Deep in the Heart of TEXAS!

Ahhh...the house is so quiet! Mark is away on business, and I finally have found time to dedicate to this neglected blog. July was amazing. We spent three out of the four weekends traveling. As you all know from our previous post, we spent the fourth in Nevis. Again, so very wonderful and relaxing!

After typing I realized that for your sake (the reader) I should break up the weekends...

Weekend 2 (Saturday):
The following weekend we traveled to Houston to celebrate this sweet baby-to-be with family and dear friends. Once I receive pictures I will post them (I did bring my camera, yet neglected to take one picture). Both festivities were uniquely special and oh so fun! Saturday night the Pearsons gathered to honor Baby Pearson. Yee-haw...we celebrated Texas style - cowboy boots, country tunes, and good ole' beef bbq! We even walked away with a box of Texas "soil" - Carrie did that come from y'alls back yard? (The Pearsons just wanted to ensure that this baby was born onto Texas soil) It was such a wonderful evening - how incredibly blessed I am to call this family my own. They really are such a special group of people - love y'all!

Weekend 2 (Sunday):
We were up bright and early on Sunday morning to head to church. A dear friend of the Pearsons was preaching that Sunday - his story is truly amazing (his faithfulness is so incredibly encouraging). After Sunday School we headed home for a quick bite, then got ready for the ladies shower. The lovely shower was hosted by some of Marti's (Mark's Mom) dearest friends. I WISH I had the pictures - you should have seen this cake! They neglected not one detail...even the Ozarka bottles were pretty. Mark was able to come on the front and back end to visit. It was so fun to hear stories from some of the ladies that knew him when he was just a little boy (sounds like we will have our hands full :o) We were standing in the kitchen and Mark looked at me and said, "...this is overwhelming! How blessed we are to have such generous family and friends..." He said it best - we are so very blessed!

Weekend 3:
Home for the weekend! We did absolutely nothing, and it was wonderful :o)

Weekend 4:
I packed my bag and departed for the Big D. It is always wonderful to go home, but this visit was extra special because of the sweet shower that was planned for Saturday. I arrived on Thursday, which allowed for some down time prior to the weekend. My Mom and I spent Friday at the spa - lovely! We then headed to North Park to see if there were any things that this little baby could not live without. While I didn't find anything he could wear/use now, I know where I will be spending my time and money when he gets a little bit older - Crew Cuts (it is J Crew for little people - so stinkin' cute)! I do have one funny mall story...we were in Gymboree and there was this little girl with her grandmother. The little girl walked out of the dressing room with a denim skirt on, and insisted that she wear it out of the store. When "Nana" said No the little girl threw a fit! Nana quickly interrupted her whining, and said "...Nana doesn't play those games. Get in the dressing room and change now!" My Mom (soon-to-be Mimi) looked at the me and said if that was my Grandbaby I would have said of course, and asked if they wanted some new shoes to match! Already I now I am going to have to regulate Mimi!! Ok, sorry I had to share I thought it was funny :o) Friday night I was able to meet Amanda in Dallas for dinner at DragonFly. It's been a while since I have felt totally uncool, but DragonFly and it's flashy patrons made me feel boring and normal. Our conversation would stop abruptly as we listened into other tables talking. Oh my...we heard it all that night! Can I just tell you, I love my friend Amanda?! I am so thankful we had the evening to chat and laugh because Saturday afternoon was a blur! She, her precious Mother, and oh so sweet Mother-in-Law hosted the most beautiful shower on Saturday. P.S. - the shower (one of two that weekend held at the Humphrey's) was at her Mother's home. Sarah, Amanda's sister, was very pregnant and due that weekend. Talk about stressful...two showers, a pregnant daughter about to give birth to their first grand child - I still can't believe they made it through the weekend. (Sarah has since given birth to a perfect baby boy named Wyatt) Despite their busy lives they made me feel so incredibly special! Y'all must check out the pictures, http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=gbt7xo6.5pgroa7m&x=0&y=-fd5lm7 These ladies embody Martha! I kept asking, "...has someone taken a picture of the table?" It was BEYOND lovely - the sweet treats, stars cascading over the table (which tied into the invitation), and precious rocking horse made for the most stunning table. The two hours flew by, and before I knew it I was hugging everyone good bye (so sad)! It was so special to see family and dear friends (several whom traveled miles and miles for the festivity). I smile when I think about Saturday...we are so loved! Can all you sweet people just move to Nashville?!

A question many of you asked - "How are you going to get all this stuff home?" You will be happy to know that thanks to light packing and empty suit cases we made it back home without having to ship too much stuff! You should see our guest bedroom - out of control!!

Ok, I am so sorry for the lengthy post! I just wanted to fill everyone in on all the special activities from the past month. I promise to not ramble like this again!!