8/7/2018
It’s wedding day y’all!! Shannon, Elizabeth and Sarah arrived at 8:00AM with bags of makeup, hair styling gadgets/products & and best of all – Mimosas! Brinley, Cameron, Ashley and Megan joined us for a “Girls Getting Ready Party”. Everyone got their hair and make up done. So much fun! Shannon stayed to finish getting us ready while Sarah and Elizabeth headed over to the chapel early to decorate. I’m so blessed to have such good friends & family. Love you all!
Kevin, Nolan & Chewy headed over to the YMCA early so Chewy could burn some steam at the dog park to make sure he was not a wild man at the ceremony. Well . . . . at 10:18 I get a text from Kevin “can’t catch Chewy”. A little side note: they are both in their wedding clothes and this dog park is huge and is comprised of sand, dirt, brush & trees. I’m having visions of them running around, ripping their clothes, sweating and diving on Chewy when they get close enough. Well, it wasn’t quite that dramatic, but it did take until 10:40 to catch him (keep in mind the ceremony starts at 11:00) – thankfully, another dog came to play and that got his attention. Close call!
To set the stage: The weather was absolutely gorgeous, family and friends were on time, the music was playing just right (thanks to Ashley & the wedding coordinator for getting their iphones, Spotify lists & blue tooth speakers all to harmonize). I was sitting in the air conditioned car (so I would not sweat – yes, even in Colorado at 70 degrees outside, that’s a probability with me) and Kevin was getting his dress shirt and tie on in the parking lot next to me. The ceremony was perfect! I would not have changed a thing (except the fact that I forgot my bouquet when I walked down the aisle – all that time put in to picking out just the right combination of white flowers, pine cones & sprigs hand-picked at our cabin & a special blue sash from Shannon’s wedding, that coordinated with the aisle decorations. Yep . . . sitting in the vase in the gazebo. Fortunately, Brinley ran it down to Cameron, so I could at least walk back down the aisle with it. Plus, I had it for pictures, so it was all good. Sean delivered a very meaningful message. We had the kids join us at the alter for vows, Chewy was a perfect gentleman, we were surrounded by people who we love dearly, I gained two more fantastic daughters, we marched back down the aisle to “We are Family”, but best of all I got to marry the perfect man for me. I love you Kevin Haas! It’s never too late for happily ever after.
Mom, Earl, Sarah & Elizabeth booked it to the reception to get there in time to decorate before all of the guests showed up for our 1:00 lunch. We chose Grand Lake Lodge to have our reception, a place I’ve been visiting all the years I’ve been coming to Colorado. We were set up for the dining room where we would have a section of tables in the main lodge. Then a little angel must have been looking out for us, because when my mom went to deliver the decorations the day before, they let her know that the outdoor covered venue, with spectacular views of the lake and mountains, was not booked, so they asked us if we’d like to move it there at no extra cost – Um, yes please!! It was beautiful, with stunning views, All of the decorations were perfect! We had a taco & fajita buffet followed by cake. Not just a cake, but MY FAVORITE CAKE EVER!! It was decorated just perfect – I sent the cake lady (Jilly’s Cakes) a Pinterest pic I found where they had shaped the icing strokes into mountains and trees and she pulled it off perfectly. Not only was it beautiful (topped with a cake topper I ordered), but the lemon filled white cake tier was amazing, as was the red velvet tier (Kevin’s favorite flavor – I let him have a say too!). Then, we had chocolate cupcakes surrounding it (our version of the grooms cake). A special thanks to my mom and Earl for meeting with our vendors (tortured with the task of cake tasting) and all of the hard work you two put in with everything!! Planning an out of town wedding without you would not have been possible. Love you!
We managed to pick a spot to get another great group picture (thank you Wayne Taylor, for being my personal photographer, and capturing all the moments perfectly throughout the day). Our original plan for the group shot on the staircase was not going to work. The Lodge added a covered area to the pool that blocked the view that we’ve had in every obligatory family staircase picture that we’ve recreated every year that we’ve been coming to Colorado since I was 5 years old.
Everyone changed into their hiking clothes so we could meet up at Adam’s Falls for the “old man, pregnant lady hike” that consisted of a 1/4 mile trail to some gorgeous waterfalls. Apparently our fitness levels were not even comparable to the two mention before, because we were all huffing and puffing and needed a little rest half way up. It’s so hard to breathe in the mountains! We all took pictures and the boys went way far away to cross streams and wander far enough away where I wondered if they’d return. They did, of course.
We all went our separate ways and our family headed back to the cabin to unwind before it was time for the next meal (yes, food is always one of the main focuses of the vacation). The Sellecks graciously treated us to a homemade spaghetti dinner at our cabin (Aunt Dolly’s special recipe that did not disappoint). Pete was just telling us that if had to choose 3 of his favorite meals, that his mom’s spaghetti would be one of them. Shannon and Claudine’s families both joined us to get in a little more time together before they all had to leave. We played a corn hole tournament on our freshly signed corn hole boards, just to make sure we broke them in. Wayne scrambled and surprised us with a copy of all of the pictures he had taken that day, so we could have a look before we went to bed. A perfect way to end a perfect day! I’m officially Mrs. Cynthia Haas. Did I mention I love my new name because I love avocados (although that’s spelled Hass) and I love horses (had one name Big Hoss in college) – Perfect!
To Have And To Haas 