Mr. & Mrs. Justin and Brittany Pike

Last week, I flew to Orlando for my cousin Brittany’s wedding.  I arrived on Wednesday night and immediately dove into the wedding festivities on Thursday! 

The favors for the wedding guests were going to be sugar cookies in the shape of pears because the theme was ‘The Perfect Pair.’  My grandmother had made all 400+ cookies, and it was the bridesmaids’ job to ice them all!

Mixing up the perfect color green for the pear shaped cookies!

 

Yummy!!

After icing most of the cookies, four us us went to go get our nails done.  Oh, and our cute shirts are courtesy of Stephanie Metzler, sister of the bride and Matron of Honor!

The Bride getting Pampered!

On Friday, my parents and sister arrived!  It was so great to see my family again!  (I hadn’t seen them since I moved to Montreal in July!)  The rehearsal was that night, and Stephanie and Matt Metzler opened their home for the dinner as well.

Auntie Brittany, the glowing bride, and Isaac, Stephanie’s son

Oh, I missed her!!

‘Aunt’ Krissy and Isaac!  I also had the pleasure of staying at the Metzler house with this adorable little man for most of my trip!

‘Aunt’ Shanny and Isaac

Saturday was WEDDING DAY!!  So exciting!  The bridesmaids all got ready at the Metzlers’ home, and then headed over to Lake Receptions for the wedding!

The Beautiful Bride!!

I did my own and Shannon’s hair for the wedding! It looked great if I do say so myself!

  

The Bride in her fabulous blue shoes!

Stephanie and me

So us…lol

Stunning!

The wedding ceremony was absolutely perfect, and the reception was so much stinking fun!!

  My parents   :) 

 

Dancing the night away!!

The wedding was bittersweet for Brittany’s close friends and family because she was moving with Justin to Missouri, where he is stationed in the Air Force.  Being a Florida native, she’s not gonna know what hit her when she gets her first big snowfall, but I know they will be just fine! 

Congratulations & Good Luck Mr. & Mrs. Pike!!  Love you both!

Oh the Places You’ll Go…

I feel like I’ve been on the go for a while now, and it’s good to be back home with Brian. 

In September, my little, Caroline, posed the question, “What if we went to Niagara Falls?  Could you meet us there?”  I was so excited that I immediately looked up routes to get there from here, and found one that went right through Syracuse, NY!  Our sorority was founded at Syracuse University, so I then posed the question, “Can we meet in Syracuse and visit the Alpha Gam house?!?”  Thus, the momentous road trip was born!

So the first week of October, I drove down to the Nerber’s house near Utica, NY.  It was wonderful visiting with the kids and Nathalie and Steve.  Nathalie and I went shopping, I helped the kids with their homework, and was so excited to have a Grey’s Anatomy buddy for the night (and Steve watched too!!)!  I even had to pleasure of going to Matthew’s hockey practice!

From the Nerbers’ home, I met up with some of my sorority sisters in Syracuse.  It was completely overwhelming and surreal to see them again after so long.  We wandered the university campus and totally creeped on the Butterfield House (the original Alpha Gamma Delta house)!

The Crest on the Butterfield House!

  Emily Helen Butterfield!!  Alpha Gamma Delta Founder and Architect

In the common room

Three Generations of AGD

Caroline and I

We even managed to meet some of the newest baby squirrels on campus!!

From there, we headed up to Niagara Falls for the next two nights.  We had an awesome hotel suite…well, I guess if you’re there on your honeymoon, seeing as how there was a gigantic jacuzzi tub in the middle of the living room! lol

That night we walked over to the falls for the first time, and it was beautiful!  They were even lit up pink for Breast Cancer Awareness!

The next day, Missy, Amy, and I took the pedestrian bridge to Canada.  Because we were so close to the border, they insisted we go, and I was of course fine with that!  The views from the bridge were absolutely beautiful!

After our about one hour trip to Canada, we met up with the other girls and went on The Maid of The Mist!

Inside Horseshoe Falls!!

 

The Maid of the Mist was truly amazing.  It was unreal to be so up close to one of God’s magnificent creations. 

That night, we went to see Terrapin Point, which is the American side of the top of Horseshoe Falls. 

Absolutely beautiful, and Canada’s in the background!

And a side note, if you are ever in Niagara, you have to eat at Como Restaurant!  It’s an Italian place that’s been around since the 1920s, and loads of famous people throughout the decades have eaten there.  It’s off the beaten tourist trail, but it is hands down, the best Italian food we have ever eaten!  And pace yourself because it’s a lot of food!!

This trip showed me that even though my sisters are far away, they are always there for me, and the bonds of Epsilon Pi are absolutely incredible.