Beverly's Charming Lakeside Wedding

Do you know what is mind blowing for me right now? The realization that all my close girlfriends are married. Every stinkin' one of them! Ya'll!!! I'm getting old. Next we'll be popping out babies and then it's just a few skips and a hop away from the geriatrics home...

The reason I went back to the east coast two weeks ago was for this beaut's wedding! Beverly was simply that most stunning bride I ever did see and I couldn't have been more happy to be a part of her special day!

The wedding took place beside a small, quaint lake and was simple and charming. I felt that the location and summery decor couldn't have fit her personality more perfectly!!

But hey, before we get into all that, let's give credit where credit is due. I want to state for the record that I did not cry for the entire ceremony *patting myself on the back* ....just most of it.

Me...keeping it together. 

Me...about to fall a part. 

I made it about 10 minutes in and then I bawled like a baby...

Anyways, the day ended up being perfect for a wedding, the rain held off, making it warm and breezy. The bridesmaids wore perfectly mismatched navy dresses with navy flats and we all carried rustic daisy and baby's breath bouquets wrapped in burlap and lace. 

But it was Beverly's gown that really blew me away! I'd seen photos of it, but in person it has a completely different feel. It was romantic and vintage all in one. She looked stunning from head to toe!

The reception was held in a charming tavern with every table having a beautiful centerpiece arrangement of vintage books and wild flowers! Other small touches, such as sunflowers like the ones in the bride's bouquet being draped along the fireplace mantels, a vintage typewriter, and a little wagon to hold the guest's cards, really pulled the look together. Needless to say, I was impressed with all the details involved! I don't think I've seen such a cute, DIY wedding since my own ;) *patting myself on the back. again.* 

The best part of the day though was getting to see some great friends who I haven't seen since my own wedding last July! It was so good to spend time with Beverly, her sister Cynthia, and my roommate from freshman year, Bridget. 

Cynthia! Beverly's younger sister and my roommate for 2 years!

Me, Beverly, and Bridget

And you may remember Bridget, my old roomie turned amazing photographer who captured my wedding last year?? Well, she was able to captured Beverly's wedding for her as well and, again, I am blown away by her talent!! Here are just two of my favorites she captured of Beverly on her big day.

But if you're interested in seeing more gorgeous shots of Beverly's wedding make sure to like Bridget's Facebook page! And, if you're a wedding blog stalker like me, make sure to check out her photography site to get your fill of beautiful inspiration for the day! (Please don't tell me I'm the only person who likes to stalk wedding blogs.)

My short stay definitely went by too quickly, but I am glad for the time I was able to get with each of these girls. And it was so nice to see Beverly so happy! She was literally radiating with joy! 

So cheers to the happy couple, Beverly and Kevin! I wish you both a lifetime of happiness together!

Check Yes or No

Day 10 of the challenge simply states to share our most embarrassing moment. Well I have something embarrassing to let you in on, and it is that I am easily embarrassed.

I am so easily embarrassed that I cannot stand to even watch comedies where the lead simply makes a fool of himself the entire time (think Meet the Faulkers). I feel so embarrassed for them that it’s just too uncomfortable to watch –even though it isn’t even real life!! (I’m also a Disney movie crier, so maybe I’m not proving my point very well.)

AND, the point is, that even the thought of public embarrassment embarrasses me and I would do anything to avoid that feeling, because let’s face it, being embarrassed is a terrible feeling!! So I don’t have some scandalous tale full of embarrassment for your laughing pleasure today. I just don’t. I’ve lived a careful life where every move was precisely calculated so that I could avoid embarrassment at all costs! And although it was extremely mentally tasking for me to come up with anything at all to give to you today, I decided that this wouldn’t be a very good challenge if it didn’t require me to think. So think I did. I dug deep into the far recesses of my brain to uncover a rare embarrassing moment that I had buried very, very deep…

Come back in time with me to the first grade. His name was Lane Lilly and he had the biggest brown eyes and cutest lopsided bowl cut I ever did see. We road the bus together, but we didn’t speak much. Actually, I’m pretty sure we never spoke –but I spoke of him often.

Obviously, my best friend knew all about my love for Lane, but she wasn’t cruel about it like many kids can be –there was no teasing or pestering from her when it came to my undying, unrequited, and unknown feelings for him. Maybe that’s why 18 years later she’s still my best friend. Yet, although there was no singing of, “Lane and Dani sitting in a tree. K.I.S.S.I.N.G,” from her lips, she did come up with one very. very. very. terrible idea right before recess one day.

Her idea was to profess my love for Lane during recess that day in the form of a handwritten note. Oh, but not just any handwritten note! No, this handwritten note would have the words preordained by George Strait himself. If you don’t know which song I’m taking about already, you can listen to it here. (NO JUDGING, PEOPLE. I was 6 and my musical taste was not yet fully developed.)

But I digress…

I torn off a piece of notebook paper, wrote down the chorus to that song, and folded that note into the crispest, most perfect square you’ve ever seen. And then, when the bell rang to dismiss us for recess, I hurried outside with my best friend right by my side and delivered that note to Lane.

I don’t think I said a word as I nervously handed over the note and waiting for him to read it through (I do remember it took him a very long time to read that stupid note.) And then while I was holding my breath he gave me his response, which was…(drumroll, please)…

 “But I don’t even have a pencil!”

I believe that was the moment I decided to ran towards the other end of the playground. And it was then too, that for the first time in my life I thought I was going to drop dead of embarrassment. I’ve been avoiding it ever since.

Cultivate Your Friendships

Day 8 of the Blog Every Day In May challenge is, "a piece of advice you have for others," and it didn't take me long to realize what piece of advice I wanted to share with you today. So let's jump right into it, shall we?

My advice for you is to cultivate your friendships.

That's it. Cultivate your friendships. I've always considered myself to be a good friend. I am loyal, consistent, and would drop anything I'm doing to help one of my besties in a time of need. I think a great testament to me being a good friend is the fact that one of those ladies below, my maid of honor, has been my very best friend since the first grade. Most friendships don't withstand the test of time, but ours has. And for that, I am truly grateful. 

Unfortunately, I think long-lasting, deep friendships are something extremely rare in this day and age. We get busy. We have jobs, maybe children, and a home full of chores and yard work that needs tending to. Life is hectic, and one of the very first things to get moved down on our list of priorities when things get too hectic is our friendships --and that's a shame. There are few things in this world that enrich our lives more than our friends. Yet, friendship is a delicate thing and if it is not properly cultivated, it will slowly wilt and eventually die altogether.

So go cultivate your friendships. Turn off the TV and pick up the phone. Give them a call or send them a handwritten note. Invest the time and care necessary to sustain them and cause them to thrive. You'll be glad you did. 

Life Lessons

Huckleberry's always creeping on my baked goods..

I wanted to take a break from Friday Letters this week and instead just share some things that life has been teaching me lately.

So, this week I've learned that...

My husband is only human. It's amazing how quickly I can forgot that my husband's not perfect. And even more amazing how personally I take his faults. When he leaves the refrigerator door open while pouring himself a glass of milk, it isn't a passive aggressive attack on me. It's funny how the quirks you found funny when you were dating are now grounds for battle in marriage. But hey, he isn't perfect and Lord knows I am so, so far from being perfect myself. At the end of the day, he is still my rock, my covenant partner, my number one. The little things need to remain little, not ignite WWIII.

If something is important to you, get it done yourself. I think a lot of time we (or at least I) rely on other's to get the job done. Maybe because we don't want to add anything else to our overflowing to-do lists, or we simply don't want any extra responsibility on us, especially during the holiday season when we already feel stretched too thin. But if something is genuinely important to you, get the job done yourself. Relying on others will oftentimes result in disappointment. If it's important to you, make it your responsibility and see it through. And then if something falls through, you only have you to blame instead of building resentment towards another.

It's easy to make friends, if you only put yourself out there. Ever since I moved to Washington, I've craved intimate friendships. Of course Steven's childhood friends adopted me as one of their own, but everyone is in different places in life. I missed the companionship of my girlfriends from back home. After making excuses for about a year, Steven and I joined a young adult's Bible study, and by the time we left I honestly felt like I had made 12 new friends. As crazy as if sounds, I can't wait to go back next week! It took long enough, but we finally got out of our comfort zone and amazingly, we discovered that people like us! It really isn't hard to make friends if you just put yourself out there. More than likely people will like you too ;)

Hugging a dog will relieve you anxiety. Seriously. There is nothing more I need to say about this one. They just have magical powers.

What has life been teaching you lately?

I Don't Mind The Rain

She chatters easily, incessantly, nonstop. The words fall endlessly from the tip of her tongue into the receiver pressed against my ear. I lay the phone upon the counter and the chatter continues, mindless chatter falling on deaf ears. 

Her pitch changes and I quickly reach for the phone and press it once again to my ear.

I’m sorry, what was that?

I can hear her heavy sign. Her failed attempt at repressed frustration.

I saaaid, how can you stand all that rain?

There it is. The change in pitch I thought I heard before. A slight raise in the octave singling that a response is in order. A small adjustment, but big enough to bring me out of my reverie, to set off warming singles in my mind, to remind me that a phone conversation is an exchange between two people.

I don’t mind the rain, I simply answer.

I gently, soundlessly place the phone back on the counter and the ceaseless chatter begins again.

She doesn’t know that it hasn’t rained for weeks in Seattle; that the ground is in desperate need of a downpour, that there is a burn ban and a brush pile in my backyard. She doesn’t know how the lake water is receding. Nor does she know how I have seamlessly adapted into my new home 3,000 miles away. How I too am in a fragile season, a drought. With only one careless spark away from bursting into uncontrollable, raging flames.

She never asked.

I don’t mind the rain. The rain would be relief.

I wait by the counter a little longer, listening for the change in pitch to once again occur.

One. Two. Three minutes pass.  The words fall off her lips into the open space around me. I hit the red button on the receiver, push away from the counter, and wait for the rain.