Saturday BBQ!

What a fun idea for a Saturday afternoon....we went to hang out with our sweet friends for a BBQ!

Nile manned the grill.....peach and chicken kabobs - yumm!!!

Parker was so cute, and had some fun with me and my camera.

Everyone contributed and so we had a TON of food. It was all yummy, and we got to take home doggie bags too!

Well....one thing that we didn't have any leftovers of was the yummy dessert that Caitlin made. It smelled so good while it was cooking and tasted even better. Even I, who doesn't like berries that much, thought it was super tasty.....topped off with ice cream of course!

We played a round of Telephone Pictionary. For the first time only that I've seen, the thing that I wrote down "It's getting crowded in this bed with a woman, a pillow and a cat"....after something that Brett commented on how he's been adjusting to marriage....made it all the way around, drawing after writing, each time. It was pretty funny.

The others didn't quite keep the message straight, but that's what makes the giggles ensue.

Standard group photo.....such a fun afternoon!

Java Station Take Two

Yup....we met for coffee. We met at Java Station again, and Rachel joined us this time too! Love this sweet time on Fridays!

We watched 2012 tonight.....and Brett and I both thought it was pretty silly. That's all.

Raise the Roof

So, when Camille was over the other night....she really loved our Snuggie. And Molly. They are friends now, don't tell anyone.

When Brett and I were in Target, we walked by the Snuggie display and both thought....we need to get Camille one. We settled on the purple one as we didn't really see her sporting the pink.

I called and told her that Molly had a present for her, so she came over tonight to collect. We had dinner, played some Scrabble Apple, a game of Cribbage. It was her first time playing Cribbage...and on her very first hand, she scored 24 points. The most you can ever score is 29....and it's really not that simple to score more than about 12 or so. Beginner's luck for sure....she loved it!

Well...she loved the game almost as much as she loved her surprise. Her very own Snuggie...with pockets!!

I think she liked it and you might see her wearing it around town with a belt. (I hope not!).

Where the magic happens

So, after two trips to Target to get the white sheets to go with our bedding from Macy's, we have our new bed all setup. Brett calls it a sea of champagne. I really like it and can't wait for the sheets and pillowcases to get more comfortable in their new skins.

We are getting more settled...one room at a time.

Yup....as they say....here is where all the magic happens. :)

Random Sunday with Lots of Fun

I really need to work on my blog post titles. I know this.

We were a little over zealous this morning and thought we could get to the 10am service instead of our normal noon. Well, we got there a few minutes late and the parking lot was packed. Since we were already in Carp, it seemed like a good reason to go and get some breakfast, and then head back for noon.

It was the perfect plan because we ended up at Cajun Kitchen. I ordered, well, I can't recall what it was named but it was SO much food. Grits, english muffin, and a huge omelette....and they were all so good. I even got to taste the fresh salsa AND apple butter, and they were so tasty too!

Brett had the biggest plate of French Toast that I've ever seen.....and he finished it all. That means that he fell into a nice nap after we got back to the truck and still had some time to kill before making our way over for the noon service.

Pastor Francis Chan filled in for Britt today, and he did an amazing job at the pulpit. I truly enjoyed his service and will look forward to seeing him preach at Reality again.

We came back to the house and I wrote thank you notes for 3 hours. Around the time for dinner, we had the brilliant idea to take a trip to Ventura for Target, and decided to invite the Sandovals too!

We picked up Danielle and Erik and had a really fun time on the trip, the store visit, AND at In-N-Out on the way back. So good!!

It was fun to hang out with the other newlyweds and I'm so glad that they are in SB!

Reasons to Fall in Love with SB

Oh, what a fun Saturday!! Brett and I went to meet up with Kyle and friends at one of the homes he gets to stay at every once in a while. I was all dressed up to meet up with other people later, so I was in my dress already. I was a little bummed because the pool looked so refreshing and fun!

The boys had a good ole time trying different dives, flips and just plain silly moves. It was fun to watch though.

I left in the early afternoon to meet up with Emily and Camille and some of her high school friends that just moved to SB for some wine tasting. We started out at Kalrya.

After being there as long as we could, we decided to go over to Telegraph Brewing. We were on bikes, and I was excited becuase it was going to be a nice ride over there. Although, Camille was telling us otherwise. She was convinced that the spot was right around the corner. So convinced that she bet me $5 that she was right and started on her way.

Emily and I got on the bikes and started to ride down the street when we saw Camille walking back towards us....if she had a tail, it would have been between her legs. It went something like this.... "Oh shutup. You were right. Here's your $5.".

We ended up at the Kunin Tasting Room and it couldn't have been more lovely. I hadn't ever noticed this spot before, but Camille knew the owner. Seth was great to personally pour our tasting and filled us in on his story.

It was a fun afternoon tasting, and then Brett came to pick the girls up for our evening activity. We learned that Meiko was in town and thought that we had to pay her a visit. She did, afterall, provide one of the songs from our "wedding soundtrack". The girls walked down the aisle to her "Reason to Fall in Love".

She was the same as I remembered her the last time I'd seen her over 2 years ago. Witty, cute, funny, and a little crass all at the same time. We all enjoyed her show and the dinner at SoHo too!

We got the chance to chat with her for a few minutes after the show and tell her the part she played in our ceremony. She was uber sweet and we wished the native Atlanta peach the best with her future continued career.

The four of us came back to our place after and stayed in the mood for music. We did a little dancing, Emily serenaded us with her sweet songs and voice, and then the night ended with Camille falling in love with our Snuggie.

A really great and funfilled Saturday!! So glad to have such awesome friends! I love life and SB and my hubby!

Coffee Friday :: Java Station

Another great reason for being back in town is to visit with the coffee girls on Friday mornings. We tried somewhere new this week and it turns out that it was the most perfect location for me. It is actually on the way to work. I got there a little bit early, ordered my drink and read more of the books that I got so engrossed in on the honeymoon!

The girls showed up and then we dished some more about our honeymoon. It was so good to see their smiling faces and still the best way to start the weekend!


By the way....so much for cooking a nice dinner for my hubby. Tonight after work we took a trip out to Bed Bath and Beyond, and then ended up grabbing KFC for dinner. Lovely. We popped in a movie and had a nice relaxing evening at the house.

Newlywed Dinner

Today was a little more normal at work. It seems that we were gone for the perfect amount of time to where it was amazing to not have to focus on anything but the celebration and our vacation, but also just the right amount of time to where our brains didn't turn to mush while we were away.

Now that we're back, we're back into the swing of busy-ness. So many things to do, people to see, laundry to do, thank you notes to write, etc, etc. I'm not complaining about any of those things, it's just hard to figure out how to make it all fit into the 24 hours in one day.

Right as I was trying to think of what I was going to cook for dinner tonight, Brett calls and says, "The Moores want to have us over for dinner tonight.....". PERFECT!!

Even though Kirsten and Alex have been married for many years, they are almost like newlyweds too. Alex has been finishing up school in Missouri and just finally moved back to SB. Brett is really excited that he's here too....he has another great friend who lives in town!

The Moores treated us to a scrumptious dinner and dessert.

The four of us talked about our weddings, honeymoons and look forward to many more nights as married couples! Yeah!

And....we're back!!

So, we got back last night and it was back to the grind, aka work, today. I got there early and got caught up on emails and such and it was a good day.

Near the end of the day, Jennifer (my favorite client and friend in San Diego) emailed me to ask what I was cooking for my husband on my first night back.

Uh oh!!! I hadn't even thought about that! Doh!!

So, I made a trip to VONS on the way home and got some pasta, sausage and veggies to throw together a yummy meal. As I was starting to think of how in the world I was going to portion control our meal, I got a call from Emily saying that her plans for the night fell through. I immediately invited her and Camille to join us for our first meal back.

We ate on our new dishes, and we dished about our honeymoon to our friends. It was so wonderful to have guests with us to share in the joy that we experienced on our wedding day and vacation.


It is kind of surreal to be back, but I am loving it and looking forward to every day of the rest of our lives together.

The Day After!

I won't kiss and tell.....but our wedding night was perfect. Brett and I stayed at The Oceana Hotel right across from the harbor in Santa Barbara. The drive back to town went by fast as we recounted how wonderfully perfect our wedding day and night was. There might have been things that didn't go the way they were supposed to but neither of us noticed, and it didn't matter because were were married and were now Man and Wife. Perfection!!

We woke up and looked out the window and saw the most perfect view. It was a shame that we hadn't planned for more time with just the two of us to hang out but we were off back to our new home as a couple to greet our family and friends that were stopping by to see us before they (and we) left.

Dave had decorated Brett's truck last night as a total surprise...and it was so tastefully done too (thank goodness!).

We stopped by to say goodbye to the Waldorfs before we left, and were given the sweetest gift by Aedin. She had painted it for us and brought it all the way from Texas - it's me and Brett on our wedding day a la Picasso. I just love it and can't wait to figure out where we are going to put it in our home. Thank you Aedin!!

We had a few last minute visitors before they took off to the airport, and then we opened a few gifts with everyone at the house. Our tummies started to grumble so a few of us made our way to Los Arroyos for some food. Brett and I were starving, and mexican food hit the spot.

It was great to spend some additional time with people before they, and we, left town. Brett and I excused ourselves from everyone for a few hours because first, we wanted some downtime to take it all in, and secondly, we had to pack! We had decided not to even start to worry about what to take on our honeymoon until after the wedding. Luckily we were taking the redeye out of LAX, so we knew that we had the time to do this today.

We started packing, and then my parents stopped by to say their final goodbyes and scoop up Taylor. Brett's family came by to say goodbye too and then we were off.

It's been such an amazing time being engaged, planning the wedding, being showered with love and gifts, the wedding....but now......the HONEYMOON!! See you guys on the other side!! xoxo - The Bollmans :)

The Bollmans est 7.10.10

We each started out the morning with our friends. I met the girls at Jeannine's downtown, and we ended up taking over way too much of the restaurant, but it was so great. I wouldn't have imagined the day starting out any other way. I was totally calm, I guess people hadn't expected that, but I was totally excited, and ready, more than ever, to marry Brett and I just wouldn't wait for 630pm. The boys met at Summerland Beach Cafe....I was glad that Brett got himself something to eat. :)

Today I married my best friend. I reserve the right to come back and post more about this day, but right now, I'll let the pictures do the talking. All of these pictures were taken by Shyla, our amazing friend and storyteller for our day. We are so thankful to have had such a wonderful person, and crazy talented person, be part of the day with us!! She totally rocked it ALL!!

You can also check out more pics in the slideshow that Shyla put together for us: www.shylaphotography.com/slideshows/annemariebrett

We must rehearse before the big day!

Oh my gosh....today is REHEARSAL DAY!!! I am SO ready and can't wait to get married tomorrow!!!

I started the morning off with some of my favorite girls. We met up at French Press for some joe and quality time. It was a wonderful morning and I always have such a great time with these women.

After that, we went to pick up the sandwiches and head over to the park for our afternoon picnic and more fun family and friend time.

The sandwiches from Sams to Go were SO good and everyone was happy to fill their bellies up before we played some whiffle ball. Almost everyone decided to take a turn, and we had a great time hanging out .

It was the perfect spot too as Kiddie World was right there too....the girls chased the boys or maybe it was vice versa. :)

Yup....my handsome groom. :) I'm a lucky girl.

I can't explain the joy that this picture brings me. Once again, I had to just pinch myself when I started to realize why everyone had come to Santa Barbara. Brett and I are SO loved by our families and friends to have made the trek out to SB for our wedding. We love you all very much!!

The drive out to Firestone was a little surreal. All the girls piled into Autie's Suburban, the parents rode together, and the boys made their way out there too. We were all very behaved little students when Joy showed us what to do. The rehearsal went off perfect and then it was time to get back to town and celebrate!

Brett's Mom did an outstanding job transforming the backyard of the Babcock House into a rehearsal dinner dream land. I was floored by all that she had done to make it special. I loved the colors, the tables, and the flower arrangements. It was all so beautiful!

It was such a wonderful time to spend more moments with family and our closest friends before the craziness of the wedding.

We are SO blessed to have Dave and Ashley Lomas as our guests, and Dave as our Pastor for our wedding service.

One last funny snapshot.....this was the little hidden treasure that I put in each of the guy's groomsmen gifts. I took a few of the pics that Jasmine took of him a while ago and printed them and put into frames. I think that these might have been the hit of the night, and everyone had a good laugh at my Brett's expense.

After most of the people had turned in for the night, a small group of us joined in the living room, totally unplanned, and had a sweet, sweet, time of prayer. We were prayed over and it was such a beautiful time.

I cannot wait for tomorrow when I get to marry Brett in front of our family, friends and God.

Too much fun for just one Thursday!

I woke up this morning and Emily and Taylor were gone. I was glad that Taylor was here, not only that I could spend time with her but so that she could keep Emily company on her morning walk. When they got back, I was in the middle of wrapping gifts for our bridal party and parents so I had to have them stay downstairs for a bit. I had so much fun putting them all together, and they turned out exactly as I had imagined them in my head. I put a little something fun into each of the groomsmen's bags, and I can't wait to see how they like it. Heehee.

The boys were up early this morning and met for a little breakfast at one of the Jeannine's in town.

Afterwards, they had plans to go play a 9 hole, Par 3 course. Evidently there was some money put on the game, and it turns out that my Dad walked away with the pot. Who would have known the least likely would be the one to win?

While they were having fun on the course, the girls and I went to the airport in order to surprise the first Texans to arrive in SB. We hid behind a structure and popped out at the right time. I think we surprised them!

Then we came back and got ready for the afternoon at the beach. It was around 130 when I put my foot on the sand, and when that happened, the sun magically came out behind the clouds and it was the most perfect day. Also perfect that right at that time, everyone was showing up. Brett's family all showed up. My family all showed up.

This is what I saw when I looked at the water. Everyone in this picture was part of our group. I was floored and felt so loved that everyone was here for me and Brett.

After a while, we decided to start up a volleyball game. I think we had the most players you'd ever seen in one game on the court, but it was awesome. Everyone who wanted to play got a chance to jump in. Even Colin and Gavin took a turn, and we all had a blast.

Some folks weren't that into volleyball so they had their own fun on the beach. Hard not to in a place as beautiful as Santa Barbara East Beach.

Brett proceeded to throw me into the ocean after the game....the water was so cold that it honestly took my breath away. I wasn't thrilled about that, but I got over it and went back to feeling like the luckiest girl in the world.

Some of our fabulous friends and family.....love all of these people!!

The boys took off from the beach to get ready for their big night. Dave, Brett's best man, surprised them with a baseball game in LA. Turns out that the Dodgers were playing the Cubs, Brett's favorite team, and so he schemed up a plan for their evening. He rented a Yukon so they would all ride together and they had a great time at the game. The Cubbies lost, but I think Brett was having such a great time that the loss couldn't even wipe the smile off his face.

While all the fun for the boys was happening in LA, Emily was busy in my kitchen preparing all the food that I had planned for the Girl's Night In at the house. I didn't mean for her to do all of it, but she was an angel for doing it. After I got home, I had so many other things to do that I wouldn't have had enough time to do the cooking too.

The food all turned out SO good and we all ate it up! Camille had a little bit too much fun with the large pom pom flowers I made....she looks good though, and would give Chiquita Banana a run for her money!

Brett had worried that there wasn't going to be enough room in the place for all the women that I was expecting, but I assured him that it'd all be fine. I am pleased to report that it was more than fine, it was wonderful. I loved every minute of having my best girls over at the house to hang out with before everything really started!

What a wonderful Thursday!! Gotta get some beauty rest now....tomorrow is a big day!