Studio 21 Photo Booth

Matt and Jan rented the cutest/coolest/funnest photo booth to have at their wedding. (I know "funnest" isn't really a word, but if Steve Jobs can make a million-billion-trillion dollars and use "funnest" to describe the iPod, then I'm going to embrace it and add it to my vocabulary.)

Here's a few pictures I stole from Facebook.

If you have a wedding or special event coming up, I would highly recommend giving these folks a call. Their photo booth totally stole the show and was a huge hit! Both the kids and adults loved it! (Abby was a huge fan. She thought she should have exclusive rights to the photo booth and threw a fit whenever we took her out to give somebody else a turn.)

It prints out two copies of the pictures, so everybody got to keep a copy of their pictures and then glue the other copy into a scrapbook for Matt and Jan. What a fun idea! The people who ran the booth were so nice and couldn't have been any better to work with. One of my pet peeves is when businesses act like they're doing you a favor for letting you shop there or use their services, when in reality it is the other way around. These folks were just so accommodating and so nice. They even stuck around after the reception and asked if they could help clean up. Quality, I tell ya, Quality!

You can find them on Facebook at Studio 21 Photo Booth or call 435-213-1728.

Matt and Jan's Big Day!

My cousin, Janalee, got married yesterday. I think I've mentioned before how much I LOVE weddings--and this one did not disappoint. Janalee has been planning this wedding for a long time and had everything figured out down to the tiniest detail. It was PERFECT!

It was a big duty day for Abbs--she was a flower girl--so we started out with the breakfast of champions: blackberries and toast. (Thank you to Bountiful Baskets for sponsoring her meal. It was delightful.)

The ceremony was wonderful and the kids had a blast playing on the temple grounds while we waited for the bride and groom to make their big debut.

TA-DA! Mr. and Mrs. Matt Nielson. Such a cute couple!

Garrett walked right up to the lovely couple and said (quite loudly), "You ought to get a dog or something." We were so embarrassed. I think the line must come from a movie because he has said it several times lately, but we haven't figured out which one yet. Jan said he did tell her after that she was beautiful and looked like a princess, so it's all good.

The lovely Flower Girls and a classic picture of Abby pouting. Did I mention she's not even 18 months old yet? She's such a stinker.

Abby didn't take her duties nearly as serious as Brooklyn and Gracie. She mostly just wanted out of there.

Greg was pretty excited to add another pink tie to his growing collection.

The reception was so fun. I only snapped a few pictures, but it was awesome. The kids LOVED the cupcakes. I lost count of how many Garrett and Gracie consumed.

You may notice Brooklyn standing in the line holding the flowers. I asked her what she was doing and she said, "Holding the flowers for Jan. I'm her flower girl." Duh...my bad. (She got bored after about 5 minutes, but it was funny while it lasted.)

And they're off...for 2 weeks at some posh resort in the Dominican Republic. I tried to talk them into taking me along so I could teach them everything I know about the "S" word, but they declined and said they could figure it out by themselves. I forgot that Jan already has some experience and probably doesn't need my help. (Get your mind out of the gutter. I don't know what you're thinking about, but the "S" word I'm talking about is SNORKELING. I'm a pro.)

Congrats! We couldn't be happier for you.

Mrs. Petersen is Retiring!

My mother dearest is retiring from Wellsville Elementary after teaching for 28 years! WOW!

The school threw an awesome party for her and Mrs. Jensen. They started at Wellsville the same year and have taught next door to each other for 20+ years, so it is fitting to send them out together. Everyone has been calling them "Thelma and Louise" and laughing about what kind of adventures they can embark on now they won't be spending all day with 8-year-olds.

The proud husbands!

Congratulations, Susie Q! You are amazing. I don't think anybody can ever fully grasp the magnitude of a teacher's influence, especially one like my mom. Many of the students I taught in Jr. High were kids my mom had in elementary school, and I always loved telling each new group of kids that I am Mrs. Petersen's daughter. They were always so excited and full of positive things to say about her and their 3rd grade year. Now that I'm a mom myself and have been a teacher, I can honestly say I don't know how my mom did it for so many years. Not only did she do it, but she did it well and I know it wasn't easy. We are all so proud of her and are excited to enjoy this new chapter in her life together.

Mostly, I can't wait to have her around more to babysit my kids. Hahahahaha--Just kidding, Mom. (She has been adamant in telling my sister and I that she is not retiring to become a full-time babysitter, so not to get any ideas about going back to work.) I'm sure we can keep her plenty busy!