Joy to the World!!

Gettin' Gorgeous

You can't see it very well but Melissa's jacket says "Soon to be Mrs. Muscat".

Gettin' her eyes done!

"The Blushing Bride"

"Oooh I like it!"

posted by Joy @ 3:10 PM 8 comments

The Bride

Jo (the salon owner) did Melissa's hair and she did a fabulous job, Melissa looked absolutly gorgeous! Here's pics of the progress...she has a lot of hair!!

posted by Joy @ 10:59 AM 2 comments

Gettin' Beautiful!!!

posted by Joy @ 10:27 AM 2 comments

Girls Nite Out ~ 7 April

posted by Joy @ 12:23 PM 2 comments

The Wedding Party

~The Guys~

Jimmy, Greg, Bob, & Jacob

~Practicing the walk back up the aisle~

~Jacob, Bob, Vince, Bradley, Jimmy, & Greg~

~Rachel, Joy, Daynah, Katie, Melissa, Trisha, & Becky~

posted by Joy @ 11:57 AM 1 comments

The Rehearsal ~6 April~

Melissa & Rod ~ practicing 'the big walk' down the aisle.

"What? You mean, I can't wear this for the wedding?"

Congratulations Vince & Melissa!!

posted by Joy @ 7:28 PM 1 comments

HE'S BAAAAAACK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So now that you have read my previous post on our road trip , you are probably wondering where we went (as if you don't already know!!). Well I will tell you anyhow, we went down to Jacksonville, North Carolina to see my brother Jackie come home from Iraq. Jackie was stationed in Al Ramadi, Iraq for a little over 6 months. He was scheduled to come home the first week of March. So, Dad, Sher, & I went down there a little early. We rented a cabana by the beach, on base. It was so beautiful and peaceful there, and a very welcome change to Michigan's March weather!!! We could literally walk out of our back door and be at the beach!!

Anyway, since we went down a little early, we got to spend some quality shopping time with Kari!! =) After a very productive shopping day we got to stop at Cold Stone Creamery!! And, there was this very strange guy making ice cream...but that post is for another time (this post is supposed to be about Jackie's homecoming)!!!!! Joshua, Amy, & Family and Shane, Holly, & Family drove in later that night. And we all went over to Jackie & Kari's house to hang out together.

I had the kids color in signs to hold for when Jackie got off the bus. I told them that they needed to try to stay in the lines so that it would be really nice for Uncle Jackie, and they took their jobs so seriously!! Emily & Olivia were the ones who started on the coloring and were doing a very good job, but then Austin & Brandon wanted to get in on making something for Uncle Jackie!! So, they all were working together making signs when, Brandon says "I'm a really good at coloring now that I'm in Kindergarten." After I finished chuckling to myself he procedes to say "Austin! You are getting out of the lines!! You need to be more careful like me!!" HAHA!! Since Austin was obviously not meeting up to Brandon's standards he asked if he could take an extra sign back to the hotel with him to draw something for Uncle Jackie!! He ended up drawing some tanks and some Marines and at the top of the sign he wrote, "I love the Marines". Awww!! How cute is that!! You can't see it very good in this pic, but Spencer is holding that sign!

We all met at 2nd MarDiv HQBN (just in case you don't know the Marine lingo - that is 2nd Marine Division Headquarters Battalian, which was Jackie's unit) at 1pm and waited for what seemed like forever for "our guys" to get there!! 3 or 4 HUGE trucks with trailers on them pulled up to the area where we were standing with all of "our guys" gear! There was so much stuff!! We couldn't believe how many sea bags were there! Then several VERY long minutes later...a huge bus pulled up to the curb...it of course had tinted windows so that we didn't know who was coming off the bus first. We promised Kari that we would wait for her to get the first hug from Jackie (although we teased her like crazy about it)!!! Then, after a hug & a kiss between Jackie & Kari and a bunch of tears from us...Jackie came over to us and gave us all hugs. Standing there watching my brother in the middle of a circle of people with Kari at his side...was one of the most unforgettable moments of my life. I think that every American should experience something like that at least once in their lives. As I was watching him, I was thinking how blessed I am, and how thankful I am to be an American. And how blessed by God, America really is! As an American, I know that I take for granted the sacrifices made for us, so that we can live free, sacrifices that men like these Marines make every day!

As the week progressed, and Jackie told us stories about Iraq, I thought, how lucky I am that I live in this country. I have never had to wonder if this would be the day that I would be walking in the middle of the street and be killed by a suicide bomber or if this was the day that I wouldn't see my family again because they were killed by terrorists. And, thought about how God protected my brother in the midst of all of the war and killing in Iraq. Jackie told how on serveral occasions, he drove right past a road side bomb that never went off or how an RPG flew right into a barrier that Jackie's truck was driving right past. Jackie drove in over 90 missions when he was in Iraq. He was awarded "

."

posted by Joy @ 2:55 PM 6 comments