NO DOUBT!!!

YAY for birthdays!!! Although its still a month away, Carly got me No Doubt tickets for the big day! I have been working like crazy and the concert was such great break. 5 days gone, one day off for the concert and another 5 days on starting today.

The concert was such high energy and so fantastic. They sounded even better live. I saw Gwen by herself two years ago and it was magical as was the No Doubt concert. They only played things from their older CDs and they are hoping if the turn out was good enough they will put out another album. Well, since the concert sold out in the first hour, I am positive they are back with a new CD. And you better believe that I will be there at the next concert!!!

The Sounds, one of my favorite bands, and Paramore, suck-fest, opened for No Doubt. The crowd was such an odd mix of No Doubt fans, Gwen fans, Paramore fans, Twilight fans (Paramore's single played in the movie) and the parents tagging along. It was mainly girls, and since all three bands have women lead singers, it fit the bill.

GOD they were fantastic!!! I would go see them every night!!!

My Best Friend's Wedding...

Oh goodness! I had such a blast this weekend for Carly and Matt's wedding.

Thursday...

Carly's family and Matt's sister came over to our house for chicken kabobs and grilled corn on the cob, bbq chips and cupcakes from Happy Cakes. I also made homemade lemonade, pink and regular!

the happy couple!!

my lemonade ad

Grill master tony

We had a wonderful time at dinner in the backyard, chatting and relaxing until about 8:30 when we got dressed up to go downtown for a mixed bachelor/bachelorette party at the Cruise Room in the Oxford Hotel.

Alicia and I

Alicia and Carly

Philly and Carl

Tony, Philly, and Lisha

We filled up 2 large booths with about 12 people and had ourselves a sloshing good time. $300 later we left at midnight where only 7 of us continued on to Double Daughters. We ordered drinks then pizza from Mario's 2 Fisted and stayed until about 1:30am. Finally, home again with Phil and Alicia spending the night.

Matt, Mark, Kim and Tony


Mark and Jenny


Philly and Jenny dancing like fools


Friday...

The next morning I got all our luggage, fancy clothes and the quilt ready to go while Alicia, Phil, and Tony went to the mall. I picked up Carly and Alicia to begin the drive to Estes Park. Tony and Phil drove the rented yellow Eclipse. At about 1:45 we arrived to get our nails done. Finally after 2 hours we ran to the Stanley and changed for the Rehearsal dinner at the Dunraven.
Tony and I were lucky enough to join all of Carly and Matt's family for dinner.

I had the veal parmesan with a baked potato and seafood bisque. Tony ordered the filet mignon with the same sides. It was a wonderful dinner with lots of laughs in a quirky little resteraunt.

Once we made it back to the Stanley, 10 of us met in the bar for champagne. We were all so beat we made it to bed by 10pm.

Saturday...

The wedding day. Tony, Alicia and I went to safeway to grab bagels for people while the actual rehearsal was going on.

After breakfast and the rehearsing finished up, we were able to set up the reception room with table decorations, gift bags, candles, and bows on the chairs.

At 2:00, I helped Carly get ready for photos. Of course, hair, make-up, and the dress took forever. By 3:30 when the photographer arrived she was just barely in her dress.

The Strozinsky/Wentzler clans were off to take family photos and couple shots.

Tony and I were able to get ready slowly as the ceremony wasn't until 5:30.

By 5:00 everyone was ready for the ceremony, except one person...the officiant. She had been very hard to get ahold of for a couple weeks so it wasn't too shocking. But of course she arrived at 5:25, just for good Hollywood effect.

Matt's brother played the trumpet while guests were seated and Phil played Book of Love on the guitar when Carly and Greg walked down the aisle. It was a beautiful ceremony and everyone laughed and cried.

(all the wedding and ceremony photos that i took were taken with normal old film, so there are no photos yet!)


Afterwards, we all had a big group shot and the reception commenced. Cheese, fruit and crackers for appetizers, open bar, wonderful dinner buffet, toasts, cake, dancing, dancing and dancing. We ended up staying in the reception area for an hour and a half longer than we were supposed to b/c the wait staff danced with us! One guy named TR (apparently like teddy roosevelt) gave us the rest of the champagne, even if they weren't opened.

Tony, Elena, and Randy (the siblings)

Finally we moved the party to the porch where TR also found cigars for all the fellas! We sat, drank, smoked and talked for a couple hours. I also gave Carly and Matt our gift to them... the quilt!!

After a really long day, everyone went to bed!

Sunday...

It was really tough getting up the next morning. We ran to safeway again and grabbed 3 dozen donuts and juice for whomever wanted to join us back on the porch for breakfast. Everyone looked very similar with shades and hangovers.

Carol, Carl, Susan, and Kim


packed up. checked out. said goodbyes.


Tony, Elena, Randy and I decided to hang around The Stanley to take a tour. We had to see room 217, the mosted haunted of them all. And of course when we got to the room something on the other side of the door knocked so hard the door visibly bowed out! YIKES!! And the elevator button shocked 3 of us terribly. So, it was obviously time to go. We found a diner to get some good greasy eggs and bacon before we started the journey home!

Room 217

elena and randy in a teeny forrest!

The stanley was so beautiful, old and interesting and was such a great place for the wedding and just to stay in general.

Oh and they play the Shining 24 hours a day on a loop. Could it get any better? We bought the book in the gift shop.

friday picnic in the park!

What a beautiful day for a picnic!

On friday, Tony, Carly and I decided to have a fancy picnic in City Park in Denver. The park is home to the Denver zoo, lakes and the museum of nature and science.

We received a picnic basket (more like a backpack) for the wedding and I had been dieing to use it. Thank you, Jen! It came with a cooler compartment, corkscrew, cutting board, plastic plates, wine glasses, silverware,

Tony and I went to the store to get the necessities... Cheddar and havarti cheese, salami, pepperoni, proscuitto, croissants, strawberries and grapes! We stopped by the liquor store and Carly got chardonney and melbec.

Off to City Park for a perfect sunny-60 degree-Colorado day! We parked our picnic by the lake with our blanket and cameras and food and booze.

There really is nothing like cheese and wine. Don't you think?

After a while of eating like royals, a guest appeared. Yeah, a little buddy squirrel. Like fools, we fed him all kinds of goldfish (so delicious) and he loved us. Then, of course, the Canadian geese came waddling our way.

After finishing the cheese, both bottles of wine, and a couple hours in the sun, we packed up our belongings and headed out.

A wonderful trip to Cold Stone topped off the perfect afternoon. Ooooohhhh...Apple pie-ala-cold stone!

The next beautiful day, go get some fancy food and plop down in a park with some good friends. It is so relaxing and a wonderful way to spend a few hours in nature!!!

Fancy pants!

i am so close to finishing, i can taste it!

I am hand quilting Carly and Matt's quilt for their wedding and I am almost DONE, (which is good since the wedding is in 9 days!) Luckily, I have hours and hours in hotels to work on quilts. I have taken this thing all over the country.

I only have one more row before its time to put the binding on the edges and call it finished.

It is a beautiful green quilt with only 4 fabrics on the top and one more green backing fabric.

I could potentially finish this quilt this week!!! No. I WILL finish this week!

But there is another quilt waiting right behind! My mom's quilt is the same pattern as Carly's but all in pinks, maroons, and tans. Carly and I layered and basted the top, batting and backing together the other day to begin after the green one is done.

I will post pictures soon!