Memorial Day

[Picture found here]

Remembering those who paid the ultimate price for our country.

Megan + Aaron

The day before our 1st Anniversary, we headed out to Loudon, Tennessee.

My cousin, Aaron, was marrying the love of his life, Megan.

Down some country roads you can find the beautiful location of their wedding -

Castleton Farms.  And it sure was beautiful!  The ceremony was outdoors, right past a gorgeous garden.

The wedding was just perfect. 

I love watching a bride and groom who have so much fun together!  It doesn't take you long to see just how perfect they are for each other.

Right after the wedding, we all moved under the reception tent.

[Beth and Anna]

Just in the nick of time we were all under the tent!

God held back the rain until their vows were over.

[Jenny]

The reception was wonderful.

They had all of their favorite things - barbecue, sweet tea, cookies + milk, and a beautiful wedding cake.

Sweet tea just tastes better coming from a mason jar.

Many of the table decorations were different and they all looked beautiful.

Plants, candles, and flowers.

Gorgeous for this outdoor wedding!

Addalee zoned in on the cookie icing.

And I dodged covered little fingers!

How precious is that smile?

Addalee left me at one point, but soon crawled back on my lap for more.

It was all so delicious!

Thank you Aaron and Megan!  Your wedding was amazing.  May God bless you even more beyond your wildest dreams.

Will liked what he saw - and today...

He put a ring on it!

To completely surprise Beth,

he popped the question at the office!

He succeeded.

Beth is thrilled!

I could not be more excited for this little one.

Everyone took a break to celebrate with the happy couple.

Beth telling the story:

Their story is a wonderful, joy-filled one.

I couldn't stop smiling!

They couldn't stop smiling either.

Gahh, how happy are they?!?

For me to see my sister this full of love and joy -

I can't even talk about it.

Because I'm already crying [again].

They humored me and reenacted the big moment.

Her new bling, bling!

Beth and Will have found their ever-after in each other.

All praise to the Father above.

Disney World

Happy family vacation!

Above you see Chris' mother - Natalie, Chris' sister - Kate, me, and Chris.

His parents chose DISNEY WORLD for this year's family vacation.

It was such a treat!  The big kids in us loved it...

Our first park stop was the Magic Kingdom.  Disney's prime park and the one that was most crowded.  Once you do it, you see why it's a favorite.

Kate and me, sporting our shades, on one of the many tram rides.

The beginning of a park is always exciting!

You've gotta show your excitement early, because by the end of the park, you'll be exhausted.

Age is irrelevant.

We all brought our cameras.  So, this is what we looked like for most pictures:

It's like we were taking pictures of celebrities.

And when you're wearing Minnie Mouse ears...

You should definitely have your picture taken.

The castle is always one of my favorite parts -

How fun is that in the background?

All of the parks were covered with beautiful landscaping.

In case you were wondering,

I'm holding up Mickey Mouse ears.

I also understand that didn't translate well in the picture.

But Chris and Katie look awesome!

They were pumped about being at Disney.

What is one ride everyone always rides when visiting the Magic Kingdom?

"It's a Small World"

You just can't miss that one.

You can't miss taking more pictures in front of the castle...

Or catching glimpses of characters...

But Kate left us when we went to see the "Hall of Presidents."

She missed a good show.

It was also cooler inside and we loved it!

Right outside the building were more patriotic memories.

We also found ice cream shaped like Mickey.

 

And rode the Peter Pan ride:

One of our favorites was the Philhar Magic show in 3D.

We highly recommend it!

I don't really have much to say about that one.

We love photo opps.

Last, but not least -

the Tiki Room.

And promptly after,

we unanimously decided to head for home.

Perfect satisfied with our first day of vacation.

Katie's birthday

Kate is now a sky-diving enthusiast.

Crazy brave, huh?

She is our little adrenaline junkie.

 

For her birthday, she requested that we buy her a helmet.

Being the safety minded family members that we are,

we did just as she asked.

Safety first for this special girl! 

Especially when it pertains to falling from the sky...

Happy Birthday, Kate!! 

You are very loved.

A Bride and Her Wedding Shower

See these pretty little sisters?

Sara, Audry, and Katie

Three girls.  You know their Dad loses sleep at night just thinking about them.

The pretty one on the right is Katie; she's the oldest.

And gettin' hitched about 1.75 weeks from now.

Amy, Dr. Regina, and Michelle

The lovely lady on the left is the mother of the three girls and one of my co-workers great friends.

Lady in the middle?  That's Dr. Regina - one of my bosses friends.  Also, the amazing hostess of the shower.

Michelle is Dr. Regina's sister-in-law and another dear friend.

Check out the great party details:

Above is the food spread.

Below are the cupcakes...

And the most amazing cake balls...

Chocolate covered pretzels...

The whole party was perfecty put together.

And check out this gift:

A cutting board, kitchen towels, pot-holders, and wooden spoons - all tied with a pretty bow.

Bride-to-be and my sister

Me, Amber, and Dena

Amy's sister (Aunt Barbara) and Amy = they are such cute sisters!

Beth and our wonderful Aunt Sonya

Friends who work together

Beth, Kiffiny, and Amy

It was a beautiful shower with wonderful details!  I can't wait for the wedding!!