Accident

Today we were in a pretty nasty accident after picking my Mom up from the airport. My Mom and Jen were both injured, with my Mom’s being more serious.

We were driving along the highway E-470 when the conditions got really bad. There was a whiteout and the second car in front of us slammed on his brakes coming to a complete stop. Even though we were only going roughly 20mph, the car in front of us slid into the car that had stopped, and we ended up sliding into him.

At this point we pulled off to the side of the road as much as we could without going in the snow banks. The guy in front of us was talking to the person he hit, and a random insurance truck guy pulled off to the side of the road up ahead.

I got out and gave my insurance info to the guy ahead of me (who was still talking to the state farm insurance guy in the truck up ahead.) That’s when things got bad. My mom had gotten out to come tell me something and was standing in front of our car. Just then another car that must have been going too fast to begin with slammed into the back/side of our car. My mom was in front of our car still, and presumably was hit by it, hitting the back of her head on our windshield and tossed to the ground.

I ran back and first saw Jen, who had hit her head while buckled in inside of the car (which shows how fast the car behind us must have been moving.) She had a bloody nose, but was otherwise ok. I noticed my mom wasn’t in the car and went looking. I found her unconcious laying on the ground. Couldn’t tell if she was breathing at first, so Jen and I started CPR. She started to come around, and a fireman (happened to be the driver of the car we hit) checked her out and helped us move her into someone’s car. It was freezing and the wind was blowing 30mph, so basically if we stayed there we were out of luck.

After maybe 10 terrifying minutes the ambulance arrived. Mom was fairly lucid by this point and knew what was going on.

At the end of the day she did have a gash on her head, and was sore on one side… but otherwise seems to be ok. She does have a very small bleed in her head, but the doctors expect it to be fine. They are keeping her for the night and doing another CAT scan tomorrow to make sure its not getting worse. Jen has a bunch of bruises and a cut on her head, but is fine otherwise. I’m ok… but have some new images that will always haunt me.

Thanks for everyone’s thoughts and prayers. Bob & Jen

Good friends

Paco and Coda definitely enjoy each other’s company.

The Wedding

The big day snuck up fast and went by even faster. The day before the wedding we had a major snow storm but I braved the elements to pick up floral arrangements and run other pre-wedding errands. We had a nice rehearsal and BBQ dinner with friends that night thanks to the Spryns.

The day of the wedding I was up early to drop lots of things off at the golf club and get my make-up done and to do my hair. I called Bob at noon and he was still sleeping. All he had to do was brush his teeth and put on a tux.

The ceremony was great. Our friend Lindsay promised to sing at my wedding 8 years ago and held up her promise and sounded lovely. Bob’s good friend Pete played “In My Life” on guitar for the walk down the aisle and it couldn’t  have been more perfect. He had been working hard on the arrangement for quite some time and we were blown away by what he came up with. Dear Dave Matthews: If you ever can’t get a hold of Tim Reynolds to play alongside you, call Pete. Throughout the rest of the ceremony we had a gospel group called The Voices of Clouds perform. The group helped to liven things up. Our last special guest was our friend Brendan who performed an Irish blessing for us. Who better to do an Irish blessing than a 100% Irishman?

After the ceremony we had a horse-drawn sleigh waiting for us.  It was a perfect, snowy night for a sleigh ride. The horses name was Phil and he was a handsome fella. I wish we had more time to spend on the sleigh. We only took a short ride around the parking lot so we could get to the Frank’s house to see the fireworks!

The Frank Family decks their house out every year to raise money for cancer. When they found out Bob and I recommended folks stop by their house, they offered to set off fireworks for us. We took them up on their offer and they went above and beyond by helping people park cars, directing traffic, and having my little cousin countdown to a big lighting ceremony. If you get a chance, check out their home and donate some money to cancer research on their behalf. They are a great family in our community.

We got to the reception hall and I got to see all of our planning and decor come together. My Mom’s friend Nancy created the floral arrangements for us and they were stunning. I also got chair covers and sashes, which mom kept trying to talk me out of until she finally caved it. At the reception she told me the chair covers and sashes were worth the extra money. NEWS ALERT This means my mom admitted she was wrong and I was right about something. It had to be noted.

As a surprise to our sweet-tooth family we had an old-fashioned candy store setup like my Grandpa John used to do for all of the grandkids at the cottage for the 4th of July. By the time I got a chance to check it out, a good majority of the candy was gone. I’m pretty sure my family filled their candy bag and then shoved extras in their coat pockets. We should have frisked them as they left.

After making the rounds and saying hello to everyone, a surprisingly sober Bob demonstrated his moves on the dance floor. For anyone that missed Bob’s dancing skills “White Man’s Overbite” says it all. If you’re reading this my hubby, I think you looked like Fred Astaire.

I feel like I left so much out, but most people that read this blog were there, so you know what happened. To see pictures from the fabulous Rachel Gracie, please go to:

www.eventpix.com and type in Jennifer and Robert. The password is sprynwed

We will post many more pictures on our gallery (which is a little easier to use.)

Rachel is an amazing photographer in Rochester. She is so sweet and easy to work with and captured all of the details I was looking for throughout the day. She has a photojournalistic style and her pictures outside at night are my favourite. Her use of color at night is amazing. I highly recommend her to anyone. On top of being a great photographer, she had my proofs sent to me within four days.

A big thank you to our vendors and people that made our day extra special:

The Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd and Rev. Robbins for allowing us to bring our dog, Rev. DeVuyst for assisting with the ceremony, Heberle Stables for the horse-drawn sleigh, Rachel Gracie for her photography skills, Nancy Wolcott for the lovely centerpieces, The Frank family for the fireworks display, The Voices of Clouds for the soulful music, Pierre at Turner Music Productions for keeping people dancing all night, and Meg Klem and Dave Tiberio at Webster Golf Club for easily accepting my special requests.

Lastly, a big thank you to my mom and dad for working hard to provide my dream wedding and for taking countless phone calls to change this or add that. After a busy week, we need a vacation. We need to go fishin’ instead of just a wishin’.

A whirl-wind weekend in NY

I flew to Rochester last weekend for many reasons. First, Aunt Jodi turns 50 this Christmas so the family held a party for her at the Harmony House in Webster and had a live band playing. It was a masquerade ball so folks showed up in ball gowns, tuxedos, long gloves, diamonds (some real, most fake I’m sure), a kilt, and gorgeous feather masks. With the help of some alcohol, the dance floor was full and I got a taste of the Dron’s dancing skills so I know what I’m in for at my wedding.

After seeing Grandpa Zip bust a move, I immediately knew where my dad and uncle Jimmy got their sweet skills. Lets just say they won’t be winning a mirrorball trophy anytime soon, but they sure do have fun. To our younger friends known for dancing (that is you- Nespeca)- bring your dancing shoes and prepare for dance-offs!

Saturday was spent running errands and was very productive. I met with the DJ and had alterations done as well and also met with the banquet planner at the Golf Club. Sunday our family was supposed to have a portrait taken but due to some unexpected kidney stones and a trip to the ER, mom and dad bailed out. Had mom been able to make it to the photoshoot, she would have been drooling like a bulldog due to the vicodin she had to take. It ended up being Amanda and I posing together. And by posing, I mean I am choking her in one picture and pretending I’m at a photoshoot by “Glamour Shots by Deb” in Napolean Dynamite. The photographer told me not to smile for a few pictures so I look downright cranky.

After a flight delay I made it back to Colorado late Sunday night. I was lucky to come home to a clean house (windows washed and all!), a dog that finally broke the squeaker in his annoying toy, cuddly Paco, and a big hug from my husband-to-be.