A perfect wedding

This weekend we attended the wedding of my Salem little sister, Dr. Leighton Kennedy to her sweet fiance Nate. We left the kids at home and headed to Mooresville for probably the best wedding I've ever been to. Not the biggest, or fanciest, or most expensive, but I have never had so much fun, or seen a bride have so much fun at her own wedding. Exactly as it should be!

As soon as we got there, I was instantly glad we left the kids at home. I debated back and forth, back and forth. The thing is, I have no problem with other people's kids at weddings. I just don't personally believe in taking them. Hayden is 3, which means all he wants to do is run and be loud, especially if he's outside. And we've taught him that outside is the appopriate place to do just that. He can't appreciate the fact that my sweet little sister is pledging her life and love to one man, and how amazing she looks in that white dress. Nor could he have resisted the temptation to play in the sand, or attempt to jump in the water. And Lila? Lila decided at 2 months old that 7 pm was her bedtime, thankyouverymuch, and she wasn't interested in missing it. Hayden as a baby could go and do and sleep or not sleep, easy going. Lila prefers structure, and I have to respect that. So anything after 7 requires her crib and an adult to supervise.

The ceremony was cute and quirky, and I loved the vows. Dr. Adrian, a Salem professor, did the officiating and he was as charming as always. As soon as they walked back down the aisle as husband and wife, the catering staff fired up grill after grill to cook steaks, salmon and kabobs, while we enjoyed cocktails and snacks and the company of so many of our friends that made the trip from places like OBX and Alaska. Dinner, drinks, dancing, cake...all the ingredients for a perfect evening created the most delicious evening I've had in a really long time.

So thanks to Leighton and Nate for getting married, and letting us share their special evening. Thanks to all of Those Girls for a fun night we'll never forget, and for reminding me once again how truly special Salem is. Thanks to the chardonnay for the hangover, I haven't had one of those in a long, long time. And thanks to Hayden and Lila, who wake up at 6am even on the weekends, even when mommy has only been in bed a few hours...thanks for reminding me that wild nights with old friends are worth being tired and spending our first waking hours as a family in bed watching cartoons.

Here comes the bride!

We had two weddings to attend this month, one of which was Hayden's very first! Typically I don't believe in kids under 5 at weddings, but this one was an outdoor event that was casual so we took him along. Sarah and Ben got married on October 1st in a beautiful country setting. It was all of a sudden chilly, but the sun was bright and the air was crisp, and of course the bride was beautiful! Hayden was excited to go to the "special farm" to see Sarah, and got really excited when he saw her walking down the aisle. He was very good during the ceremony and expectedly antsy at the reception but overall he did really well.

                  A quiet moment after the ceremony...so sweet!
The following weekend we traveled to Waynesville, NC sans Hayden for Ashley and Jason's wedding. Ashley (Watts) was one of my Salem friends and got married outside at the Waynesville Inn Country Club on a ceremonial green. We had a blast catching up with old Salem friends and with her family. And since we were childless (minus the one in my belly!) we got to relax and enjoy dinner (the food was great!) and dance and hang out without entertaining our wild toddler. It was a beautiful day in the North Carolina mountains that turned into a rather chilly evening but we had a great time. Jay was a hit on the dance floor and we grabbed a quick brunch with friends before heading back to Greensboro.

 They did it! Ashley and Jason walk back down the aisle as Mr. & Mrs. Bannister.

                               Salem C'04, Lily Godbold and baby-Rogers-to-be-named-later-C'34.