Tuesday, July 31, 2007

Kori's Wedding: Pre-Party (Part I)

And I'm back! RL here, coming at ya with more play-by-play from Kori's wedding week. After having a day to recover from Wednesday night (refer to the blog below), it was time for more pre-wedding festivities:

The Bridal Luncheon was held at the Lavender House in McKinney which is a very girly tea house that serves very girly drinks and treats in very girly surroundings. It was right up Kori's alley, and a perfect setting for her luncheon. We were all brought frozen bellinis upon arrival and then treated to several different varieties of freshly steeped teas along with stacked platters of every kind of sandwich, scone and mini dessert you could imagine. It was high tea at its finest and we had the very sort of dignified and proper time you would expect at a tea house. We also received our bridal party gifts at the luncheon which were necklaces from a little jeweler by the name of Tiffany...you might know them from the light blue box...


Monday, July 30, 2007

Party like a rockstar!

RL here, coming at you with another much anticipated blog I'm sure. It has been several days since my last post, but I have good reason for the delay. I have been booked pretty much solid for the past 5-6 days with my best friend's wedding (formerly Kori Kaufman, now Kori Bailey). The festivities that accompanied the aforementioned wedding will require several blogs at the very least.

I will begin with describing what I like to call, Kori's "Going Away" Party (as in going away from the land of singledom) where we (me, the bride, several of her Mizzou friends and my sis) got to party like rock stars (hence the blog's title) courtesy of Mr. Steve Kaufman. Because Kori's friends from college weren't getting in to Dallas until Wednesday, we had to "redo" her bachelorette party to make up for the lack of their presence at her "official" bachelorette party. In order for us to properly celebrate, Kori's dad got us reservations at Nine Steakhouse in Victory Park. We were taken to the restaurant in a limo, naturally. We were treated like celebrities, ordering whatever we wanted and drinking wine by the bottle. I think 4 different managers/owners came by our table throughout the night offering their congatulations and attending to our every whim. They brought us the most amazing espresso shots at the end of our meal which, by the by, included salmon, shrimp, steak, mac 'n cheese, asparagus, potatoes, apple tart and make your own s'mores. It was amazing, but not over yet!

After dinner, we were escorted up to Ghostbar in the W Hotel were we had a table reserved with bottle service all night. We had our own cocktail waitress who mixed our drinks. Although the over-the-top bar was not especially packed (considering it was a Wednesday night), we had our own party, especially when our special requests played (JT and Fergie...shocker, I know). At some point, we were bought a bottle of Cristal from a patron at the bar who wanted to properly congratulate the bride-to-be with some celebratory bubbly...wow wowie wow! After dancing the night away, we took the party back into the limo where we were driven back to Prosper. It was definitely the highlight of my summer. Wait, who am I kidding? It was the highlight of my year...at least until a few nights later...

Stay tuned!


Just as girls in the limo starting out the night...



The girls with our Cristal -- holla!

Wednesday, July 25, 2007

A glimpse into my summer exploits...

RL here, writing another blog for you to snack on. I'm sure you have found yourself completely consumed with my blog and are unable to keep yourself from checking my site every 5 mintues...I completely understand -- I'm kind of a big deal...I'll admit it. So, without further ado, I present you with my summer exploits thus far...

Cheer Camp
I took the cheerleaders to cheer camp at SMU and this really started my summer off with a bang...right...anyway, it was actually a lot of fun minus the early hours, bad food and the incessant cheering! My girls were incredibly well-behaved (I've trained them well) and they did a great job at camp! All 13 cheerleaders were nominated for All-American, with 5 of them making it. In addition, they were awarded all blue ribbons at their evaluations, took home the spirit stick and received a trophy for most improved squad. I was so proud of them and don't worry that we have a new motto: "pop-lock-don't drop it." Very clever, huh?

NYC
After cheer camp, I headed to NYC to visit my friends for the 1st time since I graduated. I can't believe it took me that long to get back up there, but I'm so glad I finally made the trip! It was so good to see my friends, and to be back in the city. My time was fairly uneventful, just a lot of shopping, walking in the park and catching up with old friends. I had a great time hanging out with my dear friends and it really flew by. My trip home, however, was quite a bit more eventful in that our plane's air conditioning system broke, we lost power and we were delayed several different times...good times! But, I made it home and was grateful that the plane held up in the air!!!

Austin
After NY, I was able to go down to Austin to spend some time with my most favorite fousins (friends + cousins = fousins --- use it, make it your own)! It had been wayyyy tooooo long since I had been down to my favorite city in Texas and I was sooooo glad to be there! My time was spent laying out by their gorgeous pool, attending a lavish engagement party, dancing my heart out at the Ivory Cat on 6th Street, and making my very 1st trip to the Shady Grove. I love my fousins so much and I'm so glad that they are my family!!!

The "in-between"
My time in-between has been spent next door laying out, bargain shopping, cleaning out my room, attempting to plan the curriculum for my business class, spending time w/my sis and Haylee Grace, and certainly, participating in all of my friend's wedding festivities!!! My dear friend Peter was the 1st of my friends to take the plunge into marriage, and I attended his beautiful wedding back in May. I was also able to attend an old friend's, Brooke Sims, wedding a couple weeks ago. It was really nice and she made a beautiful bride.

I am now in the midst of my best friend's wedding week -- Kori's getting married in 4 days!!! I have attended several showers for her this summer, and was honored to co-host her lingerie shower in June. She is such a dear friend, and has truly been through so much with me throughout the past 6-7 years. I am truly honored to be a bridesmaid in her wedding, and she is so blessed to be marrying her one true love (who, by the way, she has been with on and off for the past 10 years). I couldn't be happier for her, and I can't wait for her wedding on Saturday!!!

But wait, that's not it! I also get to look forward to my dear friend's wedding in September, Brooke and Freeland's wedding!!! I am so blessed to be able to call both Brooke and Freeland my friends, and I couldn't have picked a better guy for my friend Brooke. He is one of the most personable and engaging guys I know, and I have never felt like a 3rd or 5th wheel when I'm with them -- I can't wait for their wedding in September and I'm so thrilled to be a bridesmaid!

Whew! Well, I think that's it for now...please enjoy the pics I attached from my summer activities! Until next time...






















Monday, July 23, 2007

The (somewhat) sordid details of my 1st year as Coach Lawrence...




The 2006-2007 School Year (according to me):


As you know, I spent the last year of my life teaching at a private high school. I was the sole dance teacher (not the kind of dancing you would usually see me bust out out weddings and other inappropriate venues) and served as the Director and Coach for drill team and cheerleading. I honestly can't believe I actually made it through 1 year at my job, and I can't comprehend that I ever even got started in the teaching profession. Basically, life continues to take me down a path that is filled with twists and turns and very few directional signs...

The background: I was working as a bridal sales consultant for a bakery selling cakes for peanuts (I was making peanuts--the cakes were pretty pricey). Definitely the most fun/easy/low stress job I have ever had, but I have yet to secure a sugar daddy to pay my bills, so I knew I had to move on. While I was there, I met Hailey who is now one of my very best friends. She was signing on to teach and I innocently asked if they needed a drill team or cheerleading coach...ask and you shall receive! No sooner that I asked the off-the-cuff question, I found myself hired by a coach that actually taught my parents in high school -- true story!

Anyway, it was by far the most challenging year I have ever had in my life. Who knew that pep rallies required more planning than a superbowl halftime show? Who knew that all of your free time was no longer yours, but theirs? Who knew that good Cathlic (or Christian for that matter) parents had the propensity to cut you to the core? I still don't have the thick skin necessary to brush off the parental altercations. Some say I just need to "buck up!" I say, "easier said than done." I'm a girly girl and I take things personally. Sorry if that's an anomaly or some huge revelation, but I will always be affected by someone yelling in my face. Call me crazy, but it alters my mood.

Nonetheless, I got to relive friday night football games, homecoming, prom and graduation. I also had (and still have) the honor of spending countless hours with a group of girls that I truly cherish and want the world for them! And I have the support of a boss that thinks I hung the moon, leaving me absolutely incredulous! I've decided that it is what it is. It is my life during those 9 months and the sooner I can accept it, the better place I will be in....

So here's to the 2007-2008 school year -- may it be the best year I ever had in high school! :)

P.S. Enjoy some pics of my year below!









Here we go again...

So I'm now starting my 3rd and final final blog! If this doesn't work, my days of blogging are officially over!

Okay, I have started a blog, not because it is necessary due to the exciting nature of my life, but because I feel it is a much better use of my time over planning for the upcoming school year or organizing my life and being productive in general! No, I'm not having a baby, living out of state, or getting married (or any other activity which normally solicits the creation of a blog), I'm simply giving you a glimpse into the mundane day-to-day activities of my mostly uneventful life in the hopes that it gives you something to do when in reality, you should be working...fun, right?

Anyway, I will regale you with a brief summary of my past year teaching and bring you up to date on my summer thus far.....I know you are waiting with baded breath! So without further ado, I will close this blog and begin a new one...happy reading!