The one you've been waiting for...

Yes, indeed. This is the post you've all been waiting for. All about the wedding and the crazy that went on within...

So, in case you missed it, Boo and Graham decided to get married at Heavenly Resort... well, at the top of Heavenly Resort to be exact. So, Rebel and I dressed in our finest (and I looked hot in my dress and heels... thank you, Spanx) and proceeded to the tram.

The tram ride up (and down) was very cool. You got an amazing view of South Lake Tahoe. Flip Flop, however, wasn't as much a fan. She's not one for heights, and this tram had lots of heights. Seems like it would be cool to bungy jump outta that thing but I didn't see that being offered. Next time, perhaps.

Waiting for the tram...

Almost to the top...

Wow. What a view!!

At the far right is the patio where the ceremony was held...

Now, lest you think that the only interesting (or crazy) thing about this wedding was the location, how wrong you are. This is the couple that walked down the aisle to the song "the final countdown" by Europe. Now that, my friends, is classy.

The leader of this menagerie was brother #3 (child #4, in case you lost count) who got his certificate to perform such services online. Awesome. And he did great... you could even hear him after the microphone attached to his tux gave out. Now that is showmanship.

We were also treated to the best wedding program ever. Make sure you read the entire thing. It's hilarious...

You don't know what the Roger Rabbit is?

Click here to see what we're talking about...

Thank goodness there were not many hippos present...

Notice that this is not your traditional wedding party.

Brother #4 (child #6, in case you lost count) was Boo's

Captain of the Bridesmaids. And Boo's very good friend

was a Bridesdude. Now that is my kind of wedding...

The term "facts" is used loosely...

Then it was the ceremony... which was sweet and heartfelt. It brought a tear to my eye. I think Rebel just rolled his. And yes, I cried. This is my baby sis, after all...

Master of Ceremony looking quite dapper...

The groom sporting the white tux...

Man and wife...

After the ceremony, Boo and Graham took off with the photographer to take some photos. We had to be involved in a few photos as well...

Dogs being cooperative...

Dogs being not quite as cooperative...

Oh to hell with it...

The whole fam damn. And yes, me in heels 
(4th from the left in my killer blue dress)

Got it. I think...

And then it was time to introduce the wedding party and the newly wed couple...

Wedding party people...

More wedding party peeps...

This was supposed to be the newlyweds. Oops...

And then the first dance was had. All I have to say is that they must have worked on this routine for months...

This, my friends, is love...

And then the reception started. And many sad folks had to learn what the Roger Rabbit was in order to get the couple to kiss. I wish I had video of these sad attempts, but alas I do not...

*sad face*

But then it came time for the toasts. In my opinion, this one was the best... and dead on too.

Again. Methinks a bit of practice went into this...

And then after all that craziness it was time to party, dance and enjoy the views.

Graham's dad getting down...

Rebel and I enjoying a wedding *gasp*

And that was pretty much it. Around 9:30-10pm we headed back to the hotel because the mosquitoes were finding me to be quite the meal.

But what a wedding. Rebel did say to me at one point that if all weddings were this good he wouldn't mind going to more. And I agree. Well done Boo and Graham!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY...

Yesterday was Flash's 15th Birthday. Man, tough to believe I've had my boy for 14 years now...

You're the best horse a mom could have...

Back in the swing and things I forgot, Part II...

I realize I forgot a few things in the last post. Namely, on Saturday night we went bowling. And I mean everyone went bowling. I think we had about 50 people there. It was crazy. And I wish I had pictures. But alas, I don't. What can I say? I suck.

Also, on Sunday night it was the rehearsal dinner. Painless for Rebel and myself as we were not involved in the wedding. A long day of practice for those in the wedding (you'll understand why in a moment).

So. Moving on...

It's Monday. The day of BooBoo and Graham's wedding. Oh happy day. But before the wedding (which was at 5pm) we met up with the Parental's and some of the Aunts and Uncles and did a drive about. We stopped at a lookout. And then we all tried to find parking to hike down to Emerald Bay. The other 2 cars were unsuccessful. Rebel and I, however, managed to park the bug in a very tiny spot. Take that, succas... and then we hiked down into Emerald Bay. The hike down was easy and only a couple of miles. Plus it was straight down a steep hill. The hike back up took 4 hours and was somewhere in the neighborhood of 42 miles... I'm sure of it.

At the lookout...

Flip Flop and I look a lot alike...

Looking down on Emerald Bay

There is a castle there. Some famous silent film actor built it...

Kayaking to the island...

Hiking up to the little castle (called the Tea House) at the top...

The Tea House...

Check out those views!!

The beach at Emerald Bay...

On the 42 mile hike back up, I used the guise of photo taking to take many breaks...

All in all, Emerald Bay was stunning. I really enjoyed seeing all the sights. We then went on down the road a bit and hiked around Eagle Falls. It was very pretty, as well.

 The falls...

The little stream that feeds the falls...

Trying to get both Rebel and the falls in the pic.

Not so successful...

We spent so much time hiking around Emerald Bay and Eagle Falls that we barely had enough time (well, for me anyway) to get ready. Then it was off to the wedding.

The wedding was a crazy affair and I want to do it justice. So I'll post about it tomorrow.

Back in the swing...

It's taken me a little while, but I do believe that I'm back in the swing of "real life" again.

Vacation was awesome. Rebel and I had a great time with the whole family. And when I say "whole family" I mean it. He met them all (4 brothers, 3 sisters-in-law, 1 girlfriend, 1 sister, 1 brother-in-law, the parentals, 2 sets of aunts and uncles plus an extra aunt). I felt like I should have made a flip-book for him with names and faces so he had a shot in hell of keeping them all straight. The only person missing was granny.

But Rebel did great. He seemed to take all the intense questioning (think Spanish Inquisition) like a pro. And he still thought that hanging out with me was a good idea by the end. Success!! If that didn't chase him off (well, that and my crazy hormones this past weekend) then I think we're good to go. Which is great. Because we have some big plans on the horizon. No, no. I'm not getting married. No one panic. But they are grand plans. I'll fill you in sometime in the near future.

OK... back to vacation. And it's awesomeness.

The main reason behind going to Tahoe was that BooBoo and Graham were getting married at Heavenly. But we made it into a full week of family vacation fun. On Friday night I left work and headed to K Falls to pick up Rebel (where he's currently residing).

We traveled from there to a little town called Alturas, CA. Trust me. You're not missing much. We rolled in around 9:30pm and were on the road to Tahoe around 8am the next morning. Man, is that drive long and hot. And boring. Very, very boring. Not much to see out there, that's for sure. But before we got to Tahoe, we decided to make a pit stop in Reno and do some shopping. Well, Rebel wanted to do some shopping. I really did not want to do any shopping. But I found some nice shirts and a cute skirt. And it didn't come out of my bank account. Win/win.

After that it was off to South Lake Tahoe and our low-budget accommodations at Super 8. It actually wasn't that bad, I suppose. The place was clean. It was right in the heart of the action. But the downsides were the AC was spotty, our view was interesting (mostly consisted of the roof of the adjacent building), and the bed was really hard. My hips weren't super happy after a few days.

Saturday night was just spent meeting up with folks and seeing how everyone else's digs looked (most were way better).

On Sunday morning Rebel and I attempted to find breakfast. I say "attempted" because it was around 11am and most of the good places had a really big line. Instead we ended up at McDonald's. Meh, can't win them all I suppose. Then we headed to the beach and bought tickets on the Sternwheeler Tahoe Queen. It is a cruise that heads west across the lake, circles into Emerald Bay and then docks back at the beach again. The cruise took about 3 hours. It was great... and a cool way to see the lake.

The Tahoe Queen docking...

Fellow travelers...

Big wheels...

Enjoying the cruise...

And not a bad photo either...

Looking across the lake to the North...

Looking back at the beach...

A little tug that pulled up along side for a moment...

Coming into Emerald Bay...

The island in the Bay...

With a little castle on top...

Heading back out onto the main lake...

Tomorrow I'll post about the wedding and the waterskiing...

No, I'm not dead...

I just need a vacation from my vacation. I'm getting my thoughts (and photos) organized and then I will update you all on the awesome vacation that was had by Rebel and myself.

Stay tuned...