Five on Friday

(one)

Starting at 4 o'clock today, I am officially on FALL BREAK until the 25th of October!!!! I am

so excited!!!! My plans include relaxing, stuffing wedding invitations, relaxing, lunch with the girls, relaxing, maybe a movie, relaxing, hanging with family and friends, relaxing, packing for the move, relaxing, a couple of bridal showers for my sister....oh and RELAXING!!!!

(two)

I miss the beach!! I had the most amazing ten days in Destin this summer with two great groups of friends and I am dying to go back!!! I went for four days on a bachelorette party for my best, Natalee. We had the best time celebrating her upcoming nuptials and it really gave all of us a time to bond even more than we already had!!! Can we please go back, girls?!?!?

(Christine, Allyson, me, Natalee, Kelly, Stevi, Ashlynn, and Kelly at Crab Island)

(three)

I am so blessed to have so many amazing friends!!! My mom often teases me that I call so many people my "best friends" but I truly believe that I have been blessed beyond measure!!!

Moreover, for all that know me, you all know how incredibly special my Nick is to me! We have the most unique friendship I have ever experienced and I pray that I am always blessed with the gift of his friendship! He knows how to make me laugh, he knows how to listen when I cry, he is outgoing, fun, forgiving, loving, sensitive, thoughtful and every other nice word you will find in the dictionary under "friend". But, still, he is more than that. He is stubborn, not a planner (polar opposite of me), he pushes my buttons, he does not back down

, he stands up for what he believes in, he cherishes his family and friends, he fights when he is angry but admits when he is wrong. He is MY best friend. And, today and everyday, I am thankful for the gift of his friendship!

(four)

Speaking of amazing friends, there are a group of us planning a big trip to the mountains in December!!!! I am so excited!!! Just to relax and enjoy the time together will be amazing! My friend suggested we zip line while we were there! I quickly reminded her that we would be in Gatlinburg in December in fake snow!!! No thanks! I will stay snuggled by the fire with a cup of hot cocoa and a good book!!!

(five)

We play Alabama this weekend and I am sure they are going to take all of their anger from losing to South Carolina and apply it on us!! I will still watch because I LOVE MY REBELS!!!!!

Have a great weekend!!!!

Adair- The Strongest Friend I have!

This is one of my very best friends, Adair!!! She is an absolutely amazing woman and I am so proud to call her my friend. Adair is 36 weeks pregnant with TWINS!!!! Hallelujah! She has been through so much through this pregnancy and she never lost her smile!!! After almost 2 months in the hospital battling contractions, she is finally home and awaiting the arrival of her precious babies! God is so Good!! I can't wait to meet Jack and Lucy, sweet friend. I love you all so much!!!

Missing my Boothe and his mama, of course!!

I have talked about him before but I am really missing my sweet Boothe and Laura Beth right now and I won't get to see them until Christmas!!!! Laura Beth, his mother, is my cousin but more importantly, she is one of my closest, dearest, bestest friends!! She got married in May to a wonderful man who is in the Navy and they moved to Hawaii in July!!! Needless to say, weekend trips are out of the question but I can't wait to go and see them in March!!!

This kid is AMAZING!!! Aside from being absolutely adorable, he is a charmer and a comedian, mischevious and all boy, loves to cuddle, and he brings joy to everyone's life he meets!!! I promise he would charm your socks off!!! I have added a few photos just to let you see a glimpse of his precious personality!!!

This is Boothe at the rehearsal dinner during speeches! They thought ahead and knew Boothe would want some of what the adults were drinking, (champagne- even though he has no idea what it is!) and they had sparkling cider for the kiddos! After every speech, he thought he was such a big guy because he could toast like us! His faces were priceless!!!

Hilarious!!!

Instead of eating with a fork, Boothe wanted to stick his face in his dessert! Here is an after shot and a before shot!!! He was in a precious little suit and was told not to do it!!! You can see...he couldn't resist!!!

Look at those eyes!!!

Boothe and Scott!! How can you not love that?!?!?

He was all tuckered out from the festivities and Kiki couldn't resist the loving and cuddling!!!! I love him so.....

A sweet, precious family of 3!!!

Although they are far away from me right now, I love this happy family so very much! I wish I could visit them right now but I will be there in MARCH to celebrate LB's 30th Birthday (a little late) and I CAN'T WAIT!!!!!

Brooke's Engagement Party

So... my baby sister, Brooke, is getting married in two months and I have been a slacker in journaling our fun in planning her wedding! So, I am a little behind ....

A little background... Brooke and Ben have been dating for 9 years!! Their ten year anniversary is in November, right before their wedding!!! They dated all through high school and college. When Brooke graduated from college, Ben was living in Atlanta so she found a job there and got an apartment in Buckhead. After six months in the ATL, Ben was signed by an agency in Los Angeles and it was an opportunity that he could not resist. So, they decided Brooke would transfer with her company and move back home temporarily so that Ben could get settled in and she could search for a new job out west! Well, God had a different plan. Brooke was miserable with her company in Memphis and after a few months, she quit. But, God had a plan. He quickly opened a new door for her at a great company that would eventually lead to great things! She accepted a sales position with MCR Safety and her territory...the WEST COAST. They wanted her to train for a year and a half and then move to California to be closer to her clients. How convenient!!!! So, in January 2010, Brooke made the big move out west! Then, on Easter morning while camping in Malibu, Ben popped the question and they are going to be married in Memphis on December 11, 2010. What an amazing journey!!!

Brooke and Ben's Fiesta themed Engagement Party was in late July and it was so much fun!!!

Here are few pictures from that wonderful night!!!

The Beautiful Couple!

The Spread.... Swanky's catered and it was delicious!! Or, so I heard, as a hostess, I didn't get to eat until the next day (leftovers) because I was so busy!!!

Great Friends!!!

More great friends!!!

and more...

The entryway!

Waiting on the surprise... Elliot, a family friend, hired a mariachi band to come a play for a few hours! It was a blast and fit the theme perfectly!!!

Dancing!

So sweet!!

The Mariachi Band

So in love!

more of the spread!

The precious flower girl!

High school friends!

Brooke and one of her bridesmaids, Summer.

Ms. Niki, Brooke, and Ben (Ben's Mom)

Flower girl and Ring Bearer

David, Sarah, Brooke, and Ben

Brooke and Amber, one of her bridesmaids

David, Ben, and Eric

Some of our family and Ben's family!

Mama, Brooke, and Memom- 3 generations! Brooke is wearing the same dress they both wore in their weddings!!

with the band...

Daddy and his baby

Daddy and Brooke singing karaoke!

Ben's dad, Mr. Bob, Daddy, and Ben's grandfather!

The party was a huge success and we had lots of fun and made many memories. I am really looking forward to the upcoming weeks as her showers are beginning and I get the joy of being her maid of honor!!!

"In Waiting"

So... I have been a pretty terrible blogger over the past several months but I am going to try to do better! For the few of you that follow, I'm sorry and I will try harder!

This morning as I was reading all of my favorites, I stumbled across a stranger's blog and it touched me immensely! For the past several years, I have been waiting to see what direction my life was going to lead. Like every girl, I have always dreamed of my life as a wife and a mother and since graduating from Ole Miss, I have watched many of my friend's dreams come true! While I treasured the honor of standing beside 12 friends as they each married the man God had chosen for them, I couldn't help but ponder when my day would come. When would these beautiful ladies get to stand beside me? In fact, I think about it often. Do I know him? Will I meet him soon? Is he even out there? Maybe this is my life?!?!

After reading Amy's blog, I feel refreshed. While some days I might wonder, I am confident that God is ALWAYS working in my life even when I can't hear him or may not realize it. I take for granted how amazing my God is and how quickly he could change my life! I need to focus on His plan and not on my own! I shouldn't worry about the small things like whether I will be married by my high school reunion, or whether my children will go to Ole Miss (ha!) with all of my pregnant friend's children, or any other minimal detail that I worry and wonder over. GOD already has my life planned and He is in control!!! What a refreshing, amazing, and comforting feeling!

While I am sure that I will always wonder what's in store for the next chapter in my life, I will remain hopeful because I know He loves me and He has a beautiful life planned just for me!!