Tom and Sandie's Wedding and the Rock a Hula Luau!

What a beautiful day! It was a joy to watch the creation of the new Crawford family. Sandie was elegant and stunningly beautiful and Tom was quite dashing in his uniform and all four girls looked just adorable. Best of all, they all looked happy. The ceremony was touching, tailored to Tom and Sandie's personality and their new blended family with special touches to include all of the girls. Watching as the girls were thanked and presented with cross necklaces and hugs brought tears to my eyes....ok, ok, I was puddling up all day anyway, but that part was particularly neat. Following the ceremony was a beautifully catered reception, courtesy of Sandie's mom and extended family. I didn't get a picture of it but that fruit and chocolate table will live on in my dreams.....

After a tasteful and elegant reception we proceeded to the compound for a party Compound Style complete with the groom and his lovely bride on the back of a Go-Kart and jumping in the pool with her veil on (our version of pronouncing the couple husband and wife)! With kids all over the place and the whole porch covered in food - Cyndi and Jules, you are both lifesavers and thanks so much for all the help - and Mark doing double duty as host, dad, DJ and safety marshall, it truly was a Rock a Hula Luau! Thanks to everyone who came, we enjoyed having you and hope to see you all come Labor Day!
Love Mark and Alli and everyone at the compound and especially those of you who helped me clean up! ;)

ps... the beautiful pictures above were taken by Renee who photographed the wedding as a gift for Sandie and caught the bouquet...guess she's next!

Thanks Renee! We can't wait to see the rest of the pictures.

The New Crawford family

The Happy couple arriving at the Luau

Just Married Compound Style...too bad we forgot to tie the beer cans to the back...

Celebrate!

Now they're really taking the plunge! (yukyukyuk)

What better way to start a marriage?

And at the end of a beautiful day Mr. and Mrs. Crawford get ready to head off to Hawaii and into the sunset...

Way to go Jennifer!!!

Jennifer's graduation last night was just beautiful and I was so happy to be there I just bawled all night and was about to burst with pride, although I had nothing on Sharon and Billy! I have never seen two prouder parents and Savannah was glowing. Cappy, myself, two of Billy's brothers and their families as well as his mom and sister and a family friend all showed up to cheer Jennifer on and it was a wonderful night.
Congratulations Jennifer!!


Here is the Article in the AJC 5/24/07
Central Gwinnett graduate proves doctors wrong

By Ken Sugiura
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 05/24/07

Shortly, the Prince family would pack into the car and head to graduation. But first, Mom had to find Kleenex.

"I'm going to be boo-hooing," said Sharon Prince, scurrying about her Lawrenceville home.

The mortarboard-wearing daughter, Jennifer, rolled her eyes. Later on, her mother took the next logical step of teen embarrassment —- adjusting Jennifer's mortarboard and tassel. Did Jennifer need a clip to secure it to her head?

"I've never done this before," Sharon said. "I don't know."

Like a lot of parents, Sharon and Billy Prince waited a long time for high school commencement. Unlike most parents, the Princes weren't sure their eldest daughter, who earned her diploma from Central Gwinnett High School on Wednesday night, would even make it to her freshman year.

"Doctors said this day would never come, and here it is," Sharon said Tuesday.

Jennifer was 8 when doctors told her parents that she and her sister, Savannah, then 5, both had a rare genetic disorder, Sharon said. They were not expected to live past 10.

Jennifer and Savannah lack an enzyme that helps their bodies digest complex carbohydrates, a disease called mucopolysaccharidosis. Instead, the carbohydrates accumulate like calcium deposits on their bones, joints and organs, Sharon said. It causes pain throughout their bodies and makes bones curve.

In 2000, they joined a clinical trial that the Princes say has been a literal life-saver. The treatment, which the Prince girls take every Friday at Emory University, is not a cure. It only delays the progression of the disease, Sharon said.

But it has given the Prince girls time, and days like these for Jennifer. A couple of weeks back, she was a guest at ex-Falcons coach Jim Mora's going-away party. Mora struck up a friendship with Jennifer and Savannah when they visited the Falcons through the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

Last Saturday, Jennifer turned 18 and went to her prom at the Fox Theatre wrapped up in a black-and-white dress made by her best friend's mother. Then came Wednesday's graduation, the same day Savannah completed eighth grade at Richards Middle School. Savannah will be at Central Gwinnett in August.

On Saturday, Jennifer will leave on an 11-day vacation in Germany and Switzerland with her cousin who lives in Zurich, a gift from her parents.

"The last two weeks have been really hectic," Jennifer said. "It's awesome. I love it."

The days are not always so golden. Jennifer has undergone nine operations and may need to have a pacemaker inserted into her chest. The damage caused by the disease makes it difficult for her to do things such as tie her shoes, wash her hair or walk long distances without stopping.

But her family and friends say she takes on her trials with irrepressible buoyancy and determination.

"She is extremely outgoing and personable," said Caity Yonker, Jennifer's best friend and Central Gwinnett classmate. "One of the most reliable people I've ever met in my life."

Jennifer kept a B average and earned an award from her language arts teacher. This, despite the fact that Jennifer missed school every Friday for her four-hour enzyme treatment.

"I want you to know that her work ethic goes beyond any student that I have this year," Jenny Hainey, one of Jennifer's teachers, wrote in an e-mail to Jennifer's mother. "I have enjoyed having her in my class. I have even told [a colleague] that I wish I had 100 more like her."

As for her hair, Jennifer summons the grit to take care of it herself.

"I used to be able to not brush my hair at all," she said. Being "16, 17 years old, having your mom wash your hair —- it sucked."

Still, her smile never leaves her face, her best friend said.

"You feel better automatically seeing her." Caity said.

In the fall, Jennifer will begin study at Gwinnett Technical College. She wants to become a professional photographer.

What she likes about photography, she said, is "being able to take a moment in time and capture it."

To be sure, Wednesday merited a snapshot.

Daddy's home!

Mark is home for a bit and we are on a mission to get the compound in shape for the wedding. Cy and Jules have been a big help in planning and it is going to be a blast! Can't wait to see Tom and Sandie take the plunge...right off the end of the diving board! Here are a few pics of my little angel playing with Daddy and hanging out, he is getting to be so big!