Updates and Arkansas Wedding Fun

Happy Monday! It's St. Patrick's Day week! My rents are in town this week so we'll likely have a low-key dinner with them on St. Patty's day since we rocked it out on Saturday night.

Check us out! Really, we went out in Uptown Charlotte. We didn't get too crazy. Fun though.

Another update? One of the houses who still had their Christmas decor up have taken it down! It was the house that had decorations still in front and back. WOOHOO! Now 2 more to go!!

Moving On..

I was going to wait until I got a disc with pictures on it from my cousin to show you our Arkansas reception but oh.. well. What the heck.

Keep in mind that this reception was for my extended family whom all live in Hot Springs. Most of them are very religious and don't believe in drinking and dancing. Also, most of them are older - including my 94-year old grandmother(who I don't have a picture of yet in this group).

We decided to do this extra reception to make it easier for them. It took place at the church and was very much unlike our big party that we had here in Charlotte. This was punch, cake, cookies type of event.

It's all good though. We had around 60-people at this event.

Here's a few pictures that my cousin Alayna took. Again, not all of which I had hoped to show.

Our cake that my Aunt Jane made. My Aunt Jane is much like my grandmother since she practically raised my Mom since their mother died at such an early age.

As you can see - the same topper from our wedding.

Pretty flowers. My cousin Terry is a florist there in Hot Springs.

Some of the food. Check out the punch bowl in the back. Booze free! Seriously though.

One of my cousin's made this cake. Marshmallows for the kids.

One of the few pictures I have. This is a group picture of Brad and I and my first cousins and their spouses(some of the spouses weren't there but you get the idea.) Sorry, some of the people were cut off.

Gives you an idea of my family. My Mom is the baby of 6-kids and most of my first cousins have children my age.

That's Tim aka Timbo in the front. He just turned 50! and has suffered with cerebral palsy since birth. He's a hoot!

Also, I was so excited that several of my friends from high school came! Again, I only spent my last 3-years of high school in Hot Springs and haven't really kept in touch with any of them until Facebook.

You can see my friend Holli with the black hair next to Brad and the back of my friend Amber's head.

So glad they came! I had a couple of other friends there too but they aren't in this picture.

All in all - it was great to see family as always!

After the reception we went and crashed at the Embassy Suites there in H.S. rather than stay with family.

NICE!

The next morning we went and did one of the traditional bath house packages at the Buckstaff Bath House.

I won't get into a lot of this - but Hot Springs is known as The Spa City -- because people in the 20's and 30's used to come and take mineral baths at these houses.

To make a VERY long and FUNNY story short. It was crazy. I had done this before but Brad had not.

They separate the guys from the girls and Brad got scrubbed down by a man and got his very first massage -- WAIT FOR IT -- by a man!!

I was on the girl's side of the bath house thinking the whole time - I bet he's going to kick my butt!

BUT...when I came out he said Quote: "That was the best, most awkward experience of my life!"

After the bath we hit up Oaklawn Race Track. It's race season there in Hot Springs and it was Brad's first time ever at a real horse race where you can bet for real.

We took $20 and put it down on a few horses. My first gut reaction was to bet on a horse named Abita(I like Abita beer from Louisiana) but Brad said 'NO' his odds aren't good.

Well, guess what? Abita won the race! We would have won $15 for everyone one we put down!

Oh. WELL!

Love the horses. We left after 2 races though...went to lunch and then headed to Little Rock.

In Little Rock we hit up the River Market area one more time. Here Brad and I are showing off our new rings!

And.. Alayna and I sang a few songs. Love me some karaoke! Sorry for the dark picture.

Well, that's it for today kids!! CIAO!