Mark & Brianna's Wedding

I think I can safely say a good time was had by all.

Greg was a reader in the ceremony

Just hitched!

First dance

Brian & Terry chatting with Greg

Sarah busting a gut while Jacque, Ian & Karl smile for camera

Mitra, Greg, Kristie & Fred

Ian busting it on the dance floor

Congregating at the bar

Greg and the groom

Lance & Caroline

Post-wedding beers at the Ginger Man

Just Like The Good Ol' Days

Yeah, still catching up...

Tons of friends converged on Austin at once for Mark & Brianna's wedding. So for one much-too-brief long week-end, it felt like the good ol' days again.

And since most people were coming from Australia where they're in the dead of winter right now or England where summers are all too brief, spending time in Austin meant soaking up the sun.

Chillaxin' at Barton Springs

M & B also took a page out of our book and threw a pre-wedding boat party. Needless to say, August weather is much nicer for a boat party than April.

Getting hitched

Karen, Mark's sister, and I

Greg with Kristie and Brian

Jeff, Jacque & Sarah

British boys Fred, Greg & Karl loitering around the keg

The Snee clan

Tweaking Karl's nipple ring. Ew! Ew! EW!

Women, Know Your Limits!

Its been a dark couple of days for me and grad school. But that's all the more motivation to get the hell out! Ugh.

While I'm fighting the panic, I leave you with this public service announcement.

Mark's Stag Night

Mark & his father-in-law met at our house, where Greg forced him to dress in prison attire complete with handcuffs and ankle shackles.

Mark, just be thankful it wasn't a slutty dress and fishnets!

Jim keeping his son-in-law in check.

Bar-hopping kicked off at Casino el Camino.

Chris looks tiny, but really, Brian & Derek are just freakishly huge.

Kenan in deep concentration.

My hawt husband with Kenan.

Karl expressing his deep appreciation for beer in the presence of so much yummy, yummy vodka.

Pretty boys Lance & Ian

Mark being suggestive - uh, boys...

The boys were on a mission. Three beers?!?

Fred, jet lagged and exhausted, has a lot of catching up to do...

Fred critiquing Ian's pool shark skillz

The girls, of course, took this as an opportunity to go out as well. We accidentally ran into the boys at Maggie Mae's.

Trying to set up Brian with the blond

Much too much estrogen for a stag do...

Fred's like, "Will someone please get rid of all these girls?!?"

We left.

I didn't see them again until 3 a.m. sprawled in front of the pizza place on 6th, where they were eventually shoveled off the pavement and into respective taxis, buses and cars. Good times had by all.

Brianna's Bachelorette Party

I hadn't been bar-hopping in Austin in a looooong time so a few things took me by surprise.

1. Scantily-clad girls paid to dance on bar platforms seem to be all the rage in Austin right now. Pangaea, a ponce-y bar where the old downtown Alamo used to be, had a few with everyone awkwardly trying not to stare even though they really, really wanted to.
2. Every party girl in Austin owns some variation of this trapeze dress:
3. When traveling in a bachelorette party, its ridiculously easy to get free drinks. This wasn't so much a surprise, but it never ceases to amaze me...

First we met at Manuel's for dinner.


Then we hit the town.

Free champagne - awesome!

With the Bachelor at his new bar. Ladies, I'm sorry but he is not that tall. :(

The bride with another cocktail to add to the deadly mix

Subjects in photo are not as drunk as they appear - one of them anyway...

Fun night!

Good Times with Old Friends

Hi. Its me again. No, I'm not dead. Still playing catch up on the blog...

SO! The week after the going away party below, two of our friends blew into town to stay with us for a while. One of my favorite people in the whole, wide world - Ms. Shelley! (In my head, that sounds like Mizzzz Shell-laaaaay all sassy-like...) We had two days of girl time before she had to head back to L.A., and boy did we take advantage...

Squishing into Chuy's photo booth - it wasn't working so we made our own

The other was Gunther! We hadn't seen him since his wedding in Spain last year. He was in the U.S. for a conference in Vegas and made a side trip down to Austin for several days. Our time with Gunther is always... ... unique. :)

Click on the photo to see all the shots and action.

We miss you guys!!!