I caught the bouquet

We spent the weekend in the booming town of Zanesville, Ohio.

Friday was filled with driving, tux pick-ups, hanging out and getting ready for the rehearsal. We got to the rehearsal and I was given the verse I was supposed to read. I thought it would be a few verses but it ended up being ALL of I Corinthians....panic began to set in :)
After the rehearsal we headed over to the country club for the FABULOUS dinner and after party. Judy (Phil's mom) out did herself and hosted a great dinner party. We all ate until our belly's were full, laughed/cried as people shared stories and advice for Phil & Deania, and drank and danced until our hearts were content.
Some cute old men were trying to teach me some "old school" dances. It was SO FUN! They told me to stare into their eyes and feel it in my hips. They even put flour on the dance floor so our shoes would slid around more. haha Mike better watch out for those old men :)

Grooms cake- SO GOOD!

At the country club

Saturday, all the guys had a tee time at 7am so Mike left the hotel at 6:30am..yikes! Needless to say, I stayed in bed for a while. I hung out with Erin and the Withrows, read, ran and then relaxed for the rest of the day.
The wedding was beautiful and filled with lots of tradition. I have never seen Phil & Deania so happy and it was so sweet to see him shed some tears. (I didn't trip or mess up my reading so that was a plus.) Of course Mike looked very handsome in his tux and did a great job escorting Courtney.
The reception was a big ol' party! Everyone (including Mike) danced the night away until we were kicked out by the DJ. I took a million pictures as usual but will only share a few.

Yes, I caught the bouquet (sort of). Deania tried to throw it to me and I ran away. But it hit me in the butt so they made me take it. Mike caught the garter (sort of). I don't think he wanted to touch it because it was an NC State one, or maybe he just didn't really know what he was supposed to do!! But he has it now and I'm not sure if he will burn it or not.

We woke up this morning and headed back to Charlotte.
It was a long trip but worth every minute.

The yummy cake

The Russo's

We love Jay & Erin

The bouquet Deania tossed

Last Supper (with Nooners)

Last night we had a surprise "Last Supper" for Amy. Her hubby, Ross, has taken a position with the Air Force as a Public Health Officer and they are moving to Fayetteville in June. I can't believe they are really moving away...it doesn't seem real yet.
Amy and I met a few months after I moved to Charlotte and she has been such a blessing in my life. Ross is a vet and he is always so great at answering my "should I take O'Malley to the vet" questions.

We all had a great time eating dinner, drinking wine and reminiscing. As the night came to an end, we took some group photos and prayed over Amy. It was such a special time to lay our hands on Amy and pray over her move, business and next chapter in Fayetteville.

We will miss you Nooners! Bible Study Girls

Praying for Amy

Memorial Weekend Fun

Mike and I decided to spend Memorial weekend in Wilmington, NC with the Tuttle's.
We hung out with the Tuttle's on Friday, cooked dinner and went for a walk on the beach to watch the sunset. While walking on the beach, we ran into Amanda Smith!!! I have not seen that girls since high school graduation. We tried to catch up on the past 9 years quickly and soon realized that Amanda is still as crazy and funny as ever. I am still in shock that we ran into her and I can't wait to see her again at our 10 year high school reunion :)


Saturday, we woke up early and headed to the tennis courts. We played some doubles then headed back to the house to get ready for the boat. Some friends of the Tuttle's took us on their boat and we had a blast! After a great time on the boat, we headed to the pool to spend the rest of the afternoon. Man I love the sun.
Tara and Nathan took us to see the house they just bought in Leland (LA baby). It is so cute and I'm so happy for them. We got the grand tour before heading downtown to meet Kyle and Lauren (BFF) for dinner. We ate at The Pilot House and it was so good. I was a bit nervous as to what Kyle might do to Mike since they have never met...but Kyle proved to be a gentlemen and not follow in Adam's footsteps. :) The 6 of us had a great time catching up and enjoying the views of the water.


We decided to head home Sunday afternoon after church and lunch with the Tuttle's. We had a great time in Wilmington and are already planning our next trip.

Wilmington

Mike and I are off to Wilmington for the long weekend!
We are ready for some good quality time with the Tuttle's and to relax on the beach!!!

Once we are back to reality, I'm sure there will be lots of pictures and fun stories to share.
Happy Memorial Weekend :)

Life Lessons from Dad

There are many things that good ol' Spike Gibbs taught his girls, but there's one that really sticks out.
*Don't miss out on a good deal*
You can blame my dad for my obsession with coupons, sales and rain checks. Harris Teeter was running a VIC Special on Kraft Cheese- buy 2, get 3 free. I went twice this week and bought 10 packs of cheese. They don't expire for a while so we're good.

I also got 2 rain checks (I made Mike get one) tonight for some turkey they had on sale. We got rain checks for 8 buy one get one free turkey meat. Another great deal I'm so excited to cash in on.
Yes, I am admitting to the world (or maybe just the 6 people that read my blog) that I'm a weirdo!!!
Love you dad- hope you stocked up on cheese this week :)

Wedding Season begins...

One of Mike's friends since high school got married last night in Charlotte and we headed to join in the fun (or maybe just to people watch). Since it's Sunday, I should probably be nice and not say anything negative in this post.
The wedding was "different" and nothing like I have ever experienced. We survived-had a lot of laughs, good entertainment, friends, food and some adult beverages to round out the night.

As always, we had a great time with Phil and Deania. I love that Phil & Mike have been friends since high school. I get to hear all the "Mike stories" from Phil that might otherwise not be shared!! We are heading to Ohio in 2 weeks to be apart of their wedding festivities (Mike's a groomsmen & I'm a reader). Their wedding will be so much fun and I can't wait to "experience" Zainesville (and see the BRINER family).
So this means the wedding season has officially begun. We have a few more weddings throughout the summer and then will end the season with Kel Kel & Robby's grand event!

I think Mike's a little uncomfortable :)

Deania, Phil, Mike & MeTypical Phil!Mike's Friends from high school & college

Family Time

Terry & Ellen Bruce have been camping out at my house for a while. After 3 months of rat drama (or maybe TRAUMA), they decided enough was enough. Salem was the 1st family member to begin staying with me. O'Malley LOVES having Salem here and they have provided more entertainment then I could have imagined.
Terry & Ellen decided Salem was having too much fun with me, so they decided to move in too!
I think they were a little nervous at first and I don't blame them. They know I love my routine, I'm a control freak, I get bent out of shape when something changes, and the list could go on.
I LOVE HAVING THEM AS ROOMIES! Seriously, I really love it. Terry sings and dances for me in the mornings, Ellen talks to me while I'm getting ready, Ellen's sweet mama makes me yummy food, we eat dinner together, chat at night about our days and they even provide free relationship therapy/advice.
The even better part is they are moving next door to me until September! Yes, they are renting my neighbors townhouse until their house is built. So I will have Kel Kel & Robby on one side and Terry & Ellen on the other. Life doesn't get much better than that! Seriously, I am so excited for this time we have together. Who can you say they have their "family" living on both sides of their house...ME!!!

The Bruce's

Salem & O'Malley sleeping in the living room

Patio Party

The Flemings worked long and hard to build a new patio and cornhole pits. They decided the best way to christen the patio was to have a PARTY! We all headed to the Flemings on Friday night for some great times. An added bonus to the night were some of the App Family was in town...we got to hang out with Lynn, Michael, Brittney and Jacob. Hurray!!!
After Lynn & Michael arrived, I spent most of my time trying to convince them to move to Charlotte and buy a townhouse next door to me. I am keeping my fingers crossed :)

Man I have great friends. We had such a fun night hanging out at the Flemings! Thanks for always being such great hosts.

Some of the girls

Andy & Mike playing in the new Cornhole pits
The Williamsburg Family minus Kelly. Please notice Robby holding his beer like a baby and trying to hurt the preggo with his shoulder!
Andy & Whit :)
Kat and Kess showing some love
Bible Study boys
Katie Jo, Lynn and Brittney

Perfect People

I heard this song the other day and it really hit home. I spend too much time and energy trying to do the "right" things, be the "right" person and it never gets me anywhere. I was reminded again today that I am flawed and imperfect.
Maybe tomorrow I will let grace be enough...

Perfect People by Natalie Grant
Never let 'em see you when you're breaking
Never let 'em see you when you fall
That's how we live and that's how we try
Tell the world you've got it all together
Never let them see what's underneath
Cover it up with a crooked smile
But it only lasts for a little while

There's no such thing as perfect people
There's no such thing as a perfect life
So come as you are, broken and scared
Lift up your heart and be amazed
And be changed by a perfect God

Suddenly it's like a weight is lifted
When you hear the words that you are loved
He knows where you are and where you've been
And you never have to go there again

Who lived and died to give new life
To heal our imperfections
So look up and see out let grace be enough

By a perfect God

Be changed by a perfect God
Be changed

BethAnn

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY to my MAMA!

Oh mama, the stuff you have had to put up with through the years (mostly from me I know). Thank you for loving us unconditionally and never giving me away :)
Have a Happy Mother's Day!

We love you Buttons!!!!

Anniversary Trip

Mike planned a great weekend away to celebrate our 1st anniversary. There were some great guesses, but unfortunately no one got it exactly right.
DESTINATION-St. Simons Island, GA...and it was PERFECT!
Lora- your guess was the closest distance to St. Simons so you get a prize. Apparently St. Simons is too good for a "Wings" so I couldn't get you the prize I wanted. You still got a good prize...well you would have probably thought it was cool when you were in 3rd grade but oh well.

We left early Friday morning and headed straight for the beach when we arrived. We laid out, got in the ocean and then headed to check into the condo. We threw our stuff into the condo, grabbed our books & beer and headed to the pool. We spent the rest of the afternoon at the pool before heading to dinner.
Saturday morning we woke up super early to watch the sunrise. We walked to the beach at 6am, watched the gorgeous sunrise, walked around town taking pictures, drove to Jekyll Island to show Mike where Kel & Robby are getting married, played tennis and finally settled at the pool for the day. (yes, we had a very full morning)
After a great day of relaxing, we went to town to do a little shopping and walk around some more. I actually ran into a guy I work with- too crazy! After buying a few things (including Lora's prize), we headed back to the condo to get ready for dinner. We stopped at the beach to watch the sunset then headed to a GREAT place for dinner. I was pooped after dinner (yes, it was 10pm) so we headed back home, packed and went to bed.

We headed back to reality on Sunday and I was not looking forward to it.
The trip was perfect and I couldn't have asked for a better way to spend our 1st anniversary together! Man, I do have one sweet boo :)
Here's just some of the proof that we had a great trip!

Before Dinner on Friday night

6am on the beach before the sunrise

Here is comes..

a little more..

Beautiful

Proof we saw it

On the beach Saturday night for the sunset

Excited about the necklace Mike got me!