Dallas Trip

In July we made a trip to Dallas to see my pals, Ellie and London.

I had the best time playing with all of Ellie's toys. The fact that they were all pink didn't deter me at all! Aunt Kristy and Uncle Philip gave Mom and Dad their own personal wedding celebration with a gourmet cupcake tasting. These unique, but surprisingly fun, tastings have become a tradition with our visits. You won't see any pics of the tasting because Mom won't allow me to post the not-so-flattering photos of her ;)

On Sunday, we made a visit to London's house. London was just a baby the last time I saw him. Boy, how he has grown! Instead of a pink princess car, he had a blue jeep. It was a little more my style. So much so that Mom and Dad got me my very own shortly after we returned to Austin. They spoil me, don't they?

Stasney-Cook Ranch

Back in August my friend, Alexis, and her parents invited us to their ranch. The Stasney-Cook Ranch is located near Albany, TX and contains 25,000 acres of land, wind turbines, cattle and a various array of exotic wildlife. Dirt bikes, hunting, shooting ranges, ATV's, hummers, oh my! It is the ULTIMATE guy retreat.

For as far as one can see, land and more land!

The 'cottage' we roughed it out in.

I had plenty of space to do a little mowing.

Still mowing...

Sarah on her dirt bike...her absolute passion.

Dad on the ATV.

Playing with Alexis.

Wedding Celebration Weekend

Nana and Papaw are so sweet. Back in August, they hosted a wedding celebration dinner for Mom and Dad at a quaint little restaurant in Houston. I was on my very best behavior. Mom and Dad were so proud (and relieved!). The fun continued the next day when Uncle Chance and Aunt Dina hosted a backyard BBQ at their house complete with the biggest water slide I've ever seen!

Dutton Visit

Hello internet,

Our busy summer is over so it's time to get back to blogging! The Duttons came for a visit this past weekend. I had so much fun with my cousins, Avery and Mason.

Going to the chapel...

Drum roll please....our wedding pics have finally arrived! Some were sweet. Some were cheesy. Some should be stored away and never allowed in the light of day again. Below are the elite batch that made the cut. Enjoy!

A few bridal shots in the hotel before the ceremony. Out of more than 50, I chose a whole 2! I'm sure my family and close friends will not be surprised by this fact.














On the way to the beach for the ceremony...in our jeep! Now that's classy ;)
















This is the circle of flowers we stood in during the ceremony. This photo doesn't do it justice. It was absolutely gorgeous! We noticed quite a few people gathered around it taking pictures while we were walking up. Then, all of the attention (and cameras) turned towards us. Leave us alone already paparazzi!

We chose a ceremony that incorporated some Hawaiian tradition into it including standing in the circle of flowers and the presentation of leis.

One memorable moment during the ceremony while Todd was reciting his vows to me, and I was gazing lovingly into his eyes, was when I noticed some movement in the background behind Todd. It was a rather, let's call him large, man running into the water in swim trunks WAY too small for his big-boned frame. Think speedo. That image is burned into my memory forever! Aren't public beaches the best?!?

Almost official...

You may kiss the bride!

Still going!

Presenting Mr. and Mrs. Todd Spears!

(I think I heard my parents breathe a sigh of relief!)

It's FINALLY official! It's been a long journey, but we knew we would get to this moment eventually!

In addition to the circle of flowers, the florist did a wonderful job on my bouquet as well. I sent a photo of what I was looking for, and she did not disappoint.

After the ceremony, we walked over to the resort where we were having our private cabana dinner at sunset. It overlooked an infiniti pool and the ocean. We had our own private waiter, Naju, who was as sweet as he could be. I've been raving about the food and all of the great restaurants we went to while we were in Maui. Just our luck, the food on our wedding night was less than mediocre :( However, with the scenery and the company, it was hard to complain!

One more funny moment from the evening...as we were sitting there enjoying our secluded, romantic, less-than-mediocre dinner, an elderly lady decided it was the perfect time to go for a swim. So as Todd and I were toasting to our special day and enjoying each other's company as newlyweds, we couldn't help but notice our new little friend swimming laps back and forth in front of us. So close that she actually splashed us with water a few times. It's the moments like these that we will look back and smile on :)