Yolande

[First of all, let me just say that I truly appreciate all of the kind responses to my "baby" post. Words of wisdom by comments, email, and myspace messages make me feel very loved and supported. Thank you, ladies!]

This post is about future weddings. We have six sets of friends who recently became engaged to be married in 2008 and possibly a few in 2009. These six couples all attended our wedding and thus, we will probably get invited to theirs [at least, I HOPE so.] There are actually quite a few more couples engaged within our extended circle of friends, but these guys are the closest to us:

1. Andy and Laura, to be married in St. Louis in October. Nate will be an usher and I have a feeling it's going to be a stunning wedding. Their reception is at the Chase's Starlight room! Holla!
2. Emily and Tony----Emily is the blonde on the left, and that is NOT Tony on the right. This lovely brunette is Megan, who was Emily's partner in crime at our wedding since Tony was on a flight to Rome. Their wedding will be in Omaha in August.

3. Caleb and Ashleigh, the most recently engaged a week ago tonight [Keri, were you aware of this???] I don't think they've set a date in the last week but I'm sure the wedding will be in Kansas City and Nate might be a groomsman. Caleb was one of Nate's best buddies in college and we love Ashleigh, too!

4. Mike and Michelle, to be wed in Wisconsin [whoo hoo for local weddings!] in September. Mike is Nate's cousin and they loved our Studio B so much, they have decided to start their own business in Madison! I can't wait to try out our poses at their wedding next fall:)

5. Nick and Amy, probably to be wed in St. Louis but I'm unsure of the date. I think this is probably one of my favorite poses from the night.
6. Kristen and Will, to be wed in St. Louis, April 2009. I already blogged about her engagement but she is having a party tomorrow night, which we have to miss. Boo for missing the fun:( I predict Kristen's wedding will be dripping with crystals, pink, and extremely girlie flair.


Now for the guesses on who's next:

1. Could it be Charlie or Brian [probably not to each other, but this picture is too funny]?
2. Allison or Milldogg [again, to their respective new boyfriends, not each other]?3. Nate's brother Jon and his girlfriend Emily? They are only 21 though, so I'm thinking this will be a ways down the road.

4. Keri and Matt [I know, I know Keri. It's SOOOO not going to happen for awhile. Humor me, here]?
5. Lindsey and John [I think she may snap someone's neck if anyone else asks when she is getting engaged]?
6. Or Nick and Kelly? I'm sure he is getting some major heat since they've been dating for about five years now.
Ah the fun of weddings, planning, and partying with friends. It's going to be a busy year, that's for sure! I guess we are just in that phase of our lives when EVERYONE is getting hitched and I plan on living it up. Who doesn't love weddings?

If you are like me, you've always drooled over dreamy destination weddings. Nothing says fabulosity like getting married on a sandy beach, with the ocean as a background, and the sun shining down. Ah, pure paradise.

I got the pleasure to design my first destination wedding album for Brigid---who also happens to have her own photography business called Ramblin Rose Photography. It's a bit nerve wracking when you design a photo album for a photographer: their attention to detail can be more precise than non-photographer brides. But after tweaking her layouts so that both of us are satisfied, her album is officially ready for print!

Brigid's photographer was Eric Dahl from Maui Wedding Photography. Now THERE'S a career that makes me jealous enough to cry...taking gorgeous photos of weddings in Hawaii? Yes, please!

Here are a few of my favorite layouts but you can see the entire album under 'example's at J.Lorene Design. As always, click the images to make them bigger.









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On a completely unrelated note [something that should probably be it's own post, but I'm feeling lazy right now]: Keri is scheduled for a lung biopsy on Monday. The re-read her CT scan and cannot deny that the spot is bigger, so they feel a biopsy is the only way to properly diagnose her. You can read more about it at her journal but please keep her in your prayers [thank you for doing so even before this new discovery!]. I spoke to Keri last night and she was rightfully overwhelmed by all of this new information. I simply cannot imagine. Ugh.

One positive bit of news is that she WILL get her boob job on Tuesday! Yay for new boobies:) I know she's been looking forward to the new girls and after much discussion the doctors decided she could go ahead with the original surgery date. Needless to say, Keri has a big week ahead of her.

Not to sound like a broken record but please let Keri's story impact your life in some way. For me, the recent events have brought me back to reality again. It's made me reasses my priorities in life and has helped me let go of the little things that seemed so important last week. Looking at the big picture that is life, and stepping back from the daily grind has helped me appreciate life's little blessings. And I hope it's done the same for you.