My Best Friend's Wedding

I'll be the first to admit that leaving Australia was much harder than I had expected. And if I wasn't returning to the States to attend the wedding (eight years in the making) of one of my very best friend from college, I'm not sure that I would have come back! I returned to Austin for a brief three day layover, and I mean that in the most literal sense of the word as I was lying in bed for most of that time. The jetlag combined with lack of sleep during my last weekend in Oz nearly did me in! One of the few things I did during my short stay in Austin was meet two of my favorite partners in crime for some Mexican food, margaritas and a much needed catch-up session.

Has anyone seen our other Bree?



My next stop was Cashiers, NC, en route to Clayton, GA for the wedding. This worked out perfectly as I got to visit with my grandparents, eat at my favorite local bbq joint, spend a night with my parents at their mountain house and be reunited with Bailey! The drive to Clayton was less than an hour from there and the wedding festivities got underway the next day.

12 Bones with Big Daddy and Jean



After much anxiety and concern about the weather holding out for the outside wedding, the day turned out to be beautiful and the ceremony went off without a hitch! There were even some gunshots off in the distance...we were in rural Georgia after all. Meghan and Mike have been dating since we were in college at the University of Florida, and they looked so happy on their big day that it brought a tear to my eye (or was that tear because I'm now one of the last single girls still standing?).

The beautiful bride



Kirsten, the next to get hitched (and my twin separated at birth)!



JoAnn, who recently learned what a french fried potato was...



The party following the wedding was one of the best in recent memory. We danced until late into the night and then Jaime and I apparently raided the fridge and ate the O'Malleys out of all of their cheese. Very strange behavior, but it made sense to us at the time!

Where the girls are the fairest...



J-Pratt, vW and Metzger



The 8 (including a stand-in for Beatriz...the resemblance was uncanny!)



Cheers!



Jaime and I were lucky enough to get to spend an unexpected extra night with the newlyweds in Georgia before hitching a ride with them down to Florida. Bailey also got to come along for the ride. Once in Orlando, I had a fabulous time with my family and friends. My niece stole the show of course; she is just too cute for words (me, biased?). I made sure to sneak in a few days at New Smyrna Beach and hit up two of my favorite NSB institutions - Mon Delice Bakery and JB's Fishcamp. They did not disappoint!

Love her to pieces



This explains why my phone bill was so high this month!



Swimming at the club



My dad always says the ocean cures everything. I think he's right!



Ahhhh...



Just some of the ambiance at JB's



They also had a picture of Tim Tebow hanging from a pipe...love this place



One of the best parts of Meghan and Mike's nuptials was that we got to celebrate them again the next weekend at a party in Orlando. The Florida girls were in attendance, as was Jaime, who also stuck around an extra week to be there.

Comedic duo: V-Dub and the former O'Malley



Apparently we love big belts



Bailey and I are now safely back in Austin, catching up with our friends here and figuring out our next move!