I was more than happy to take the kids to the pool…because it meant NO SAND. 🙂
Tag Archives: Filipek
iPad cousin buddies
Cousins dining al fresco
The dining room table seats six so the kids all sat out on the balcony—and loved it!
Legos with Anna…again!
Owen brought a Lego set so he could do them with Anna like he did last year. He was so excited that within, I think, two minutes of walking in the front door of the condo, the box was already open! We did have him wait just a bit, and they started working after dinner. 🙂
LAST YEAR:
First trip to the beach with cousins!
Goodbye cousin cuddle!
One last trip to the beach
It was super windy and you could see storm clouds rolling in…but the kids wanted to take just one more trip down to the water. It didn’t last too long as it started to rain…so this is them heading back home.
Beach Frisbee
Owen and Anna were bestest buddies!
Then Kathryn and Izzy were playing frisbee and Owen wanted to join! This is his catching stance.
His robot stance.
Look at that form!
Good catch!
Proof that his form actually works! He can throw pretty well!
I told him to write his name in the sand. You can see the normal-ish sized O right behind his feet…and then I told him he could do it a little bigger and so he’s drawing an O about three times his size (he’s finishing up the last of it). That’s as far as he got with his name before he lost interest. 🙂
Fudpucker’s
I stayed home so Katie could take a real nap (i.e. in total piece and quiet) while everyone else went to Fudpucker’s in Destin.
The food was taking longer than expected and the gator show was about to start, so they sent the kids off by themselves to the show.
Then it was back to sign their names—and add some drawings—to the wall…
And then Owen tried—and liked!—alligator!
But got pizza for his lunch!
And then it was time to feed the alligators!
And a few photo ops:
Then it was off to get ice cream!
And a gun that I’m sure he wanted but he did not come home with:
Tom said Owen had a great time! And Katie had her very best nap all week—just over three hours!
Windy Beach
It was too cold and windy but the kids still wanted to go to the beach and the guys wanted to try fishing one last time. We took pictures from the balcony. 🙂
Just hanging out
And Tom working on Gramma Jean’s computer that she hauled from Michigan so he could update it to Windows 7.
Legos with Anna
We brought a new Lego kit for Owen to build…and Anna was more than willing to help! They made a great team and did a good job. (The next night, Izzy helped and they did an amazing job!)
Owen said: “Wow! We have a lot of Legos going on here.”
Cousins at the beach!
I love this picture—it looks like David is the Godfather sending his minions off…
The wave snuck up on him!
Katie LOVED the sand…and was COVERED in it.
Anna and Owen in their hot tub!
Bubbles!
Testing out the non-heated pool. It was COLD but Owen stayed in for probably 15 minutes!
And one year ago…the same cousins on another beach.
Revamped Playroom
With the help of my stepsister Kathryn who went to her local (Atlanta) IKEA to pick up the shelf for me…and then hauled it to Myrtle Beach where I then picked it up at my parent’s condo…and then Tom putting it together…we now have a revamped playroom!
When I showed it to Owen for the first time, his eyes got really wide as he said “HOLY MACKEREL!” 🙂
Then I told him everything had its own basket.
Me: Cars go here.
Owen: Yeah!
Me: Trains go here.
Owen: Yeah!
Me: Animals go here.
Owen: YEAH!
Me: Puzzles are here.
Owen: YEAH!
🙂
Cousins!
Katie’s first beach!
First bathing suit!
Cousins!!
Toes in the water (in a tide pool, which was a bit warmer and lots calmer)!
Notice the sand around the mouth? Yep, it went in! We let her get some, but tried to prevent the big handfuls. 🙂
Doing her yoga poses on the beach!
In the actual ocean surf!
Pool fun with cousins
Family Breakfast
Cousins at the beach
First Crayon Drawing
We were up in Grayling for the weekend to visit with Filipek’s, and I was sitting doing something with Izzy when she suggested she get a piece of paper for Owen to write on. Well, he was using a pencil, and kept poking through the paper, so I suggested a crayon instead. She ran to her bookbag and brought back a turquoise crayon. I held the paper and let him go to town…
(Gramma says it’s a nice picture of snow-capped mountains behind a lake!) Then Izzy wanted to write on the back. 🙂
A little while later, while we were all still eating dinner and Owen was left to his own devices (having already finished eating), we suddenly heard Marcus saying “NO, OWEN!” Yeah, he had just drawn his first crayon WALL art. |-|
Thank heavens for Magic erasers!
Kentucky Vacation
We just got back from a week’s vacation in Kentucky. Why Kentucky, you might be asking? Well, that was a fairly central mid-point for all of the Schwalmlettes & Schmitlettes (the nickname for the Schwalm kids and me) to drive and meet for a family reunion!
It was really nice, since we never all get to see each other at Christmas like we used to (see what having kids does?). 🙂 However, it wasn’t QUITE like old times—there wasn’t much staying up until 3am playing games and drinking and talking like in the old days…since there are kids to deal with now. (I might hazard a guess that I had the worst of it, since I still have to get up with the boy for night feedings, which meant I was usually in bed by 10 each night.) But we still all had fun visiting and relaxing and playing Wii games (and more to the point, watching the kids play Wii games) and watching the kids’ production of Three Little Pigs and Annie!
Owen was the absolute HIT of the week for the kids. They just about loved him to pieces! They always wanted to be in his face playing with him or kissing him or hugging him or touching him or helping feed him. I am sure he was overwhelmed, but it was very cute! Here’s what it looked like a lot of the time:
We also learned that Owen does NOT like a lot of noise and commotion. We had him in the room with us when the kids were singing or boxing on the Wii (both LOUD and CRAZY) and he was NOT a happy camper. As soon as we took him out of the room, he quieted down and was happy again. A kid after my own heart! :yes:
There was a hot tub (which I had been really excited about), but the weather was so warm that I never went in. It pretty much just got used by the kids (that is, after Kath turned it town to like 80° so it was more pool-like) who really enjoyed it!
We were out of cell service range, but the house did have internet so all us geeks didn’t have to go through withdrawal. I think we had three laptops and four iPhones—sometimes all going at once!
One day we all went to Cumberland Gap National Historical Park and managed to get this family photo:
Of course, it was over WAY too soon…and before you know it, we were packing and on the road home. At least we discovered we have a pretty good little traveler—Owen slept most of the way and we only had to feed him once during the 8-hour trip (although we had to feed him the moment we got to our destination, both ways!).
Stay tuned for a link to the entire set of pictures!
Cute Owen Vacation Pics
Cool new sunglasses! Thanks, Schwalms! (7/14)
Hamming it up with cousin Izzy! (7/14)
Fun with Gramma Jean’s thumb! (7/16)
Such a cute little old man face! (7/17)
Home again, home again
We made it back to Jacksonville about 2:30…we tried desperately to take a bump somewhere along the line but it never worked. They actually called for three people for the Charlotte to Jacksonville leg, but by the time we got over there, they only needed one and we didn’t want to split up!! (We had hoped to get free tickets so we could maybe come home for a long weekend at Christmas!)
The cats are fine (according to the note the sitter left, they had a few issues while we were gone—but I think it was just Fuzzy being stubborn) and are glad we’re home. They’re enjoying the open windows —and so are we! It’s 71 here…quite a change from 95 yesterday in Boca Raton!
We’ve already been to town to do our grocery shopping and are on our third load of laundry… I can’t fathom having to go to work tomorrow—aside from plain not wanting to go, I’m sick. I’m not blaming anyone, LOL, but Anna was sick when we got back from the cruise! The little devil!
I’ll let you know when the pictures are online. We have quite a few, but I probably won’t put many online since there aren’t that many good ones (most are dreary since the weather was not sunny).
Honeymoon Cruise – Day 8 – Home
We got up fairly early and finished our packing and went to our last breakfast. We waited in our room until they called our tag number (blue 2) around 9am. We were off the ship and through immigration by 9:15 and then walked straight into hell, LOL. It is NOT fair to finish a very relaxing 7-day cruise by being hoarded into a warehouse to find your luggage, and then deal with 2000 people trying to find their own luggage and exit at the same time. What made it worse yet was the porters who kept pushing their way through the line, telling us to move to let them through—I’m just not sure where they expected us to move since we were all packed in like sardines. (It was definitely not as well-run as the embarkation was, and was a disappointing end to an otherwise nice experience.) Kathryn picked us up with no problems and soon we were back at the house and getting hugs from the girls! Later tonight, it’s off to Chuck E. Cheese’s as a reward for Izzy’s successful graduation from pull-ups to big-girl underwear!
Honeymoon Cruise – Day 1
Kathryn and Izzy dropped us off at Holland America a little before one and we were through check-in and security by 1:30! I was really amazed at how easily the whole procedure was. The only thing I missed was getting a picture of the ship at the dock before boarding—it was a little bit of mass confusion once we arrived and handed off our baggage, so by the time I thought of it, we were already inside the hangar/warehouse and before you knew it, we were walking up the gangplank (do they still call it that?). Then it was off to find our room, except we didn’t have to look far—a steward (was that what he was called?) grabbed us and off we went!
Even though we knew ahead of time what the layout and size of the room was. We were still very surprised! There is a TON of closet space (room for all of our hanging clothes) plus room for all of our suitcases under the bed (so we don’t have to take up precious floor space). The balcony was great, as well—we were missing one chair, but before we barely had time to think about it, someone was delivering a chair! We can’t keep the door open (to hear the ocean) as I had hoped, but we do spend a good amount of time out here (I will write all daily drafts out there and will post later from one of the three wi-fi hotspots on board). The best surprise was the bathroom—it was MUCH larger than I EVER anticipated and has a medicine cabinet, detachable massager showerhead, and extra large bath towels!
We had a few hours to explore before the mandatory lifeboat drill at 4:15, so we wandered around the ship, turned in the necessary paperwork to the front office, scheduled our dinner reservation for the Pinnacle Grill (the fanciest restaurant on the ship—our package thankfully came with one dinner upgrade, otherwise it’s a $20 per person upcharge), and scheduled my birthday present at the spa—a hot stone massage! After the lifeboat drill, we had a short amount of time to prepare for dinner. It was a casual evening, so we didn’t have to do much! I had hoped to watch the departure from the Observation Deck on the 10th level (we’re on the 7th) but it was raining so that was not really an option. Instead, we chose to watch from our balcony—which was neat because you could look all around you and see everyone else on their balconies! I keep telling Tom it looks like a bunch of gophers with their heads sticking up out of their holes!
So, dinner…let me just say WOW. So we were waiting in line to get in and the greeter people (can’t remember what they were called!) look at your dining card and show you to your table. So they get to us (we were probably fifth in line) and right away, we sense something is different—instead of just having us follow them like everyone else, he made some comment like “I have to go see _____” or “I have to go ask ____” (I didn’t quite catch it). All I could think was “Oh, great. Something is wrong.” As it was, we were a little paranoid about getting the seating request we had made—I had requested a table for two instead of the typical table for six or eight where you eat with other people…but we had heard someone earlier saying that their request had been denied. So, imagine our surprise when another greeter guy stepped in, saw the number on our card, and said something to the effect of “Ah, a table for two, for the special couple, right this way!” EXCELLENT! And the food? Wow. Of course, everything started with bread and butter! We had two stewards (Mo and Al), a wine girl (Lillibeth), plus a manager-type person (Ruddin) came over, introduced himself, and said not to hesitate to contact him about ANYTHING we might be unhappy with. There were about four appetizers to choose from (I had crab salad on tomato and Tom had steamed mussels), three soups (I had chilled blueberry and Tom had hot island pepper), three salads (we had Caesar and spinach) and five or six main courses (I chose eggplant cannelloni parmigiano and Tom had prime rib—he said he could eat prime rib EVERY NIGHT…until he tried my eggplant and said he would have rather had that!). Dessert came later and there were about twelve choices—I actually skipped the chocolate cake (I know, can you believe it?) and had the apple strudel and Tom had a pineapple torte.
Then it was more wandering around the ship. We took a tour, signed up for wireless internet service (outrageous prices, of course), went to a free liquor tasting, visited the art gallery and signed up for the auction later in the week, took a gander at the casino, and ended the evening at a Mixology Class at the night club—which was an absolute blast. I hated to spend $10 a person, but we got to try four different signature drinks of Holland America cruise line. The first three were SPECTACULAR (Epic Spiced Daiquiri, Melon Drop, and a Tropical Tom [Collins])… but the last one (New-Fashioned Bermuda), made with either black rum or whiskey, was something I could not stomach. So, Tom, being the sport that he is, drank mine! We had some good laughs with the bartenders (excuse me, mixologists) and other guests.
Overall, we were very impressed with every aspect of the service. Our steward knew our names after having met us once and says “Hello Hudsons” every time we pass in the hallway. We stopped at the front desk to ask for a second robe and it was there within the hour. We received turn-down service between the time we left for dinner (5:30) and the time we stopped back at the room after dinner (7:30). We needed laundry pickup (pressing, actually) and they were at our door within 10 minutes. Amazing. Of course, the thing that we don’t like are all the little extra fees for everything—$30 for a week’s worth of soda (Tom only—I can live with water), $20 for the mixology class, $10 for a photo (we didn’t like our boarding photo, thankfully), $30 and up for internet service, tips for spa treatments, because they aren’t technically part of the ship (should have thought about it, but didn’t), and the list goes on! The only thing we don’t have an issue with is the $20 gratuity per day—the staff here definitely deserves it!!
Birthday Dinner
For my birthday dinner, we went to The Cheesecake Factory. The girls were very good, but Izzy was really excited about it being my birthday and kept asking the waitress if my cake was ready!! We enjoyed a great dinner and then Izzy helped me blow out my candle on my Godiva Chocolate Cheesecake! We came home and after a bath (after the whipped cream from my “cake” both girls really needed it) played like crazy! I wasn’t sure if we were tiring them out or if they were tiring us out!?! A great day…
Here’s me with the girls before dinner:
Great birthday so far!
I got up early this morning so I could see Anna and Izzy before they went to school (I slept in yesterday and missed them!). So what was the first thing I heard this morning? I got a loud “Happy birthday Aunt Jen I love you!” plus a giant hug from Izzy!! Add that to the totally precious singing of “Happy Birthday” from Gabby (via email) and all is well with the world!!
We’re in Boca!
Our trip down was fairly uneventful…we ended up with a minor delay of about an hour once we were on the plane in Charlotte (we had to wait for a replacement part of some sort) but we had exit-row seating so it wasn’t bad at all! Once we landed in Fort Lauderdale, we only had to wait about 10 minutes until Kathryn arrived, so the timing was perfect!
Anna and Izzy are so totally adorable it’s unbelievable! Kathryn said Izzy knew we were coming and couldn’t wait! As soon as she walked in the door, it was “Aunt Jen!!” and I got a big hug! Then I said “Uncle Tom wants a hug, too!” so she ran over and gave him a hug. If you can believe it, she is more talkative than ever!! She had to sit by me at dinner and cuddle with me on the couch. I keep telling Kathryn that if they ever want to give her up, we would take her in a second!! I hope our kids are as great as these two!
Holiday Letter 2005
Yep, I started this year’s holiday letter today. It’s actually later than I usually start (which is usually while I’m PRINTING the previous years’). But, I was occupied this year with babysitting Izzy and Anna in Florida and having surgery. But let’s not duplicate everything I have in the letter already, okay? 🙂
Lt. & Mrs. Thomas & Jennifer Hudson
The short story…
THOMAS AND JENNIFER TIED THE KNOT on an absolutely gorgeous Saturday morning in the Northern Michigan town where they met. The ceremony went off without a hitch (okay, maybe one—but you’ll have to read further to see what it was) and everyone loved the couple’s personalized vows. Then the couple and their guests enjoyed a three-hour gourmet lunch reception aboard the local Grand Traverse Dinner Train. The couple left the reception on a horse-drawn carriage.
The long story…
SMITH/HUDSON WEDDING CEREMONY
August 18, 2001
Grand Traverse Children’s Gardens
Traverse City, Michigan
10:30am
Pre-Ceremony
The girls arrived at the library at 10:15…in plenty of time for the wedding (10:30!), but much later than anticipated. (We originally planned to get dressed at the library, but it just didn’t happen.) I had also totally forgotten that we had lots of wedding stuff in the van that had really needed to be at the site earlier (the CD player and prelude music, the guest-signing picture frame/matte, and the programs) so that stressed me out even more, although I do have to give my attendants (and brother!) credit for getting things taken care of. A stream of people came in to see me, and while it was nice, my mind was elsewhere—I was still very nervous and hoping that everything went okay. I was elated to see that after all my worrying and back-and-forth with the florist, my flowers were absolutely gorgeous (sidenote: they were MUCH heavier than I anticipated). Then before I knew it, it was time! (I also learned that the guys had arrived at the library much earlier, and were actually starting to get worried because we weren’t there yet!)
Ceremony
I had to wait with my dad around the corner while the mothers were seated, because Tom was doing it and he couldn’t take the chance of seeing me. My dad started to say something that sounded sentimental and I bluntly told him to be quiet. Then he started again and I “shhh”ed him again. This went on for a good minute. I kept telling him he couldn’t say anything that would make me cry since that would ruin my makeup and give me red eyes!! He ended up getting out one sentence which wasn’t TOO bad! Then we got our cue, so as we walked toward the garden, I looked over and saw Tom standing there in his uniform. WOW!!!!! He looked absolutely amazing! So we stopped at the back of the garden and waited for the trumpeter to start. It was VERY surreal looking around and seeing everyone who was there, all looking at me—and Tom waiting for me! Then the trumpeter started and we walked up the aisle.
I alternated between looking at all the guests, looking up at Tom, and looking at the ground (for dips and bumps) to make sure I didn’t trip and fall. The aisle wasn’t very long, so that part was over quickly. Tom came down to us, my dad handed me off to Tom and shook his hand, then I gave him a kiss and Tom and I walked up to our places. Julie welcomed everyone and started the ceremony. This was the weirdest part, because we were both just standing there looking at everyone. I wanted to at least hold hands (wondering if brides and grooms normally did that—I couldn’t remember!) but I had my bouquet and he was being Mr. Strict Military Man (as he was technically supposed to be) with his arms at his sides, his hands in little fists. This part seemed to go on FOREVER. However, it was neat to have time to be able to see everyone who was there!
WEDDING PROGRAM
Clicking any of the four wedding program thumbnails below will popup a full-size version.
PRELUDE
Various Classical Selections
PROCESSIONAL
Variations on a Theme by Paganini (Rachmaninoff)
Seating of the mothers (Grandma, Marsha, Linda, Jean) by Tom
That’s How You Know It’s Love (Deana Carter)
Groom’s Attendants (Kate, Don, Morgan)
Best Man (Rob)
Groom (Tom)
Bride’s Attendants (Marie, Kathryn, Beth)
Maid of Honor (Angi)
Flower Girl (Jessica)
Trumpet Voluntary (Clarke)
Bride & Father (Jen and Mike)
THE PRESENTATION OF THE BRIDE
Who presents this bride for marriage? Her parents. (Dad hands Jen off to Tom. Tom shakes Dad’s hand. Jen kisses Dad on cheek. Jen and Tom walk together to front and face the guests.)
WELCOMING OF THE GUESTS
Good morning. I’m Reverend Julie Chai and I have the honor of officiating this marriage ceremony which Jennifer, Tom, and I have co-created. On behalf of Tom and Jennifer, I would like to welcome all of you to this ceremony celebrating the love they have for each other. We would also like to welcome those who have passed on and are celebrating with us in spirit today—especially Tom’s father, Robert.
We would like to take this opportunity to introduce you to the parents of the couple. Would the parents please stand? On your left is Tom’s mother, Marsha, and Jennifer’s mother Jean and stepfather David. On your right, her father Michael and stepmother Linda.
QUESTIONS TO THE PARENTS
As the parents of Thomas and Jennifer, do you affirm your continuing support and love to them as they grow in their marriage? Yes.
Do you celebrate with them in their decision to choose each other? Yes.
Do you offer them the best of your care and counsel in times of struggle, and will you celebrate with them in times of joy? Yes.
THE ROLE OF THE COMMUNITY
As the much loved friends and family of the couple, you are very important to them and your role in their marriage is a very important one as well. Today you will be witnesses to the vows they will be making uniting them as a couple. As witnesses, they ask that during times of stress, you offer them a quiet listening ear, advice when requested, and encouragement to uphold their vows, honoring the love they have found in each other. It is our hope that as we celebrate the love of Jennifer and Tom here today, that you will also cherish and hold more dear your own loving relationships. And as they take their vows, that you, too, will find renewed commitment in the relationships you have made in the sacredness of your own lives.
ABOUT THE COUPLE
I asked Tom and Jennifer why they want to get married and what is drawing them to each other. Tom noted that he was first attracted to Jennifer’s eyes and smile. He said, “I love her personality and sense of humor. We are so much alike that it’s comforting. She’s easy to be around.” To this Jennifer quickly added, “It feels like we’ve been together forever.” Tom agreed, noting that they often know what each other is thinking and he said, “Jennifer is my best friend and I couldn’t think of being with anyone else.”
Jennifer remembered the first time they met, saying, “When we saw each other across the smoky bar and met [big laugh from the guests!], we knew that night we would get married.” She said that she loves the fact that Tom loves her unconditionally, no matter what. And she appreciates how easygoing Tom is and how he gets along with everyone in her family. Finally, she noted, “Tom does his best to make me happy, including the cute little animal noises I love.” [Everyone laughed. Then, still laughing, Julie asked if anyone had ever heard these noises—because she kept hearing about them but had never actually heard them. Everyone laughed again.]
WORDS OF SPIRITUAL SIGNIFICANCE
And now Jennifer’s Aunt Marge will offer some thoughts on love:
Love is caring as much about the welfare and happiness of your spouse as about your own. It makes burdens lighter because you divide them and joys more intense because you share them. Love is a promise that is always kept, a fortune that can never be spent, and love is a seed that can flourish even in the most unlikely places.
And now Jennifer’s brother-in-law, Jim Coe, will read an excerpt from The Art of Marriage:
A good marriage must be created. Remember that it is the little things that are the big things. It is never being too old to hold hands…remembering to say I love you at least once a day…never going to bed angry…and at no time taking the other for granted. In a good marriage you have a mutual sense of values and common objectives. And you stand together facing the world. In a good marriage you do things for each other, not in the attitude of duty or sacrifice, but in the spirit of joy. You speak words of gratitude and demonstrate it in thoughtful ways. In a good marriage, the husband is not expected to wear a halo, or the wife the wings of an angel. You do not look for perfection in the other, but cultivate flexibility, patience, understanding, and a sense of humor. You forgive and forget. A good marriage is not only about marrying the right partner, but being the right partner.
SYMBOL OF UNITY
As a symbol of their unity, Jennifer and Tom have chosen a bell. During times of conflict and pain they will ring this bell. In ringing the bell, they will be reminded of the love that unites them and surrounds them here today. The ringing of the bell by the couple.
THE HANDS OF THE BRIDE AND GROOM
[Note: At this point, we finally get to turn towards each other.]
Jennifer, hold Tom’s hands, palm up.
Jennifer, these are the hands of your best friend—young, strong, and vibrant as he promises to love you all the days of his life.
These hands will work alongside yours as you build your future together, laugh and cry, and share your innermost secrets and dreams.
Though large and strong, these are the hands that will be so gentle as he holds your baby for the first time.
These are the hands that will work long hours for you and your new family.
And these hands will love and cherish you throughout the years in sickness and in health, in sorrow and in joy.
Jennifer, bless these hands you hold before you this day.
Thomas, hold Jennifer’s hands, palm up.
Tom, these are the hands of your best friend—smooth, young, and carefree as she promises to love you all the days of her life.
These are the hands that will hold you tight as you struggle through difficult times.
These hands will hold you with joy and excitement and hope each time she tells you that you are to have another child, that together you have created a new life.
These hands will console and comfort you.
And these hands will love and cherish you throughout the years in sickness and in health, in sorrow and in joy.
Tom, bless these hands you hold before you this day.
Please join in the unison prayer for the blessing of the vows by repeating after me:
Jennifer and Tom, we your friends and family celebrate your love and with our love bless the vows you are about to make. Receive the patience, courage, wisdom, and humor you need to grow together, and fulfilling your vows now and forever.
THE VOWS OF THE COUPLE AND EXCHANGE OF RINGS
Jennifer’s vows:
Thomas, I love you.
- I promise to affirm my love for you by giving you a quick wink and a smile to let you know everything is okay.
- I promise to hold you and comfort you to make you feel safe.
- I promise to try to appreciate the good in everything.
- I promise I will give you time to work things out when you feel overwhelmed.
- I promise to do my best to accept the time it takes you to analyze and make a purchase.
- I promise to accept your quirkiness and unique sense of humor.
- I’ll do my best to understand your need to have the TV on all the time.
- I promise to do my best to understand and accept your future military responsibilities and not make you feel guilty about having to put studying first.
- I’ll do my best to try not to watch QVC as much.
- I promise to never put another sugarprincess sticker on my car, just in case you ever have to drive it.
- I look forward to making our relationship even stronger and spending the rest of my life with you.
- Thomas, I give you this ring as a symbol of our vows—and with all that I am, and all that I have, I honor you.
Thomas’ Vows:
Jennifer, I love you.
- I promise to be faithful, trustworthy, and honest with you.
- I promise to listen to you and only fix the things you ask me to.
- I’ll do my best to communicate more, even when the topic might be uncomfortable for me.
- I’ll do my best to compromise, even with my TV habits, such as endless channel flipping.
- I’ll do my best to support your decisions, even if I might not agree with them.
- I promise not to become addicted to any more computer games.
- And I look forward to making our relationship even stronger and spending the rest of my life with you.
- Jennifer, I give you this ring as a symbol of our vows—and with all that I am, and all that I have, I honor you.
THE PRONOUNCEMENT
Please join me in pronouncing the couple husband and wife:
Tom and Jennifer, we now pronounce you husband and wife.
THE KISS
THE APACHE WEDDING PRAYER
Now you will feel no rain, for each of you will be shelter for the other.
Now you will feel no cold, for each of you will be warmth to the other.
Now you will feel no loneliness, for each of you will be companionship for the other.
Now you are two persons, but there is only one life between you.
Go now to your dwelling place, to enter into the days of your life together.
UNISON PRAYER FOR THE BLESSING OF THE COUPLE
Please join in the Unison Blessing of the Couple by repeating after me:
Jennifer and Tom, may your lives be blessed with health, love, and happiness, and may your home be filled with laughter now and forever.
BLESSING OF THE COMMUNITY
As you have blessed, so may you also be blessed. And may your lives also be filled with health, love, and happiness—and may your homes be filled with laughter now and forever.
INTRODUCTION OF THE COUPLE
Friends, it is my honor and pleasure to introduce to you Lieutenant and Mrs. Thomas and Jennifer Hudson.
RECESSIONAL
These Are Days (10,000 Maniacs)
Post-Ceremony
After the recessional, we came back and greeted the guests at their rows and everyone said they loved the ceremony—and some people even asked for copies of it and suggested I post it online. It took awhile to get the pictures started (especially getting the extended families together for each family picture), but once they did, they went pretty well. By this time, too, it was quite warm (although not terribly hot and humid) so I was really warm with all the layers of the dress. I really needed a fresh application of powder to take away the shine I had developed, but I had forgotten to prepare a little makeup bag, and at that point, I had NO idea where my makeup bag was. So, I was more than a little anxious about what I would look like in pictures (as it turned out, some are great and some are way too shiny!).
Bridal Party
Reception
We made it to the train with a few minutes to spare before the 1pm departure. I made sure to tell Chandra (the photographer) to get on the train first, so she could get a picture of Tom’s reaction when he saw the personalized cake topper. So we got on the train and the server announced us and everyone clapped and it was really neat—and I almost missed Tom’s reaction to the topper because in the few minutes since I had talked to the photographer, I had forgotten about it! I actually looked down and saw the photographer and wondered what she was doing down there…and then remembered just as she was snapping the picture! He was SO surprised! He just looked at me, laughed and smiled, and said, “You stinker—you told me you weren’t doing this!” I asked if he liked it and he said he did! Then we just sat down, relaxed for a bit (and gave my feet a chance to rest—I had kicked off my shoes as soon as we sat down), and drank a lot of water! Once the train got moving, we got up and started visiting with all of the tables. Everyone LOVED everything—especially the CDs. (I was worried about having lots of extras—since I made one for everyone—and the only leftovers were for the people who didn’t show.)
Carriage
The carriage ride was very cool. We got a few honks as we rode along the main road (on our way to the side streets) and Tom even got a few salutes! Most of our ride was along the side streets, past all of these old Victorian houses. It was a nice, relaxing way to end the hectic day. One bizarre thing happened, though. As we’re clip-clopping down this one street, I see this woman step out onto her porch holding a baby—and it was my hairdresser who had done all our hair that morning (and who had been doing my hair for the past six months)!! She was like, “Jen!!!!” and I was like, “Hey Heidi!!!!” I had no idea where she lived, and we just happened to go by her house. Strange.
Vendors
- Rings Wheat Jewelers (East Lansing, MI)
- Hair, Makeup & Nails Pure Essence Salon (Traverse City, MI)
- Officiant & Counseling Reverend Julie Chai (Traverse City, MI)
- Flowers Distinctive Floral (Traverse City, MI)
- Wedding Site Traverse Area District Library & Children’s Garden (Traverse City, MI)
- Cake Potters Fine Pastries (Traverse City, MI)
- Reception Grand Traverse Dinner Train (Traverse City, MI)
- Photography Hitching Post Photography (Traverse City, MI)
- Dress & Veil David’s Bridal (Flint, MI)
- Cake Topper Portraits in Clay
- Matted Photo Frame Frames Unlimited (Lansing, MI)
- Planning Software Wedding Magic Software
- Wedding Dress Preservation Wedding Gown Preservation Company