Practically Perfect

This weekend was a combination of romance, fun in the sun, worship and workouts! That, my friends, is what I call an almost PERFECT weekend.

Saturday morning we ventured out on a zoo date! The weather couldn't have been better - warm in the sun, cool in the shade. Love love love.

Then we ended the night with dinner for two; date night!! We've learned how essential it is to take time out for each other. Especially after two kiddies!!! We decided to try a new place - The Silver Dollar - and I'd say it was a success. Miniature beverages & fried pickles. Score!

Sunday we enjoyed a great worshiping service and then spent the day as usual - housework & yard work. Except I did take a trip down to Target with the munchkins, and came back with this fun little guy...

...no, that's not what I went in for originally. Isn't that how Target works? Although, I did still get the things I needed. So it was a win/win! :)

There's really nothing better than a good balance of family, friends, and devotionals to He who makes it all happen!!! I love ending the weekend with that moment of silence, praising Him and giving Him gratitude for those special moments. He is SO GOOD!!!! 

Happy Monday! <---- it's possible.

Weekend Shenanis

Not a lot of documentation, but a pretty fulfilled weekend!

Family came in town on Friday and Saturday, and we did the norm; ate a LOT of food and played games. My kind of night. The only photo I seemed to gather at the time was that of our on-going game of "Hedbanz".

And if I must share, I had an extreme "Megan-moment" where I announced I was not good at geometry when discovering I was a country. Yes, that happened.

Moving on...

Sunday was also eventful. Our precious girl had a school recital and she sang in church with her classmates. This was her second for the year, and the first one didn't go so smoothly... as I mentioned here.

But not this time! She was up there singing, and did a curtsey after every applause. ;)

Not crazy shenanigans, but meaningful ones at that.

Family, friends, and food... What more can you ask for?

We are down to just 3 more weeks until our baby boy should arrive... I.CAN.NOT.WAIT.

Love & New Life

Well, we have just wrapped up quite an eventful weekend! Without going into elaborate details, here are some highlights. 

One of my favorite people in the world [also known as my aunt] threw me a beautiful baby shower on Saturday. I was able to capture a couple of my most favorite details, but they don't do it a bit of justice. Scrambling to enjoy every second, I left the photog to my sister-in-law! Thanks, Em!!! ;) 

With my family and friends gathered around, Audriana and I felt truly blessed.  

 And Sunday, I got baptized.

No words could possibly explain the emotions I endured this entire weekend. I was overwhelmed with love. Thanks to everyone for sharing this weekend with us, and especially for the support and love I received on Sunday.

Simply an amazing weekend.

Weekend Shenanigans

Yes, I'm aware we are approaching afternoon hours here, but this mama had a busy morning! I am usually more prepared with a quick post to keep things flowing, but not today... wutduhyado. This weekend was quite a busy one as well, with less than a few pictures to share. But nonetheless, I'll share what I have!

Friday night, the hubs and I spent the evening with my bestie and her husband. After making a quick grocery run, Jess picked me up at the house and we headed on up to her abode to save us from having two cars later that night; he was driving straight in from work. Although I only have two photos of that evening, I can surely vouch that we ate more than salad. The typical mistake of a blogger I'm almost always guilty of; start a photo stream... and then stop somewhere when the ADD kicks in. If by chance you're curious, we started out with some shrimp cocktail, salads, and a creamy mushroom chicken dish for our entree. Oh yea, and brownies for dessert (complimentary of her husband, Blake). It was a really fun night! Not done often enough. We'll have to schedule another very soon!

Saturday morning, my mother and I scheduled a girls road trip to watch the Providence volleyball team in the semi-state!!! I could not have been more excited; as we know, after sharing a bit of our own high school history the other day. The stands were full, and the team's dads had their Duck Dynasty themed gear on to get the crowd roaring and cheer the girls on into the finals! Yes... THE FINALS!!! The team swept through the semi-state matches and are on their way to the State Championship game this coming weekend!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This is one game I can't believe I am going to miss, as we are leaving out of town for the week. I'm devastated to think we won't be there to see it .... this is the year, the year they will make it, I just know it... and I'm going to miss it. :'(  Serious tears here.

After witnessing the best team in the state, it was time to head back home because that evening my husband and I had dinner reservations. We were celebrating our ONE YEAR anniversary! Although, the actual day wasn't until Sunday, we decided to celebrate it a day earlier. No expensive steakhouse this time around. We decided to make it special by going to one of our secret (not so secret now) spots, that served our absolute favorite... sushi. Mmmmm. And let me tell you, it hit the spot! It does every time, but this time was more special given the occasion. ;) We topped it off with some cuddles and a movie, just the two of us. A perfect night.

Well, that was pretty much the gist of our weekend! Sunday morning we went to church, then relaxed that afternoon until dinner that evening with family. A perfect weekend if I do say so myself.

Summer lovin'

Today I'm happy to share a special weekend moment! A dear friend of mine of about 15 years, got married  and I'm so grateful to have been a part of the celebration. Not to mention, the bridal party (groom's side) was basically a big reunion of guys I've known equally as long as the groom - the best man, I've known since Kindergarten! Needless to say, it was a great day seeing friends, and catching up with everyone. :)

NOW... on to the main event! :)

The location was outdoors, and fortunately the weather was very kind to us - not too hot, not too humid. Here are some of my favorite details; the crafts were too cute not to share.

During the ceremony of course we all ooooh & awwww at sight of the beautiful bride... yet, I still have to capture the moment the groom sees her as well! It's my absolute favorite part.

 

And then...

Isn't that just the best?! He's the sweetest. I love it! :)

I'm so happy for Kyle, and his new bride Natalie. I wish them unending happiness for the rest of their days together!!! Kyle, as did Chris (my husband), gained a daughter in this special unity. She adores Kyle, and you can see how happy they are as a little family. Again, I just can't express enough how happy I am for them.

 CONGRATULATIONS, Kyle, Natalie & Audrey. :)

Well with wedding news on the brain, what a great build up to this coming weekend... 

4 days until My Best Friend's Wedding, eeeeeekkkk!!!!!!!!!!

On your mark, get set...

The time has come!! This weekend marks the craziest, second most anticipated moment of my best friend's wedding shenanigans... The Bachelorette Party! Location?

Let it be known that our dear, sweet, innocent - yes, she actually categorizes in all of the above - bride to be does not partake in such party scenes and this may be somewhat of a chore for her. So it is our duty to help. And that we shall. ;) 

Given the obvious, this post will remain until a follow up post upon my return. 

For now, I'll leave you with a list of the songs I'm sure we'll be jammin' to on the car ride down. Gotta keep it in the theme of the weekend... so here we go! 

 

(a pure classic)

Have a safe weekend, ya'll!! <--- that was weird coming from me, but what the heck...

:: weekend picture book :: Oaks & Derby

WHEW!! We survived the weekend... barely. It's day 2 of recovery, and I'm still struggling. Just so we're clear, the aches and pains are not a result of enduring too many adult beverages, but from the terrible choice in shoes for 3 days in a row - aka, my back and feet hate me. On a lighter note, and as promised, I'm thrilled to share some highlights of our weekend shenanigans - themed alongside Sami's Weekend Shenanigans.

Let's begin with Day 1:

Arriving at the hotel, the ladies are greeted with a beautiful red rose. 

To understand the significance in "the rose", check it out here.

The first event we were scheduled to attend was Ferdinand's Ball. Dressed up, and ready to go, we snapped a quick pic while waiting in the lobby.

The rest of the evening was full of entertainment! We're talking great food, friends, drinks, music and photo booths! Put all those together, and you're bound for a good time.

Moving on to Day 2:

Out of the three days, this was the longest. We would be spending the first half of the day at the track for Oaks, then that evening we'd attend the Unbridled Eve Gala. Just reliving that whole day exhausts me all over again! However, it was quite the experience; can't complain. 

It began (as did day 1) with a beautiful flower; a lily. 

For more on the Pink Out attire, visit here.

 Once arriving at the track, we made our way to our seats... 

... a perfect view, right alongside the finish line.

With no luck on our side, we left the track empty handed... and onto the Unbridled Eve Gala.

A photo description of this event does not do it justice. It was spectacular. We enjoyed a delicious meal, followed by an auction, live performances, then a couple snap shots on the red carpet. 

Without going into some serious stalk-mode, I wasn't able to capture many of the celebrities attending the event. Lauren Conrad, from The Hills, sat at a table next to ours; that was neat. Although, it didn't take much time for her to be bombarded with people wanting photos - she left shortly after dinner. The performances that evening included the winner of The Voice, Nicholas David; country legend, Jo Dee Messina; and the one and only Luke Bryan. I was definitely able to catch decent shots from those performances. They were amazing... 

Finally, onto Day 3:

With the weather forecast being 60% rain, and worried I wouldn't get the chance to wear my hat - compliments of my best friend - I tried capturing a photo before we left.

Making our way to the track looked as if it was going to be a miserable time... I mean, really???

BUT, we made the best of it - coats, rain gear, and all!

Again, hats were the big statement of the day, yet they made capturing photos a bit difficult.

Quoting Chris, "...my head's on a saucer." 

My friend and I even made it on national news! 

We were filmed, among others, sporting "fashionable rain gear". It was hilarious. If they would have asked the infamous question, "What/Who are you wearing?"... I'd have responded with, "Coleman's rain gear, from Target." Ha! So fashionable.

So despite the rain, and a losing horse, we had a great Derby 2013 weekend!! Exhausted, possibly sick [lost my voice] and band aids on my heels - like I said, my feet hate me - I'm enjoying this day in my pajamas, with my daughter, relaxing!!! Next year will be here before we know it, and I'm pretty sure I'll still be gathering up all my energy... whew.