Long Overdue Girl's Weekend

This is me with my dear, dear friend Lindsay at my rehearsal dinner.

Lindsay was one of the first girls that I met in Auburn, shortly after we both pledged ADPi.  It wasn't until sophomore year, however, that I began to consider her one of my very best friends.  Lindsay played a huge role in my college experience, and she even got married only two weeks after me.  It was such a blessing to have her to call throughout that first year of marriage as I was realizing that maybe marriage isn't quite what I had always expected it to be. Ha:)  It always helped to hear that I wasn't the only one going through a bit of an adjustment period.

She was always super smart and super studious in school, and it has paid off as she is now a physical therapist.  Because we are now in different stages of life, we don't get to talk nearly as often as I would like to.  But we agree that when we do talk, it is as if no time has passed at all.  I have been meaning to go visit Lindsay in Birmingham since before John was born.  Now, it is over a year later, and I think the trip is actually going to happen. 

Just a few short days ago, I thought I was going to have to cancel yet again, due to this crazy virus that has attacked my home, but Scott assures me that he wants me to go and that he "will be fine."  So, as of this evening, I plan to head to Birmingham this weekend for some MUCH NEEDED girl time.  I am beside myself with excitement. 

As a mom, it is always bittersweet to be away from my children.  On the one hand, it is such refreshment.  On the other hand, any time spent away includes a bit of a homesick feeling in the pit of my stomach.  I can't help it.  These kiddos are a part of me.  I know they will be fine without me, though, and if they aren't, it's just one night.  Plus, I think Scott's parents are coming for the weekend to help out, so that will be a treat for Ada and John. 

Bring on the girl time.  I can't wait to talk and relax and eat a meal without being interrupted 500 times.  I am so excited.

This past weekend

I haven't yet blogged about this past weekend, but I do feel like it's worth a post.

For one thing, I was able to catch up with some college friends on Friday night.  They were kind enough to drive to Scottsboro from Huntsville and have dinner with us.  My children didn't really cooperate, but I did get in some good conversation once we left the restaurant.  Ada was going without a nap, and she was spent by the time we were seated and ready to eat.  Thanks for being patient with us, Taylor and Amanda!!

Plus, I went to that wonderful, wonderful wedding.  It truly was incredible, but I hate to post about it because all of my family have already said so much.  So instead I will steal a picture or two, and then I will direct you here to find out the details.

(that's John in the background.  Can you see him?)

John was a trooper, and Scott and I made it through course one and two of dinner, but just as the main course arrived, John reached the end of his rope, and we were out of there.  The curtains that would open to the dance tent had not even opened yet, and I also wanted to see the bride's second dress, the one for the dancing portion of the reception, but John wasn't having it.  He said, "Mom, I have been patient, I have held it together, but it's late, and I want my bed."  So, as the golf cart drove Scott, John, and me back to our car, I stared behind me watching the gorgeous scene unfold without me.  But it's just the way it goes in this season of parenting a newborn.  Every parent has been there.  And my feet were hurting.  So...anyway, it was fun, and John made it longer than I expected, so I count it a success. 

We are back home now.  John cried the entire six hours (round trip) that we were in the car, making it clear that he does not care for his car seat ;)  At one point I squeezed myself and my big post-baby rear end in between the two car seats in the back just to see if I could get him calmed down, which he did eventually calm down, but oh the screaming.  It was stressful.

We are home now, though, and John stuck to a great schedule today, nursing every three hours and taking a good morning and afternoon nap, followed by a short evening nap.  We have been working on that schedule for a while, so I am thrilled.  We'll see if it helps with his nighttime sleep.  I'm crossing my fingers. 

I'll let you know.

Celebrating the New Year

Today was a great day because I got to spend some time with a dear friend who is unexpectedly home from China. Amy and I first met when we were roommates in China the summer after our Freshman Year. We were great friends from then on out. We ended up living together at Auburn (along with 11 other girls), and she was a bridesmaid in my wedding (along with 12 other girls; yes it's true--13 bridesmaids). It was such an unexpected treat to get to spend a chunk of this day with her. Though we haven't seen each other in months, it was as if no time had passed. It was a bit surreal to hug her good-bye, knowing she was headed back across the Ocean for several more months.

Amy and I have spent several New Years together, the most memorable being four years ago. I was freshly graduated from Auburn with my Master's in Education, engaged to Scott, and briefly living at home until our wedding in April. Rambo (Amy's last name and what we call her) was living and working in New York at the time, and she and two of my other bridesmaids went in together to buy me a plane ticket to NY as a wedding gift. So the day after Christmas I headed to New York for one last hurrah as a single girl.

We had so much fun seeing the sights through the eyes of a local, and we ended the fun-filled week with a midnight run through Central Park to ring in the New Year. It was surreal to say the least.

There I was in the middle of that glorious city with two of my best friends, thinking about all that the coming year held. I was this 23 year old college graduate nervously trying to grasp the gravity of the vows that I would make in just a few months, and I somewhat understood that life was about to get very real. I knew, as I ran that midnight race through Central Park, that 2006 would bring much change. Little did I know that I would ring in 2007 with little Ada growing in my stomach.

Here we are, what seems like a lifetime ago, enjoying a fun dinner before the race later that night. Did I mention that Rambo was born on New Year's Eve. She always gets to celebrate her birthday in style:)

And then in Amy's apartment. (me, Laura Leary, and Amy Rambo)Excuse the quality of the photos. These were taken with a disposable camera.

I can't believe that only four years have passed since that night. It feels like a lifetime. And sure enough, life has become very real. I sat across from Rambo today at a table in Moe's, so very pregnant with baby number two, and we reminisced and caught up. I like to live vicariously through her many adventures--before New York, she lived and worked in Colorado, then after NY, she was in Africa, and now China. There is talk that she might spend a couple of years in the Atlanta area next. I am crossing my fingers.

I am so thankful for the friends that I made at Auburn. The Lord blessed me with so many girls who were very much in love with him. Rambo is one of the many that he has used to mold and shape and draw me closer to himself.

Anyway, four years later, I think I will meet the New Year fast asleep on my pillow. I am 34 weeks pregnant, after all.

update: to answer Mary Ann's question, we did end the night on Times Square after the crowds had cleared. We avoided Times Square before then. We wanted to miss the craziness. There was still confetti floating around by the time we got there, though, and in the wee hours of the morning we hopped on the subway and made our way back to Rambo's apartment. It was the perfect way to celebrate the New Year.

Let the Games Begin

well, like most of the south, football is on the brain.

I actually had to drive through Auburn today on my way back to Atlanta from Greenville, AL. I drove the four hours to Greenville yesterday evening to spend the night with four of my college roommates. One roommate is getting married in October, and that, of course, calls for celebration. Celebrate we did, as we stayed up until 4 AM!!!!!!!!!! talking about everything under the sun. Oh my word. Am I a crazy woman?

Four hours later, I woke up for the day. At 17 weeks pregnant, four hours is not cutting it. I can barely hold my eyes open.

But

I want to watch the Auburn game. (Thank you ESPN 360!) I want to watch the Alabama game. I want to some how join in the camaraderie of the first football Saturday.

Scott got super lucky and scored a free ticket to the Alabama game from a friend from church, so I am here alone. I am happy that he gets to go, but I can't help but hope that Virginia Tech walks away with the victory. He knows my heart on that issue;)

And, as I mentioned, I made a quick pit stop in Auburn on my way home today. I couldn't help but feel left out as I saw the sea of orange that was College Street. I quickly ran into Zaxby's to grab some lunch, not foolish enough to try to venture further into Auburn than that, and even that small glimpse made me long for my college days. Will I ever stop wishing that college had never ended?

So, now I must turn my attention to the game.

War Eagle, ya'll!

The story of an old white house and the girls who lived there

let me tell you about one of my favorite places on earth--310 E. Samford Avenue in Auburn, AL.

There you will find a white house, paint peeling off, a front porch with a screen door that slams when it shuts, and a side yard just the right size for lying out during summer semester. That is where I made my best college memories.
The house had ten bedrooms in all, and we filled it from floor to ceiling with 13 girls. It was a constant sleepover, ya'll, and for the most part, we loved every minute of it. It was mostly filthy and roach infested, but we didn't really notice those minor details.

Though we have now graduated and gone our separate ways, spread from here to there and living all sorts of different lives, we continue to get together at least once a year. There is always someone missing because life has a way of intervening--nursing babies and overseas missions don't make beach weekends quite so easy--but for the most part we continue to gather and spend weekends reminiscing about the "good ole days."

And that is how I spent this past weekend, lying on the beach, laughing and talking and just being with my best college friends.

The weekend was a sort of send off for dear Katie B. who is headed to Hong Kong, where I know the Lord will use her to reach many with the gospel. Her passion for the Lord and his truth is quite contagious, so how could those students not be won over?

It was fun to tell everyone in person that I am expecting baby number two, and we got to meet another white house baby in person for the first time.

We talked about those who weren't with us--missing them and wishing they were there. We talked about the funniest times, the saddest times, and the craziest times that we spent inside the walls of that house.

Bad dates were laughed at and stories that we know by heart were told once again.

I am blessed to know these girls. The Lord has used them to shape and to teach me.

A million years ago when we were spending our senior spring break on the same beach, the girls weren't doing the "hand on the hip" thing. We were just taking normal pictures.

But we were not to be outdone by those younger than us.You think we have it?

Katie B., me, and Lindsay our last night there. We were stuffed to the gills with delicious food. Please notice my large glass of water instead of the usual diet coke. Diet Coke and I are on a temporary separation of sorts so that this baby can correctly develop inside my womb. (that is not to say that I don't treat myself to the occasional diet coke, but at the rate I was drinking it, something had to give).