Zach and Allie's Wedding--Spring Lake, NJ

This weekend we traveled to Spring Lake, New Jersey for the wedding of Zach and Allie (Casagrande) Korman.  Zach was Jonathan's roommate for three years in college, so we were very thankful to get to celebrate his wedding.  Spring Lake is a beautiful town, and the whole weekend was wonderful!

We stayed at a hotel called "The Breakers", right on the beach!  The second picture here shows the ocean view from our window.

 On Friday evening we attended the wedding rehearsal at St. Catherine's Catholic Church (built in 1901...the interior was amazing!  It reminded me of a European cathedral!)  We also attended the rehearsal dinner at a local country club and enjoyed both the meal and the company there.

On Saturday morning we had some time to relax and explore the town.  Jonathan and I took a leisurely jog, then he spent some time with the groomsmen while I had breakfast with my parents.  They were so kind to be our "chauffeurs" from the airport to Spring Lake, and we enjoyed getting to spend much of the weekend with them!

While exploring Spring Lake, we made some great discoveries, particularly the public library.  I am known to judge towns, colleges, etc. by the quality of their libraries, and this town gets an A+!  The library is housed in a beautiful, old building with a huge fireplace, wall-to-wall bookshelves, and a balcony with more bookshelves that circles the entire room!  I couldn't resist taking some pictures!

 

The wedding ceremony took place on Saturday afternoon with a full Catholic mass.  This type of ceremony was new to me, but I thought that it was beautiful and fascinating--and the bride and groom were radiant!  :)

 The wedding reception was at a yacht club in a nearby town, right on the water.  Some highlights of the evening included: a Demon Deacon ice sculpture, the five course meal, catching up with Jeb and Christine Helms, lots of dancing, and the wait staff's amazing performance of "Gagnam Style" to end the party (the bride and groom joined in!)

 

 

 

It was a wonderful wedding weekend in the "Garden State" and we are so thankful that we could be there on Zach and Allie's big day! 

Baby Shower Blessings

This weekend, my church small group put on a baby shower for a new mom whose own mother tragically passed away in a car crash about a year ago.  We  hoped that other women would attend and support this young woman and her precious baby girl...but I was just amazed by the outpouring of love and generosity that we saw that day!  We had enough food for an army, and so many lovely and thoughtful gifts!

I had fun putting together a "diaper cake" decoration for the gift table.  I have always wanted to try making one of these, and it really was a fun and easy project!

There are many different styles of diaper cakes.  To make my "cake", I followed the folded rather than rolled diaper method and decided to kept the decorations simple and feminine.  I loved the idea  of using a pair of baby shoes as a cake topper!  (You can find the instructions that I followed at this great blog.  My 12-in cake took a total of about 75 size 2 diapers.

To make each level of the cake, I arranged the folded diapers in a spiral and secured the finished spiral with tightly-tied twine.  Then I wrapped the ribbons around the center of each layer, securing the ends with a hot glue gun.  To finish the cake, I stacked the layers, stuck artificial flowers around the edges, put a circle of pink scrapbook paper on top, and finally added the baby shoes!

I love baby showers!   "Children are a gift from the LORD, offspring a reward from him."  Ps. 127:3

New Mexico, the "Land of Enchantment"

I have recently been inspired by several faithfully-blogging friends and family members to start my own blog about our life in New Mexico, the "Land of Enchantment".  I have found blogs to be a great way to keep up with the lives and adventures of our far-away loved ones!  Hopefully this blog will help you stay up-to-date with the Newmans' news.  You will find many types of posts here: pictures from our travels, reflections on my teaching, cooking and crafting ideas, and general snapshots of our life here in Rehoboth!

 For those who may need some background: after graduating from Wake Forest University in North Carolina, Jonathan and I moved to Rehoboth, New Mexico to teach at Rehoboth Christian School.  I spend my days with 90 energetic 7th and 8th graders, teaching reading and social studies.  It's a fun job--no two days are ever the same!

New Mexico is a beautiful place, and the community here is very welcoming and supportive.  We are members of Rehoboth Church and live on the school's campus with our cat, Mrs. Snuggles!

While in New Mexico, we have had the opportunity to travel around the area quite a bit, to Colorado, the Grand Canyon, Sedona, Santa Fe...  We love to travel and hike here in the majestic Southwest!

Although we are enjoying our time here, we do miss our friends and family on the East Coast (and across the country!)  Hopefully this blog will help bridge the gap between us and help us stay in touch!  More coming soon...