Tico Tuesday, June 23rd

This past Thursday my cousins and I got the chance to be triplets for the last time while we were all single. We have always been triplets-my identical twin cousins were born 24 days before me, so our Grandma has always made us all matching nighties, dresses and other outfits. My aunt (the twins' mom) has also gotten us matching dresses and tops over the years. It has been so fun-especially since I have never had sisters. In the picture you should be able to tell what the triplet outfit is. Also in the picture are my cousins (the younger siblings of the twins) and a good friend of the family.As you might remember, I was in the States for Courtney's wedding. More stories about that on the blog! http://smithcj1.blogspot.com/
Have a blessed rest of the week!
Carrie


The wedding festivities were wonderful. Friday we had a bridal luncheon with 21 people (also the number of china plates Aunt Debbie has). We switched the dining room furniture with the living room furniture-which was a fascinating change a lot of us actually really liked. We had yummy food and had a lovely time together. Friday night was the rehearsal dinner, and Saturday was the BIG day. I had the honor of being the guest book attendant, which was really fun. I got to see and meet a lot of people I might not have gotten to run into otherwise. I have always been amazed at how involved I have gotten in my cousins' lives. I have met so many of their friends, fellow church members, and family members from my Aunt Debbie's side (Aunt Debbie is one of the two amazing ladies that actually got to marry in to the Gates family of which I am VERY proud to be a part).
The wedding itself was very simple and traditional. But it was a nice ceremony. Christianne, Chelsea, and Caroline (all siblings of Courtney) were the bridesmaids and looked gorgeous. The poor ring bearer's tux was WAY too small-his trousers were like knickers on him and his mom had to make an emergency Walmart run with him to find him some pants and shoes that would fit him. He was a cutie. And my little cousin Jennifer was the flower girl. She was so adorable!
The reception had a yummy chocolate fountain and live music by Jenny and Tyler-cousins on the other side of the family. A lot of my aunts and uncles and cousins had come, so it was great to see them. But out of all the people that came for the wedding I must confess I was most excited to see my brother Zach and my mom. It was REALLY good to see them! I hadn't seen Zach in a year and I hadn't seen Mommy since mid-January.
Oh-and I got to be part of the crew that decorated the getaway car. That was fun. We filled it with balloons, crepe paper, and yes, Scripture. We used sticky notes and put one word per note and stuck them all over the car. It was great. We also wrapped the outside of the car with crepe paper and had some coming out the trunk. The bride and groom insisted on not having anything sticky or dirty on the outside of the car so we used saran wrap and painted on top of that. Where there's a will, there's a way.
I'd write more, but I somehow managed to contract some kind of illness-fluish thing while in the States and I need to take a rest. Hopefully soon I'll write more about the trip and about memories with my cousins.