Week 25: Making Room

How Far Along? 25 weeks

Total Weight Gain/Loss:.+12 lbs
   

Baby Related Purchases: On Friday I picked up a few more yards of the fabric for Claudia's nursery from Hancock's. Now I just need to send it off to Mom so she can start making everything :-) 

Sleep: I'm still waking up at least once during the night and my heartburn has affected my sleep as well, sadly. Now that we've had hotter weather, it gets warmer in our bedroom, so that's probably affected sleep quality too.
  

Movement: Claudia is a little gymnast! I love feeling her move! During the yard sale, Mary put her phone up to my tummy (while it was playing a song from "Beauty and the Beast") and she danced! Literally. It was so fun :-)  

What I miss:  Feeling comfortable. Its harder for me to get comfortable these days- the pregnancy pillow is worth its weight in gold in this regard. I feel impossibly full after meals (so much so that I've burped more in the past month than I have in my entire life!), my hips ache and now my back has started aching. I can't sit on the floor without having something to lean up against. Its just interesting getting used to all the changes happening with my body! 

  

Cravings: Yesterday was a big day for cravings. I think my hormones decided to go on a roller-coaster ride! I NEEDED brownies- Austin went to Kroger and got the mix (Ghiradelli Double Chocolate Chip- hands down!) after I explained how cravings are a real thing and a chemical demand!

Chinese food has sounded terrible to me pretty much the entire time I've been pregnant, but I really wanted it for dinner last night. With a root beer. Specifically a root beer. Nothing else. It all worked out because dinner was delicious! I'm so thankful that Austin is willing to go get the things I crave! 

Anything making you queasy or sick: I'm particularly sensitive to smells and food textures these days. 

Gender: Girl!!!

Labor Signs: No, and it needs to stay that way!

Symptoms: Stretching, Swollen Feet, Fatigue, Hip and back pain, Heartburn :-( 

Happy or Moody most of the time: This week, I was definitely more moody and emotional. I think it was a combination of a lot of things along with the stress of preparing for the yard sale.

Worries: See my most recent post about fear. 

Best moments this week: It was very encouraging to read people's responses to the post I wrote about my fears. The Lord used so many friends and family to encourage me and to remind me of who He is and that He is faithful, no matter what :-)

On Saturday, we had the long anticipated yard sale to make room for Claudia! Most of the week was spent preparing for that- it was a lot of work! Nothing compared to how wonderful I felt once the clothes had been taken to Goodwill, the extra stuff had been picked up for the Jackson Service League, and we had taken showers! The only thing left to do is put away our tent. We've been waiting for it to dry since it rained all of Saturday afternoon and yesterday.

Mary was such a gem for helping us! She got up extra early to get us breakfast from Chick-fil-A! A few minutes before 7 we had our first customers. We were still bringing some stuff out!

We made signs and placed them on all the major roads surrounding our house, and placed ads on Jackson's Craigslist and YardSale.com. We were really busy most of the morning! It was fun meeting people and bargaining. We practically gave a lot of stuff away, but when I thought about the fact that they were paying us to haul off our extra stuff- it was all worth it! 

Things got interesting around 11 when a storm blew in. It started raining HARD and the wind made the tent come off the ground a few inches more than once. A few brave souls still came out, though, including a precious family from Mexico who are missionaries in West Tennessee! It was such a blessing to talk to them. I even got to speak to them in Spanish :-) 

We had some friends drop by during the rain, which lifted our spirits and helped us to persevere! 

Mary and I were glad when the rain stopped and we started drying out a bit! 

Austin, however, got even more wet when he got some collected water off the tent's roof. Love him!!!

We waited around for another hour and a half, and no one else really came. When it looked like another round of rain was on the way, we decided to call it quits. I'm really glad we did! We put all the clothes in my car to take to Goodwill and put the rest of the stuff in boxes for our friend, Katie, to come pick up for the Jackson Service League. Then we secured the tent, changed into dry clothes and treated ourselves to lunch at Five Guys! 

Our hard work paid off because we made a good chunk of change to put away in savings! I feel like we actually have room in our house for things now! I'm sure as I continue to go through things before Claudia's arrival there will more stuff to be donated, but the big purge is over. And it feels GREAT!!! 

Thoughts on Fear and Me

It has been a emotional past few days for me. I don't know whether to blame it on hormones or just that I'm experiencing this thing called life and just so happen to be 6 months pregnant. I guess it doesn't really matter because my feelings are what they are. Fear is something I've struggled with since before I even knew that Claudia was on her way. Fear that I wouldn't be able to get pregnant at all. Fear that I would see bright red blood during those first delicate weeks of pregnancy. Fear that my little one won't develop correctly. Fear that her heart will just stop beating. Fear that I will fall or do something that could harm her. Fear that I'm not drinking enough water and that my amniotic fluid is too low. Fear that she will be born way too early. Fear that, if she is born too early, that she might not make it. Fear that, if I carry her to full term, something will go wrong during my delivery. Fear that something horrible will happen to me after the delivery. Fear that I won't be a good mother. Fear that we will struggle financially. Fear that staying at home with the baby will be too difficult. Fear that I won't lose the baby weight. Fear that, if we are blessed with another pregnancy after this one, any of those things will happen to that baby. On and on and on and on and on the cycle of fear continues. Having family and friends experience (in the past or present) the things that I fear the most makes those fears all the more real. Sometimes I feel like I can't breathe, I'm so fearful.

In the process of focusing on my fear I realize that this is NOT the abundant life Christ wants for me. When I focus on my fear, I'm letting my joy get taken away from me. Something I've had to learn in the painful seasons of my life is that joy is a choice- not an emotion. This doesn't mean pretending that everything is okay or just being cheerful when my heart is breaking. Suffering is very much a part of life. This means choosing to focus on the truth that is steadfast and can't ever be changed- that I have life in Christ because of the Gospel. That no matter what has happened to me, what is happening around me, or what will happen to me, I have a reason to smile because I have been given life everlasting! The joy of my salvation is my strength!

When I allow myself to be overcome with fear or despair, I am not acknowledging that the Lord is in control of my life and has a beautiful plan. As a person who likes to be in control and know the plan, this has always been a struggle for me. Austin reminds me so often that feelings are just that- feelings. God created me to be an emotional being (I cry in almost EVERY movie! :-) ) but it is what I choose to do with those feelings (like fear) that matter. I have two choices. I can either dwell in fear and despair, letting those emotions rule my attitude and take over my heart OR I can surrender them to Him. As much as I wish I didn't struggle with fear in the first place (how many times do we, as Christians, think junk like that?!), I do. When I surrender my plans, my husband, my baby and my life to Him- that is when He gives me peace. Peace and fear cannot exist together. When I abide in that peace, I can experience joy and abundant life.

This is how, even when he lost everything that mattered to him in this world, Job was still able to praise God!

Over the past few weeks, my blessings have become even more apparent to me. I have an amazing, godly husband who I'm madly in love with, an adorable little house, precious family, wonderful friends, an awesome church, a little girl growing and moving inside of me, so much stuff that we need to have a yard sale, food on the table, money in the bank, a sleek white car to drive, maternity clothes on my back and comfy shoes on my feet. I thank God for these blessings. I could never be deserving of any of these gifts. I praise the Lord for them, for He is the giver of all good things!

In the midst of my intense fear, this has been such an overwhelming season of joy and anticipation. Claudia's closet is full of her tiny little clothes, crib, changing table and items that were mine when I was a baby. I am so excited to meet our daughter! I love seeing and feeling her move, talking to her, singing to her, and dreaming of what she looks like and what her little personality will be like. All of these things are gifts from the Lord and I am enjoying their sweetness in this short season. Every morning, Austin and I pray for her and that the Lord would keep our family safe. I pray that my heart would be humble to receive these blessings and that I will not be controlled by fear. I rejoice in what the Lord has done and is doing in my life!

Thanks for letting me share a piece of my heart with you this morning. I hope it can be a reminder and encouragement to trust in the One who holds all things in His hands.

Week 24: Family

It was a fun, busy week! I worked on Monday (for Union's Freshman Registration Day) then took the rest of the week off. Mom came up from Atlanta to help Mary move into her first apartment and to help me with a few things around the house, before little Miss Claudia makes her debut! On Friday, I went to Dickson and Saturday we went to Paducah! This is a long post, just fyi! 

How Far Along? 24 weeks

Total Weight Gain/Loss: Our scale needs new batteries, so I don't really know! Probably +12 ish.
   

Baby Related Purchases: Little Miss Claudia got a lot of stuff this week! Mom and I registered her for a bunch of things at Babies R Us, we bought adorable material for the curtains in her nursery, and Carol bought her a bunch of precious clothes and shoes that I took home with me from Dickson :-) 

Sleep: Pretty good. This sounds so silly, but I feel like the more I'm up and moving around the better I sleep! There have been a few nights this week (particularly after our shopping day in Memphis) that I've collapsed into bed and slept all the way through the night. The challenge now is getting enough physical exercise without overdoing it...
  

Movement: Austin and I saw her kick my tummy- its the first time both of of us have actually seen her move! It was such an incredible moment. I cried, of course! 

What I miss: Being able to stand on my feet/walk for a long time without my feet getting swollen :-) 

  

Cravings: Today I really wanted Red Robin :-) 

Anything making you queasy or sick: No! 

Gender: Girl!!!

Labor Signs: No

Symptoms: Stretching, Swollen Feet, Fatigue, 

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy!

Worries: I was honestly so busy this week that I didn't have time to worry about Claudia! Especially since the weather is hot, however, I'm just worried that I'm going to try to do too much or I'll get dehydrated or something! Austin bought me a classy water bottle today to carry around with me during these hot summer months! 

Best moments this week: Like I said at the beginning of the post, it was a busy week, but it was filled with wonderful family time. Here is how the week went:

On Saturday evening, Mom came to Jackson from Atlanta for the week! Mary was at a wedding, so she treated Austin and me to an amazing Father's Day Dinner at Outback! Sunday, we went to church and celebrated Father's Day with Austin (so exciting!). Monday, I went to work for Union's New Student Registration Day while Mom helped Mary move a bunch of stuff into her new apartment. The real fun began for me on Tuesday!

After sleeping in and eating a leisurely breakfast, Mom and I headed to Memphis to go shopping! Our first stop was for food, of course! We had a lovely lunch at Macaroni Grill so we could have energy for all of our errands!

I love how close everything is in the Wolfchase Mall area! We went to Babies R Us first to set up Claudia's registry!

It's amazing how many options there are for everything! I've decided that I like more basic, solid colored items for Claudia. All the bibs/paraphernalia with crazy patterns/bright colors are just too much for me! We took our time, though, and really tried to stick to the basics, with a few added luxury items (like the baby wipe warmer :-) ). We just had a blast looking at everything!

Next, we went to Target to buy more belly cream and so I could show her the bigger items (stroller, pack n play, high chair, swing, etc.) that Austin and I registered for there. She loved everything.

Then, we went to Hancock's fabric to look for fabric for Claudia's nursery. Mom is going to make curtains for the windows and a small canopy to go over the crib. We actually found the perfect material!!! I'm saving pictures of it for the blog post I'm planning to do all about her nursery :-) It was even 50% off which made it even better!

We finished off our shopping trip by going to Motherhood Maternity in the mall. I'd actually never been in one before! Unfortunately, they didn't have the items we were looking for in my size, but I did leave with two basic t-shirts and a cute blue and white blouse (which I'm planning to wear on the Fourth of July!). Tired, and with swollen feet, we headed back to Jackson and had a lovely dinner at Cracker Barrel with Mary and Austin. It was a great day :-)

Wednesday was spent mainly running errands and helping Mary with stuff for her apartment! My job was to hang up the clothes in the closet. It was fun organizing them. Now if I could only get motivated to do that in my own closet....

Mom and I did some more shopping in Jackson on Thursday! We found what we needed in Kohl's, were able to order a few more yards of the fabric for Claudia's nursery at the Jackson Hancock's and went to Lowe's. We got 12 bags of mulch to spruce up our flower beds, flowers for our window boxes, and a girly looking flower arrangement for the front porch (Mom said they are Claudia's flowers!)! Our house is going to look so pretty for the rest of the summer and into the fall! Mary hosted us in her cute apartment for dinner. She made taco soup! It was the first meal she's made there. After dinner we just chilled at our house. I baked a bunch of cookies, Mom did some touch-up painting in Claudia's nursery and Mary had a "Once Upon a Time" Marathon.

Friday morning, I got up bright and early with Austin so I could see where he works (before he doesn't work there anymore in 7 days!!). It was actually fun getting to see his commute (he drives a little under 3 hours every day total). He pointed out landmarks along the way. The campus where he works is so beautiful! It really looks like a camp with lots of trees, a bubbling creek and cabins where the guys live. I got to meet several of his coworkers that I hadn't met before and see others that I hadn't seen since Christmas! Most of all, it was cool to see where Austin actually goes to work each day. It isn't a mystery anymore! :-)

So that Austin could actually get some work done, I said my goodbyes (just until the end of the workday) and headed to Dickson. I took Highway 13 in Middle Tennessee through Linden, Lobelville and Buffalo. I had never been any of those places before! It was actually a really pretty, relaxing drive!

In Dickson, I got to spend some quality time with Carol, Arica and Austin's grandparents. It was good to do life together for the day- experiencing and talking about both the joy and the sorrow. That is what being family is all about. I'm so thankful that we are not only family by marriage, but family in Christ as well. Knowing that He has a plan for everything and that He is present for all of it, providing His peace, comfort and strength is so reassuring to me in the midst of any circumstance.

Part of the joy was celebrating Austin's grandfather's 84th Birthday! We ate lunch at Matzatlan then had delicious carrot cake back at the house. Shortly after that, I had to leave to go pick up Austin at work.

We made it back to Jackson just in time to meet the Mayfields at Olive Garden for a delicious dinner. They are such a joy in our lives and it had been too long since we'd all hung out! They came over to our house after dinner, where we showed them Claudia's pink nursery and compared ultrasound photos :-) We can't wait to meet Baby May in just a few short months! Jess and I also took a long anticipated belly picture together.

Claudia is 24 weeks and Baby May is 21 weeks :-) I can't wait for them to meet and be little friends!

On Saturday (yesterday), we went to Paducah for the day to celebrate Grandaddy's 88th Birthday! We ate lunch with him at the nursing home and enjoyed two delicious cakes that Mom and Mary brought from Dumplins here in Jackson! They were beautiful and yummy!

Caramel Cake- Granddaddy's Favorite! 

Chocolate- Yum!!! 

It was so good to see Uncle P, Aunt Sherry, Grandmommy and Granddaddy! We also got to see Uncle Wesley and my cousin, Michael, who drove all the way from near Lexington to attend! It was so special to spend some time with them! :-) Mary was the family photographer for the day and she captured some wonderful family shots! 

Me with the Birthday Boy! 

My precious grandparents! They have been married 61 years! 

4 generations of girls! 

Our little family of 3 :-) 

Cousins! We were only missing Matthew! 

On our way home from Paducah, we stopped in Greenfield to see Granny and Pa! We had a lovely visit and it was so good to see them, even for just a short time! They are so giving and are such a blessing in our lives! Yesterday was also their 56th wedding anniversary :-) Austin and I are so blessed to have such godly examples of marriage in our grandparents. 

We are so thankful for each member of our family that we got to see this week, and for those we didn't! The Lord has blessed us with wonderful families and we can't wait for Claudia to meet everyone!

Week 23

Better a little late than never! I don't want to get behind :-) My mom is visiting from Atlanta this week so I'll have a fun update next time (including details from our shopping trip to Memphis)! We've certainly been keeping busy! Enjoy Week 23! 

How Far Along? 23 weeks

Total Weight Gain/Loss: + 10 lbs.
   

Baby Related Purchases: This week was spent going through things for the yard sale, pricing items, taking inventory, and cramming it all into our study so it would be out of the way when Mom came to visit! As a result, we didn't do any buying for Claudia!

Sleep: About the same. I did have a couple of nights where I slept a solid 6 hours! It was so nice! 
  

Movement: She continues to be an active little thing! Feeling her move just doesn't get old! She loves performing an dance routine right as I'm trying to go to sleep and as I'm getting up in the morning! Occasionally she'll do an entire flip! 

What I miss: Coffee! Mom arrived on Saturday and we've been having breakfast together in the mornings after Austin goes to work. I make the coffee for her but I miss having it as a part of my morning routine. I'm still perfectly happy with my decision not to drink it for several months more, but I definitely miss it! Another repeat- it's still hard for me to not have the physical endurance that I once had. I really try to listen to my body and am thankful for a job where I'm seated most of the time. I just don't want to overdo it! 

  

Cravings: I'm really not picky these days! Last week I shared that I had been craving fresh fruits and vegetables! On Saturday morning I finally got to go to the Farmer's Market for the first time this summer! I'd forgotten how much I love it! Its so fun to see everyone there, pick out the produce and enjoy the product! I couldn't keep from smiling! 

Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope!

Gender: Girl!!!

Labor Signs: No

Symptoms: Round Ligament Pain, Fatigue, Heartburn (although I've figured out how to keep it under control, thankfully!) 

Happy or Moody most of the time: Because we were doing a lot of cleaning out and preparing for company, I definitely had my stressed moments. On top of that, I'm just a lot more tired in general, so I would say I was more moody this past week! So sorry, Austin!

Worries: Same old worries- just wanting Claudia to develop normally and for me to carry her full term. Austin and I give her to the Lord every day. We know He has a beautiful plan for her precious life. 

Best moments this week: Celebrating Austin's first Father's Day!!! I made homemade waffles for him before church, we attended a lovely service at church, then went out to lunch at Wall Street Grill. He's already a wonderful father to Claudia and I can't wait to see him with our little girl!!! It will be so fun to celebrate Father's Day next year when she's in our arms! :-) 

Week 22

How Far Along? 22 weeks

Total Weight Gain/Loss: + 10 lbs.
   

Baby Related Purchases: Well, we purchased paint for the nursery and a nice camera! We also did a ton of stuff for Claudia's nursery over the weekend! I'm planning to do a separate post about Claudia's nursery when its all finished so all the progress/before and after pictures can be in one place :-) We bought paint on Saturday and, with the help of Mary, painted her walls, closet, bookcase and a shelf! The only things that are in her closet are her clothes and, currently, the boxes containing her crib, mattress and changing table!! I don't think I've ever been more excited about a closet :-) 

Sleep: This could be my imagination, but I feel like I've been sleeping more soundly this week. Maybe its because its been rainy, who knows?
  

Movement: She moves so much! At the doctor's appointment on Friday afternoon, the nurse checked her heartbeat. Unlike last time, she found Claudia's heartbeat right away (much to my relief and happiness!) but then it would get staticky (is that even a word?), we'd hear her heartbeat again, and then there would be static again. She was running away from the monitor :-) When the doctor came in to examine me, he exclaimed, "She kicked me! She's moving around a lot- that is so good!" Her little personality is already coming through. 

What I miss: Being able to do physical tasks like I used to. Painting on Sunday afternoon was no small task for me (it was zero VOC paint, so no one needs to worry). Being on my knees and moving to make sure I painted every nook and crevice on the bookcase was pretty exhausting. I had to take multiple breaks while Austin and Mary pushed through. I was pretty sore yesterday! 

  

Cravings: More than ever, I'm craving fresh fruits and vegetables. I went to the grocery store a few days ago and emerged with blackberries, strawberries, a pineapple, broccoli, carrots, corn, and grape tomatoes. The only non-fruit or vegetables were cereal, milk, chicken and salmon. :-) 

Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope!

Gender: A little pink girl! 

Labor Signs: No

Symptoms: On Saturday night, a new symptom decided to enter into the mix- HEARTBURN! Oh. my. goodness. The last time I had heartburn was in 10th grade at Disney World when I'd eaten 3 beef tacos and some nachos with cheese from Taco Bell on a really empty stomach. Bad idea. And I suffered for it!

According to WebMD:

During pregnancy, the placenta produces the hormone progesterone, which relaxes the smooth muscles of the uterus. This hormone also relaxes the valve that separates the esophagus from the stomach, allowing gastric acids to seep back up, which causes that unpleasant burning sensation.

Progesterone also slows down the wavelike contractions of your esophagus and intestines, making digestion sluggish. Later in pregnancy, your growing baby crowds your abdominal cavity, pushing the stomach acids back up into the esophagus.

Many women start experiencing heartburn and other gastrointestinal discomforts in the second half of pregnancy. Unfortunately, it usually comes and goes until your baby is born.

There is a list of things to avoid/make sure I'm doing to help with this, so that's good! Saturday night (when everything started) we had eaten dinner at 9 p.m. and I woke up at 3 with the heartburn. Eating late is a big no no! So, I need to make sure I'm eating smaller meals more frequently and avoiding foods with high acidity (another reason I'm glad I gave up coffee!).

Tums were useless- Pepcid AC finally did the trick after hours of misery. Anyway, hopefully I can keep it under control from this point on!

Other symptoms: stretching (I can tell she's really growing), Fatigue, Round Ligament Pain

Happy or Moody most of the time: It's been a happy week, especially after making so much progress on Claudia's nursery!

Worries:  The doctor's visit on Friday was super encouraging. Everything looked normal, Claudia was moving around a lot and her heartbeat was strong at 143 beats per minute! The current worry (especially after having an all-too realistic dream about this) is that she will be born way too soon and not be as developed as she needs to be. Again I am reminded that she belongs to the Lord and I just need to give her to Him daily! 

Best moments this week: Loved hearing her heartbeat on Friday! I could listen to it for hours and hours if they'd let me! It was also encouraging to hear that everything looked great.

It was so wonderful to get the nursery painted! It was a huge task (these things always take longer than expected). Now it just needs to be touched up in a few places (thanks, painter's tape!) and the baseboards need to be freshened up with some white paint.

In other news, we have decided to do a massive clean out of our belongings and have a yard sale the last weekend in June! Claudia is a huge motivation for this, as we actually need a place to put her ever growing collection of things :-) It was long overdue anyway. Austin hadn't gone through his things since before we married. My parents and grandparents generously gave us a lot from their homes that they weren't using, and combined with stuff we already had, it resulted in ridiculously packed out closets (where we weren't using storage space efficiently) and a "catch all room" that prevented us from being able to use our office/study. When we weren't working on Claudia's room this weekend, we were sorting through our stuff and I think we're nearly done with the purge! I'm getting rid of SO MANY clothes from college or that just don't fit anymore. Half of my shoes are going into the yard sale as well! We've been watching a lot of "Clean House" and it has inspired us to have a clutter free home!

Now we just need to sort everything and put price stickers on them! Anything that doesn't sell is going to Goodwill! I honestly can't wait! 

Week 21 and a Wedding!!!

How Far Along? 21 weeks

Total Weight Gain/Loss: Honestly, I don't even want to look at the scale right now. I'll update next week after my doctor's appointment this Friday when I have no choice about getting weighed.
   

Baby Related Purchases: The grandmothers have been busy getting things. I will get the occasional text from them with pictures of their most recent purchases. Carol calls it "The Claudia Collection". Doesn't that sound like a fancy fashion line? :-)

Last week, we were so busy after getting back from Atlanta on Monday evening and getting ready to go to Birmingham on Thursday evening for Cassidy's wedding we didn't really do or buy anything baby related. A project for this week is picking out paint (pink, of course!) for Claudia's nursery! 

Sleep: The same. My new normal is getting about 4 hours (if its a good night) of uninterrupted sleep before waking up. Sometimes it takes a few minutes to go back to sleep and sometimes it takes longer. Sunday night after getting back from Birmingham, I slept 9 hours straight! It was heavenly!!!!
  

Movement: Claudia loves moving around right as I lay down to go to sleep. I've heard that babies in the womb sleep more during the day because the baby is soothed by the mother's movement and the sound of her voice. So, at night, they tend to move around more. I think this is proving to be the case with our little girl. She is also reacting to touch and the sound of Austin's voice. It is so sweet! 

What I miss: This will probably sound vain, but I miss having a waist! Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love my growing belly because it means that my little girl is growing, but at the wedding I looked at my friend's little waists and missed mine (not that it was that little a few months ago!)

  

Cravings: I think the Zaxby's craving is wearing off. I had it for lunch yesterday and could just taste the oil used to fry the chicken and french fries. It wasn't a bad batch of food, it just didn't taste as good to me as it usually does. Now that summer is here, I've been craving fresh fruits and vegetables! I'm not complaining about that :-) 

Anything making you queasy or sick: No, thankfully. 

Gender: Girl!

Labor Signs: No!

Symptoms: Quickening, Round Ligament Pain, Tiredness, Hip pain. And, I'm just slower getting in and out of the car, chairs, bed, etc. 

Happy or Moody most of the time: This week was a very very happy one! 

Worries: For some reason, as doctor's appointments approach, I get nervous. I'm so excited that I get to hear Claudia's heartbeat on Friday but I also want everything to be normal and right on track! 

Best moments this week: Oh my goodness, it was a wonderful week! We went to Birmingham for Cassidy's wedding and all the fun that went along with it!

We drove down to Birmingham on Thursday night and Dad surprised us (again!) by getting us a hotel room at the Hyatt Wynfrey Hotel. It was such a blessing!

Friday morning was Cassidy's bridesmaid's luncheon at an adorable cafe in Mountain Brook Village called Olexa's. Everything was delicious and it was so good to visit with everyone! Cassidy gave us really cute gray and white clutches as our bridesmaid's gifts! They were perfect!

In the afternoon, we went to the church to help set up for the reception then the rehearsal dinner was that evening at the Gaslight House in Pelham. The house was the perfect space and everything was decorated so cute! They served Jim N'Nicks barbeque (always a winner!!) and all sorts of delicious sides and desserts. Everyone was so excited for Cassidy and Eric- I loved hearing the toasts and just getting to celebrate them!

The next day (wedding day!) we got to the church by 12:15, hair and makeup (mostly) done and Becca steamed our dresses. She is officially the steaming queen. I'm not good at it whatsoever!

Cassidy was an absolutely STUNNING bride! The day was very relaxed and we enjoyed taking pictures with the wedding party (while making sure our bangs weren't getting greasy in the humidity during the outdoor pictures- haha).

The ceremony was beautiful and so Christ-centered. It was truly a joy and a privilege to stand beside Cassidy as she entered into the covenant of marriage with Eric. I know that the Lord is going to do wonderful things in and through them as a married couple! It will be so fun to see it all unfold!

The reception was beautiful and the food was delicious. My favorite thing, however, was the joyous Samford reunion that took place! Nearly all of my dear friends from Samford were there, along with some of their parents! It was so happy!!! I loved introducing Austin to those who he hadn't met and meeting Luke's wife, Sarah! They came all the way from Colorado for the wedding!

Sunday morning, we went to a brunch at Emily and Theron's home to spend time with everyone and meet their new baby, Abby Grace! Emily is a wonderful hostess and we had a great time! Before heading back to Jackson, we had lunch with Luke and Sarah, Becca and Dad. It was so hard to leave, but it was truly a wonderful weekend!