More Wedding Video Magic - slightly obsessed

For those of you who are interested (I don't expect everyone to be as obsessed as I am), our amazing photographers just sent me the extended video montage of our wedding back in October, 2011. It's 14 minutes long, but includes some really great moments throughout the whole day. I watch it everyday and see something new that melts my heart. It reminds me of just how lucky we are to have such amazing friends and family. Illuxa studios created this little gem. Based out of newport news, VA, I would highly recommend them for your event photography & cinematography.

http://vimeo.com/38973901

Password: lin1022

So Proud of my husband and the 310th fighter squadron. Incredible flyover at PIR this weekend for the NASCAR Sprint Race

2 down, 3 to go

This weekend we celebrated Greg and Caitlin's wedding in Philadelphia. We had a blast, but I almost forgot that Philly is ice cold. We were perfectly happy to step off the plane back in Arizona to a breezy 70 degrees.

Greg and Caitlin were the second in the Andreotta sibling clan to be married this year. Three more sibling weddings are yet to come over the next 16 months. Yippee for fun parties every few months. Highlights included Will staining his tux shirt with moisturizer from the professional shave shop, Joey's rehearsal dinner speech and Will and Mike joining the band to sing "Living on a Prayer." If Bon Jovi only knew how much that boy loved him.

The Groomsmen

Not sure what Mr. Devlin thought about those Andreotta boys taking over the band, but they had the time of their lives.

A Groomsman and best Prayer of the Faithful reader ever

Caitlin and Greg

Here Comes The Bride!

San Francisco

I got a fancy camera and we took it to San Francisco. Partly because I turned 30 and partly because it has been nearly three months since our Honeymoon and Will gets antsy when we don't travel. Even on football weekends. It was a gorgeous three days, all sunny. We like to think we brought a little Phoenix with us. The city is adorable and we had a blast walking up and down the steep streets. Highlight - dinner with one of my college roommates Amanda, her husband, and her 37 week old fetus. Quick note about China Town, well, all China Towns really - why would you come to America and choose to live right on top of each other just like in China? Seriously, six blocks bustling with small Asian people toting rolling suitcases full of dried fish and broccoli down the most crowded streets I've ever seen. Did we forget to welcome you to the land of space and relaxation?

On Christmas Gatherings

In and effort to see everyone in Virginia, Will and I scheduled every last minute of our Christmas vacation between houses. We were like nomads, never bringing anything to eat, always looking for a place to sleep. After working a night shift before our 9am flight to DC, I'm pretty sure I only imagined what happened the entire first day...and much of that which occurred thereafter. This sleep schedule has got to improve! But luckily we do have some photos to prove we were there...physically at least!

Lotto Ticket Scratch Off

Christmas Dinner at the Andreottas

Newlywed Christms

Dad receives meat in a cooler on Christmas morning

Christmas Morning

Wedding Favorites

Wedding photos are in and we are meticulously combing through them to create a hard cover album. Our photographer sent us a CD of photos but no info on albums..A friend of mine suggested Somerset Albums, does anyone else have suggestions? In any event, here are some of our favorite snapshots. The rest can be viewed at http://proofs.nuvoria.com/enterEvent.php?id=525816 password lin1022.

Photography by Nuvoria, LLC out of Norfolk, VA.

Next Year I'll be the Wiser

In an effort to come home sane and without any pulled muscles next year, I wrote myself this note and tucked it in my wallet....for me to remember that no matter how glorious it still is to wake up to a Christmas tree piled with presents, lugging them all home 3/4 of the way across the country is painful and unnecessary. I'm too old. We don't need gifts. Or six dogs to 16 people in one house. So next year, let's pack the place full of family, bring them in from every corner of the world, but leave the furry friends out of the equation.

On Volunteering....

Over the summer while I was knee deep in wedding planning, Will volunteered to plan and host his squadron Christmas party. At the time, the Boss mentioned that it should be someone with a wife to help with all of the logistics, decorating, invitations....you know, planning. A smile spread across his face as he said "I'll have a wife by then!"

Either I made my dissatisfaction with his volunteer spirit evident, or he is just an incredibly thoughtful man, but Will actually took on most of the planning himself, leaving me only to choose a tacky sweater and enjoy the party.

We snagged a DJ from the Christmas party we attended just the night before we hosted ours and Will MC'd the night with flare. He was a big hit with the crowd, and the bartender. Here's a pictorial summary of our evening, awkward family photos and all.....

Whose baby is that?

These are the men that are defending our country....from the sky. Feeling safe?

Forced to fly fighter jets, all they really want to do are craft sweaters and throw gang signs.

Spinning

Watch out for this lethal hip thrust...

Way back before Thanksgiving, Will and I decked the halls for Christmas so that our house would look pretty for our Thanksgiving house guests. The stockings were hung on the fireplace, the prelit twirling tree was ornamented, but not twirling because apparently that is "tacky" - the tree is from Kmart - let the tackiness twirl. And of course, the hand-painted nativity set my mother in law made for us was set out on our new sofa table.

When we told mom about the Nativity set over the phone, she instinctively knew something was wrong - without even seeing it. Can you tell where we made a mistake?


Well, there it is, Baby Jesus laying on his manger ...... in the well. Not a platform to display the newborn king as we thought was obvious, it is indeed a well. Here's hoping the wise men and their camels can save the day little buddy.

Our wedding cinematographers are amazing! Check out the video montage they created for us - it's like our own music video.

When I named my blog "Soundtrack to Life," this is exactly what I envisioned - someone following me around with a camera putting my life to music, whatever song it was that was stuck in my head at the time. It started by walking through airports listening to my ipod, putting a soundtrack to the hustle and bustle of everyday life. And now my dream has come full circle. Or at least I have a soundtrack to my wedding day! If only I could get the geniuses at Illuxa Studio to follow me around more often.....

Lindsey+William // This Moment from Illuxa Studio on Vimeo.

Cinematographers:
Jason Encarnacion
Milli Encarnacion
Joey Cunanan

Photographers:
Kate Fowler
Lauren Lyon

The Inflatables

I've learned a few things about Arizona in the past six months.

• While most of us have "desert landscaping" with a yard full of rocks, there are a few die-hards out there who fight for that 10x10 patch of grass in their front yard - and buy a lawnmower to keep it in check.
• No one actually lives in Phoenix, it's a dump.When we say "Phoenix," we usually mean to say, Scottsdale, Tempe, or the proper suburban neighborhood name.
• There are empty shopping centers on almost every corner - remnants of the businesses that used to thrive - yet there are more nail salons than there are Starbucks in NYC and they are all wildly successful.
• And now that it's Christmastime, my favorite Arizona tradition - inflatable lawn ornaments. Everyone has them, even the rich folk. It's as if there are small children in every home begging for the biggest Christmas decorations in the neighborhood when the majority of the residents here are actually retired senior citizens. Gone are the classy white lights and garland. We live in the land of tacky blow up dolls.

How did Grandma Ever Do It Alone?

Will and I hosted Thanksgiving in Phoenix this year. Our dear friends Katie and Steve from San Diego drove up for the weekend and we also got to catch up with an old high school friend and his family since they recently relocated to the area. The actual meal went off as planned but left us all in awe of how any one person could ever pull that off. About thirty minutes before meal time, both Naumans and both Andreottas were busy prepping the final details on all the dishes. Eight hands were barely enough. I'm thankful for so many things this year but on that day I was especially thankful for a husband who is an excellent cook and great friends who jumped right into our kitchen to whip up an amazing meal.

Here's a recap of the weekend from the Nauman's fancy camera:

Stuffing the Turkey

Betty Crocker in my house

Carve that bird!

The Spread is out

Wish bone - Will won. Wonder what he wished for....

Post dinner, the first to fall, but not the last.....

Katie soon followed.........

And we didn't want our guests to feel awkward, so we joined them. The sign of a good Thanksgiving meal.

The whole gang

Post T-day hike. Clearly I'm not the iron woman in this group....

So glad to be on flat ground

A marathon game of Trivial pursuit. Four hours later, after Will quit and went to bed, Katie answered the winning question.