TWO MEN & A LADY

This is Our Life ~ Our Photo Book ~ Our Journal that will never sit on a shelf, be placed in a chest or find its spot in the attic but instead put on display for all of you so you can share in our joy and sorrows that come complete with life. Learn from our mistakes (THERE ARE MANY) or give advice when needed. Welcome!
Clint ~Teri & Dax
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Tuesday, December 12, 2006

Our First Married Christmas

Wow, first Christmas as a married couple has kept me busy busy busy. I've turned into a nut about making my own swags from cedar trees around the house – or mom's ; ), making two huge wreaths from the clippings of our real tree we got, tying my own bows and making decorative masterpieces – NOT! You name it and I'm doing it. I've even went as far as making Austin, Anderson and Ashton humungous fleece Auburn pillows.

Being creative, festive… your typical married working girl trying to be Bettie Crocker and Martha Stewart rolled up into one. I also took on the Corporate Angel Tree Program for Haskell Slaughter again this year. Whew! Here's the damage so far! I think it's about time for us to have a little one… What do you think?

The 1st couple of pictures are of the kitties (they were too cute not to add) and the pink bags on the floor are for Angels for the Angel Tree Program. Although I took pictures of the large wreaths I made, I can't locate the pictures.


Saturday, June 10, 2006

The Roper Family Photo Shoot

Jo Carroll mother's friend came by to take some family pictures since Brian and Emma Brown were up from Brazil and it had been so long since we'd just had regular family pictures of us all together. We got some from the wedding but I think Mom wanted some of the all of us around the house.

Clint and I didn't know when she was coming over until the last minute.

Even though I know everyone says this and nobody really cares if I was having a bad hair day, I'm going to say it anyways!! I couldn't have looked homelier that day!! Ha ha. Since I knew I would get ragged from Mom if took time to primp I figured oh well, I'll just cut myself out of them later… ; ) (Something I'd heard my Maw Maw Swann was notorious for.

So now I have to tell Clint that we have to jump in the car to go over to Mom and Dad's to take pictures right now.

Great, Clint is the most unspontaneous person I know [when it comes to stuff like this of course].

He gets talked into it always because he knows I'm never going to give up. But I'm going to hear a never ending stream of sighs until it's over. : ) When I explained to him that it's going to be Jo Carroll, the women who took our engagement pictures and wedding pictures he immediately moaned "OH GREAT! But I'm going to go ahead and tell you now that she will NOT have me rolling around on the ground again!!!"

Clint's so funny… back when we had our engagement pictures, she had us both lying on the floor posing for pictures and in Clint's words "rolling around on the ground, throwing leaves on us." A little bit too much for Clint, I think he thought he was going to have his "Mancard" rejected for participating in such stuff. So he was very adamant about not letting her talk him into doing that again.

When we got there Jo was first taking pictures of Brian, Emma Brown and the kids out in the back yard. When Clint looked out the window and spotted my brother on the ground…. He hollered out to me in fear and protest "TERI! I told you! She's got your brother out there rolling around on the ground!!!" I just started laughing and keep promising him that "I'll tell her you most definitely to not want to roll around on the ground Clint." "It'll be okay… you will survive this." Hahahaha. Men…

What Clint saw when he looked out the window. I wondered if Brian heard him yelling…


From Roper Family Photos of Jo Carroll



From Roper Family Photos of Jo Carroll


Sweet Natalie Ellen


From Roper Family Photos of Jo Carroll



From Roper Family Photos of Jo Carroll



From Roper Family Photos of Jo Carroll



From Roper Family Photos of Jo Carroll



Natalie Ellen, Owen, and Noemia "Claire"


From Roper Family Photos of Jo Carroll


The new addition to the pack – I like to call her "Drama Queen"


From Roper Family Photos of Jo Carroll



From Roper Family Photos of Jo Carroll


Natalie Ellen and Owen with their Aunt Mae (Emma Brown's sister)


From Roper Family Photos of Jo Carroll


Mom, Me and Brian racing – Brian likes to challenge Mom because she could still out run us when we were older teenagers. She's still quick. But you can see who's winning… even though I might have about a 2 second jump on them. ; )


From Roper Family Photos of Jo Carroll


The Roper Family: I liked this one better because you can't tell I went to bed with my hair wet the night before…

From Roper Family Photos of Jo Carroll

Friday, May 26, 2006

The Story of Us

After dating for six years, Clint asked me to marry him on February 14, 2005. On May 27, 2006 we were married at the little Church at Tannehill. A place I had always loved and thought was so simple and charming. Just the way I wanted my wedding. Nothing big, nothing special… just a pretty dress on a pretty day with pretty flowers.

To show how much fuss I didn't make over my wedding, since I never could find a pair of wedding shoes that were the perfect length to wear with my dress without having to have it altered, I just threw on the same Ariat boots I had on when I tried on my wedding dress back in Winter that year. They were the perfect length. Ha ha. And since you could not see them unless I lifted my dress, why even stress over not being able to find the perfect wedding shoes. I had already wanted to pull out my hair from trying to crunch my wedding list down to 100 family and friends! So the details of that big day were very hairy for me.

But when that day came, besides it being a scorcher, things all fell into place and everyone had a wonderful time. My Aunt Lottie (who is extremely talented and loving and one of the dearest additions to the rather large Swann family) made the beautiful arrangements, Gary Elkins (married to my mother's 1st cousin Nita) took great pictures of the wedding and filmed it; put it to music on a great DVD. His pictures were very candid and some of my favorites of the day. It was a wonderful addition to have as well as a hired photographer. And he did it all just because he enjoyed doing it. Priceless! What a wonderful gift.

Jerry Weber showed up with a rubber chicken that made a miserable cluck noise when poked that I think he intended to set off sometime during the wedding. Kathy his wife made him leave it in the car but somehow Jerry managed to get it past her. During the ceremony prayer while Kathy was bowing her head she noticed it on the floor and kicked it back out of Jerry's reach and when she did it let out that miserable cluck. J I'm sure Kathy just about died.

During the part of the ceremony when it was time for Brother Doug to ask the guests if there was anyone in opposition to our union to please "speak now or forever hold your peace" I turned and glanced to the guests of the bride section and gave them probably what appeared to be my don't you dare look [which tickled everyone]. However I knew that no one would oppose, I was actually looking to see where Jerry was and figured that's probably when he was going to squeeze that rubber chicken.

My niece Natalie Ellen, who was my flower girl, got bored during the ceremony and found Jennifer's (Maid of Honor) shoes interesting so she scrunched down to play with them – when she tired of that she decided to konk out on the floor. After comfortably sprawling out on the floor and started to dose off, so Dad scooped her up and put her in his lap. So it was quite the ceremony with a lot of smiles and laughs and thanks to Gary we have every minute of it on DVD! Fits right in with mine and Clint's personality.

Not everything went off without a hitch; basically the reception décor fell through due to my faulty plans. I wanted to do it all myself (LOL – can you imagine…what was I thinking!) But no one seemed to notice. The food was great! We decided who better to cater for such a reception in that setting than Golden Rule – BBQ Chicken and Pork with everything else. It seemed fitting.

Debbie Mays my wonderful Coworker made BOTH the Bride's Cake and the Groom's Cake. It must be said that Debbie makes the best tasting cakes I HAVE EVER HAD – and my family felt the same way. If she decided to quit her day job – she'd become famous with these cakes very quickly. She also made the wonderful punch.

What an amazing lady!

Which by the way almost ended in disaster had it not been for Daniel one of my longest running friends – ever!...spotting a crack in the punch bowl and they were able to dump it into something else before it gave way and went all over the food, cakes whatever else was in it's path. Thanks Dan, you saved the day.

One of the loops to bustle my train broke so at the end I had to hurry and get out of it anyways because I was having to hold my dress up to keep it from getting filthy. There's a nice shot that Jo Carroll our photographer got of me holding my dress up with my boots showing that cracks me up and is still possibly my favorite picture ever – notice my face is not in the picture. ;)

Since it was so hot at the outdoor reception and I was excited and trying to talk to everyone at once, I hardly remember one conversation. But I know it was special none the less.

Though I love big spectacle and beautiful weddings that set out in memory blessed unions of our friends, I knew that didn't fit with Clint and I. God blessed us on that day with the presence of our family and close friends as witnesses of the beginning of a marriage of great love and devotion.

It was a wonderful day that I'll never forget!!


Photos by Jo Carroll: