Little Dub

Saturday turned out to be an unexpectedly fun & relaxing day.

I was supposed to be moving, but thankfully the new place wasn't exactly ready, and neither was I. So, I cleaned instead and then Jill (my baby sister-in-law) and Little Dub (my baby nephew) came over and hung out.

He is 5 months & deliciously adorable.

Here he is chilaxin on my couch, just like the lil" dub he is.


If you get to spend your day with that, how can you not enjoy it?

I don't have a picture of my adorable baby sister-in-law, but trust me she is, and I actually enjoy her company as much as I enjoy Little Dub's.

Here are some of the things she does that I appreciate & also that crack me up:

1. Tells Little Dub he is lying when he fusses, or when he stares at a completely blank wall with such intent. "Liar" she mutters.

2. Gives solid and clear advice on all things muddled, like moving, packing & landlords.

3. Encourages match-making-adventures like writing a friend's contact info for facebook on the back of a random business card & putting it on the car of a very attractive, eligible looking young man and sneaking away.

4. Discourages possible consequences of aforementioned matchmaking-adventures by telling me she will drive away and leave me if anyone notices or I get caught. (at least she's forthright).

5. Watches sweet Hallmark movies like "Love is Never Silent" and cries just as much as I do.

I love my baby-sis-in-law. And someday I will put a photo up so you too can see how adorable she actually is.

the wedding

Jessica (the bride - who I will now refer to as "Bridee") was probably one of the most organized brides I have ever seen.

Everything for her big day was planned perfectly.
By the time the rehearsal came around, everything was done...

& Tess, Bridee, I, & Brooke were able to display our "we're prepared for anything from a wedding to a secret ambush" faces...


all that preparation was what helped us to thoroughly enjoy a relaxing day leading up to the celebration.

Relaxing? you may ask.

Yes. I might respond.

And I have proof. I might add.

This is the groom (Demi, who I will now refer to as "Groomie"), taking a one hour nap before we started the wedding photos.


Unfortunately, our attempt to sneak up on Groomie for a surprising & possibly awkard photo, woke Groomie from said nap.

Preparation was the key, and boy was there preparation.

Do you know how much preparation it takes to transform this...


into a more camera-friendly-lady-in-waiting?

a lot.

It's all sort of blurring together now, but I do remember it began with the arrival of our 5 inch heels...



kidding.

These are NOT our 5 inch heels, but wouldn't that have been weird...and oddly fitting if you knew anything about Bridee & Groomie?

When our actual 5 inch heels arrived,


I tried to practice walking in them once every few days.


Then there was the practice styling our hair day,


which was so fun and also so long.



Then there was the make-up which was not as long as I expected, but definitely more fun than expected.

And finally the hair,
which took long enough,
and wouldn't have been possible without Brooke's curling skills...

not that kind of curling, silly Olympic fans...


this kind of curling...



and presto, change-o (which I think is Italian for "SHAZAAM!"),

a tired, but presentable musketeer 3.


and always presentable musketeer 2.



(for photos of musketeer 1, please google "curling").

It really was a neat time to share with my friends. And like I said before, it is such an honor to stand up there with a Bridee & a Groomie, and yell "Woo-hoo you two!"

here's Groomie


& his Bridee


Beginning of story!

7th time around

I recently sat down to calculate how many weddings I have had the honor of participating in as a bridesmaid. Six. And in one week and one day, I will add one more notch to my bridesmaid belt of honor. It really is an honor for me to stand up with two people I know and care about and declare "I am for you!" I also tend to yell "Woo-hoo Marriage!" and "Get a room!", but that isn't usually until the reception, and I try to wait until most of the guests have had time to eat and drink a little alcohol so that my exuberance isn't so shocking.

The little moment I sat down to calculate my previous bridesmaid triumphs, turned into a longer moment as I reflected on the deep, lifelong friendships God has given. Then it turned into an epic moment as I thought about those dear friends (& family) who have yet to take the plunge. Now math is not one of my stronger skills, but I am pretty sure my bridesmaid tally may reach fourteen in the next few years. (Of course assuming that all of my closest friends get married...and assuming we are still close friends...and assuming I am still a great advocate for marriage). 14! Woo-hoo! Get a room!

I love weddings! Have I said this before? I love helping plan showers, and really enjoying & blessing the person we are "showering". One of the coolest things about being involved in wedding #7 has been getting to share the bridesmaid duties with my 2 local girls! Brooke said something to Tess & I one night while we were printing up invitations for a bridal shower, and it really made sense. She said "Sometimes when you are a bridesmaid, it can be difficult to plan and do all that you need and want to do because you are sharing it with a few other people who may live in a different state and who you may not know very well. But in this case, everytime we get together to plan or do something it's like a mini party with our closest friends!" It's true. The fun part of our preparations has been the sharing it with each other.

Here is something we (Jessica, Brooke, Tess & I) share...
A taste for zebra print.



Here is the bride-to-be trying on her zebra print apron at her bridal shower.



Here are Jessica & her 3 musketeers.


Tess, Brooke, Jessica, me.

We decided to do a gift card and recipe shower, which turned out to be fun! Everyone brought a note of encouragement, a favorite recipe, and a gift card for anything from "Date Night" places, to practical everyday needs, to "Pampering" places. I think it is a great way to shower a couple who have everything they need to set up a home.

So my sweet friends Jessica & Demi are getting married next week. They are in my small group from church, which has been meeting for almost a year now. God has really been working amongst us as a community, and we have had the chance to share some really tough struggles during this year. I am better for having walked this road with each of them, and am excited about how God will continue to work in and through us. We thought about combining Jessica & Demi's reception with our small group's one year anniversary, but decided against it. Thankfullly even I know that could be a bit tacky.

Maybe I'll just bring a small one year anniversary cake to the reception and just put it on the small groups table...yeah, that'll be less tacky. Boo, combining unimportant celebrations with important ones! Hooray SECRETLY combining unimportant celebrations with important ones!