She's Like Texas...

A beautiful December day in Texas provided the backdrop for the wedding of our niece, Caroline, and her groom, Brian. Our family (15 of us!) made the trip down on Thursday, and spent a couple of days enjoying golf, shopping, dining, and touring before Caroline's big day on Saturday.
And a perfect day it was!

The wedding was outdoors at the beautiful Traditions Club. The guests were greeted by the Gunn family tradition, an engraved wedding rock.

Before the ceremony, we took a little time to take some family photos of our own. Here are Andrew and Darci, and Ella, Matthew, and Haleigh.

Bryan, Jennifer, and Baby Noah.

Little Harper was ready with his sign for Aunt Bubs and Brian.

Brian and Caroline did their pictures before the ceremony, and stopped for a little smooch before joining the family for the group photos.

The Gunn side of the family.

Shayne was all dolled up, complete with manicure and curls.

Caroline and Brian with Grandpa Stewart and Brian's daughter, Lindsey.

With Dad and Mama Gunn.

Mallory, the photographer, was the hardest working person there. She captured the day perfectly, with some amazing shots. You can see more of them on her Facebook page.

I especially like this one, by Mallory, of Impulse Photography, of Caroline and the little girls.

And here comes the bride!

It was a beautiful, simple, ceremony, perfect for Caroline and Brian.
"You may now share a kiss."

Of course, Steve had his typical response. :)

And Caroline and Brian had a priceless reaction.

Mr. and Mrs. Brian Rogers. (Photo by Mallory, Impulse Photography.)

Adam and Courtney before dinner at the reception. Courtney broke her arm on Monday before we left. She was a trooper for the whole trip!

Matthew and Riley played some Heads Up at the table.

Big Jon actually smiled at me! A miracle!

Cousins. Friends. Besties. Caroline and Jennifer. And now they're both married!

Ella was in awe of the beautiful bride. Caroline was so sweet with all of the little ones.

Mr. and Mrs. Rogers share their first dance.

A little Texas two step.

Matthew had my phone during the first dance. When he brought it back, he told me he took some pictures for me. This is one of his, taken with my phone. (I think he took about 40. He's learned well.)

They danced to "She's Like Texas" by Josh Abbott Band. Perfect song. Click here to listen for yourself.

Caroline and Daddy Steve.

Mama Gunn and Brian.

Caroline and Brian's dad swing it on the dance floor.

Matthew had a turn dancing with the bride too.

Haleigh and her daddy.

Ella and Uncle David. They're buddies now.

This looks a little dangerous. That's one of Brian's friends taking a turn dancing with Caroline.

The little girls danced too.

The happy couple.

Cousins. These two, just three months apart, grew up together, close in age and close in their bond. They played hard, talked (and talked), argued, bossed a little, and loved being cousins and friends. They had the same little stomp, a habit of slamming doors, and the same way of coming through with a smile after the storm.

Caroline has a new name, but our 5 always thought she should have 'Stewart' in there too. We love you, Caroline Rebecca Stewart Gunn Rogers!

Shylah and David.

Adam and Courtney.

Darci and Andrew.

Jim always wants to dance, but I know that means that I'll have to leave my camera unattended.
And then this happens. :)

Brian and Caroline had awesome custom boots for the wedding. So cool.

Late in the evening, Jim warmed up around the fire with Shayne and Haleigh.

Jon and Caroline shared a song...

and some laughs.

There was dancing...

and singing...

and more dancing...

as the bride and groom were enthusiastically and lovingly celebrated.

Another amazing photo by Mallory, of Impulse Photography to sum up the beautiful, special day we shared in honor of our sweet Caroline and her husband, Brian. May God bless your marriage today and in all the days ahead! We love you Brian and Caroline!

Have a Holly Hodgepodge Christmas

I'm a little late with my Hodgepodge post, but, hey, it's still Wednesday, isn't it? It's been a busy few days, and I am thankful for the chance to sit down and answer the questions which are faithfully provided by Joyce each week. I'll take this opportunity to wish Joyce and all the Hodgepodge bloggers, as well as all of you (3 or 4) folks who visit here every now and then a very Merry Christmas and a blessed New Year.

Now to her questions and my answers:
1. Do you believe in miracles?
Yes.
And I believe that miracles come in all shapes and sizes.
I was just reminded of a book that we have in our Christmas book basket when a young mom friend (don't you love those?) posted about it on Facebook. If you haven't read The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey, by Susan Wojciechowski, you should.

2. What's a recent fad you admit to trying?

Hmmm... #hashtags? Instagram? Pinterest?

3. Peppermint-are you a fan? If so, what's your favorite food or beverage containing peppermint?
I have mentioned it a time or ten. Love me some peppermint. There was a time in my life when I kept a huge bag of peppermints in my vehicle and crunched on them as I drove kids around. Thankfully (for my teeth and my sugar intake) I no longer do that.
I love this Candycane Cocoa, and was disappointed when I couldn't find it at our local Wal-Mart this year. When I looked into ordering online, I found that the WM just up the road in the next town carries it, so I'm now stocked up. :)

4. Break the ice, on thin ice, as cold as ice (emotionally, not literally)...which phrase have you run into most recently? Explain.
Jim's game day pants are always a great ice breaker, and that proved true in St. Louis last weekend. 

5. Have you ever broken or spilled something in someone else's home? Still friends?

Not that I can recall... but maybe those are the things that you try to block from your memory. There was the time when Jonathan spilled a plate of spaghetti on my mother's kitchen carpet, but that's a story for another day...

6. 'Tis the week before Christmas...are you feeling more like Buddy the Elf or the Grinch before his heart grew?
Not sure I'm feeling like either one at this point. I guess I'm trying to find the Linus attitude and see through the trappings to the true meaning of Christmas.
I do know that when we head for Texas after Christmas with 15 family members, I'll be the mom from Home Alone. Just hope we don't leave anyone behind!

7. Share a favorite quote relating to Christmas.
I am sure I have shared my favorite line from the hymn, In the Bleak Midwinter here before. I especially enjoy Dan Fogelberg's version. Anyone else a Dan Fogelberg fan?
Since I don't want to repeat myself (though it may be way too late for that), I'll share another favorite Christmas quote by the oh-so-wise and clever Dr. Seuss:

8.  Insert your own random thought here.
In ten days, this little girl (my niece, Caroline) is getting married!!

Last week, her mom enlisted the A-Team to help with wedding prep. (I can call us the A-Team, right girls?) We labeled bags and bottles, mixed and bagged snack mix, mixed and bottled beef seasoning rub, mixed, baked and bagged chocolate chip cookies, laughed, sampled, and shared stories as we always do when we are together.

We even started working on the next generation A-Team since Riley and Carter were there to help.

The spice cloud filled the whole house with a savory aroma.

The day went by quickly and the task was light as is often the case when many hands work (and laugh) together. We are so happy for Caroline and Brian, and pray that God will bless them on their wedding day, and all the days ahead.