What a beautiful bride!

Jessi and Lance's day was perfect from beginning to end.  The only "cloud" on the day was the very brief rain shower.  Right after she came down the aisle, it rained for just a few minutes, and then right after the ceremony was over and everyone was standing outside congratulating the happy couple, it rained again, just a little harder, so everyone ran for cover.  Once the rain was over, the party began and lasted until about 11:00.

Here are a few pictures from the big day.

Rehearsal on Friday afternoon...short and sweet!

This is a fountain on the grounds of The Greystone Mansion in Auburn, AL.  The home was built in 1892 and is gorgeous!

Making herself even more beautiful.  She was the calmest bride I have EVER been around.  No worries, no concerns.  About 30 minutes before the ceremony, she began to show some signs of antsiness, but it was just because she was ready to get the show started.

Her dress was AMAZING!  I looked as if it had been specially designed just for her.  No other bride could make it look so good.

A picture says a thousand words...

Oh, to be as young and beautiful (and thin) as Jessi...

Jessi's flower girl Bailey.  She is so cute!  She provided the laughter.  She got about half way down the aisle before she turned, yelled "I want Mommy!" and ran back down the aisle.  She probably had more fun dancing afterwards than anybody.

The back of the dress

All of the flowers were done by Jess's friend Alison.  They were awesome!  She worked herself to death all day long.

The bridal bouquet...stunning!

Molly, Jessi, and Katy...three very beautiful sisters.

This may sound conceited, but I am quite proud of this picture.

Molly and Katy, the gorgeous bridesmaids

Father of the bride...He looked so very handsome in his tux, but it almost took the National Guard to get him in it and then to keep him in it until pictures were over.  In his defense, the humidity was stifling!  Of course, he was making a goofy face, and this is the ONLY picture I got of him all day.  Thankfully, the official photographer will have some. 

I.  LOVE.  THIS.  PICTURE.  Again, it may sound conceited, but dang, I think I did a good job on this one.  Then again, it isn't hard to take a good picture when the subject is so beautiful.

This is Lance's nephew Eli.  He was the most handsome ring bearer.  You gotta be quick to get his picture, though.  LOL  He is really a cutie pie.  I could just eat him up.

Another picture I just love!  They did the "traditional" groom doesn't see the bride before she walks down the aisle, so this was the only physical contact they had all day long.  Look at their faces...you can just see the excitement and anticipation in their eyes and their smiles. 

I didn't get any pictures after the ceremony.  My brain was bouncing all over the place, and I didn't even think about going back up to the bride's room to get my camera.  The reception was wonderful, and the pahhhhty (said in a deep Southern dialect) afterward was a blast.  The happy couple are in Cancun, hopefully relaxing and enjoying their first day as Mr. and Mrs. 

Like I said, the day could not have been any more perfect.  Lance and Jessi were surrounded by family and friends who love them and will support them throughout their lives together.  John and I are so happy to welcome Lance to our family.

I hope the week ahead is filled with nothing but HAPPINESS and LOVE for you!

It's wedding week!

This time next week, Lance and Jessi will be an old married couple happily married newlyweds and on their way to the lake with me Cancun for a wonderfully relaxing honeymoon.  Please pray that they have a safe trip there and back and that the weather is perfect.  Jessi has never flown, so that will be an experience for her.

I think she has most everything taken care of, so maybe this week won't be extremely hectic for her.  Of course, she knows that if there is anything that needs doing, all she has to do is call and I'll be on it.  I'm planning on staying at the lake until Wednesday, but if she were to call right now and tell me she needed me to do something for her first thing in the morning, I'd be there.  Some things are more important than hanging out at the lake. 

She is going to be one of the most beautiful brides ever.  (I can't say she is THE most beautiful bride ever because Katy was absolutely gorgeous as a bride herself.)  Kay, Lance's mom, and I met Jess at the bridal shop the day she went for her final fitting.  When she came out of the changing room, I teared up.  (She said she told Lance she knew I'd cry.  She knows me pretty well.  LOL  I will seriously need a handkerchief for the day of the wedding.)  Her dress is gorgeous, and the style "fits" her perfectly.  And the dress FITS her perfectly.  Honestly, she could model for a bridal designer.

Lance will be an extremely gorgeous groom as well.  (Again, I can't say his will be THE most gorgeous groom because Phillip was quite gorgeous on his wedding day.)  I know he's really looking forward to wearing a tux.  LOL  Jessi has told him that as soon as the wedding is over, he can put on his Teva's.  He'll be stylin' in a tux and Teva's at the reception. 

I ended up having to buy a second dress because when I took my first dress to be altered, the seamstress snipped a tiny hole in it.  I took it back, and he fixed it.  It is barely noticeable, but I still know it's there, and I'm not wearing it.  Not for the wedding anyway, but it's one I can wear elsewhere.  The dress I ended up getting is very simple.  It isn't "mother of the bride" at all (and there is a whole long story about that, but we're not going there.)  This is a dress I can wear to work, to church, to anywhere, yet it is very classy.  And classic. 

John's tux will be ready to be picked up Thursday afternoon.  At first, Jessi wanted him to wear just a suit, but she messaged me one day and asked if her daddy would be okay with wearing a tux.  I told her he absolutely would be okay with wearing a tux if that is what she wanted him to do.  He would wear a pink bunny suit (think A Christmas Story) if that is what she wanted him to wear.  He will look so handsome as he walks her down the aisle.  He has no qualms whatsoever about "giving" Jessi's hand to Lance in marriage.

John and I are so very happy for Jess and Lance.  He adores her and would walk to the ends of the earth for her, barefoot and through fire if necessary.  He will protect her and do everything within his power to see that she is happy and well taken care of.  What else could parents ask for their daughter's mate?  Wayne and Kay are crazy about her as well, and that makes us feel good as well.  I have several friends who do not have good relationships with their in-laws.  I can't imagine being in a relationship where my in-laws didn't like me.  Thank God my father-in-law and my mother-in-law accepted me as a daughter and didn't see me just as their son's wife.

To Lance and Jessi...May God bless your life with much happiness and joy.  May your days be filled with sunshine.  And not that I'm rushing you, but I can't wait for the phone call saying we're going to be grandparents again.  LOL  Your daddy and I love both of you so very much, and we are so very happy for you!  Congratulations and best wishes!

Bridezilla??

JESSI IS ENGAGED!!! She just called a little while ago to tell me. After I did all of the squealing, I told her I was really glad I no longer had to lie to her. Remember the post when I said she and I had gone to get pedicures while her daddy and Lance cut some trees and we were hoping Lance would have talked to John but he didn't? All a lie. He did talk to John, and I knew he was going to talk to him a couple of days earlier. But I didn't want to run the risk of Jessi reading that on my blog or someone else reading it and congratulating her. So I lied. I am pretty good at doing that, but it is NEVER with the intention of causing hardship or harm. I lie when there is something that needs to be kept secret for a very GOOD reason. (Don't ask me to lie for you if someone is going to get hurt in the process. That ain't happenin'.)

So, will Jessi be a Bridezilla? Nope. Not at all. We'll save that title for some other bride who thinks the entire world revolves around her and thinks everyone should bow down to her wishes and demands. Not that Jessi shouldn't have the world revolving around her and all of her friends and family bowing down to her during this special time, but that just isn't Jessi. (Thank God!)

John and I are so, so very happy for our girls. Both of them have found wonderful men who love them dearly and would do anything and everything in the world for them. Jess has had her share of heartbreak, but that is all in the past, and I believe that from here on, her life will be filled with nothing but joy and happiness.

Lance is a wonderful young man, and I don't think John or I could have asked God to send anyone any better into her life. The only thing that worries me somewhat is that Jess told me that she thinks Lance is just like her daddy. LOL No, seriously, that does not worry me in the least. It brings me great comfort because I know what a wonderful, kind, caring, loving man her daddy is, so I know she will be loved, protected, and provided for.

Congratulations, Jessi and Lance. Daddy and I are so happy for you. We love you and can't wait for you to begin your lives as one.

It's John's big day!

Today is John's birthday. He's 53--I don't think he'd mind me telling you his age. If he does, OOPS! Sorry, Hon! :)

When we bought our lot at the lake, we decided that we wouldn't get presents for each other anymore. If there is something we need, we get it whenever we need it. We do the same with our wants--within reason. There are things we both WANT, but we don't just rush out and buy something JUST because we want it. If that were true, he'd have two or three Harleys sitting in the garage, and I'd have a fire-engine red original Mustang convertible. I did get him a new wallet, though. :)

And, I did make reservations for us to spend next week at a swanky, five-star resort. John is taking off since I'm going to be on fall break, and with his birthday being today, it fit perfectly for us to take this once-in-a-lifetime vacation. Oh, wait...that's what I WANT to do. What we are actually doing is spending next week at the lake--working our bums off. (Go ahead--make a comment about an American using the word "bum.")

John is such an awesome man, and he deserves every wonderful thing that life has to offer. He works so hard to make sure that we can have all of the things we need in life and that we can do or have some of the things that we want. He is a kind and considerate person, he has a fabulous sense of humor, and he never meets a stranger. I know of no one who doesn't think the world of John. He is one of the most well-respected people that I know, and I'm not just saying that because he is my husband and I'm madly in love with him. I have people tell me that all the time.

We do have dinner plans for tonight. Even though we don't usually do gifts for birthdays, our anniversary, Christmas, or any other holiday, we do either have a nice dinner at home or we go out to eat--celebrant's choice. I think he's decided he wants to go to the Creole and Seafood Shack in Auburn. We saw it on Todd's Taste of the Town when Game Day was in Auburn for the Auburn-LSU game. We both LOVE Creole food AND seafood, so it sounds like a winner. :)

Happy birthday, Sweetie! I hope it's a fabulous one.

We love you,
Trina, Ali, and Bama

I said YES!

Sixteen years ago tonight John asked me to marry him. Obviously, I said I would. ;) It is so hard to believe that it has been sixteen years. Where does the time go?! It is true that time flies when you're having fun, and we definitely have fun. I look forward to having much more fun for the rest of our life together. I can honestly count on one hand the number of arguments we've had. Oh, we disagree about things, but we rarely ever argue. Not many couples can boast of fewer than three arguments every five years.

John isn't a romantic kind of guy. When he proposed, he didn't take me to some fancy restaurant overlooking a big city. He didn't have flowers or champagne. Heck, he didn't even have a ring. But he did have a heart full of love, and I wouldn't take anything in the world for that. He still has a heart full of love.

After he popped the question and I said yes, he told me that he had not planned on asking me until he could afford to put a big ring on my finger. I won't lie and tell you that I had never dreamed about getting a huge ring--what girl doesn't? But at that moment, having a ring was the least important thing in the world to me. I told him that I was perfectly fine without one. A ring can be lost, stolen, or destroyed. Yes, a ring is a tangible symbol of love and commitment, but love--true love--doesn't have to have a tangible symbol. Besides, I know that he would have gotten me one if he could have. I told him that someday I would be happy getting an diamond anniversary band.

(He completely surprised me on our first anniversary with a gorgeous one. I had no hopes or expectations of getting anything that year because we were in the process of buying our house, and with earnest money, down payments, appraisals...I just didn't think we could afford one.)

One of my new friends from work was so surprised when she found out that John and I had been married as long as we have. To quote Kristen, "Shut up! You act like a newlywed. You must really be in love with him!" And she's right...I am totally and completely, 100%, head-over-heels in love with him! He smiles at me from across the room, and my heart jumps. I hear his voice on the other end of the phone, and I melt. He reaches for my hand, and I know that he will always be there for me.

God answered so many prayers when He sent John into my life. I thank Him each and every day for this wonderful, kind, considerate man with whom I share my life, my love, and my joy.

And I would say YES all over again.