That Fox-y bride, Anna... :)

So, Anna and Brandon got married on Saturday. And it was AMAZING. Anna did some of the most unique, special, and COOL things that I have ever seen. From the fact that she wore a gown worn by her mother and aunt to the hand-crafted bouquets (made by Rhonda) to the custom signs and stamping on EVERYTHING and the most fun reception I have ever been to!!

I was so excited about taking the picture above. I sang in the wedding, so I had a completely different perspective of the ceremony!! They both just kept looking at me and smiling and glowing - I couldn't help but tearing up almost every time they did it!!!

I helped her with a few things -

I decorated the ribbon and grapevine balls that the flower girls carried...

and made Anna a few custom gifts for special friends...

and had the sweet privilege of making Anna's garters - one to wear and one to share. :)

This is Christopher and I before I got sweaty at the reception. :)

Bottlecap and resin magnets that had pictures of cute cartoon foxes, as well as pictures of the couple and sweet phrases.

Fans for swatting the bugs. :)

A framed collage of Anna, her mother Kim, and her aunt each wearing the dress.

Presents! And one of Anna's amazing bridal photographs.

COTTON CANDY!! Along with candy apples, swirled suckers, rock candy, and bubble gum. Anna also had these cool moustaches on sticks that you could take your picture with. :)

She also had BBQ, cole slaw, potato salad and rolls. And cupcakes, funnel cakes, corn dogs, home fries, and sno cones. It made me sad that I have to wait until the State Fair in October to get that food again!! :)

The bluegrass band.

The garden was FULL of beautiful sunflower that Anna's dad planted when she got engaged. How sweet is that??!!

The beautiful couple arriving at the reception in a vintage convertible, trailed by a string of cans and shotgun shells. :)

Look at how Brandon is looking at her. :)

Let me tell you...If you weren't there, YOU MISSED IT!!!

Anna, thanks for letting me be a part of your super-special day. :) I had so much fun!! And I can't wait to see all of the pictures - the handful of images that I have don't even do the day justice.

Tara Jane :)

Citrus Herb Vinaigrette Salad Dressing... :)

I LOVE a good salad. Today for lunch, I made a salad with mixed greens, grape tomatoes, cucumbers, boiled eggs, dried cranberries, and slivered almonds...yummmm. :) I found a recipe that is a seriously close replica for the salad dressing at Bonefish Grill.

• 2/3 cup EVOO (I actually use canola oil)


• 1/4 cup sugar


• 3 Tbsp water


• 2 Tbsp white wine vinegar (I used champagne wine vinegar - yummy!)


• 4 tsp minced garlic


• 1 Tbsp dijon mustard


• 2 tsp lime juice


• 2 tsp lemon juice


• 2 tsp fresh parsley, minced


• 1/2 tsp dried basil


• 1/4 tsp salt


• 1/8 tsp fresh ground black pepper

Directions:

1) Whisk all ingredients in a bowl.

2) Microwave on high for one minute or until the mixture bubbles rapidly.

3) Whisk for one more minute, until mixture forms an emulsion.

4) Cover and chill for one hour before serving.

I promise, you won't be disappointed. :)

Recipe courtesy of http://www.grouprecipes.com/32759/bonefish-grill-citrus-herb-vinaigrette.html

Well, I'm off to BodyFit. Then Christopher and I are going to Florence for the weekend. Anna's wedding is tomorrow!! I can't wait!

What??

So what has Tara Jane been DOING since she's "retired" now? :) Well, a lot actually! First, we've been baby-sitting this sweet pup for a week!! That's right, THREE greyhounds in our small little house. :) This is Bernie - and he is unbelievably sweet. I wish I could keep him!!

And I've finally been able to do some of my crafty stuff!!! Our dining room table has turned into my "work space" - I have like 57 projects in the works. This week, though I've renamed my workshop to "Anna's Sweatshop", managed by Chad Lynch. :) Anna's wedding is this Saturday and I, along with several other friends, are helping her get everything done that needs to be done!! Her reception theme is fair - candy apples, cotton candy, funnel cake, sno cones and all!

I'm so excited!!

And I can finally cook and bake, like I love to do!! I made the yumminess seen below for Christopher's fellow anesthesia employees at Baptist.

Mint Chocolate Chip...tasty. :)

Just Shameful... :)

"Where has Tara Jane been", you ask? :) Not updating my blog, that's for sure!! There has been so much going on for us in the past year and a half!

First of all, Christopher graduated with his master's in nurse anesthesia at the beginning of May! Woo hoo, finally!! :) He passed his boards with flying colors and started as a CRNA at Palmetto Health Baptist on June 14th. I "retired" as the school nurse at Brennen at the end of the school year and have been working hard at home. :) I recently started designing my own line of accessories and hope to be able to do much more of that now that I actually have some free time.

The decision to stay in Columbia was certainly bittersweet. We have really missed our friends and family in Florence and were certain that we would end up back there. Just before Christmas of last year, we came to a quick realization that the house that we'd bought in our cookie-cutter neighborhood was impossible to sell. There were/are 12 others (that are exactly like ours) for sale, most of which have been on the market for almost a year. We started praying about what to do and literally the next day, a good friend let Christopher know about a position at Baptist. We continued to pray and talk to family and finally made the decision that we needed to stick around Columbia. It's been the most awesome thing to discover almost daily, the reasons that God wanted us to be here. Just since New Year's, we've had the opportunity to get much more involved in church at Shandon and have made TONS of new friends, which has been so exciting!!

Well, I'm off to lunch with my friend Tina - her husband graduates from anesthesia school next May and I KNOW how she feels!! :) Except, they have a two-year-old in the mix - holy cow!!

I promise I'll be much more diligent about keeping up with my blog. :) I've missed keeping in touch with everyone!

Tara Jane :)