Cari Nichols Photography...you go girl!

I was so bummed about the rainy weather on the day of Matt and Jessica's wedding because I just hated that they were going to get great pictures.

But...I guess with the right photographer, rainy weather makes for good pictures! Here are a few of my favs of Matt and Jessica and their wedding with my favorite bridesmaid pics mixed in.

I heart laughing pictures!

cutest.flowergirls.ever.

Garvin Gardens Chapel

Shopping Trip with the Girls

I forgot to post this...

This was the only thing I did over Spring Break that wasn't puppy or work related. I went shopping last Wednesday with two of my Fayetteville friends, Hayley and Lindsey. We made a day trip to the Branson outlets and the Branson landing.

This is us eating at Cantina Laredo at The Landing. It was super yum!

Weekend Wrap-Up

You all are going to get so tired of seeing pictures of Duke.

Sorry!

Here is our baby boy giving those puppy love eyes to the camera. See that droopy eye? We thought it might be an infection, but the vet said his third eyelid on his left eye is white and his third eyelid on his right eye is black.

On Friday, our friends Matt and Jessica (the newlyweds!) came over to grill out with us and brought with pup, Harley. Harley is a ball of energy and ran circles around Duke all night.

Literally, he ran circles around Duke. Duke is like a little fawn right now. He is so clumsy!

Duke is getting pretty winded here. Harley, however, is still going strong.

Later on in the night....Duke is out like a light.

Harley, although tired, could keep going on and on and on and on.....

On Saturday morning, we headed over to Lake Tenkiller to stay with my parents. My uncle, his girlfriend, my cousin Jake, and his friend, Sam, came to watch the Lakers play the Thunder in OKC. They decided they would stay at the lake while they made the trip to Oklahoma. My brother, Luke, who coach's Van Buren's baseball team, had a game on Saturday, so we stopped in Fort Smith to pick up Miss Addi and take her to Nana's with us! She was very excited to meet Duke!

What did I say?! Sleeping babies love the car!

Addi, her daddy, and Duke

I love my dogbed!

We had a great time on the lake Saturday night. Mom and Johnny invited some neighbors over and we just had a little grill out party! They've made some good friends in their new neighborhood that we hadn't met yet, so it was good to see everybody. We stuffed our faces as usual!

Duke met Harley, our friend's pug on Friday night, my brother's lab, Riley, and my parent's lab, HollyBelle, and 2 of their 3 cats on Saturday, and Dustin's parent's bishon, Gabby on Sunday. He made 6 new friends!

All of the meetings went well and we are well on our way to being a well-mannered pup!

Our Duke

The newest member of the Collyge clan! Meet our Great Dane, Duke!

We did it! We FINALLY got a puppy and we just went ahead and went all out! We got a Great Dane! There has been much debate between Dustin and I the past few months about what kind of dog to get. I would love to get a dog from the shelter, because that's just what you do. You don't pay money for dogs when there are plenty of sweet dogs at the shelter who need good homes. But Dustin had a good point, shelter dogs normally aren't good with cats. 

In fact, the dog I sheltered a couple of summers ago was way too inquisitive with Rudy, and Rudy wasn't gonna have it! While I was at the shelter, I also requested that they try a few dogs with their test cat (this poor cat who gets put with all the dogs, but she didn't seem to mind, she wasn't scared of any of them) and all of them just pestered the cats to death, some aggressive.

We've been debating whether to get a Golden Retriever or a Great Dane for awhile. Everyone thought we were crazy for wanting a Great Dane, but Dustin really wanted one and we both wanted a big dog for sure, so what's a few more pounds and a little more height? After doing some research, they are basically gentle giants! 

Meet our 3 month old Harlequin Dane, Duke! He's definitely impressed us so far! He pretty much sleeps and wants to cuddle, with about 10 minutes of play between his hour long or longers naps. Here are some pictures of his first day with us!

On our way home...he slept the whole way! Sleeping babies love the car!

We were pulling into the driveway when he woke up.

Sitting in the car...he had no intentions of getting out.

Checking out his new pad.

He stunk! We gave him a bath in our big tub, but he was freezing afterwards. He was shaking violently and just kept burying his head in the towels. I started to blow dry him at this point.

Later on he army crawled onto the couch (we don't have the whole jumping thing down, but with how big he's going to get, he won't need to jump). He pretty much stayed here the rest of the night. He has found his spot and he ain't movin!

Remember my dream that my new puppy and Rudy would some day cuddle together? Well...things are looking good! Duke could care less about Rudy. Rudy hissed and got all Halloween cat on him when he first saw him, but I think he's quickly warming up to him because Duke just acts like Rudy isn't there! Whew! We are counting our blessings on that one! Rudy jumped up to his spot all by himself after Duke was out cold.

Duke eating his first meal at home. The boy needs to learn some manners. He gobbles his food and water down without breathing right now. It kinda scares me because of the stomach problems Great Danes are known for. We are only giving him the recommended 2 cups 2 times per day for his 3 month old age right now, but he sure acts like he could eat 10 cups!

We stopped at Dustin's friend Kevin's and PETCO on the way home. He was so well behaved at both places (knock on wood). He just rode around in the cart completely chill. He didn't bark at any other dogs or whine once. Our neighbors Mandy and Robert, who used to have a Great Dane, came over to meet Duke, and he got a little rambunctious then, but I guess that's normal puppy behavior. 

He did SO WELL in his crate last night. We put it in the bedroom with us, and I knew we were going to have to be really patient because I just knew he was going to whine all night. I had already done my research online and it said that no matter what, we shouldn't give in to his whines...that it would just teach him that when he whines he will get his way (like a real child, huh?). Well, he whined...but only for about 5 minutes. Then we didn't hear a peep out of him until 2:45. He whined a little more, seemed to readjust and find a new position in the crate, then settled down again until 4:45. I decided at that point that when he got quiet again, I would take him outside. I didn't want to get him out when he was crying, but I did think he needed to probably go out. He got quiet really quickly and we went straight outside to peepee! He is doing great! We'll just keep our fingers crossed that he continues to!

Mr. and Mrs. Steele's Wedding Weekend!

This was the long awaited weekend of Matt and Jessica's wedding! 

Bad news: It rained. A lot. And it got cold.

Good news: The weather could've been worse. The wedding was absolutely beautiful. It didn't phase Matt and Jessica one bit. 

Other bad news? Dustin missed the wedding! I'll explain that one in a bit.

Dustin and I at the rehearsal dinner at the Porter House in downtown Hot Springs.

Friends of the bride.

Jessica and I at Hawgs after the rehearsal

We got our hair did! Isn't her hair beautiful!? She wore a bird cage veil with this feathery flower that was so sassy.

3 of the 5 Bridesmaids: Beth, me, Laura

First Dance.

The reception was at the Ozark Bathhouse, which has been turned into an art gallery. 

The vintage bride and myself.

Her pearl necklace and earrings were her late godmother's. 

The second grade HCE teachers! 

Leslie, Julie, Jessica, and Dawn

All the single ladies

This is before Matt grabbed the garter with his mouth. Matt is a child stuck in an adult's body. He is so goofy, talkative, and just the friendliest guy you've ever met. 

So about Dustin missing the wedding....that was my fault. This WHOLE time I've thought the wedding was at seven. The night of the rehearsal, I learned differently, but I wasn't the only one who thought it was at seven! Anywho....did I ever think to tell Dustin, "Hey honey, the wedding is at 6, not 7." Nooo. But in my defense, I did have a lot on my mind. I drove most everywhere we went, with company in my car, which didn't leave me free time to think. I was in charge of the slideshow at the rehearsal dinner and was having major technical and logistical difficulties, and we pretty much went to bed right when we got home Friday night. Saturday we woke up and went straight to breakfast, straight to hair, yada, yada, yada...didn't have one break. 

The night of the wedding I texted him at 5:30 and said, "Are you here yet?" He promptly called me, freaking out a bit, because he was at his parent's trailer at the lake...and the wedding was at Garvin Gardens in Hot Springs. This sent me into complete "breaking out in hives mode", which for those of you who know me well, know happens to me when I feel the anxious or nervous, among many other emotions! 

I felt so bad that he missed the wedding and that he wasn't there to see Matt and Jessica. I know what it is like to want everyone there, so I just felt awful. I also felt a bit stoo-pid because I know Jessica was thinking, "That's why I spent hundreds of dollars on freaking invitations that spell out what time the wedding starts!"

Ah well....I think I'm over it.

Matt and Jessica, congrats again! You guys had an awesome wedding and I, for one, had a BLAST! Yea for you!

Miss Braelyn Grace and Spring has sprung!

Braelyn Grace Riedel

March 12, 2010

7lb. 12 oz.

The Riedels welcomed Braelyn Grace on Friday, March 12 at 12:12pm and she weighed 7lb. 12 oz! (Even weirder, Morgan was born at 6:03 on 6-03). 

She is beautiful and perfect. 

She has a head full of brown hair and those full Riedel lips, just like her big sister MoMo's. Amber had an easy delivery and other than the normal uncomfortableness and lack of sleep after having a baby, she feels great. 

I tried to get some pictures with her eyes open, but every time the pre-flash would come on, she'd scrunch up her face and close her pretty blue eyes.

Proud big sister

Me and MoMo at the hospital

Dustin and I babysat at the hospital for a bit while John went home to take a nap and Amber rested as much as she could in the room. 

Spring has Sprung at the Collyge Residence!

We headed home early Sunday morning to take care of some errands and check some things off of our "to-do" list. I needed to get a dress for Jessica's rehearsal dinner (cheap, trendy, cute Francesca's dress, check), pick up a baby shower gift, grocery shop, and go to the bank. Dustin sprayed the yard for bugs and weeds to get ready for Spring.

 On my way home, I stopped at the local plant nursery to get some gardenias for our pots out front. Last year, my gardenias looked pitiful all year and never really got full, so I decided to go somewhere where they could tell me exactly what to do. I may not have a green thumb, but I can follow directions to a T! I decided to go with a fuscia color instead of red this year. They look really pink in this picture, but they are more red-pink. 

Entryway decorated for Spring

M&Ms for all occasions at this house!

My mom got me these cute bunny egg holders on my plates a couple of years ago. I need to get some decorative eggs to put in them and I don't know...it needs something else.

It's 8:00 and we haven't even eaten dinner. I love that it stays light out later, but it has really thrown me off schedule! I need to eat and get in bed! 5:00am is going to come early tomorrow! Hope everyone had a great weekend!