Fun in September

September has been such a fun month! We started the month with Labor Day weekend. It's always nice to have a 3 day weekend, but it's even nicer when Grandpops comes up to spend it with us! We're always glad to have him visit. This weekend is filled with football which he and Ryan enjoy watching together. What better way to celebrate Ryan's birthday than this!

Mia gave Grandpops a painting she made at school similar to Van Gogh's Sunflowers. It was beautiful! Grandpops and Grandma Jan love to frame and hang up the girls' artwork, so Mia was excited to give this to him.

We enjoy making lots of yummy foods when Grandpops visits. This time we couldn't wait to show him Ryan's outdoor pizza oven. We made some really good ones this time! I made a fruit pizza with an olive oil base, blackberries, strawberries, fresh mozzarella, and basil. I topped it with some balsamic glaze at the end, and it was absolutely delicious. We made a Caprese to go with it. Man, this was a fantastic meal!

On Labor Day, Grandpops headed back to Florida, and Ryan and I headed to Nashville. We spent a few hours that afternoon at the Country Music Hall of Fame. It was really interesting! We both enjoy country music, so this was fun to see a lot more of it's history and the artists we currently love.

Eric Church is the current artist in residence; he's one of my favorites so I loved seeing the special exhibit they had out for him.

They have a ton on Taylor Swift as well, so of course we had to visit and take pictures to tell the girls all about it.

We went to Boqueria for dinner and thoroughly enjoyed this tapas dinner. The churros for dessert were...chef's kiss perfect. They had three different dipping sauces to try: chocolate, nutella, and dulce de leche. Sooo good!

After dinner we walked across the street to the Ryman Auditorium.

It was beautiful!

The concert that we originally came for in April that was rescheduled for tonight! We had fantastic front row balcony seats; we were so excited for this!

Hawktail opened up, and they were really great. We realized we saw them a few months ago at Eddie's Attic with Blake and Heather Martin. It was really fun to see them again here.

Nickle Creek came out and put on an absolutely fantastic show! They are so much fun, and they're crazy talented. We had a fantastic time.

On Tuesday morning, Ryan's actual birthday, we headed down to the delicious Pancake Pantry for breakfast then headed on back to Atlanta. We killed a little time with some errands because I wanted the girls to get home before us. They just barely beat us. Little did Ryan know, but Lily had a few friends over the day before to help set up a surprise party for him. Thanks to Addison, Raegan, Lauren, and Kate for helping him have a great birthday! They really went all out!

Ryan then had the chance to go to the Braves game that night with Brian. He took Jeff Pennington and Adam Bishop too, and I know the four of them had a great time together. Happy birthday to Ryan!

A few days later I actually headed back up to Nashville to meet up with some of my Zeta sorority sisters. It was so good to see them again! Not everyone was able to make it, but I sure am thankful for everyone who did. We were all staying at Becky Richardson's house since she lives just outside of Nashville. I drove up on Thursday and picked up Claire Skinner and Christy Pearce from the airport; then we drove on over to Becky's. Later that afternoon, Kristin Gammons, Megan Zeien, Tay Drescher, and Kate Nuwayhid all arrived. It was a happy reunion each time someone walked in! We finally got ready and headed to dinner in Franklin that evening.

From the left, here's Claire, Christy, Becky, Kate, Kristin, Tay, me, and Megan

We stayed up into the wee hours of the morning talking then headed to bed. Tay and I were sharing a room again just like we did for three years at Samford; it was just like old times! On Saturday morning, we ate a little breakfast then headed out to try something I never in a million years thought I would experience: goat yoga! It was incredibly fun and gave us so many laughs. 

They would walk and climb all over us!

I was able to do most of the moves but gave a hard pass to these last two moves. More power to the ladies who were able to complete them!

I'm super glad we did this!

After cleaning up at home and hanging out for a bit, we headed back out to Arrington Vineyards. It was the perfect evening, and we were thrilled that Emily Whitehead drove up from Birmingham to join us there! Lots more hanging out and catching up which was wonderful.

On Sunday, we ate some breakfast, but then it was time for our goodbyes. I am so incredibly thankful for these ladies, our history together, and our continued friendships. Until next time my friends!

Other than those two trips to Nashville, here's some fun that we've had:

Lily and I went to Madi's family bridal shower on a Sunday afternoon. It's hard to believe the flower girl from my wedding is getting married! We're excited for her and Dakota, and we wish them all the best.

Just a cute picture of Decker as he gives puppy dog eyes asking for food.

Granna and Papa recently had a great trip out to California with Sid and Elaine. Dad sent me this picture of them enjoying lunch at Sam's Cafe. It's a great picture of some of my favorite people at one of my favorite California places!

Mia's friend, Carolina, recently turned 15, and she celebrated with a very fun quinceanera at her home. Mia had a great time at the party, trying lots of delicious Columbian food, and learning more about this special tradition. 

Lily was selected to take part in the Georgia Mock Trial Law Academy as was her friend, Nene Harvey. They visited an appellate court as well as the GA Supreme Court. They got to meet justices and judges along with many other mock trial lawyers. They took classes to improve their skills and even took a test similar to the bar exam. It was a busy weekend for her, but this was a really cool experience!

One of the judges is from Samford!

She found the seat where our friend, Nels Peterson, sits as a Supreme Court justice.

Other things going on that I don't have pictures for:

Ryan and I went with our small group members to see The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time play. Samantha is one of the stage directors of it, so we wanted to see all her hard work pay off. It was a really well done show! Ryan and I enjoyed this a lot.

Lily and Stonehaven are having a great volleyball season. I love watching them! Stonehaven had its first Senior Night recently which was neat. We've never had seniors to celebrate before! So many of these girls are sweet friends of Lily; I loved getting to celebrate them!

Mia is having a great time learning her Donkey role for Shrek Jr. I truly cannot wait to see this show.

We had our first high school guidance counseling meeting for Mia! It's so exciting to think about her bright future and all her opportunities for after Stonehaven. Mia's amazing, and I can't wait to see how the Lord continues to direct and grow her in the coming years.

It's been a great month, and now Fall Break is here. We're off to London!

Since School Has Started

 Now that school's back in session, we're falling into more of a routine which works well for us. 

Mia auditioned for Shrek Jr. She landed the role of Donkey which is super exciting! She's never been the comedic relief before, so this will be something new for her. Donkey is such a fun character, so I can't wait to see this production in a few months. She's rehearsing a couple times a week plus the occasional Saturday.

Lily tried out and made the Varsity volleyball team at school again this year. Yay Lily! This team is a lot of fun to watch play. They've already had a few games at this point. I love these girls, and am amazed at how much their skills have grown over the years.

One evening after a far away game, the team stopped at Truett's Luau for dinner. I've always wanted to try this, so I'm admittedly a little jealous! Lily said it was really good. Seems like she and Raegan enjoyed the shakes!

Another evening after a late game, the team enjoyed some Waffle House together. I think moments like this are some of the most fun parts of being on a team together.

The school recently had it's first "home" game at Pearson Middle School. It's so cool to have a game actually by the school! Unfortunately, neither Ryan nor I could attend that evening, but we were glad Granna and Papa could! The school made it a Hawaiian themed night, and handed out leis to everyone who came. All concession proceeds for the evening when to support the Maui Strong Fund as they are reeling from recent wildfires. We loved visiting Maui just a couple of months ago; it is heartbreaking to see the town of Lahaina, which we absolutely adored, in this state of destruction. I'm thankful our school found a little way to serve those who are facing such a hard time right now.

Woo-hoo! 11th grade is jumping for joy that the new modulars have arrived at school (Lily is almost dead center here)! This will give some much needed space for our growing school.

Lily and I had a very fun time going to see the Barbie movie recently. It was really cute!

Lily enjoyed it so much, she happily went back a second time a few days later with Mia.

Our friend, Bryan Ayres, had a few friends together at Jim & Nick's then Top Golf to celebrate his birthday recently. I have never played golf before, so I was pretty nervous beforehand. Ryan gave me a few tips though, and I actually ended up hitting the ball better than I expected to. This was a really fun evening, both from trying something new and for being with friends!

I took one Friday off to simply relax at home. Decker and I enjoyed quite a bit of time outside together. While I read, he enjoyed keeping watch on the front porch.

The Upper School had their retreat a few weeks into school. Lily actually opted not to go this year, but Mia went, and she had a great time with her friends. They had some team building activities, s'mores, and time to just have fun together. Overall she had a really fun time. Ryan went as well since he's the 7th grade homeroom teacher, and he enjoyed being with his teacher friends and students.

Just two more pictures of Decker because he's adorable.

I'm so thankful for our family's life!

Two in High School!

 I can't believe I have two kids in high school! I am so proud of these two. Lily is starting in 11th grade while Mia is coming into 9th.

Our annual "when I grow up" pictures. This year we have an actor from Mia and lawyer from Lily.

Yay for 20 years of Stonehaven! It's a little hard to believe we're starting our 13th year at the school. It's not perfect, but we sure are thankful for this place. I love the annual picture of Lily, Avery, and Nate as they begin another year together.

Ryan left about an hour before I even woke up on the first day. He's starting his second year, and he's looking forward to it. He'll have 7th grade history along with 7th, 8th, and 9th boys' Bible like last year. He's also teaching systematic theology this year, so that's going to be a really cool one.

I pray this will be a great year for all three of my favorite people!

McKayla and Bennett Got Married!

I always love a beautiful wedding, but it's even better when one of the people getting married is someone I love! We were all so excited for McKayla as she and Bennett got married on August 5.

The weekend before the wedding, Mom, Elaine, and I hosted a luncheon for her bridesmaids at Galley & Garden in Birmingham. Look how beautiful the invitations are! My friend, Anna Michelle Hanks, made them for us, and I thought they were gorgeous. Anna Michelle even hand sketched the restaurant drawing on the top. She's so talented!

Mom, Elaine, and I drove over together on Sunday morning. The room was already set up so nicely, but we had a couple of hours to put the finishing touches to it. I loved the menu that Mom set. It all looked delicious, but I was very pleased with my choices of fresh fruit parfait, chicken and waffles, and key lime mousse. It was wonderful!

The flowers were absolutely stunning! Liz works occasionally with a florist friend of hers, so she connected her with Mom. Aren't they stunning?! We couldn't stop staring at them from all angles because they were just so lovely. They fit the ambiance perfectly.

Elaine had made gift bags from Simply Southern for each of the bridesmaids. They had all sorts of wedding day essentials included, such as safety pins, bandaides, and chocolates. They were so cute!

Each place setting looked beautiful with its individual flower, gift bag, and table setting.

I was glad to be with these ladies today!

The big day itself arrived on Saturday, August 5. The ceremony and reception were at Fox Hall in Douglasville. It was incredibly hot outside, but they had fans going to help cool things down a bit. The ceremony itself was so beautiful. These two looked so very happy, and our cousin Lee did a great job in honoring the Lord with this ceremony. McKayla looked so beautiful! I'll admit I got choked up when I saw Wayne and McKayla walking down the aisle! He is such a proud dad (and rightfully so!)! He had a beautiful tailored suit on, but I loved that the lining had been changed so it was filled with tons of pictures of him and McKayla. Wayne gave an excellent father-of-the-bridge speech to welcome everyone at the reception, and they had a very sweet first dance together.

Lily choose to dance the night away on the dance floor with most of the other guests. I think she had a blast!

The sweet couple. I don't think this day could have gone any better! I'm confident this was a wonderful way to start their marriage adventure together. I look forward to seeing them grow closer to together in the years to come.

Congratulations Mr. and Mrs. Strange!