Alright so here’s the set of photos from the family get-together a few weekends ago. If you want to get a high resolution copy of the image, just click on it as it comes up and a new window will open where you can right-click on the image to save it. The slideshow can be automatic or you can just click through them one by one to savor the good times for as long as you’d like! Thanks to Daddy and Mandy for taking the majority of these beautiful photographs. Enjoy!

P.S. If you can’t see the images, go here to install the free player.

Sorry about that title. I couldn’t think of another W word to polish it off.

Anyway-
Wish us luck! This upcoming weekend is going to be chuck full of nuptial-related items. Here’s a breakdown:

Friday, April 22, 2005. Early Afternoon.
-Planning Pow Wow with Mom. Need to discuss invitations, the rehearsal at the church, programs, music, flowers, accessories, cake, and photography. At some point, also need to purchase gift for shower on Sunday.
Evening
-Accompany two of Josh’s married friends to dinner, get insider trading tips from a recently wed couple.

Saturday, April 23 Afternoon/Evening
-Go to Augusta in the afternoon to get fitted for bridesmaid dress for fellow education grad Katie. Stay in Augusta to attend her engagement party in the evening.

Sunday, April 24 Morning
-Meet with premarital counselors for second session.
Afternoon
-Meet up with best friend Jaime for her first shower. Hopefully will have present before this point.
Evening
-Possibly will work on invitations.

Love, marriage, and bliss for EVERYONE! I didn’t realize that proposals and engagements seem to be contagious. I also have to say that being engaged for six months has been crazy fun so far. It will be interesting to see how God pulls this one off and brings it all together for us.

This past Sunday the Petrellas (and Robinsons) invaded the Teague household, much to our delight. It was the first time the Birmingham branch of the family- John, Katie, and Mary Ellen- were able to meet the Teagues.
It was a lot of fun and we got some great pictures of the event. Unfortunately, the pictures will have to be posted at a later date, seeing as how Josh is the brains who knows how to actually put pictures up. I’m still impressed with myself for being able to post words and stuff. I understand some of you call it “text.”
For now, it will have to suffice to say that we had a really fun morning, which would have been perfect if Tiffany and Luke had been able to come. We missed you, Luke and Tiffany! (I almost let a “Tiff” slip in there. Josh’s influence.)

Some of my favorites from the afternoon:
1. The Famous Tortilla Soup I was FINALLY able to try. (Amazing)
2. Sydney’s awe at the rather large potted tree in the dining room.
3. Mary Ellen showing off her new crawling technique. (Think of a baby that’s been raised by gorillas and walks on all hands and feet.)
4. Jeanine’s dip (so, so good)
5. Showing the Teagues what it looks like when the Petrella sisters bust out three cameras to take about fifty shots of the same “photo op” of the girls.

But my absolute FAVORITE thing was seeing our combined families together. I loved showing off the Teague house and family members to my family, and I was excited that almost everyone got to meet each other. Thanks to everyone for saving that date and making time for us. It was a really special day for me, and I know for Josh, too.
An especially huge, HUGE thanks to Mrs. Teague and Jeanine for cooking all that food. Your work was appreciated, I assure you. Josh and I are incredibly blessed to have you both in our lives. And that goes for all of our family.

(Good news; I have officially signed up for cooking tips from Mrs. Teague, so perhaps poor Josh won’t have to eat Chick-Fil-A every night after all. Whew.)

What you may be thinking: “But Italians are not (usually) fair skinned.” *

. . . Which is the irony of what is going to happen to my last name in a few months. My current last name (some call it ‘maiden’) is Petrella, which is my heritage from my Italian father. Technically, I’m half-Italian. But you’d never know it, since my complexion is dark enough that in elementary school, my teacher thought I fit into the Eskimo/Native American demographic.

Meanwhile, Josh’s last name -that I will soon be happily taking on- is Teague and translates as “fair-skinned.” Thus, to celebrate the wonder of God’s sense of humor, Josh and I thought it would be fun to give this site the name you now understand. The Fair Skinned Italians. (.com)

*The makers of this site are well aware of the value of cultural diversity and the need to avoid stereotypes. One of us had to write several papers about Cultural Diversity in the Classroom, in fact. It is not our desire to reinforce the idea that race=color. However, in this case it worked for us and we ask that you respect that.