The Best Shower Ever

I can already tell I feel tempted to use really dramatic and excessive adjectives throughout this post that may make me sound like I am exaggerating a lot, but bear with me folks... it was just so fantastically ideal! Ha! 

I just had one of the most enjoyable weekends of my life. Some of my sweetest friends threw me a big baby shower in my hometown in Georgia and every moment was like a dream.

I flew home Friday and remembered why I don't like to travel by plane. I wish so badly that I was the type to just hop on a plane like a jet-setter. I really try to fake it in the airport as if its my 23rd flight this year and rolling through security with my purse zipper hung on my sweater is no big deal. But I don't think I'm fooling anyone.

I digress...

I arrived safely with my family, enjoyed some delicious chicken thing at Applebees, and went home and got in the bed so I would be fresh for the shower in the morning.

When I arrived I was greeted by the amazing hostesses; my BFF Katie, her sweet mama, April, and Mandy. Celia couldn't come because she had an unavoidable work thing and we missed her.

Everything looked adorable and smelled amazing! And I'll just go ahead and say I ate 3-12 samplings of each and every food item because it was my shower and I didn't want to leave any room for doubt about how much I appreciated the efforts.

A few of my best friends from college sweetly surprised me and came down from various Georgia locations. It was WONDERFUL to be together as that rarely happens now that we are old and scattered about.

I didn't think our friend Faren would be able to make it because she had been visiting our friend Autumn in Chattanooga, who actually had a baby the day before. So when I looked up while opening presents and saw her standing there with her mama watching me as if she had been in Bainbridge all her life, I almost had a heart attack! They basically drove a billion miles all night/morning from Tennessee to South Georgia for little (big) ole me and I couldn't have been more grateful.

I got to visit with family (who also traveled a stretch to be there) and friends that I rarely see. I have said so many times over the past couple days that I have never felt so loved. 

The gifts were overwhelmingly generous but the company was truly the best. I don't know if it's age, living far from home, or hormones, but I felt more touched by the outpouring of love at the baby shower than I did through all of my wedding events.

I got to spend the whole afternoon after the shower with my girlfriends, laughing and catching up. I really felt like I was in some kind of wonderful dream all day. It was magical.

The next day, as I kissed my family goodbye at the airport, I was moved to tears at just how filled up I felt. It is good to be loved. And I am so thankful that James is being born into a circle of people who love him, Andrew, and myself that is so far reaching. 

I can't believe the whole thing went by so fast. I have been reliving it in my head over and over. I know without a doubt that it will be one of the most special memories I have from pregnancy. What a blessing!

Birthday Partay!

I'm writing this post in pink because that is how my heart feels today. My unbelievable hubby threw me the greatest birthday party with about 16 of our closest Valdosta/South Georgia friends. It was so fun to have them all in one place. I'm so filled with love for them today and grateful for the chance to spend time with ALL of them at once!

I was so excited to use my real camera to capture all of the love but of course once people started arriving I couldn't find it ANYWHERE. This morning I was brushing my teeth and found it on the bathroom counter. Oops. Luckily my sweet friend Caryn sent me this little moment. It's not techinically mine but it will do for an InstaFriday pic!

Gosh I love Andrew. Man. There is no one in this world that loves me like he does. I don't know where his well of love comes from but it sure runs deep. It's not even my birthday and it has already been the best one ever :) Happy Friday!

My Best Friend's Wedding

I’ve just got to take a minute and RAVE about my best friend’s wedding. Katie and I have known each other since we were about 5 years old. We met when I moved to Bainbridge, GA and were both in Ms. Alan’s kindergarten class. We were fortunate enough to remain friends through high school and even went on to UGA together. In college we only grew closer and now we are living with our hubbys just one town apart (for the rest of the summer anyway).

Katie just got married in March. It was the quintessential southern wedding; hydrangeas, pearls, monograms and mayhaw jelly to boot!  I was a very proud matron of honor and enjoyed EVERY SINGLE SECOND. I almost think I enjoyed Katie’s wedding more than my own because I was so much less stressed!

One of the best parts was gathering together with all of our friends. It was so amazing to have all of our closest pals from college in our hometown. Here I am with Katie, Kathryn and Faren at Katie's bridesmaid's luncheon. We are so lucky!

The wedding was photographed by Bainbridge’s own Anna Kinchen. Y’all, this woman is one amazing photographer. I have already brainstormed how I will get her to photograph my future children even if we are in Louisiana. Is this not the most stunning picture?

I can say for sure that Katie will be one of the people I miss the most when we move. She has literally never been more than a 10 minute drive away. You just don’t come across friendships like that very often. Through college we started taking pictures together and would always laugh and say, “wedding slideshow!” I guess we never thought about the fact that a wedding slideshow didn’t need 50 or 60 photos of the two of us. Heck, I didn’t even have a wedding slideshow. But now I have a blog… even better!

A Valdosta Weekend in Pictures

I wasn’t really planning to use the blog to write about mundane details of our life before we move but I’ve just gotta do a little weekend recap because it was my favorite sort of weekend. Don’t get me wrong, I love traveling to visit friends and family but for me, there is nothing like just staying in town and piddlin. Since we are moving, I thought it would be nice to look back on how we spent our free time in Valdosta.

The weekend really started Thursday. I got my biannual haircut (I know that’s ridiculous) and Andrew took me to El Cazador and out for a Dairy Queen. This is the new do… I got bangs. I like them but they are a pain to fix.

Friday afternoon I did a little spray paint project with some candle sticks we got for a wedding gift that I have never really liked. I'm not a very crafty person but I love a good can of spray paint! I think the yellow improved them immensely. But they are still not my favorite thing on earth.

Friday night we went on a double date with our friends Matt and Leigh Anna. We ate at a place called Mongo where you select your own meat, veggies, sauce, etc and they grill it up and bring it to your table. It was on my Valdosta restaurant bucket list and I’m so glad it was! It was amazing. See my personal Mongolian creation here:

After dinner, Leigh Anna said she needed to pick up a few things from T.J. Maxx. Did someone say T.J. Maxx? Our considerate fellas stuck it out while Leigh Anna and I perused. Mine stood his ground and I did NOT leave with the precious $12 sandals I tried on. Dern. Better luck next time!

One of the best parts of the weekend came Saturday morning. It was my favorite type of Saturday morning; sitting in my chair drinking coffee and spending time with God. There is really nothing like it. I will miss the view from my chair in Valdosta. This spot means so much to me. It might sound trivial but I am praying that I will have a good “spot” in NOLA.

Saturday night we went over to my dad and Nancy’s for ribs and oh-Sweet-Lord, were they good.

After dinner we went to the Hilton back porch to listen to the D Hicks Trio. The lead singer, Danielle Hicks, was awesome! Such a special treat right there in Tifton, GA.  Afterwards we went back to their house and ate homemade blueberry cobbler (one of Nancy’s many specialties) and headed back home.

Sunday we went to church, Sunday School, Barberitos, Winn Dixie, and then my favorite, THE POOL! We are so fortunate in Valdosta to have an amazing YMCA with an incredible pool. We have been talking about going ever since it got hot and were finally able to make it Sunday afternoon. We chose a spot by the baby pool because there was shade and it’s really pretty. We couldn’t get in because we didn’t have a baby, but that’s ok! We both read and napped. I couldn’t stop thinking about how grateful I was to be able to have a few hours of sheer relaxation; it was good for my soul.

So there it is. My absolute favorite kind of weekend. Thank you for indulging me! I can’t promise it will get much more exciting than this :)