[Baby] Carlyle and Nellie tie the knot!

It is crazy that its been almost two years since Carlyle and I were romping around the Alps as we discussed his plans to marry to Nellie. And, as of this past Saturday, his dreams came true! They were wed on a beautiful ranch outside of Dallas, Texas.

 And, let me tell you, it was quite the celebration!

 

As you can imagine, an outdoor Texas wedding in the middle of the afternoon was extremely warm. We were all sweating. They provided cute fans, but we were still struggling in that heat.

 

I loved how Carlyle and Nellie had so many kids in their wedding. They were precious in their baby suspenders, and the littlest girl had a barbie in her basket to keep her happy while she dropped a few flowers down the aisle.

Muir absolutely adores these family photos. So, we humored her and took them, even though we have plenty that look pretty similar from other family weddings.

I do love these ones of all the girls. And I'm sure Muir will have them framed in no time :)

After presenting the new Mr. and Mrs. Carlyle Aguren, the reception quickly moved into full swing!

The groom's cake was a Chipotle burrito. Isn't that hilarious?! Carlyle is a Chipotle fanatic, so this was fitting! It was delicious, too.

The real cake was beautiful and delicious, too!

Jonny captured this sweet photo of Ali and I just hanging with the Poochster.

Per usual, we loved the photo booth!

The dancing was incredibly fun. The band was fantastic. But a major highlight was when Ian, my cousin's boyfriend, took the stage to perform his own rendition of Lady Gaga's Bad Romance. The whole room was on the dance floor going crazy. Ian is very talented.

Muir, our beloved grandmother, is 87 and was tearing up the dance floor all night long. Every person at the wedding was loving it. When complimented on her dancing, Muir will admit that she simply does her aerobics moves on the dance floor! Hey, it works!

Honestly, just hanging with the fam was a highlight!

Thank you for a wonderful celebration, Carlyle and Nellie! We are all wishing you a long and joyful marriage!

xoxo

Maya Angelou

The world lost a great woman today. Maya Angelou. A woman who deserves to be recognized and celebrated. A woman who continually overcame hell and heartbreak, but continued to pursue a meaningful life.  A woman who I am honored to call a part of the Wake Forest family. A woman who leaves behind an incredible legacy. A woman who inspired me, and so many others, with the power of her words.

"I've learned that no matter what happens, or how bad it seems today, life does go on, and it will be better tomorrow. I've learned that you can tell a lot about a person by the way he/she handles these three things: a rainy day, lost luggage, and tangled Christmas tree lights. I've learned that regardless of your relationship with your parents, you'll miss them when they're gone from your life. I've learned that making a "living" is not the same thing as making a "life." I've learned that life sometimes gives you a second chance. I've learned that you shouldn't go through life with a catcher's mitt on both hands; you need to be able to throw something back. I've learned that whenever I decide something with an open heart, I usually make the right decision. I've learned that even when I have pains, I don't have to be one. I've learned that every day you should reach out and touch someone. People love a warm hug, or just a friendly pat on the back. I've learned that I still have a lot to learn. I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel." - Maya Angelou

Take these words to heart.

xoxo

Engagement Excitement!

I always say that the best couples are the ones that are both loved and cool as individuals, but are even more incredible and fun to be around as a couple. Some of my dear friends, Sam and John, are a prime example of this. 

 And this weekend, they got engaged!!

Everyone was absolutely thrilled when they heard the news, so Bizzell and I decided to throw a little impromptu engagement party so we could all celebrate together!

It came together amazingly well, and had a great turnout (for less than a day's notice!). It was a night full of celebrations and excitement!

 

 

Everyone crowded around to hear the story! It was a sweet and well-thought out engagement in San Francisco. John asked Sam to marry him on a island overlooking the bay and the city, complete with a private boat ride back and a surprise dinner with both of their families there.

These girls are all SO excited to celebrate the soon-to-be Mr. and Mrs. Maxwell! It was a wonderful evening honoring an even more wonderful couple!

We love you, Sam and John!

xoxo

A Hot, Wonderful Texas Weekend

The WHOLE family convened in Texas this weekend for Baby Carlyle's Wedding, which made for a joyful, festive weekend. 

When my parents and I landed in Dallas, I was pleasantly surprised to find out that In-n-Out had made its way to Texas. So, obviously, that was our first stop! Big Carlyle was stylin' on our way in...

Friday night, the rehearsal dinner was held at a neat old science museum. Drinks on the porch and plenty of toasts made of fun evening…

 

But, to my advantage, it wrapped up pretty early, leaving me time to drive into Dallas and meet up with my freshman roommate who I hadn't seen in two years! It was so fun catching up with her and a few other Dallas/Wake friends.

Saturday morning, my cousin Carlton, who was an assistant press secretary for President Bush from 2005 to 2008, led us through the brand new George W. Bush museum on SMU's campus. It was so interesting to hear inside stories and anecdotes.

 

After a night out and lots of flights, Ali, Jonny, Peter, Brielle, and I cuddled up for a nap (that was not so comfortable due to the number of people we had in that bed!).

And then…the wedding! It was hot and beautiful and extremely fun…so it deserves its very own post. Stay tuned for that one in the next few days!

Sunday morning rolled around all too soon, and we woke up and headed to a beautiful garden brunch. It was so fun to sit around and really catch up with all the cousins, aunts and uncles, and our sweet grandmother, Muir. All too soon, we were hugging goodbye and all scattering back across the country!

 

xoxo

Little Summer Friend

This is my new little friend that I'll be hanging out with all summer.

Meet Ainsley, the little chubster who's favorite pastimes are going to playgrounds, eating chic-fil-a, and being pushed in her stroller!

xoxo