Mom meets Seattle

Given that it's been three years since Matt and I moved, my mom decided it was finally time to come visit. I know she was a little nervous about the long flight (especially with how chaotic flying can be these days) and coming to the city in general (we've all heard how Seattle has been destroyed in an anarchist uprising and it's basically Mad Max out here), but we finally sat down and chose dates and got her out here!

The visit went really well. I had a long list of things I wanted to show her, especially if this trip ended up being a one-and-done situation, so we had a lot to fit into 4.5 days.

Spoiling My Future Nephew

My sister told me she was pregnant during my birthday weekend in February. She gave me a birthday gift before we went to dinner. As I pulled some Harry Potter onesies out of the gift bag, my brain did a weird little stutter.

Me: "Why are you giving me onesies?"

Her: "Why do you think?"

(Later Matt told me at first he thought, "Do they think we're pregnant?")

For awhile this was the hardest secret to keep! I was so excited, but Steph and Gordon found out they were pregnant pretty early on, so I had to wait another six weeks to spill the news.

Her kiddo will be the first grandchild for my parents and the first nephew for my brother, me, and Matt; I am delighted and already spoiling him.

I mean, here's the thing. I want to be the cool aunt. I want to be the aunt he wants to hang out with and gets excited to visit. Who cares that he won't really form lasting memories of me for the first couple years of his life? I need to start now.

My lifetime plan for spoilage is to send money in all holiday cards (this is a no-fail way to win a kid's affection) and have an ongoing list of books I can send him whenever the fancy strikes, so he always has something new and great to read.

It's important to me that I set an example for being compassionate, forward-thinking, creative, and confident. I want this kiddo to be kind and gentle, but to also follow his own instincts and be unafraid to stand up for himself, others, and what's right.

Aunts are allowed to have that kind of influence, right?!

Anyway, Steph's baby shower was a couple weekends ago, so here are some photos of the beginning of Operation Spoil-the-Nephew.

I purposely avoided anything very gender-specific or anything with creepy "future ladies' man" type wording. My sister and Gordon love the outdoors, and their theme for his room is nature and animals, so I went with that vibe. I also went with clothes from 0-9 months because I figured lots of people would get him newborn clothes and they'd need some bigger clothes for him to grow into!

I also got her a Boppy, which is what I get all my mom-friends because I know it's super useful!

I individually wrapped each outfit so they could really enjoy opening them.

Here is a glance at the list of books I plan to get him in small batches throughout his childhood. I'll obviously need to add to this as he grows up.

I already gave them two board books (I Like Myself and Hello, World! Solar System) because I couldn't wait.

The baby shower was beautiful. Steph and Gordon did a lot of the legwork, coming up with the favors and theme, etc., while my mom and I played Ringleader the day of. Matt was a super helpful brother-in-law, running errands and helping to decorate the night before. Here are some photos from the main event:

Making the "birch twigs" the night before.

The candy may not match the theme, but it screams "Stephanie's aesthetic". The cupcakes were from Parlour Vegan.

Besides the trail mix bar, Steph made s'more kits and tree stump tea candles for take-aways.

I recorded all the gifts in a copy of Where the Wild Things Are.

With the wedding and baby shower within a few days of each other, it was definitely a whirlwind weekend. Steph and Gordon are now feeling ready to nest and prepare for little Baby G's arrival. In fact, when we left them on Monday it was after Matt helped move some furniture around to prepare for the crib and dresser delivery that afternoon!

It felt so special to get to do this with Steph. I can't wait to meet the little guy and spoil him rotten!

ABK

Steph & Gordon Tie the Knot

This will eventually be a running blog again, but we've had some big family stuff going on, so my next couple posts are going to be a little off topic.

My sister and Gordon have been together seven years; knowing they wanted to get married eventually, we've been waiting for it to finally happen. This past fall, Gordon bought a ring. He planned to propose in March. Instead, they got a little surprise in January and their engagement got moved up.

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A post shared by Gordon Garreau (@4reefall) on Apr 2, 2019 at 3:36pm PDT

Steph went back and forth on doing a traditional wedding or a courthouse wedding; she ended up deciding on an intimate dinner with her closest family and friends. The invitations called it a "reception". They ended up having the actual ceremony at the dinner.

The day of the wedding, I stopped by Steph and Gordon's place to go over some logistics and hang out while she got pampered.

I was so glad Steph went with some traditional elements. It was so wonderful to see her dolled up, to hear their vows, and to witness the exchanging of their rings.

The wedding was held at Ruth's Chris. Steph's friend Eddie took photos of the ceremony and after (and the baby shower that followed on Sunday).

(Fun fact - Eddie cut his teeth on photography at Matt's and my wedding nine years ago!)

We enjoyed a delicious dinner and dessert. I asked Steph to let me give a MOH speech because, despite the wedding being non-traditional, I still wanted to be able to do that. Of course then I got all nervous about it, but I'm glad it was included.

There was no dancing or anything, but because the gathering was small there was lots of mingling and picture-taking. It was the perfect balance of low-key and pomp that the couple wanted!

I am so happy to welcome Gordon to the family officially after all these years! I keep getting lucky in the brother-in-law department!

Next up: the baby shower.

ABK

Orcas Island - The Wedding!

I couldn't wait to share this post, but obviously the professional photos aren't available yet. That just means I'll get to write a follow-up later on to share more pics!

On July 14, Matt and I arrived for the ferry to Orcas Island bright and early. We pulled into the line and immediately saw that Robby's rental car was right behind us! We had some time to kill before boarding, so everyone popped out of the cars. It turned out quite a few attendants and guests (and Scott!) were taking the same ferry over, so we all kind of mingled while we waited to board.

The 1.5-hour trip over to Orcas was smooth sailing. We didn't see any whales but we got to enjoy the views.

Driving onto the ferry

That skyline though...

Pretty much our first view from Orcas. Beautiful!

We drove straight from the ferry landing to the resort. The boys got married at the Rosario Resort and Spa, which was absolutely picture-perfect and really forced us to enjoy the festivities without distractions because there was no cell service at all. (We had spotty wifi at the actual resort but the surrounding parks were dead zones.)

We ran through rehearsal first. Scott and Robby had three aisles to walk into the wedding, and had to time our walks and make sure we all knew where to stand. I loved this set up - they each walked down the outside aisles with both parents, then met together in the middle. When they walked out, they walked up the center aisle together. Two equal men coming together and leaving as one. The symbolism was beautiful.

Rehearsal

After practicing, we had some time to hang out. Matt and I didn't have a room ready for us yet, so we hung out with his dad until it was time for the rehearsal barbecue at Moran State Park. Because this was a destination wedding, everyone was invited!

I wasn't planning to get in the water because it was so cold, but I had bought a new bathing suit just for the lake day, so finally Matt convinced me to hang out on a float. It was a fun way to relax and meeting everyone before the big day.

Matt and his dad testing the water. Verdict: It was COLD

Robby and his dad tending the grill

They kill me

We ended the night with a late dinner in town with Matt's cousin Dylan and his wife Christine.

Wedding day arrived bright and early. Robby's best woman and I were the first two to get our makeup and hair done, so we had to be at the guys' suite between 8am and 8:30. I had been concerned that my hair would be too short for a cute updo, but the stylist did a great job! (I am so forgetful - I didn't get a picture of the back!)

Finished look

I was also nervous the makeup wouldn't last all day, and that the false eyelashes would irritate me. But of course, everything went smoothly! By 10am I was completely wedding-ready above the shoulders.

Robby kept us stocked in mimosas

Dylan and Matt

Copying their vows into little journals for the ceremony

I passed the time reviewing my speech. The guys had asked me to write something about love and acceptance, but I struggled to keep it light. I ended up writing a poem for them. Their friend Paloma was officiating the wedding; she and I had been texting and emailing for awhile to make sure everything ran smoothly. We took some time after hair and makeup to walk up to the wedding site to run through the entire ceremony.

I love this photo

Afterward, I felt super emotional but also very calm. I knew we'd be fine.

Finally, after getting some pre-wedding family pictures, it was time for the ceremony. Everything went so smoothly, and it was just beautiful. I was choked up the entire time. I had to avoid eye contact with the grooms during my reading, and I nearly lost it during their vows. They have just been so good for each other and their love and commitment is so genuine.

To see them so confident and unapologetically together was just...the best thing in the world.

I believe this was caught at the moment Paloma quoted Britney Spears.

With Paloma, feeling relieved and ready to party after a job well done

After the ceremony, we took photos with the wedding party and then walked to the reception site, which was a building on the resort called the Beach House. From there, what can I say? The decorations were sophisticated, the DJ was awesome, the mother-son dances were touching, the food (served family-style) was delicious and all gluten free, the toasts were tear-inducing, and the father-son dance (to YMCA) was hilarious.

They changed into hanboks for part of the reception.

Robby and Scott each had two attendants give toasts. Leighanne, Scott's best woman, delivered the first funny, poignant speech to get the ball rolling.

I pretty much managed to stay dry-eyed until Matt's toast.

They had a Jenga set for us to write memories on to help them "build memories"; so cute! 

We found this photo in one of their displayed scrapbooks and recreated it in their photo booth.

Matt and Dylan gave into temptation and spent some time skipping rocks.

We had a fantastic night. I hope it was everything Scott and Robby were dreaming of. I know it will certainly be an experience they won't ever forget, and it was a beautiful start to a long and happy life together.

ABK