Category: My Family

Franklin Rehearsal Dinner….Aloha!

Well, it’s finally happened!  I’ve kept my word, and the pictures I said I was going to share with you have finally come!

This past week and weekend we have been very busy bees!  Tuesday night, Steve went out with Rustin and his friends for a bachelor night full of……..well…..whatever it is that bachelors do….minus the strippers.  All I know for sure is that Rustin most likely did not remember the entire evening.  Or probably most of the entire week, for that matter.  He had a “bachelor week”, and much to my delight, Steve only participated in that one evening instead of the entire week of bachelor madness.

So, getting back to the rehearsal dinner, which took place Friday, May 27th.  It was Hawaiian themed, and the first things I noticed when we got there were these awesome centerpieces.  Live fish!  Now, granted, this type of goldfish usually don’t last more than a month or so before they die, but when I was little, I remember keeping one alive for at LEAST a year.  I know.  Impressive.

Here’s Jen, one of the 3 bridesmaids.  Doesn’t she have beautiful, blue eyes?  They draw you in!

Steve was in the wedding too.  One of Rustin’s 5 groomsmen.  Isn’t it usually the bride who ends up having a hard time narrowing down who the bridesmaids are gonna be, and eventually ends up with more attendants than the groom?  Well not this time apparently.  He’s got beautiful, blue eyes too. 🙂  Please, Lord, let our children get his eye color, but my 20/20 vision!  That would be awesome!  Thanks for listening!

Here’s where the ceremony took place.  Ceremony and reception were held in the lovely backyard of Rustin’s parents, Eric and Wendie.

Look at that happy groom!  But then again, he is always cracking jokes, so this is nothing new.

Back up, sista!  Rustin can never be serious…….as I mentioned in my toast at the wedding. 🙂

Can you guess what Rustin is doing here?

How about now?

That’s right.  He’s dancing down the aisle.

We all danced down the aisle.

Shake that booty, Steve!

Yes, even I got in on the dancing action!  Hey, it’s what they wanted, so I obliged!  Note: There will be no dancing down the aisle at my wedding!

Elizabeth didn’t dance.  She’s the bride.  She can do whatever she wants!

So we ran through the ceremony only one time, I believe, and we didn’t really even go through the whole thing.  We just practiced where we’d stand and when Elizabeth would hand me her bouquet, etc.

Then we practiced walking out.  I didn’t get to walk out with Steve, unfortunately.  And it made it a little awkward, because on the day of the wedding, I was wearing 4 inch heels, so I was significantly taller than Eli, the best man.

Here’s the beautiful bride, Elizabeth, with Krista, another bridesmaid.

Bride and maid of honor.  In about 40 days, those rolls will be reversed! 🙂

The bride with all her bridesmaids.

Then, of course, Steve being the class clown that he is had to come and jump into our picture.

Then one by one, each bridesmaid’s hubby came and took a picture with us girls.

Can you guess which man belongs with which lady?

Ah yes, the Dr. Evil shot.  Don’t ask me why we did this pose.

Rustin had handed out some victory cigars.  Victory for what?  I’m not sure.  Getting through the rehearsal?  His last day as a single man?

Yes, you’re all very cool.  But I don’t think you’ll make it into the mafia.

See that pool in the background?  Just keep that in mind for a future post. 🙂

Best Friends Forever!!!  I can’t believe I’ve only known Elizabeth for a year, and already we are so close.  I feel like I’ve known her my whole life!

Love you, girlfriend!  <3

Elizabeth’s Bachelorette Party

It’s almost wedding time for my best friend Elizabeth!  She’ll be tying the knot with her fiance, Rustin, this Saturday, May 28th, and I’m the maid of honor!!  It’s my first time with that special title, and I’m so honored to stand up with her on her special day.

Last weekend we celebrated her last few days as a single woman by going to another bridesmaid’s house for dinner and a lingerie party, then to downtown Nashville for a bachelorette night on the town!

Here’s Elizabeth with her new mother in law, Wendie.  I know, they look like they could be sisters, right?

Look at these cute petit fours that Krista provided!  The chocolate one was TO DIE FOR!!!

Mmm….they were so good that I had to include another picture. 🙂

I told Elizabeth that I wouldn’t post any pictures of the lingerie she got, so here’s one of her opening a Victoria’s Secret box.  I know, I know…..but some things just need to be kept between us girls!

Laughing at a story Krista was telling.

She was telling a story about how she hit her head and then her friend tried to apply some bandaid glue to the wound, but it dripped onto her eye and sealed her eye shut.

Here’s the bride to be and me!  Besties!

We started our night out at Jimmy Buffet’s Margaritaville.  We sat upstairs and pretty much had the whole place to ourselves.  And the nice part about that was that we didn’t have to scream to hear ourselves talk.  It was nice and quiet. 🙂  I know….I feel like I’m an old fogey already.  TURN DOWN THAT RACKET!!!!

On the stage at Margaritaville.  The last person to perform on this stage was Toby Keith!!

Aww, this is a cute one of Elizabeth, Wendie, and me.

Oh Krista, she loves to have a good time! 🙂

Jen likes to have a good time too!

And ok, ok, so do I. 🙂

They had a game at Margaritaville where you had to somehow swing a small ring attached to a cord and hook it onto a hook on the wall.  It was not easy, and none of us ever actually accomplished it.

But we all tried!

I REALLY focused, but I couldn’t do it.

Ok, maybe I wasn’t that focused.  But it’s hard to focus when someone keeps taking pictures of you!

Elizabeth was showing me how to throw the ring.  So I asked her to show me her technique, since she clearly had a secret method that no one else knew about.

But of course she couldn’t do it either!

Being silly.

Are your feet hurting you, Elizabeth?  Haha, don’t worry, all of us that were wearing stilettos ended up taking our shoes off at least once throughout the night.

Go Elizabeth!  Go Elizabeth!  It’s your birthday bachelorette party!

Work it!

I witnessed some expert dance moves that night.  We’ve got Elizabeth with the pointer finger.  Jen looks like she’s trying to DJ.

Everybody put your arms up!

Go Krista with those fake “hand” guns!

Luckily, I was the one mainly behind the camera, so you don’t get to see any of my awesome moves.

Pretty lady.  Looks like she had fun. 🙂

Last photo of the evening, because right after this picture my camera battery died.  We had alot of fun, even though we didn’t end up getting home until around 3:30am.  I hope it was a night that Elizabeth will look back on with fond memories.

Congratulations on your upcoming wedding, Betty!!!  I can’t wait to stand next to you on Saturday when your pledge your love and your life to the man of your dreams!

Happy Mother’s Day!

Today is a day that our country sets aside to honor all the wonderful mothers that brought us into this world.  We wouldn’t exist if it weren’t for mothers.  When we’re little they feed us, clothe us, teach us things, and try to keep us out of trouble.  When we’re older they’re there to love us, support us, and be the friend that we can always talk to.  And to spoil their grandchildren of course.

Today I wanted to take some time and tell you a little about my beautiful mom.

Pam Pentland was born as Pamela Joan (pronounced “Joann”) Ness in Sycamore, Illinois on November 9, 1956.  She was the 3rd of 4 children born to Phyllis and Sigurd Ness, and spent most of her childhood growing up on a farm.  She and her sisters made the farm their own playground where they would play games that normal children wouldn’t play.  One such game was to go into their mean bull’s pen, taunt it, and then run away back under the fence when he started charging at them.  One time during such a game, the 3 sisters were taunting the bull, and when he started charging at them, they started running full speed toward the electric fence.  My mom and her sister Diane slid under the fence, but when my mom’s other sister Sally ran away, she didn’t see the fence for some reason, and ran right into it, with the fence hitting her in the neck.  She fell to the ground, and my mom and Diane had to quickly drag her under the fence before the bull reached her.

When my mom was 10 years old, her mother remarried Beryl Lawrence and since then she gained 4 step brothers and sisters, and 2 half siblings, which made her one of ten children.  Mom was a very obedient child, and never wanted to do anything to displease her parents.   When she was 5 years old, she waited at the end of her family’s mile long drive way in a blizzard for the school bus.  Little did she know that because of the blizzard, school had been canceled that day, but being the obedient child that she was, she waited for over an hour before reluctantly walking back to the house.  She still remembers the excruciating pain of her mother slowly thawing out her frost-bitten hands.

She accepted Christ as her Savior as a teenager (I can’t remember if she was 14 or 16) at a church camp (I think?), and attended Bob Jones University in Greenville, SC from 1974-1978.  She graduated with a B.S. in Elementary Education and a Minor in English.  She served as the Pres. and V.P. of her sorority, Zeta Tau Omega, and thoroughly enjoyed singing in the University’s Radio Choir.  After graduating at the age of 21, she moved to Canoga Park, California to teach 3rd grade at Faith Baptist Schools, where she would continue to teach for 28 years (and continues to occasionally substitute teach 5 years later).

On December 20, 1989 she married the love of her life, my dad, Martin Pentland, and has enjoyed 21 wonderful years of marriage.  In addition to me, my mom has 4 step children (Erik, Erica, John, and Jenny), and 7 grandchildren.  (None from me yet, obviously).

Here she is with one of her grandsons, Max.  It’s one of my favorite pictures of her.

One of my mom’s favorite hobbies is gardening, and her house is surrounded by beautiful flowers to show for it.  She also loves to shop, but never buys anything at full price.  She has a talent for getting great deals on quality items. 🙂   She loves the Lord with all her heart, and is daily in the Word.  She is selfless and generous to those in need and always goes out of her way to make people happy.

I’m so glad that she and my dad are coming out to Nashville for my wedding in a couple months.  In this picture we are shopping for wedding dresses and bridesmaid dresses.

I love you so much, Mom!  I’m so glad that Faith Baptist recognized you as Woman of the Year today.  You definitely deserve it!  And I hope you had a very Happy Mother’s Day!