August 26, 2008

Flickr pics


emily and zach 003
Originally uploaded by whereisshannon
Check out the rest of the pics on my flickr account....

Zach and Emily

Here are some pics from the wedding I helped coordinate over the weekend in Aptos. I was soooo happy to help out Zach and Emily on their special day, and everything was perfect! Really, I couldn't have imagined it turning out any better. I was pretty proud of myself at the end of the day....making bouquets, boutinerres, decorating...all very fun, but very exhausting! The fam gave me huge props, so maybe I should think about making this a career??

One of the bridesmaids bouquets


Homemade I Do brew!


The happy couple


Jenny's photo table creation

August 19, 2008

Cherry Lake


I had the chance to kayak with my mom and Reggie at Cherry Lake this weekend. The weather was beautiful, the water warm, and the company, amazing! Thank goodness for 3 day weekends - they really feed my soul!


August 13, 2008

Finally....Montana pics!


It's been almost a week since I returned from Montana and I'm finally settling back into my normal routine....I have to admit, I did not want to leave Montana! This trip was a very emotional one for me (the retreat was very intense and required ALOT of work to support), and, adventuring in Yellowstone and the surrounding wilderness was absolutely beautiful, and spiritual as well (I know, I'm not a mushy person...but it was!) I could have stayed for 3 more weeks at least.

Though I was only there for a week, I was able to explore a lot of the area. First off, Rock Creek Resort was beautiful, the staff was nice, and the location was amazing! As I mentioned, the retreat was a lot of work, but I did get to have a little bit of fun (mostly at the pig races)...check out the video I took here...it pretty much explains it all!



Once the retreat was done, Barbara and I headed to Yellowstone. I had never been before and was really looking forward to it. After stopping at many full campsites along the way, we finally set up camp on night 1 outside of Gardiner, MT. From there we were able to somewhat plan our next 2 days and enjoy the fresh mountain air. We almost went on a rafting trip, but decided against it because we wouldn't have enough time (however, we're planning on doing it next year!)

The following 2 days were spent at this small little campground in Yellowstone called "Slough Creek". It's apparently renowned in the angling world as a great place to fly fish. It's also in the heart of grizzly country, so Barbara and I were always a little on edge about that at night (well, it was nothing a couple beers couldn't get rid of!) We hung out at camp a lot, and also headed down to the waterfalls of Yellowstone and also the Lake. There was a huge fire that we watched from the porch of the Lake Lodge (while eating ice cream...it was heavenly!) We were also in the background of a film that was being produced by the park service - it was about places to go in the park. Look for it in the fall! (all you will see are our feet and our backs, and maybe the ice cream cone!) It was cool though, to be a part of that.

I've put all of the pictures on my flicker account, because there were too many to put on my blog. Please, check the out by clicking here!

August 1, 2008

Workin' in Montana

Yes folks, I said WORKING! The event I'm working is a "retreat", but it's not a retreat for me by any means! I arrived on Tuesday afternoon in Red Lodge, MT and have been working hard ever since. Some of you may have heard on the news about the fire that's about 8 miles outside of Red Lodge. Luckily it's not close to the resort we're staying at, but we can still smell the smoke and have seen firefighters in town.

We're already into Day 2, and folks are really enjoying themselves. I've been able to try some good Montana-brewed beer, eat some yummy local beef, and have heard about all of the fun local spots to check out from the hotel staff (including a saloon outside of town that has PIG RACES! We're going to check them out tonight, and I can't wait!) Of course, I'll blog about those tomorrow.

I have to admit that I'm really looking forward to the next part of the trip, which is when Barbara (friend/co-worker) and I will be venturing into the Yellowstone wilderness. We've already been warned about the bears (and I was even given "bear spray" in case they attack). I'm hoping that we will avoid an attacking bear, but I wouldn't mind seeing one or a few moose. More stories and pics to come, but enjoy the few I've already taken.

Rock Creek Resort


My room (it has a full kitchen, whoohoo!)
The view from my room


Rock Creek is right outside of my room


Resort again