there are any alterations that need to be done.

After our fun at David's Bridal, we went on to go get food. Decided we should do our usual and go to Claim Jumpers and get a barbeque chicken pizza and the appetizer house salad with ranch. Then decided we wanted cheesy garlic bread, but our waiter told us that the order of it is huge, so instead he brought us each a few pieces "on the house" which was cool.

Then off to wander the mall. Eventually left there and headed for our favorite clearance store of all time, Kohl's, where you don't buy unless it is at least 40% off original price, and you better like it a lot to pay that much for it :-). Erin and I each walked out of there with a few items. I found a purple sleeveless turleneck to wear with my black suit, and I also found a periwinkle blue long sleeve collared shirt to wear with my suit. Both of which will look very nice with other clothes also. I also found a pair of Nine & Company boots. They are very classy and were only $20. Next winter I will have a new pair of boots to wear. Erin and I had a blast and enjoyed the chance to get out and just have fun together!

Wedding Plans...

This weekend has been busy putting together guest lists to send out Save the Date cards. Also, picking out decorations, flowers and such. Invitations are chosen, and then we had to figure out wording. All the little details...

For flowers we are looking at Stanley's Flowers.

Invitations are coming from Pear Tree Papers.

Many of the decorations will be gathered from products bought at Michael's.

My dress will come from David's Bridal.

Many more details are still being worked on, but all the excitement is overwhelming.