Wedding Day Fun!!!

I know I should have posted pictures from the wedding a long time ago, but I am slow!!! Sorry!

We had a great wedding day, here are a few pictures from the big weekend!

This is us after the rehearsal, before the rehearsal dinner at Mt. Nebo.

By the fountain outside Greene Chapel after the ceremony!

The whole crew!

Never Forgotten......

I have always imagined that my papa would be part of my wedding day, but as many of you know he passed away on Friday, at 76 years old. It was the end of a difficult battle with cancer and we are thankful that he will no longer be in pain.

In my heart I know he will still be with us on our wedding day and I know that even though I will not be dancing with him in person, that in spirit he will be right out there on the dance floor.

Recently he shared a bit of advice with us and we want everyone to learn from his wisdom was well:

"Never let your past spoil your future!"

In his final days, I ordered bumper stickers with his message on them and he was able to give them to many of his family and friends. He wants us to remember this important lesson.

We love him so much and he will be so missed!

Allen Estep Sr

January 6, 1932 - April 4, 2008

With Miranda and I the day after Miranda was born:

With Miranda and I at his 75th birthday party.

Directions...Hopefully Everything You Need to Know!

To Greene Chapel from I-40:

Take Interstate 40 to Conway Exit # 125. Turn Right (From Fayetteville) or Left (From Little Rock) onto Harkrider (US-65) and follow it for approximately 1/2 a mile. You will be traveling along side the campus and you will pass under a pedestrian bridge. At the next light after the bridge, turn Right onto Markham and take the first Right onto Spruce Street, which borders the Southern edge of the campus. At the stop sign at Washington Ave, take a Right. The Chapel is on the Right hand side of Washington Ave, but it is difficult to see from the road. You will need to park and walk into campus, Greene Chapel has a large fountain in front of it. Parking is on Washington Avenue in the first drive on the Right after you turn onto Washington Ave; on the Left in a gravel lot across from Insta Prints. If both lots are full go further down Washington and additional parking is available on the right hand side.



View Larger Map




From Greene Chapel to the Old Gin Event Center (reception location):

Leave the parking lot and travel South on Washington Ave. Turn Left on Spruce Street at the Southern end of the campus. Turn Right on Markham Ave. The Old Gin is on the Left at 1016 Markham Ave next door to a shopping center with a Larry's Pizza.



View Larger Map




To the Hilton Garden Inn from I-40:

Take Conway Exit# 127, turn East (Left from Fayetteville or Right from Little Rock). Turn Right on Amity Road and the Hilton Garden Inn is on the Right. The phone number for the Hilton Garden Inn is 501.329.1444.



From the Hilton Garden Inn to Greene Chapel:

Turn Left out of the hotel parking lot onto Amity Road. Turn Left onto Oak Street. Turn Right onto Museum Road. Turn Left onto Siebenmorgan Road. Go straight through the light at Harkrider and turn Right onto Spruce. This is the Southern end of the campus. At the stop sign, take a right onto Washington Ave. See instructions for parking above under the Greene Chapel directions.



View Larger Map

Save the Date

It's Official...A Wedding in Conway!

I know some of you were really worried about the Chapel reservation! Well it is official, we have now booked Greene Chapel on the Hendrix campus and we are rolling along with our plans! We decided to have the reception off site and we chose a neat little event center in Conway called the Old Gin. Here are some pics!

Here is a view from the front, the "Old Gin" is a cotton gin from the early 1900's.

A view of the main hall.

The fireplace in the main hall.

The cocktail room off the main hall.

We really appreciated the historical significance of the Old Gin, here is the summary of the history from the Old Gin website.....

The Old Gin History

In 1907, two brothers, Joe and Amos Enderlin, started in the cotton gin business in Conway on the corner of Prairie and Chestunt Streets. This partnership continued until 1929 when Joe Enderlin and son-n-law Charlie Seiter bought the Otis Moore gin on Markham. In 1949, the Purina Company replaced the Otis Moore gin with the structure that stands today. Henry and Paul Enderlin purchased Mr. Seiter's interest in 1953 and renamed it Enderlin Brother's Gin.

Many of the cotton gins in Faulkner County closed in the 1940's as a result of the growing profitability of soybean and cattle, but the Enderlin Brother's Gin continued to remain operational. After the 1972 cotton crop was ginned, the plant closed and the machinery was sold. It was at this location on Markham Street that the last bale of cotton in Faulkner County was ginned closing an important era in this area's agricultural history.

The Old Gin still stands today, a reminder of yesterday and the time cotton was king. The memories of those days remain alive in the hearts and minds of many of the citizens of Faulkner County.

Pictures of the Hendrix Chapel and grounds!!!

Grounds in front of Greene Chapel

Greene Chapel (outside view)

Greene Chapel (inside view)

Wedding Plans are coming along!!

Hi Friends and Family!!!

We have chosen a location! Hendrix College in Conway, Arkansas. Hendrix is my alma mater! I am so excited to be getting married at a place so near and dear to my heart! I truly think it is one of the most beautiful sites for a wedding and I have imagined myself being married there since I was on campus as a student! Lee and I visited the campus earlier this year and he was taken with the beauty of the location as well!

We are already penciled in for our date, but because it is a college and their students are a priority, the do not let us secure the date until six months before the wedding. I am holding my breath and anxiously awaiting the six month mark! (Don't worry, we have a back up plan if this falls through =)

Keep your fingers crossed for us and we will keep you posted!

With love,
Michelle

One more engagement picture I had to share!

Of course we started making phone calls right after we got off the mountain; but our first stop was my Granny's house where we met up with my mom and my sister to show them my beautiful new engagement ring. This picture is from there....it is hard to see the ring in the photos, but take my word for it, it is gorgeous and I love it!!!

Save the Date!!!

It is almost exactly one year until our Wedding Day!

Yes, it is true we have picked a date!
Saturday, April 19th, 2008

It is a long way out and a lot of people have been asking....why? Here's the answer!

I love the idea of a spring wedding and Lee asked me to marry him in February...a little too late for a spring wedding this year. So in my style, we are already planning the big event and looking forward to sharing it with all of our loved ones!

Tune in again, we will continue to post wedding plans here as they develop!!!

Love,
Michelle & Lee

Big News From Arkansas

On February 17, 2007, Lee and I took a hike down to Yellow Rock at Devil's Den State Park in Northwest Arkansas. It was a beautiful clear sky and very COLD! We bundled up, stopped by the Ozark Mountain Smoke House and picked up some sandwiches and we were on our way!


Here is a beautiful view of from the top of Yellow Rock! We had lunch overlooking this beautiful view!

This is me after Lee revealed his intentions for this hiking trip!

This is us enjoying the moment!