The Morning Of

October 16th, 2010 was a blur of a day.  Mike had gone to his parents' home in White Bear the night before while Kim came home with me to Eden Prairie.  We got home late and went to bed even later, having to make up the spare bed in my bedroom and checking to be sure we had all of our things ready for the next day.

Bright and early, we scurried our way up to Plymouth to meet Yooney for our 8 AM hair and make up appointments.  

It's hard to believe that my hair went from this...

...to this!

Let's not talk about how many bobby pins or hair spray was in my hair.  I was, however, very pleased with my stylist.

While we ran around the western suburbs, the guys were on the east side taking care of last minute tuxedo details.  At the same time, all of our other plans were being set in motion:  the cake was delivered to the restaurant, our flowers made it to the church, and our photographer was ready to capture it all.

Before leaving home I had put on Mike's pink button-up shirt to make changing later on easier.

From different parts of the city, the bridal party slowly arrived at St. Andrew's.  We all got there a little later than planned, but overall we were still on schedule and everything was going smoothly.

I even had time to take care of a few last-minute organizational things and penned some thank you cards.

The lovely Christy acted as my personal attendant.  Here she's checking out the program to see when in the ceremony she would be singing.

Then the last bits of hair and make up were put into place.

My fabulous maid of honor and sister laced me into my dress.

It was a time consuming task that also took a bit of muscle.

My neighbors very kindly borrowed a beautiful pair of diamond earrings and a necklace from their jewelery store, Graham Jewelers.

Kim had a fun time helping me pick out the jewelery.

 One last touch up before the first round of pictures...

 Posing with my mom and sister before the onslaught of pictures and people.

The Kick-Off: Rehearsal Dinner

After a year of planning, organizing, appointments, and busyness the final countdown began.  It is incredible to think back and remember that we had just started our new jobs a month before and moved into our new home barely ten days before that. 

The rehearsal and rehearsal dinner took place the evening before the wedding.  As soon as Mike finished off his school day, we booked it over to Mahtomedi to meet our families, the wedding party, and the other essential hands for our big day.  I was very proud that no one got seriously lost on their way to St. Andrew's.  It all felt so surreal -- everything was finally coming together.

Running through the ceremony went quickly and smoothly.  Everyone knew where to be and what to do.  In no time, we headed back towards White Bear Lake for toasts, snacks, and socializing before our dinner reservations.

For the rehearsal dinner, we went to our favorite restaurant in White Bear Lake -- a little place overlooking said lake, Acqua.  We love Acqua's amazing food selections, excellent service, and its intimate space.  Our two tables of ten filled the entire front room so it felt like we had the whole place to ourselves.  It was a wonderful setting for a lovely evening.

Our parents got a chance to sit down together for a nice meal before the chaos of the next day.

It was also nice to have Calvin home before Christmas.

We also got to meet Bill's girlfriend Amber for the first time.

Our fantastic wedding party, personal attendant/singer-extraordinaire, and usher made up the other table.

One happy pirate and four smiling faces...

...basically awesomeness all around.

Here, Biz is either failing horribly at trying to match Yooney's Asian-ness or he's really bad at giving bunny ears.

We thoroughly enjoyed dinner and spending time with our family and friends.

Happy, well-fed, and surrounded by good company, we were ready for the next day.

Signs of Spring

This photo essay came about because of birds – bird songs to be specific.  I had been inside cleaning for two days and on the third I heard the birds singing all morning.  Prior to going on spring break I knew I wanted to go and take photographs of . . . something, but I hadn’t an idea of what that something would be.  After hearing the birds I decided to go out with my camera and take pictures of whatever caught my interest.  After initially following the birds and their calls I started to notice the change happening in the trees and came to the conclusion that I would look for the different signs of spring.

The typical signs revealed themselves immediately– the warm sun melting snow away, people clothed in lighter wear engaging in physical activity outdoors, plants budding and turning green – but what ensued for me was not simply capturing these signs.  As I walked around my neighborhood I began to contemplate what the less apparent signs of spring would be.  It became a meditation on what spring entails, both in beauty and in loss, for spring is not summer.  It is not bountiful warmth and ample leisure.  It is violent.  It is a struggle of life against barren death; both the failure and victory of rebirth.  As I wandered around, spring became more nuanced, multifaceted, and meaningful.  It became the joy of witnessing the optimism and promise of springtime.  

I hope you enjoy this snapshot of spring - M