Love is the greatest refreshment in life. -Picasso

My best friend, Ashley, married the love of her life, Luke, on October 2, 2010. Many people know their love story, but for those who don't, here is my point of view.

Ashley and Luke met because we all lived in the same apartment complex. It was pretty much love at first sight. Jordan and I used to sit on the balcony just to see what he was up too when he pulled in the parking lot or we caught him leaving the apartment. We like to think we were Ashley's personal spies and looking out with her best interest in mind. Okay. I take all that back. We were just being creepers!

 Luke and Ashley loved each other and it showed with abundance. They had planned a trip to Colorado to visit Luke's brother and sister-in-law. There, in the Garden of the Gods, he proposed! See the video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=13Wbf8FGOY4

Close to 7 months later, they were walking down the aisle. Time flew by. The wedding was beautiful! I don't know that I can write about it. It was an experience that can't be explained or justified with words on this blog. Utterly perfect! But, I did include some pictures from the fabulous Saturday night affair. 

After the rehearsal dinner, we went back to Ashley's parent's house to have a last Ashley Stone slumber party. And what would a slumber party be without a trip to Wal-Mart? Not much beauty sleep, but a fun last night with Ashley Stone. The next morning was the bridal brunch. It was delicious. I brought my "infamous" sausage rolls--find receipe here: http://lindsayepps.blogspot.com/2010/10/infamous-sausage-rolls.html. After brunch, we kind of separated to get ready and reconvened at Ashley's to ride to the church together. We got ready, took pictures and they got married and we took more pictures. Forgive my lack of pictures, this is where the photographer's job came in.

After the wedding, we danced the night away at Five Oaks Lodge. Everything was esquisite and divine. To top it all off, Ashley and Luke escaped the wedding frenzy by HELICOPTER! Perfect ending to a perfect night. They spent the next week in the Dominican Republic.

 

 

...and they lived happily ever after!

More photos should be up soon at www.armasphotography.com/emert

"infamous" sausage rolls

Ever since I can remember, my mom has made these delicious sausage rolls. These rolls are almost indescribable. They are flaky and crisy, but also creamy and savory. These little bites were a hit at every breakfast related event. I, myself, have only attempted to make these a couple of times. The latest time was for Ashley's bridal breakfast on the day of her wedding. I can't decide if this was a good idea or not, because I love the delicious breakfast item, but stuffing my face when I'm supposed to fit into a non-elastic dress might not have been so smart. What's done is done. And the dress still fit, oh by the way.

I thought I would share the "infamous" sausage roll receipe with ya'll! So here it goes...
1 pound sausage rolls
1 brick (8 oz.) cream cheese
2 packages crescent rolls

Crumble and brown the sausage in a frying pan. Drain grease and place in mixing bowl.

Unwrap cream cheese and drop in mixing bowl. Stir thoroughly until well combined.

Now for the "scary" part. Unwind the crescent roll wrapper until it pops violently (or so I think)! Roll out the crescent rolls and keep in their rectangular form. Pinch the perferation line together and pat down flat. Turn over and pinch the same line and pat down again. This will prevent the roll from separating in the middle.

Next, scoop out some of the sausage and cheese mixture on to the roll. Smooth flat across the rectangle and roll up. Store on a plate, in a tupperware, or some other kind of coverable dish and place in the refrigerator overnight. 

Now for the next steps, I am photo-less. I brought these to Ashley's house for her bridal breakfast and they were cooked and consumed so quickly, pictures were simply impossible. Take the cold rolls and cut into slices. I usually cut into slices about an inch thick. Place slices on a cookie sheet and place in 350-degree oven for about 15 minutes or until golden brown. Keep your eye on these little bites, they are delicate and can burn quickly, especially on the bottom. Let cool for about 5 minutes and enjoy!

One Woman and One Man

I never thought the weekend would come. I last posted about a couples shower Brooke, Amber and I hosted for our best friend, Ashley and her fiance Luke. This particular weekend was full of wedding activities for the big day...October 2, 2010.

I took a vacation day on Friday to spend time with the bridal party. We started the day off with a manicure and pedicure. The entire wedding party wasn't in attendance and it still took us about 3 hours to get all fixed up.

Cindy, Brooke and Ashley

Van making Ashley perfect for her special day!

After our beauty fix, we decided to eat lunch at Nibbles, a local cafe with delectible food. For the afternoon, we split up to get last minute errands run. We gathered at the church for rehearsal at 6:00 p.m. Ashley was calm and organized. Rehearsal lasted about an hour and it was off to Spaghetti Warehouse for dinner.

(While downtown one day, I had mentioned to Blake how we should go there to eat because it was very delicious and I hadn't been there since I was in middle school. So I was estatic when I received the rehearsal dinner inviation.)

Dinner was wonderful. I filled my belly with garlic butter, bread, salad, chicken, and a bite or two of Blake's 15-layer lasanga. It was just like I remembered. Great Italian food! Dinner and dessert was consumed, bridal party and groomsman gifts were handed out after. All the groomsmen and ushers received Magellan shirts in an array of colors. All the bridesmaids received these gorgeous boxes and inside them was a pair of earrings we were to wear to the ceremony. All the house party ladies received different necklaces.

Later that evening, we gathered at Ashley's parents house to spend the night with Ashley Stone one last time. We had to make a trip to Wal-Mart to help with some last minute honeymoon packing items - shampoo and conditioner, kleenex, etc. We stayed up until about 2 a.m., but we quickly realized we needed our beauty sleep. First appointment on Saturday was bridal brunch at 9 a.m. Lights out!