Birmingham Home Theater

Justin's home theater business has really taken off this year. We launched his website a few months ago, and earlier this month, he hired an assistant full time! Please keep his business in your prayers. Pray that God will lead him and give him wisdom.

Happy 3rd Anniversary, Justin!

How could 3 years have possibly gone by so quickly??? Then again, what was life even like before I was married???
April 23, 2005 I married my best friend, Justin Hardy. We were 25 and 27 years old, and quite in love. We have gone through as many challenges as any couple I know, but three years later, our relationship is stronger and better than ever!

The more time I spend with Justin, the more I love him - his mischevious smile, his crazy curls, his gregarious personality, his passion for life, and every thing he does - small and big. I'm looking forward to spending the rest of my life with him and growing our family!

Happy Anniversary, Justin!

Help! I need somebody!

Work is busy, busy, busy right now. Sometimes we think about complaining, but we quickly reconsider knowing that there are so many people in the Real Estate business right now who are just trying to make ends meet. Nevertheless, we needed help. We were backed up on the administrative part of our job, and were bogged down with so many of the things that take up time that we could be spending following up with prospects and creating raving fans of Signature Homes and our community.

We hired a 4th agent back in October, but it just wasn't a good fit for her, so she left us back in February. This time, we took a different approach. We wanted to start with an assistant or apprentice who could help us get caught up, but still be there to help us with sales when we need her. After talking with a few others, we interviewed Tarayn Comer last week, and she started today!

We are so thankful to have her. We all think she will be a good fit for our "family" at Ross Bridge.

Lynnette's Wedding and the Motor City (part 3)

The long awaited 3rd and final part of this post!

So, after the wedding we went back to Beth and Matt's cute little house in Grosse Pointe Woods. Beth was a college friend of mine, and a life-long friend of Lynnette. We appreciated having a place to change clothes before the after-wedding festivities, and had a good time visiting with old friends.

This is Beth and her husband Matt Rainbolt at the Westin.

We didn't have time to stay long before we all headed to the Westin Hotel at the airport. Because Dan and Lynnette rarely get to see their out-of-town friends, and because the wedding was over so early, they invited several people back to hang out at their hotel for a few hours that evening.

Here's a picture of the group hanging out in a private area of the Westin lobby. We ordered plenty of appetizers to share, and were grateful for the time to spend with the bride and groom before they headed off to St. Lucia.

One last picture before saying goodbye!

Our friends Paul and Donna Vilela were planning on staying only for a short time. They live about an hour away, and Paul's band was playing in a show later that night. So Donna could stay longer, Justin and I decided to pack up early and stay the night at Paul and Donna's in Toledo.

We made it to Paul and Donna's house late... around 1am, I think! Paul was just getting home from his gig.

Paul and Donna have two great dog-kids, too. Opal and Trixie were gracious hosts - even sharing their toys with Rez and Ader.

Have you ever seen four better behaved dogs? Of course, there were treats involved.

Thanks for letting us stay at your home, Paul and Donna. Your house is precious and it was SO good to see you again. Next time you're down south, please let us know!

Justin and I hit the road early the next morning before Paul and Donna got up. We (and by "we," I mean "Justin") drove straight through and made it back to Birmingham in time for dinner! We had such a wonderful week end. Now, back to work!!!

Lynnette's Wedding and the Motor City (part 2)

Apparently, the morning of the wedding was a whirlwind, because I seem to have not taken a single picture until post-ceremony. Between hair and makeup, dresses and shoes, we all managed to get ready just in time for professional pictures by Yakov, the Russian photographer.
The ceremony was absolutely beautiful. It was held in an atrium of sorts - a conservatory of glass with a garden-like setting. It couldn't have been a more beautiful day. Although cold outside, the sun was shining brightly, and inside the conservatory, it felt like Spring. During the exchanging of vows, Dan said "I do," but the minister didn't hear Lynnette's "I do." After an awkward pause, Lynnette turned with a smile, and said it again. Lynnette's brothers did what brothers do and gave Dan a hard time... even during the ceremony. When the minister asked for the rings, Lynnette's brother Lincoln pulled out handcuffs for all the wedding guests to see. Fortunately, we were in the company of people who found this funny. Not sure it would have gone over so well at my wedding. ;-)
Mr. and Mrs. Dan Noble pause for a kiss while walking down the isle as newlyweds! This picture is compliments of my friend from college, Donna Coker Vilela. She and her husband Paul found Justin in the lobby so he would have "friends" to sit with... even though they had never met!

The reception was fun! Lynnette hired a barista to serve delectible coffee treats, and had an old fashioned photo booth. In this photo Donna, Christina and I are waiting for our turn in the booth. Everyone took photos and pasted them in a scrapbook with a note to Dan and Lynnette. If I had a scanner, I would insert the cute pictures that Justin and I took in the booth. And the ones that I took with Cutie Pie alumns Lynnette, Beth, Amy, and Donna.
Amy, Donna and I (college friends and fellow Ju Go Ju Cutie Pies) waited in line for the barista. We rekindled friendships instantly, and for a moment it was almost like we were still back at Harding... Only older... and married.

It was wonderful to see college friends like Stacy... who only lives an hour and a half from me, but we never see each other. Good thing she has a blog so I can watch her precious kids grow up!
Everyone got to dance! The bride and groom. The father-of-the-bride and the bride. The mother-of-the-groom and the groom...
...even the bridesmaids! Only ours was much more like a sway than an actual dance. ;-)
Lynnette and I have a special friendship. On her wedding program, she listed me as a collge friend and "kindred spirit." We met our freshman year at Harding in the dorms, and over time developed a close connection. We stayed up late (I mean, LATE) many nights planning things for our social club (or sorority, for those of you who are unfamiliar with this term). She and I were together when we first heard the news of the 9-11 attacks on the Twin Towers, and we cried together. We sang Lee Greenwood's "I'm Proud to be an American" at the very tip top of our lungs. We shared a year's worth of free pizza our last year of college... and the pizza guys never knew that we weren't the same person. And despite being two girls who love their very different home states of Alabama and Michigan, often were asked if we were sisters! It was so special to be able to spend this special day with her.

The post-wedding events were just as fun, but you'll have to stay tuned for yet one more post of Lynnette's Wedding and the Motor City - soon to follow.