Weekend Adventures (verrry long post)

We are getting a new family member!

Alex & Rachel
(Emilie Photography)

My cousin Alex is going to marry that beautiful girl on June 11, and two of my sisters and my mom and a few of my aunts and my grandma and I threw a bridal shower for her at Mimi's Cafe on Saturday. It was so much fun, and Rachel could not be more adorable. ♥

Um, what's with the creeper lurking in the background....?

Rachel with my aunt Holly (her future mother-in-law)

Getting ready to leave - Rachel with my mom and my cousin Bethany

It was so much fun to have everyone together for a little bit of girl time. We are all very excited for Rachel to be part of our family. 

♥ ♥ ♥

After brunch, a couple of my aunts and I went up to Marriott-Slaterville to enjoy the Utah Renfest. I expected what most people expect when they hear the phrase Renaissance Festival and Fantasy Faire: a large gathering of people (most of which are scantily clad) who seem to have completely broken with reality. I wasn't disappointed. Haha!

This man was a perfect imitation of Captain Jack Sparrow. He sounded exactly like him, so much so that it was downright spooky, and everything from his outfit right down to way he moved was spot on. It was very impressive if you ask me.

Later we watched jousting by the Knights of Mayhem, and it was actually pretty cool. The guy on the darker horse with the feather in his helmet is the reining champion. His name is Charlie Andrews and he is not only the champion, but he is one of the four founding members of the sport. He is also a big babycry. He was knocked off his horse pretty early and we were standing about 10 feet away as he stalked off, swearing and freaking out about how his armor was busted. He was pretty dramatic about the whole thing.

And then there was the train wreck of belly dancers. We didn't take any pictures because it felt wrong to keep evidence of such a tragedy, but the picture that my search engine generated is pretty dang accurate. To me, it looked like a whole lot of belly and not very much dancing. It wasn't long before I said, "It doesn't look like belly dancing is actually a very good workout." I couldn't help myself. Bless all those who participated for being brave enough to put their jiggle on display.

Before leaving, we all decided to get henna tattoos. They had glitter topcoats, and it made the artwork look awesome in the sunlight.

The henna stain after peeling off the paste.

Kathy's henna stain

 All in all it was a really fun day. My forehead got pretty sunburned, but other than that, the experience was highly enjoyable and I would do it again. Did I mention that the proceeds from ticket sales go towards supporting Pet Rescue?

THE END IS NEAR!

I know that this post is even longer than my last one, but I'm about to wrap things up, so bear with me for the next four-ish photos...

↑ click to view detail ↑

My mother-in-law recently got back from a trip to Ecuador, and she brought me this bracelet made out of shell. I love the way it feels on my skin!

flash on                                       flash off

Yeah, I couldn't help myself. I went and bought a new color. It's called Lacey Lilac, and it was actually one of the goodies Rachel got at her shower. Once I saw it, I immediately felt the need to rush to the store so I could have my own bottle. I'm slightly neurotic.

Please ignore the sloppy paint job. These pictures were taken literally 30 seconds after I slapped the polish on. No top coat and not even dry yet. I wanted to sneak these pictures in because I don't know how long it will be before my next "Obsession" post. ☻

So... how was everyone else's weekend? I have to say that I was pretty satisfied with mine.