#tbt Our Wedding Day

Today marks four years of being a bride and what better way to commemorate the event than a little throwback to our wedding day. Our wedding day was on the perfect Saturday in May. We have laughed at how we chose to get married during one of the busiest seasons of the year AND right at the end of the school year. But we were young and in love and Marcus's only stipulation to me was that he wanted to have his degree. So he graduated from college the second Saturday in May and we set our wedding day for the third :)

We have a billion and two pictures from our day but I am just picking a few some of my favorites to remember the day by. I love the story that these pictures tell from the day I became Mrs. Marcus Harrison.

I went for a simple updo and a birdcage veil with a long veil in the back. I love pictures of brides getting ready for their best hour. 

My Mom and Grandmas adding the finishing touches

The hands of three of the most important women in my life helping me in my wedding dress. We did the exact same picture for my sister's wedding last year. Same hands, same church, same special love. 

Matching shoes with the very best flower girl Maggie Ann :)

I carried my great-grandmother Embry and great-grandmother Porter's wedding bands on my bouquet.

Candid moments are the best moments. Love my MOH/sister with all my heart. I remember this was just moments before I walked down the aisle. I was so anxious I could bust so I thought doing a normal task would help. 

My beautiful ladies. I was the first one to get married in the group and since then I have had the honor to stand by three of them on their special days and will stand by two of them this year on their wedding days. I love them so!

A fine looking group of fellas

Cousin Keagen was a super-duper ring bearer

I'm proud that we were using monograms way before it became trendy ha! And we put Marcus's initial on the left because that just feels right to me.

My emotional groom. Love this picture so much. We chose to wait and see each other when I walked down the aisle. I'll never regret that decision no matter how crazy the photo-ops afterward became :) My man is a traditionalist and that's one of the many things I love about him.

We both wrote our own vows. His were knock your socks off amazing! How did I get so lucky that he was reading them to me?

Signed, sealed and delivered-I'm yours!!

I think everyone has that one picture from their wedding day that defines them. This would be ours. It shows our happiness, style and love. This is currently hung in a 16x20 frame in our dining room and will be finding a spot in our new house.

My handsome honey!

I have to give myself some props for a second here. I was the farthest thing from a bridezilla. The whole day I had a care-free, laid back attitude. It was shocking! I am a bit of a control freak and detail-oriented and high strung and you get the picture I am painting... I know we had several people praying for us and our special day and those prayers were felt. The day was not perfect (1/3 of the flowers became frostbit in the refrigerators, for example but I didn't learn this until afterward) but it was perfectly us.

I never knew he had such a big mouth!

First dance as husband and wife. I hope we are still dancing just like this 50 years from now.

If these two get married I take the credit :)

I was channeling my inner Jackie O for the leaving attire :) Another one of my favorite pictures from our special day on the 22nd of May. Raw emotion is captivating.

And then we were off to Hawaii for 9 days! We've already decided we want to go back at one of our anniversary milestones to relive our honeymoon. Minus the first night when we slept in our car in a Walmart parking lot. That's another post for another day. Our honeymoon story is a show stopper!

I'm thankful for my forever groom and this day four years ago when we committed ourselves to each other for life. I can't imagine a life without him in it.

Today we are celebrating by taking Georgia Grace to the zoo for the first time. These past four years have been good to us. I have truly found the one my soul loves.

#TBT Chicago 2008

For Spring Break 2008, I took a trip to Chicago with my stepmom Dianne and step sister Becky. Dianne was going to the "Windy City" for the American Dental Association national meeting and we just tagged along because she had frequent flyer miles she needed to spend. I am much obliged to her for that and thankful for taking me on this trip!

Our trip started off rocky as we left Kentucky when a major snow storm was sweeping through the region. We barely made it to Louisville for our flight and actually had to go up a day early because we knew the roads would be too bad the next day.

We made it!

A snowy spring break

This was 6 years ago and I remember thinking I was so cool with my ear buds :) They were the newest and greatest thing.

The view from the plane window never gets old for me

I do believe this was my very first taxi drive. Small town girl meets the big city! 

We stayed at the Ritz-Carlton Chicago. Hands down the nicest hotel I have ever stayed in. I don't think I will ever forget the softness of the robes and comfort of the down comforter. It was heavenly.

Here's a fun fact. Our hotel address was 160. Oprah's penthouse was in 180!! She seriously lived in the same building we stayed in except she was on the residential side. Also, I'm 99% sure I worked out with Stedman one morning. Why couldn't I be brave and ask for a picture?!? I'm still disappointed in myself.

The lobby of the Ritz. You got it-ritzy!

Our views from our room on the 27th floor

The park that was directly across the street from us where Oprah walks her dog!

Soldier Field

It was right on the lake and super windy. I bet watching games there is painfully cold.

We went to the top of the John Hancock Center to experience an aerial view of the city. You can see four states and most of Lake Michigan. It was magnificent!

Our hotel was just a few buildings from North Avenue Beach (shore of Lake Michigan) so we took a couple trips to see the water. And also Chicago earned it's name the Windy City for a reason ha! Forget ever having good hair days in this place.

Some of the lake was still frozen from the winter

The famous Drake Hotel

We did a lot of shopping while we were in Chicago because that's what you do. If it is made it can be bought in Chicago. I should also note this was the height of the Ugg boot era. How funny is it that I'm already looking back on this shaking my head ha!

Michigan Avenue, one of the most famous streets for shopping in the world. We saw a woman get her purse stolen from her right before our eyes but another patron caught him before he was too far up the street. This trip was an experience!

Eating at the Grand Lux Cafe

The Field Museum

We got to see Sue, the most intact and best preserved T-Rex

Navy Pier

Crazy mirrors at NP

Beautiful Lake Michigan

On the last night we were there we attended the ADA Reception. We felt pretty important getting to do this. 

It was so nice and classy, we had a wonderful time meeting some of her colleagues.

And it appears that we must have went for pizza later that night because we are wearing the same clothes ha! This was at Giordino's and that's the pizza pager.

Museum of Contemporary Art on the last day of the trip before we boarded the plane for Kentucky.

It was an unique and fun spring break that I will never forget. I'm so thankful for the opportunity to go experience the city and to experience all the luxuries. It is such a huge city we just didn't have time for everything but that's just an excuse to go back and take my husband this time :)