Brian and Anne.

This past weekend my cousin Brian married his sweet girlfriend Anne. It was our first wedding of the year. The festivities started off on Friday night with a rehearsal dinner at Maggiano's at The Grove. It was definitely a family affair, Anne is the youngest of 10 siblings. So, needless to say there were a lot of people there. We had a great time.

On Saturday they were married in The Los Angeles Temple. Their wedding was so beautiful. I am so glad that we were able to be apart of it. We then headed down to Ranch Santa Margarita for the reception. The reception decor was amazing! I wish I would have taken more pictures. I know someone in my family has pictures of the set up. It was a really fun night of catching up with old friends, dancing, eating and entertainment. 

I am so happy for Brian. He is one of my best friends and has helped me through some tough times in my crazy life. He has been such an example to me of the type of person I am striving to be. I wish them all the best and I am so glad to gain another cool girl in the family. I love them both so much!!!

Rehearsal dinner. 

Me, Maren, Jocey, Trish, Brittany, Aunty Dolly and Mom.

Waiting outside of the temple for Brian and Anne to come out. 

Tom, Mom, Jared and I.

Jared and I with the happy couple at the reception.

Anne and Brian.

Love.

Home at last.

Technically, we have been home since Sunday evening. This week has flown by so quickly that I don't even feel settled in yet. We had left all our Christmas decor up (including our live Christmas tree) while we were away. So, when we came back there was much to do; take down  all decor, unpacking, laundry, cleaning, organizing etc. etc. We were quite the travelers these past 3 weeks. Jared and I spent 10 days in Utah and had a great Christmas with his side of the family. We came home for 1 night and then we were off to Temecula for 5 days.

Now that we are home and slowly getting back into our routine, I realized just how wonderful it was to have time off work to relax and spend quality time with our families and friends. We are truly blessed in so many ways. Here are a few pics to reflect on 2008. Onto a New Year with the hope of new adventures, experiences and good times. Happy New Year!

Married

Honeymoon

Weddings

more weddings...

and more weddings...

Concert w/the fam

Us in San Fransisco

Dylan, Jared and Cameron

This pic deserves an explanation. We went to our 3rd Bunko New Year's Eve Party. The theme this year was "ugly Christmas sweaters." Jared and his best friend Gary took it to another level. The picture speaks for itself.

A Busy Slacker.

I'm pretty sure my title does not make sense...however that is the perfect description of how November and December have been for me. I have been sooooo busy since returning from Singapore which has resulted in slacking on our blog.

There is much to update everyone on. We are currently in Utah spending the holidays with Jared's family. We will be here for 10 days. This is the first Christmas I will spend away from my family... a little sad for me. However, I love my in-law family. They are truly the best and always so much fun to be around.

Last night they had their annual family party. Jared has a much bigger family than I. There were over 40+ people including MANY children. I thoroughly enjoying being around all the kids. The youngest person in our family these days is my little sister, Jocelyn, she is 17. The family gathering includes a Christmas program with performances and more, a white elephant gift exchange and the infamous spoons game.

The spoons game in this family is NO JOKE! They have had to limit the game to age 12 and up because things can get rowdy at times. The game usually starts with about 10-15 people. My dear husband has tried so hard to win this game for the past 5 years. He has been in the championship round each year. The past 4 years his cousin Shad and his wife Jenna have won. We are determined to win next year.

I will give a full update with pictures when we return home. Until then, we want to wish all of our family and friends a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

P.S. I had planned to do my Christmas cards when we came up to Utah. Shortly after we arrived, I realized I left them on our sofa. So, we want everyone to know we are thinking about them and that we hope you all have a wonderful Holiday Season.

Lots of love, The Kennedys

Quick Trip.

I got back from Singapore this past weekend. It was a whirlwind of a trip. Singapore is very humid and is one of the cleanest cities I have ever been to. Although we had no time to explore the city, I was able to check it out from our many cab rides. We (my boss Jill and I) did not buy one thing... boring I know, but we were all business on this trip. We underestimated the amount of work we needed to accomplish. We were sure that our last day would be spent shopping, not a chance! Jill and I worked our butts off. We put in over 40 hours in 3 days.

On our first day, we walked to get breakfast at a local coffee shop (see pic below). Little did we know that rainy season had just begun. As we were eating it started raining, when it rains, it literally pours! Of course we did not bring umbrellas. So, we ran from one place to another asking where we could buy umbrellas. Finally, someone told us the local 7-11 sold them. We decided it would be best to take off our shoes (we didn't want to ruin them) and roll up our jeans. By the time we made it to 7-11 we looked like we took a full on shower in our clothes. We walked back to our place barefoot in the pouring rain, people probably thought we were crazy. At least we got some good laughs out of the experience.

We were excited to get to the "flat" we are designing. I have never seen a penthouse like this, it is on the 63rd floor. It is one of the tallest residential buildings in the world. The flat has many angles and curves. It was challenging and took our best problem solving skills. I think we came up with some great solutions and I cannot wait to see how it turns out. We are pressed for time as the entire place needs to be done in March. I would say to do a remodel, design, select furniture, fabrics, lighting etc. could NEVER be done in 3 months, especially in another country. However, we are making it happen. The crazy part is everything actually has to be ready a month prior because we have to ship it on a container to Singapore. Wish me luck as I become very busy these next few months. Good thing I love my job!!! **Sorry I did not take many pics...

This is the only pic I took of myself, behind me is the Raffles Hotel. It is a beautiful British Colonial style hotel and is one of the oldest hotels in Singapore. I loved all the architectural details, simply gorgeous. Please excuse my hair... major humidity!

This is the TCC aka known as the T_______Coffee Connoisseur. We never paid attention to what the "T" stands for. We ate here for every meal on the first day because we did not know where else to go, plus it was close to where we were staying. The decor inside is so charming and of course I did not take any pics of it. The food was tasty.

A quick pic of the city as we were trying to get a cab.

The view from the 63rd floor.

Another shot of the view off one of the decks, it is amazing. This is the area where all the containers of imported goods are unloaded.

Leaving on a BIG jet plane.

I am so blessed to love what I do for a living. It is nice to actually enjoy going to work. I am an Interior Designer for a company in Manhattan Beach. I have worked there for almost 2 years. Our crew is so fun, which makes for an entertaining atmosphere. I love working for this company and have been able to work on some great projects in the south bay. 

I am fortunate enough to be able to travel to Singapore this Saturday for work. I will be working with my boss on a 6,000 square foot penthouse right in the middle of the city. This is going to be such a great experience. Not only to be able to travel, but also to do a project that is completely different than anything I have ever worked on. I am sooooo excited!!!

Summer Part 2.

Jared and I are fortunate to have awesome friends that invite us every year to join them in Catalina. Their family has owned a home on the island for many years and all the kids take turns spending holiday weekends there. We have fun hanging out, playing cards, riding mopeds, eating pizza, napping, snorkeling, cooking and much more. Thanks for the good times Daines'.

If you didn't know already... one of Jared's hobbies is collecting sea glass. He has educated himself on all the different colors, age qualities and more. Jared has collected A LOT of sea glass. If you

visit our home you can see for yourself. After searching different beaches on the island, he finally found a rocky beach that had lots of sea glass. I know this may not seem exciting to you, but to Jared, it made his day. I will occasionally join Jared in his quest to find these gems and I admit, I enjoy it. I get excited when I find one that is rare (he has taught me about rare red pieces) because I know it will make Jared excited too. 

This summer, my Mom, Maren, Rhiannon, Matty, Trisha and I went to the Poison concert. We went to see them at Pala Casino. My uncle Jim (my mom's brother and Trisha's dad) was Brett Michaels' (the lead singer) body guard. Unfortunately, my uncle passed away in 1988. Shortly after his death, Brett wrote a song called, "Something To Believe In" about my uncle. So, our family has always had a special place in our hearts for Poison. 

Brett Michaels (not the best picture)

Mom, Trish, Maren, Matty and Rhizi

My older sis and I

Matty and Rhizi

Rock'in out

This next event did not technically happen this summer. It actually happened 2 weeks ago. Jared graduated with his Masters in Education. This is one of my moments to brag about how amazing my husband is. He worked so hard for the past year and a half. Jared pushed through school while we were dating and even when planning our wedding. He was so diligent in his school work and always strived to go above and beyond. Jared graduated with a 4.0!! I am so proud of him. Congrats Hub!

Engaged.

CONGRATULATIONS to my cousin Brian and his sweet girlfriend (now fiance) Anne. They got engaged last weekend in Dana Point, on the beach. Brian put together an amazing set up, definitely a night that would sweep any girl off her feet. He had a table for two right off the water, tiki torches, dinner and more. A perfect set up to pop the question.

Brian is not only one of my favorite boy cousins, but he is also one of my best friends. I am thrilled that he has found an awesome girl that can keep up with him and his humor. Although, I have not been able to spend much time with Anne, I know that she is sweet, patient and funny. I have heard nothing but great things about her from Brian of course, but also from my good friends. I am so happy to have another girl in our family. Brian and Anne are perfect together and we are looking forward to their wedding in January.