JennyB B-day!

My deary, JennyB, had a Birthday this week & we all know there is no better way to celebrate than to have an all out girls night. A mixture of Mexican food, the greatest little coffee/dessert place in town & a dance party made for a crazy fun night!! I love all these girls & I'm so glad we got to celebrate together! Happy Birthday J, love you!

The Birthday Girl!

The late night party girls! Yeah, we were out until 3:30!

The delicious 22 oz latte espresso we had at midnight!

K & C

All the girls (with the exception of C). Our photographer was also the waiter.

HHH brought precious Parker for us to love on. He's seriously beautiful!! The other HHH got him to smile (or gas)! And, yes, our group has 2 HHH girls.

MO in May

Oh the adventures of life on the road! Last week we had the opportunity to go to St. Claire, MO where Cody spoke at a baccalaureate service in celebration of the 2009 senior class. I've been to St. Louis twice but time has never permitted for a trip to the arch so this time, I was dying to go. I couldn't come this close, again, & not visit the major landmark. Our new friends took the time to show us around & when Cody asked "do you wanna go up?" I thought...you only live once! So, up we went! We had a great time building new relationships, ministering to the students & enjoying a beautiful time in St. Louis! 

Gorgeous day in St. Louis

The little entrance for our ride up

Our tight transportation. Good thing none of us were claustrophobic!

630 ft!

Cody observing.

Busch stadium. I hear it's a famous place! 

Our new buds...Jason & Erin! 

**thanks for your hospitality!**

Viva la Vida!!

Coldplay is our favorite! They are the soundtrack of all our roadtrips. When they came to ATL in the fall, we were so disappointed that we couldn't go so we were pumped to hear they were doing another show. My parents bought us tickets for Cody's birthday (apparently he isn't "celebrated" enough because he always seems to be doing a students camp on his special day). We lucked out with seats under the shelter at the amphitheater which was wonderful considering the fact it rained during the entire show. The rain didn't hinder a thing though & the show was amazing. In my opinion, Coldplay goes down as the most passionate, energetic, artistically genius group! Viva la Vida! 

Happy with the results

Yes, I'm happy with the results & I will hesitantly admit that I did vote this year. What drove me to text in my votes? Well, I just couldn't take the judges crazy bias towards Adam (who I do feel is extremely talented) & I could totally see myself buying an album featuring the musical stylings of Kris while rock, on the other hand, isn't really my thing. I have absolutely no idea what we are going to do on Tues & Wed nights now that our favorite addiction will be unavailable for the next 8 months! 

Boo Graduation

As I've told you many times before, Cody & I have a few "borrowed" children. Any time they reach a milestone in their lives or have a "can't miss" event, we are there! Last night was one such event. Our Addie Boo graduated! Thank goodness it was only a preschool graduation (I must say I kinda freaked when I saw the bottom of the program which stated "congratulations class of 2022". 2022!!!!)! Kindergarten, here she comes & don't say you were not forewarned! We make every attempt to turn any event into a celebration & tonight was no different. It went a little something like this...

Boo walks the stage in the most darling little cap & gown to receive her diploma.

We pose a little "A-town down" or "A" for Addie.

After a pizza dinner at the best spot in town, we celebrated with cake &, as you can see, some of us celebrated a little more than others. Cody decided Pete "deserved" the leftovers! This led to both his children shedding tears & Hope "breaking up" with Cody. Way to go, Mr. Deese!

In an all out form of revenge, Craig (the accidental recipient of the food fight) left a little "gift" on our windshield....all thanks to the Hixson family dog, Buster. Apparently Craig thought Cody deserved a little "leftover" of his own! ;) 

Good times! Anyways, I can't believe our Boo is going to big school! It seriously seems like yesterday that I rocked her to sleep while we kept her so P & H could go out. She's even cuter now & we didn't think it was possible! Congrats, baby girl. Now, can you slow down the growing process? 2022 is freaking me out.

Becoming Mr. & Mrs.

After months of planning (a lifetime on Jenna's part), they tied the knot! It was a happy day! Let's put it this way... a combination of the world famous Carolina Hotel, the Craig Woolard Band, 400 guests & one happy couple makes for a night to remember, forever! 

*Jenna & Bobby, all our love & best wishes! We know God brought you together & we can't wait to see how He will use you in the years to come! Jenna, the day was, without question, perfect! 

The Happy Couple

The dance floor was never lacking! So fun! 

One of my favorites...Mom & daughter bidding farewell.

Jones & Us

Cousins/Partners in crime

Us with M & K

The dress! It was absolutely stunning. It looked like it was made just for her!

The Perfect Southern Bridal Brunch

Spending the week in NC was hectic. The best kind of hectic. I got to hang with 3 of my favorite girls as we put all the finishing touches on a perfect wedding! All the festivities were simply the best & it was great to celebrate this special occasion with all my favorite people. Friday all the bridesmaids, aunts, grandmothers, mothers, & closest gal pals came together for the perfect Bridal brunch hosted by the Williams girls. It was lovely & the food was delicious (we knew it would be)! And no brunch would be perfectly Southern without an amazing glass of sweet tea; unlimited refills, of course. The afternoon was made complete with a dish of Jan's homemade blueberry, peach & strawberry icecream. Could there be a better way to launch into a wedding weekend?!? I think not! Love, love, love it. 

Aunt "Syb", Jenna (the Bride) & Kenzie

Me with Kenz, the Bride, Laura & Katie

The happiest!

Precious. 

Some of the ladies chatting on the deck

Bridesmaids table

4th grade

Tonight I helped my cousin, Kenzie, grade papers for her 4th grade class. Their assignment was to write journal entries about the 3 regions of NC as if they had taken a field trip to each spot. Talk about free entertainment! One child wrote the following & I was cracking up..."Pee you! The Coastal Plain looked like garbage on a stick when I saw the Piedmont Region!" Garbage on a stick?!? Really?!? 

Oh, the memories! It must be said that I hated 4th grade. The worst year of all my schooling. Hated it. I had a teacher that I shall never forget & for more reasons than I could express (she will remain nameless). Here's the deal, the main deal, she never once gave me the "Terrific Kid" award. She did, however, send me to the office to pick them up for her on one occasion & all the way to the office & back all I could think was "this is my month, I know she's going to give it to me". Well, she didn't & I've never gotten over it. I know what your thinking..."you must not have been too "terrific"". Well, the verdict is still out of that one. I know, I know, that was many moons ago & it's probably time to move on. This is SO Dr. Phil. I remember one assignment in her class where I was writing about the "hail" storm but referred to it as the "hell" storm. Preacher's kid...trust! :) Do you remember 4th grade?

so behind...

I'm so behind. My blog has been so neglected! Last Saturday, our community group & a few others from VL went to SafeHouse Outreach in Atlanta to participate in "Sandwich & Sock". It was such an awesome experience to serve 80-100 people who call the street their home. In addition to the sandwiches & socks, our group also gave shirts & underwear. We never knew the underwear would be such a huge hit & we look forward to providing more in the future. A few people in our group provided a foot massage station where they cleaned & massaged lotions into the feet (their only mode of transportation) of our new friends. We were so blessed to serve with SafeHouse & with our group! Thanks to all who served with us, we love each of you! Let's do it again soon!