I had no idea how much fun this past weekend was going to be. It was Wesley's older sister's wedding and we actually started off the weekend on Thursday. {It hardly feels like it's been just about a week since then!}

Wesley was off to Starkville on Thursday afternoon for the "White Out" against LSU. After watching some of the very boring game and hearing that they got back at 1:30 a.m., I was so glad I decided not to go at the last minute. Instead, I didn't even finish watching the game and fell asleep early, but was up and ready to go at 7 a.m. Friday morning to make it for the start of the wedding festivities.

There was the bridal luncheon, rehearsal, and rehearsal dinner all on Friday. The wedding was at 11 a.m. on Saturday morning. I wasn't sure exactly how an early morning wedding was going to be, especially when the bridesmaids were expected there at 8:15 for pictures. Doesn't sound fun does it? Strangely enough, there is something fun about jumping in the car in your pj's with a large, strong coffee and no make-up and piling in the girls bathroom at the church to gossip and get ready. It was like living in the sorority house getting ready for a football game all over again - except we have husbands, and one who brought homemade chicken and cheese biscuits!

There is also something great about not having to wait out the whole day for the wedding to finally arrive. And having the rest of the day to relax and nowhere to be...

Wesley's sisters

I loved that the bridesmaids' bouquets were monogrammed. It's a shame they only last a few hours and now I don't know what to do with mine, but there's got to be something... I need to brainstorm.

 

Getting married when most of your friends have kids, results in a "children's corner" at the reception!

There were a total of four children under three years old in the wedding ceremony who walked down the aisle to "Jesus Loves the Little Children".  They are adorable, but I got a dose of how wild three-year-old boys are. It was funny watching the Dads try to contain them while the bridal party was taking pictures.

I loved all the real fruit and artichokes in the flower arrangements. The color scheme for everything really introduced the new season.

  Congrats to the new Mr. & Mrs. Green!

Short trip to Oxford

The weather was just perfect for a stroll around the square as we made it to Oxford on Saturday. We finally found a parking spot and walked everywhere from Oxford Floral to get some McCarty, to the Lily Pad and Therapy. It was rush week with Bid Day being the following day {we quickly discovered} and these shops were packed with sorority gifts high and low and college freshmen girls' moms trying to decide what to get their daughters.
Thomas wanted nothing to do with those shops, so we got that out of our system and went to go pick him up for lunch {and deliver his Birthday-Halloween-cupcakes!}

We saw this little booger too!

It was a shame we couldn't bring him along to lunch.

We didn't go to Roosters, though the music and the wings with the sign next to it made us want to join them! But we chose Ajax next door. It was delicious by the way.


Best potatoes ever, artichoke and cheese casserole, squash casserole and butter beans. Thank goodness the birthday boy needed a good home cooked meal!

Then there was a request to head to Kunnicans where he picked out some birthday gifts and I found some Toms.

Toms are another shoe I have a hard time deciding if they are me or not. I also tried on black glitter Keds at Therapy... they are also interesting... I'm wondering if I should just leave those options for the college students. Lukily we were catching the game everywhere we went. Even Kunnicans had a sitting area with the last of the 4th quarter on.

The day went by too fast and before we knew it, it was time for goodbyes and a coffee for the night drive home. Happy Birthday Brother! Hope your golden birthday was golden!

23 on the 23rd

Happy birthday to my brother. He is turning 23 tomorrow and my mom and I are heading to Oxford to see him and celebrate. Can't wait!

30 years of bliss

Happy 30th anniversary to the love birds. My mom said that they talked about marriage only a short time into their relationship but my dad said that "they should date through all the seasons"! Here's to their marriage and to Wesley and I following in their footsteps...

july eleventh

Happy Birthday to my mom!Hope the flowers added to your special day!

the pursuit of happiness

Sometimes I take for granted how lucky we are to be Americans and that "all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness." It's easy to forget those words, but we are seriously lucky and I don't ever want to forget that! We celebrated Independence Day by doing some fishing...

relaxing on the dock...
boat rides...

and watching fireworks of course.

We had a fun and relaxing 4th of July holiday weekend and hope you did too. Happy Independence Day!

Roadtrip

First stop was lunch in Wesley's hometown to visit with his parents and younger sister.After a few errands and a wedding cake shaved ice {the best I've ever had anywhere}, we were headed to Nashville following Wesley's mom's napkin directions that she assured us were better than any directions we could find via mapquest.com!

We made it there in perfect time for a cookout in honor of our good friend Ginger's birthday and visited with all our friends that call Nashville home these days.
A rain storm came through our last night in Nashville, but the day was filled with sunshine, lunch at Brick Tops and dessert at The Cheesecake Factory. Luckily the rain slacked off just as we were seated for dinner out on the front porch of PM.We got up very early the next morning, met up with our caravan crew and hit the road again.Entering North CarolinaOur fabulous cabin blew us all away.

The view was awesome and the cabin's interior was way better than any of us expected.These amazing paintings were right next to the Old Hampton Store in Linville, NC.I want it all, but I reeeallly want this mirror!
More traveling. From Blowing Rock to Boone and back.
Instead of handing out numbers for the food at
Black Cat Burrito they hand out toys.
We loved downtown Boone. So many cool stores and sales to rummage through. But we had to head back to our fab cabin and clean up a bit!
And board the "party bus" {the only transportation to hold the 20 of us} and make it in time for a wedding in Crossnore, NC.
And then back on the bus en route to Blowing Rock to celebrate the marriage!
On the way home the morning after
MAY became MAL we stopped through Knoxville, TN
And strolled through the campus of Tennessee.
We might be stopping back through in the fall since Ole Miss is playing TN away.

And we had to stop in Birmingham for a second round of The Cheesecake Factory. I cannot pass up any opportunity for their food - the avocado egg rolls and the banana cream cheesecake are my favorite.