i feel silly even trying to post pictures of my bridal shower that my bridesmaids/friends hosted for me. 

pictures won't even do it justice. it was just PERFECT and soooo me :) wellll, besides the "lingerie theme" :) 

these are just the little pictures I snapped with my phone and camera but I didn't even get half of the amazing details or the smiling faces of the hostesses with the mostesses and the lovely guests (like katie and julie who came from seattle or jen with baby ford or my gram who had to watch her granddaughter open lingerie) that came to celebrate :) 

i think lo played photographer so hopefully i will get more to share later :) 

the brunch theme was delicious! 

evy thought so too :) 

everything was so sweet and pink :)

and don't even get me started with my sister's party favors. AMAZING. i loooove me some pink nail polish and she was so cute in passing down that fun detail to the girls :) 

took this home for a momento ;)

one of the sweet hostesses, she was SO amazing ;) 

can't stop smiling. 

:) i am so blessed. 

from the newlyweds to the 30 year marriages, my single friends and my friends with boyfriends, I am SO lucky to learn so much from these amazing ladies; both how to throw a partaaaay and how to be a better lady :) 

"whoever walks with the wise becomes wise"

proverbs 13:20

here's my number, so call me maybe?

Our waitress came to take our drink orders and the second she walked away, Drew and Marcus shared that "well she was attractive" look :)

and i mean, she was. 

she had that beautiful, exotic look. like she didn't need tons of makeup and fancy hairstyle to look gorgeous. 

every time she would walk by, Marcus would start complaining about how he wishes he was brave enough to get her number blah blah blah.

when we finally decided he was too shy to say anything, he was joking that he should leave his number for her. 

you know you like this song and find yourself singing it when the radio plays it. :) 

what started as a joke really happened.

i hope she likes carly rae jepson. 

and the whole rest of the evening we were anxiously awaiting a text from her. 

had it said,

"i just met you

and this is crazy..."

we would have forced her and Marcus to get married right then and there. 

so waitress, even if you don't wanna date my homeboy, just amuse us, k? cuz we ran out of that restaurant giggling like crazy :) even my anti- carly rae jepson manly boys :) 

oh the things pop music can make you do :) 

ohh centerpieces

i am slightly turning into a scary person and i don't like it.

the bride-ness and crunch time is getting to me :)

but all the lovely people in my life are reminding me to just smile.

like when I was playing around with centerpieces and stuck this on the table.

my dad took one look and it and said dead-serious, 

"what is that? Is it for if someone has to throw up?"

thanks dad, for reminding me what this is really about. 

laughs and smiles and looooove. :)

how am i feeling?

i think that sometimes the right thing doesn't don't always feel good. 

i was talking to this young girl who had just broken up with her boyfriend. she was telling me stories and stories about how he treated her SO badly and she knew he wasn't right for her.

she broke up with them, but was crying and telling me about how she knows it was the right thing to do, but she doesn't feel that wave of  "relief" deep inside that everyone told her she would feel when she finally ended it with him.

i keep telling her that i think it's TOTALLY okay to have done the right thing or made the right decision, but not feel instantly happy or carefree.

i think it's okay to make the right decision and still feel awful. it's okay to be sad, it's okay to be mad, it's okay to feel like it's not fair. 

just because you feel that way, doesn't mean you made the wrong decision.

lately i feel like my menopausal mother (sorry mom :) with the range of emotions i feel throughout the week (and throughout the day for that matter :)

lots of things are a-changin' and change is hard for this bride-to-be :)


i feel: annoyed

 that target won't return a bridesmaid dress that i had ordered online for a larger since because they claim it is past their "90 day" return period.
 
i think i have a valid excuse for needing to exchange it for a bigger size...

E IS PREGNANT! :)

i feel: blessed to be an "auntie" again and to see e's beautiful little family grow :) 


i feel: a liiittttle overwhelmed

 the lawn at the lake house is now our responsibility (orrrr my responsibility i suppose until drew moves in? :). the lawn is BIG. moving a lawn is harder than it looks? and weeding? umm... i need a lesson? and compost and planting grass seed and keeping my grandpa's special tree alive? and then "edging"? ahh....

i feel: proud of my manly man for mowing the front lawn for the first time on sunday :)

i feel: soooo giggly and red-faced

the loot from my lingerie-themed bridal shower this last weekend is beyond amazing. :)

i feel: so excited! ;)

and like i need to re-vamp the ab routine the next few months ;) 

i feel: a little tipsy and crazy and like i am in college again

friday night before my bridal shower some of my friends came up from seattle and we got cupcake wine and cupcakes and ate them sitting on the counter in the lakehouse kitchen with our hands since we didn't have forks. we jumped on the uni-bed we made in the living room and then eventually crashed after talking forever. :) 

i feel: like my load is lighter after good old-fashioned girl talk

i feel: scared to death to be the "center of attention" 

my new polka-dot dress that i wore to my bridal shower. gold accessories. as in big hoops and strappy sandals :)

i feel: like everything is gonna be okay when my friend's mom yells "ROCK IT GIRL" with a big smile on her face at the shower :) 

i think it's okay to feel it all, cuz ya know what?

i'm pretty sure i'm exactly where i should be :) 

my new dress that I wore 

whatcha weigh monday?

oh boy.

this weekend was cupcake tasting.

and bridal shower goodness.

but i worked out hard.

and remember how last week i gained a lot?

persistency pays off.

i lost 7.8 pounds and am right back to where I was.  :) i was really stressed the week before and it was that lovely time of the month. :)

5 pounds to go until wedding goal.

g r a c e for peony growers

let grace change you.

 don't use it as an excuse to stay the way you are. 

and if i can't have peonies in my wedding in August (apparently they aren't in season? psshh.) i find it only logical to buy a bouquet every week while they are around to stare at. makes perfect sense to me. ;)

oh, boy!

how many men does it take to put a baby in a front-pack?

less men than it takes to pull the floating dock to the shore. :)

"my daddy? he was somewhere between God and John Wayne."

~Hank Williams Jr.