Week 24 - Weddings, Weddings, Weddings Galore

As luck would have it, Sarah and I had to split ways this weekend. Both of us had very good friends getting married in two totally different areas of the U-S-A!(I really wanted to put that in there because of the USA's big victory in the World Cup last week) So for this week's blog we will be splitting up the post. Mine is sure to be extensive on words and Sarah's is sure to be extensive on pictures. So off to Atlanta and Denver we go!


Mr. and Mrs. William Thomas Gaither Jr...Yep that is how you will need to address anything to Will Gaither from now on b/c he locked it up this weekend and got married. Hmm...Where do I start?!? Will was my college roommate and one of the first guys I ever met at Auburn, which spells trouble for rehearsal dinner toasting. Now I've been known to be a little bit of a loose cannon with my speeches, so I decided to give my boy a choice of three stories. As expected he took the easy road out, but I didn't mind b/c he let me off easy at my rehearsal dinner. All I can say is that you better stay married b/c I will not be so nice if there is a next time.
With the rehearsal dinner behind us, we prepared for the Saturday festivities by taking a trip to the middle of nowhere Georgia to shoot some skeet. I didn't purchase any rounds of skeet b/c I am such a bad shot at moving targets that it would have been a waste. One of Margaret's (Will's new wife) relatives did let me shoot and I hit two of the first four skeet and I decided to quit while I was ahead.

When we were done blowing our shoulders off we made the journey back to the wedding hotel to prepare for the ceremony. I made sure to take a cold shower before I put on my black suit for the outdoor wedding. It was a good thing b/c I think I would have passed out otherwise.
Alright...so the best part of the whole evening was when the bride and groom had finished up their dancing and talking and ceremony rituals it was time for them to depart via a tunnel of sparklers. Before the ceremony, I overheard the groom's father telling his son that it would be a wise idea not to drink. I found this a little odd at the time, but I soon would find out why he said this. When Margaret and Will started running to leave their reception there was a convertible corvette waiting on them. Right before they got to the car Margaret stopped Will and started to whisper in his ear. I thought that was cute and kind of a setup moment for the camera to capture. What I didn't realize is that she had whispered this to him, "Happy Wedding Day, I bought you a car." Unbelievable!!! My boy not only gets married, but also gets a new car out of the deal. Sarah...Sarah...Are you reading these words?!?!
Enough from the East Coast wedding, let's head West young men!

From Sarah:  After a four hour delayed flight in Memphis, a missed connection in Atlanta, a trip to the airport hotel where I got the LAST room and three hours of sleep, I finally made it to Denver!  Traveling has always been a tricky thing for me!  I had an amazing weekend at home in Denver celebrating my very good friend Emily's wedding!  Emily and I basically grew up together and our families are still best of friends.  I was so excited to be back in Denver for the weekend for the festivities.  We made a quick trip to the Parnell's house where we saw proof that the Germans had arrived - there were German flags everywhere!!  Emily's family has hosted several exchange students - many from the same family, and for Emily's wedding Wolfgang and his girlfriend Kathi, and Hervig (not sure about spelling!) and Gereon all came in town.  I got to go help Emily pick up her wedding dress and then my mom, dad, sister and I had a great dinner on the patio at our house - this is something you can't do in Memphis at this time of the year!  The air was crisp and cool in the evening and there wasn't a drop of humidity!  So beautiful!

The next day Elizabeth and I and a group of Emily's friends piled into a van and headed up to Lyons to visit a winery and spa.  We had a fun, relaxing day in the sun, enjoying organic spa treatments and Colorado wine - who knew?!  After lunch we started the trip back to Denver - and realized we were running a little behind!  By the time we got to Denver we had about 30 minutes before the rehearsal dinner so we took over the Chop House bathroom and transformed from shorts and t-shirts to cocktail dresses!  haha it was quite the scene.  We had a great rehearsal dinner followed by an impromptu rehearsal :)

On Saturday we got our nails done and enjoyed lunch before getting ready and heading over to Hudson Gardens for the wedding.  It was a gorgeous night and Emily was a beautiful bride!  The ceremony was the quickest in history but it was perfect and Emily and Aaron were married!  We spent the evening dancing and catching up with good friends.  We were even treated to a traditional German dance that no one will ever forget!

Thanks for a great weekend Parnells - you throw a great party!!

Week 22 & 23 - Harbor Town 5K & State Tennis Tournament

Oops! We missed a week. Must have been a vacation hang over after Hilton Head. We are back though and we apologize to all our faithful readers who were disappointed with no news this week. Don't fret though...you get a double dose this week AND we are early.

Two weekends ago, my business partner was heading up the Harbor Town 5K on Mud Island and he asked us to come check it out. I decided I would brave the 90 degree weather and run the race. Sarah decided that she was going to be the official race photographer...I kind of wish that I had done that. It has been a while since I have been to Mud Island and what better way to check in on it than run the race. I didn't do much checking out though b/c I was busy trying to win the race. For those of you who are wondering...no I didn't win the race.

After the race, we hung out with friends and enjoyed the band that was playing. When this was all done, we decided it was time to head back to the mainland for some grub. We made sure that all the exercising we got was cancelled out by going to Huey's for a hamburger and a basket of fries.

On to Week 23...This past weekend half of the Fiser 52 went out of town while the other half stayed in Memphis. My (Gray's) tennis team played in the state tournament in Chattanooga. On Thursday night, I departed for Chattanooga. Luckily, the guy I rode with knew that Bonnaroo was going on that weekend and we took an alternate route. A bunch of the guys on our team went the wrong way and ended up spending 3 hours in traffic. We finally got to Chattanooga at 1:30 AM and woke up at 6:00 AM for our 8:00 AM match. It was not fun! Luckily we got through the first day by winning both our matches.

The next day we only had one match to play at 12:30, so we decided it would be a good idea to go bowling that night. It was cosmic bowling and all you could bowl! It was awesome. I think we bowled at least thirty games and two of the guys on my team complained of elbow pain the next day. Despite the aches and pains of bowling, we won our third match on Saturday and were guaranteed a spot in the finals on Sunday.

After an easy match on Sunday morning, it was onto the finals. Our team was matched against Knoxville, who had not lost on their side of the tournament, so it was shaping up to be a big match. Unfortunately, I didn't get to play in the finals. We have some serious ringers on our team, so my name was not in the lineup. The good news was that we ended up winning 3-2 and earned a spot in the Sectional tournament in Birmingham.

That's enough for the two weeks. We promise to stay on track for next week. Stay tuned for a big post next week!

Week 21 - Hilton Head Island

We're a little late this week, but with Monday being a holiday, I think we deserve a hall pass. Well the Fiser 52 was back on the road again. This time it was to Hilton Head, SC. That's right...Atlantic Coast...No tarballs for us!

We left on Wednesday night for Hilton Head and luckily dodged a bad storm getting out of here. After two quick flights we were in Savannah and meeting Elizabeth's boyfriend for the first time. He got his first brownie points when he upgraded from a Ford Focus to a Toyota Camry. Trunk space is key when you are traveling with two females. We made the short trip to Hilton Head from Savannah and met up with Sarah's parents who so graciously let us crash in on their vacation. At that point vacation had officially begun.

Over the next four days we enjoyed plenty of activities and here is a summary of a few:

Tennis - Sarah's dad, Walter, and I played two world class three set matches. He was a tough opponent who almost wore me down in the 90 degree heat and humidity. Thanks for the good matches Sampras.

Laying Out - I didn't participate much in this activity, but Sarah and her sister Elizabeth perfected this art all week. I think they even got a little sunburn, which certainly turns into a tan! 

Golf - Walter treated me and James to two rounds of golf over the weekend. One of the courses was Harbour Town where the PGA stops every year. Wow! It was a tough course. I quit keeping score when I hit 100 on the 13th hole. Although my score was atrocious the course was the total opposite. It was unbelievable how beautiful it was.

Food - All the restaurants that we ate at were great. That is one thing I look forward to on every beach trip. The seafood was "oil" free and tasted delicious.

Big thanks to Sarah's parents for the great weekend! We had a wonderful time and look forward to our next visit.

Until next week...keep it real!