This weekend turned out really fun! We found $5 Nats tickets online and invited Sarah to join us for a night at the ballpark. We all split a bucket of chicken and fries which we totally got ripped off on because the entire bottom half of the bucket was crumpled paper! The regular fans probably know how to find the good deals. Perhaps someday that will be us! But until then, we'll be the ones holding kid-sized fountain drinks and pulling paper out of our chicken buckets. ;)
It seemed like just last week I was putting my FJ Cruiser into low gear to get Christina and me up the treacherous muddy trail to the cabin for her bachelorette party. And here we are already, dolled up for her bridal shower! I'm afraid to blink because I can't afford to miss her wedding!! The venue was beautiful and impressive. It really seemed to fit Christina's wedding vision of "Jane Austin" romantic. Nearly all the girls from the bachelorette party were there – plus Christina's mom, her wedding planner, and a friend from work. So I knew a lot of people! Jewel hosted a Jane Austin-themed game where the teams had to guess if a line was from a Jane Austin book or not. It was very difficult for me…. less so for Christina and some of the other girls, haha. Hashani, the maid of honor, brought a stunning cake, and rumor has it she made it herself. So impressive! It was fun to see Jessica again, too. I mean, she compliments my hair color and my height (5'6" vs. her 5'5.5") and my IG videos so naturally we're BFFs. ;) What really struck me most about this bridal shower was how many people came to show their love and support for Christina. She has a lot of people in her corner – a ton of family and another ton of friends. God has certainly blessed her with a great tribe. And I'm happy to be part of it! Congrats Bride-to-be!
It seems fitting to end this series of vacation blog posts with a few sunset photos of the World's Most Photographed Dog. Sadie is 16 years old and therefore doesn't move around that quickly anymore. But at the beach it was a whole different story. She seemed to come alive once her paws hit the sand. Her trail of paparazzi could hardly keep pace as she zipped along. It was pretty adorable. Sadie is most definitely a beach dog.
Our rental house was super charming and had a great living room and kitchen hangout area, but the best part of the whole house was the porch. Everyone congregated there. It was perfect for sipping that coveted Wawa coffee or breaking out the acoustic guitar. Any reason at all to enjoy that fresh ocean air. We were just a few blocks from the beach but still close to town. It was the perfect setup.
At last! The long-anticipated beach week finally arrived. Monday afternoon we threw our bags in the FJ, secured the kayaks on top, and off we went! Sea Isle or bust. Shortly after Brian and I pulled up to the house, Sarah insisted we walk to the beach for the sunset. There is nothing quite like witnessing the golden hour at the ocean. I drank it all in – the wide open space, the softly crashing waves, and of course the beautifully painted sky. How can anyone watch a sunset without being overwhelmed by the goodness of God?
Bachelorette Party, Cabin Edition! This was nearly all of us who drove to the mountains in West Virginia for some weekend shenanigans – Sheree, Jewel, Christina, Jessica, Danielle, Daniela, and me – just missing Hashani!
As you may or may not know by now, Brian and I are last-minute travelers. Sometimes this works for us, sometimes it doesn't. (Usually it does, other than the part where I stress because I'm a planner!) On two separate weekends we tried to make this trip down to South Carolina but the rain storms moved in and hunkered down right over the entire East Coast. This time, however, we checked the weather at 7pm on Friday night, decided to "weather" the scattered showers, and started packing for a whirlwind trip leaving the next morning. Does it seem like I use the word "whirlwind" to describe most of our vacations? :)
I've got a lot on my mind these days. Springtime seems heavy this year. I was reading an article the other night about how the fear of appearing foolish keeps us from sharing the gospel. Our culture worships knowledge. The ultimate transgression is to be considered ignorant. This is why social media is such a firestorm: everyone is desperate to share an opinion and make themselves appear wiser than their peers; at the same time the brutality in which they tear down is shocking. "Ignorant" is a curse word. When Jesus said he chose the foolish things of this world to shame those who consider themselves wise, he was talking about those considered foolish by the world’s standards. But in the Bible, actual fools are those who don’t look to God for their source of wisdom.
