I drove up on Friday to enjoy a girls' night out. Abbey's sister Erin and I shared a hotel room and took advantage of some baby-free time. I suppose mine wasn't technically baby-free since I carry little bro everywhere I go, but he is certainly less work at this point than young William! We started the night out at a great coffeehouse/wine bar called Opa, where we were entertained by Abbey and some of her Guitar Girl friends, followed by some (completely unrelated) fire-dancing girls. The latter was about as interesting and strange as you'd expect.
After that, we decided to head downtown for some dancing. We ended up at a club called Qua that, I kid you not, has live sharks swimming under the dance floor. It really freaked me out at first, but you get used to it. I looked up the club when I got home to make sure the sharks are OK in there. It seems like they handle it as responsibly as they can - they even let kids come for field trips! They put all the liquor away when the young, impressionable ones are visiting.
Anyway, we danced the night away and stayed up until the wee hours. I'm sure I was a sight rocking my big ole belly on the dance floor, but I managed to keep up with all the able-bodied ladies for the most part. I definitely drank a ton of water and played the pregnancy card by sitting and resting as needed. One incredibly creepy guy tried to hit on me (note: super short, greasy guys ALWAYS hit on me - it is so annoying). He hadn't even seen me from the front when he asked me to dance, said something about liking my height (uh, right), and then tried to win me over by telling me he watched Titanic that day. Lame. As I kept trying to turn him down, he asked if I was married. I turned toward him and said, "Dude, I'm pregnant!" His gut reaction: "EWWWW!" It was hilarious. He then ended up dancing with some girl who couldn't even manage to stand upright for more than a minute or two before falling over on the dance floor. I have always wished we could erect some force field around a group of girls that keeps the guys out. We just want to have a good time together, not hang out with you creepshows!
Saturday morning came way too soon (doesn't it always after a big night out?), and Mikey drove up to meet everyone for a boat ride on Lake Austin. It was a lovely way to spend the day! I took it upon myself to capture the day in pictures (excellent excuse not to ever get in the water). Everyone seemed to enjoy a relaxing day on the lake. Poor Abbey got hit in the forehead with a full bottle of water (from the second deck of the boat). As always, she handled it with grace. It had to hurt like the dickens. She had a ginormous goose egg, but the immediate ice on her head thankfully brought it down relatively quickly. My glass-half-full friend kept saying it was no big deal because at least she parts her hair on the side so it would be mostly covered up in pictures the next day. The infamous bottled water incident came about because Abbey asked a young girl to throw her a water. Of course the girl felt just awful, so Abbey made sure to put on a smile whenever she came around.
After the boat ride, Mikey and I checked into our hotel and decided a night of nothing was in order. We knew William was in good hands with Grandma and Grandpa. All we had to do was feed ourselves and be on time the next morning. We went to a local restaurant, came home by 9, ate some ice cream bought at the hotel, and called it a night. We were living large, I tell you!
I went to the Mansion at Judges' Hill early to help Abbey get things set up. She had a crack team of helpers, and everything came together beautifully. We only had one last-minute issue that was resolved by a quick trip to pick up some ribbon. Abbey handled just about every detail herself, from the flowers and vases to a tree that held seating assignments to fans and outdoor decorations. You wouldn't know it was all DIY stuff because it was so well done. She did have a pro photographer, so I didn't even bother taking detail shots. I knew someone much more talented than myself would take care of it - and she did. The photos are beautiful!
The vow renewal ceremony was held outside under a canopy of trees. It wasn't all that hot (easy for me to say since I wasn't in a suit!), and the ceremony was so very Abbey and James. They were clearly filled with love and gratitude for each other and those around them. There was a delicious brunch afterward, followed by out-of-this-world cupcakes. Before you knew it, the big day was over.
In my estimation, the day went off without a hitch. Everyone looked great, the decor was so thoughtful and well-executed, and Abbey and James seemed happy. What more can you ask for?
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