Wedding #1

I'm thrilled to be interning for Katie Saeger this summer with Simply and Forever!
Here are a few pictures from the first wedding of the summer. The couple met at a library, so they focused their theme around books. Turned out very cute!

Church and beautiful bridesmaid's flowers! 

Programs with book bindings! 

 (sorry it's a bit blurry)

Reception location: St. Louis City Museum

 

 Escort cards

Memory table

 

 

The couple picked their favorite books to be placed on the cake topper! 

 

View from the ballroom

Let's Go Blues!

We had a great time meeting up with my family for a Blues Game before all the summer craziness!

Slowly but surely...

...I'm reading the Harry Potter books. I know I missed the bandwagon in high school, but I was a bit busy reading the classics. Now that I need some light reading I've picked these up and I'm actually rather enjoying them! They are easy to pick up and sit down when the children need me throughout the day without getting lost. I just started book #5 last night, and I found this inscribed in the cover. Warmed my heart!

Date Party

Date Party was jungle themed this year, so I talked Spencer into going as a tree and a koala bear. Everyone loved our costume and we had a great time!

What's So Great About Gatsby Anyway?

"Indeed, what is?  Is it his enormous wealth, making him the epitome of early 20th century New Money, becoming the rival and envy of the entrenched Old Money almost over night?  Is it the lavish parties he holds regularly every night?  How about the mystery about who he is, and the many tales that revolve around him?  The immense love he has for Daisy Buchanan? Or is it his vision, his imagination, put to work to win Daisy, the workings of a great soul?"

You can read the rest of the post written by my friend Collin here.

I thoroughly enjoyed the movie, perhaps even more than I thought I would. Spencer and I snuck over to the little theater close by after work last week. It was nice to have a reason to get dressed up after a long day at work. Of course I had reasonable expectations after reading all the scathing reviews done by Rotten Tomotoes and IMDB, but in the end I think our culture was expecting something different. They wanted a love story with a party scene, not a tragic ending. I cried and Spencer rolled his eyes.  While it's not everyone's cup of tea, I heartily recommend it.
 

Commercial Culture

I don’t know much about politics, but do know something about pop-culture. Big name artists and big name companies are constantly pairing up to promote a certain message or agenda. It’s the oldest trick in advertising. It’s not about how you really feel, but how you’re supposed to feel, not what you actually think, but what you should think. I recently saw Nicki Minaj’s new add for Pepsi. “Live for Now” underscores Pepsi’s attempt at re-associating itself with pop-culture. The ad is essentially convincing us that drinking Pepsi will allow you to do exactly what the title says, live for now. The couple in the ad has magically frozen time by drinking Pepsi, and can therefore fully enjoy the Nicki Minaj concert. 

What if the future of classical music is in the hands of the ad agencies? I was shocked when a Korean car company used “Sonata” for a model name. Maybe car ads are the saving grace of a style of music that’s gradually disappearing. Mozart’s Piano Sonata in B-flat Major was used for a Hyundai Sonata ad, and Audi used Ravel’s sparkling “Jeux d’eau”. Of course we expect them to use the Beatles and Rolling Stones to promote car sales. But Mozart? And Wagner? And Grieg? Perhaps the big bad ad agencies and the commercial culture we live in are actually helping to preserve and promote the same classical music that I value and love. 

United at last!

I always cherish my friendship with Miss Hannah, but summer is the time when I really get to sit and enjoy her loving spirit.
"I feel like Indiana Jones, because you are the treasure I am looking for!"
We're both delightfully busy with our summer nanny jobs. She has two girls ages 8 and 10, and I have to boys (plus the baby) ages 8 and 10. We're already plotting the inevitable weddings.
Keeping the boy's day packed with activities = less time for them to find ways to reap havoc. We've already been to the adoration chapel, signed up and turned in our first summer reading sheets, picked blueberries and strawberries, and gone swimming almost every day! I'll try to be better about capturing these moments on camera...

Happy summer!