Mr. and Mrs. Harnisch

Aahhhh, finally a free second in my day to blog about Mr. & Mrs. Jon Harnisch's beautiful wedding in Denver (while I hoped to blog more during the summer months, I've found traveling up north, unplugged, to be more relaxing!).

I packed up my classroom, left school for the summer, came home, packed up the family, and left for Denver the next morning!  Jon's sister chose to get married in Denver, Colorado.  She clearly did it right, getting married at the Denver Botanic Gardens and a reception following at the Brown Palace!  We stayed at the Brown Palace for four nights and were so impressed by the historic hotel (every US president while in office has stayed there, hopefully Obama will too).  Enough with presidents,I felt like royalty!!!  I can only imagine how the bride and groom felt in their suite, complete with the biggest bathroom I've ever seen (and yes, I whipped through their suite and grabbed every soap, shampoo, coffee cup and honey jar I could find)!

Back to the beginning...

On Thursday evening, I corralled all three of us on an airplane for our first family trip.  Maddy did pretty good (B+  Jon and I decided).  Of course everyone loved her little tutu paired with her onesie that said "Denver or Bust:  Aunt Rachel and Uncle Jon are Getting Married".  I figured if she looked cute, everyone would forgive her for the inevitable meltdowns.  Once we landed in Denver, my parents picked us up with the car they drove out there in.  We then met Rachel, Jon and "my Jon's" family at The Cheesecake Factory!  I of course scarfed down as much as a could since I'm obsessed with that place and don't live by one, while Aunt Rachel kissed up Maddy.  The next day Jon, Maddy and I woke up early for Denver time and walked around the streets of downtown.  Later we met Rachel  and the gang for lunch at a wonderful restaurant where they had over 100 beers ON DRAFT (I don't even like beer, but suddenly I loved it there!). We all then went out for a quick drink before getting ready for the rehearsal.  The rehearsal was at the botanic gardens, followed by a yummy pizza dinner in downtown.  Of course Maddy went ballistic,  but who can blame her with such a busy day, and we were out WAY past her bedtime (I was impressed she held of this long!).

The next day was the big day, and what a day it was!  Not only did I wake up feeling refreshed thanks to Maddy sleeping through the night, but got to have my hair done and celebrate with morning mimosas (I think everyone was toasting to the wedding day, but not me, I was celebrating getting a full night's sleep).  Soon after bagels and beverages, the girls got dressed and met again for pictures.  While Maddy was sweet in her little flower girl outfit, Rachel was gorgeous in her stunning gown (I can't wait to see the pics of Maddy and Rachel).  Then it was off in the limo as we headed to the Denver Botanic Gardens.  The ceremony was short and sweet, followed by a lovely reception back at the Brown Palace.  We all loaded up on crab cakes and ahi tuna, to then be presented with a lavishly delicious meal.  After the meal, my Jon sat in a comfy chair and rocked Maddy.  I didn't feel bad for Jon at all, that's just what he was hoping he'd get to do (a.k.a avoid the dance floor).   While Maddy slept with her Daddy,  the rest of us danced the night away...

The next day the gang had a scrumptious brunch at the Grand Hilton and then it was off to Coors Stadium for the Rockies vs. Tigers game!  From there, Jon, Maddy and I said our good byes to Mr. and Mrs. Harnisch as they headed off to their honeymoon in Costa Rica!

Some of my favorite photos include..