wedding!

Oh yeah, I almost forgot! My brother got married! This is Mr. and Mrs. Cueva on the beach:

It was so wonderful to watch them get married. Even through the wedding, Jason kept things light, by throwing in funny facial expressions here and there and little comments that kept the church laughing. It was a nice wedding to be in. Nina just about lost it when we were standing there. And then on my left, Josie started crying too. I was standing there in the middle trying to console both of them. When they got to the part where they said there vows, thats when I lost it. I didn't let the tears stream down my face though. Oh no, I had practiced my elegant cry, so as not to ruin my make-up. Looking at the pictures afterward, I was very glad I held it together. Nina's face looks really funny in some of the pictures. Once we got all cleaned up and went to the beach, all of the pictures turned out fabulously! We took so many pictures on the beach. It was really quite fun.

This is my absolute favorite picture ever of me and Ryan. I seriously love this picture. It makes my heart happy and warm inside: and then here are my flowers up close:

and then the girls all together:

and the boys all together:

over a thousand pictures were taken, these are just some of my faves.

The day after the wedding, Jason, Mike (Nina's bf), Steve, Jon, Randy, Jay and me went to play paintball. That day was one of the most fun days I have ever had. We get to the "field" which was really just a huge expanse of land/forest. We got into our gear (camos) and loaded up our guns. I was so excited to get out there and play..that is until Jason shot off a practice shot. As I watched the little ball of paint sail off at a frightening speed, I thought, "Maybe this isn't such a good idea". Then, they set us loose in 2 teams and said have fun. At first, I was so freaking terrified to get shot. The first round, I spent following people around closely and hiding as best I could. I didn't shoot a single shot that round. At one point, all the people I was following got really far and I couldn't see or hear anyone moving around me. I felt abandoned and lost. It was the longest minute of my life. The second round, I actually got shot and I seriously contemplated never playing again. Eight or so rounds later, I was crawling on my hands and knees, snipering under fallen branches and trying desperately to get someone out. Mike, Jason and I were on one team, Steve, Jon, Randy and Jay were on the other team. Mike and I mostly served as guinea pigs, getting the other team to give away their positions as they shot at us. Meanwhile, Jason would sneak around and take them out with very precise shots. Everyone got hit at least once, but I was the only one left with a massive bruise. I showed that bruise off like it was a diamond engagement ring! I was so proud of my battle wound! Fun was had by all involved. In the match of Connecticut vs Florida, Florida totally won!

p.s. Gators won the National Championship on Monday! Have I ever mentioned that it's great to be FLORIDA GATOR!