Brought to you by the word, "too"

This week has been a little too crazy!

I have gone to bed way too late.

And gotten up way too early.

I have spent too many minutes with Jillian Michaels for my liking.

But my pants are getting little too big, so onward we press in our love/hate relationship.

Although I can't say at 6:30 am, I am too excited about it.

My brain has been on overdrive as work has been waaaaaay too busy.

Busy is VERY VERY good of course, and it is not a complaint as much as a proclamation that I am a little too tired to make too much sense. Be advised.

I have taken too few pictures this week.

Please know it is not for lack of doing things that have been TOO FUN.

Like eating too much Mexican, spending too much time in front of the TV, talking to a too-cute bride to be on the phone - and hanging out with the Hagans a great deal, too.

Also this week, I have complained about too many things and focused on what really matters for too few minutes.

A little too wrapped up in me, you could say.

I will try to be better about that next week. And the next one, too.

Speaking of the upcoming weeks - I have been toooooo excited about all the fun on the horizon.

Atlanta trip, 4th of July in Columbus - and Matthew's 30th Bday party, too!

Brother, it seems we are getting too old for our own good.

This weekend there is not too much on the agenda, which makes me ALL TOO excited.

Happy Friday!

(And Saturday and Sunday, too!)

Just another manic Monday

You know the story.

You go out to your car after a long day of work, throw your purse haphazardly into the passenger seat, stick the key in the ignition, and proceed to cranking.

The absence of the anticipated roar causes even the most novice car person to know that something is amiss. Your car has lost the will to live.

Thankfully there are certain fathers out there who will come to one's rescue in such a situation when it happens to you.


And yesterday was my day. Exciting!

I called Alan and said, "Hey Daddy, so....I just came out to my car after work, and it car won't crank."

"You're kidding me!"

(Yes, because that is such a hilarious joke.)

After some discussion which involved my guess that it might be out of gas (I have gas gauge issues - darn Chevy's), he told me to hang tight and he'd be there momentarily.

I sat in the parking lot talking to my friend Linda until he showed up a few minutes later with some gas.

"Please be outta gas, please be outta gas, please be outta gas!" I yelled as he poured.

He hopped in the car and cranked again. Nothing.

It was becoming clear at that point that the battery was probably to blame for our troubles. Linda had some jumper cables, and after a few minutes - the roar I so longed to hear rang out like music to my ears.

By that time it was about 6pm and my car place (that I dearly love) was already closed, so Predicament #2 was upon us. Thankfully Linda knows somebody who knows somebody and we found a nice gentleman who was willing to install a new battery after hours (in the rain, no less).

By 6:30, I was back on my way - headed straight for some gas (probably not a a good idea to also run out of gas the same day your battery dies - a girl can only call in so many favors during a 24 hour period).

I would like to take this moment to thank:

1. Big Al who is always willing to stop whatever he is doing to help a girl out. Way to get a jump start on earning your Father's Day present for next year, Daddy! (He has always be a go-getter like that.)

2. Linda B - I love a woman with jumper cables in her car. And a woman who will sit and chat in the 100% humidity just so her friend doesn't have to sit alone in the parking lot.

3. Mr. Donny - Thank you for going above and beyond the mechanic's call of duty. I wanted to high-five you afterwards but I didn't feel like we were "there" yet. Maybe next time!

After the car fiasco, I ran home to put on some jeans and then headed to El Sombrero for a girls night with some crazy gals.

Bri is in town this week and she actually brought a lot of her hometown girls with her to the Boro. She texted Kimberly and me yesterday letting us know that they were going for the required El Som trip last night if were interested in meeting up.

Obviously there is only one answer to that question.

Thanks to college, mutual friends, and many weddings - I have had the pleasure of hanging out with these girls a great deal over the years, so it was great to see everybody!

Kimberly, Britt, and Leah


Brittany Baird, Mer, and me


Melinda (who we went to college with and who is lovingly referred to by Lindsay and I as "Belinder") with Brittany


There is nothing like a table full of crazy girls. (Just ask our poor waiter, Raul.)

It was such a fun night!

Such a great way to spend a Saturday!

When I got home from our big ATL trip in April, I had accumulated some really special, sweet, hilarious memories.

I personally loved every part of that trip - every person, every conversation, every meal shared, every God moment.

I would hereby like to submit a vote that we we start doing trips like that quarterly.

I remember on Sunday after everyone had flown back to their respective homes, Caroline and I lounged in our darling little hotel room talking about the amazingness that was the previous 48 hours.

What can we say - we are girls who like to "discuss".

We talked about Beth Moore and just how cool God is. We talked about our friends and how much we enjoyed having face-to-face time and just being able to hang out IN PERSON with these women that we had been "doing life with" (via the blog world) for so long.

I distinctly remember at one point saying, "You know who I REALLY loved?? JENNIFER FRANCIS!"

Caroline wholeheartedly agreed, and I am sure we started rattling off parts during the trip where sweet Jen made us bust out laughing. I can think of many. The girl's hilarious, and we had just enjoyed her SO much.

So you can imagine my joy when Jennifer texted me last week to tell that she and her cute little fam were going to be in my neck of the woods for vacation. And one of those days was going to be spent in Savannah - a mere 45 minutes from my home.

Um, road trip!

We set a plan in motion for me to meet up with them, and I could not have been more excited.

On Saturday I made my way to Savannah. The Francis Fam had just eaten at Lady & Sons and were strolling along River Street, so I took my big ol bus of a car down those cobble stone streets and prayed for a parking space.

By some miracle, I found one - and before I knew it, I was hugging my friend, meeting her sweet/equally funny husband Josh, and chatting it up with the ADORABLE (this word will be used many more times in this post, so get ready) Brody!

"Bobby" Francis (self-entitled) discussed vacuums, trash, and boats with me as we walked.

I was dying at his cuteness.

We ended up escaping the 1 million degree weather by ducking into one of the little shops that sold frozen drinks.

Josh treated us with some yummy virgin margaritas and we sat down and I swear I laughed for the next hour and a half straight.

The source of much of our laughter...


Brody is SO precious and has the sweetest little smile and says all kinds of words in the cutest little voice you've ever heard.

And his mama was as sweet and hilarious as ever.


Josh and Jen are just the cutest couple and they were both cracking me up the entire time. It makes me sad that Arkansas is so far away because these are my kinda peeps.

After we got done with our drinks, and Brody had succeeded in throwing away the many bits of napkin his mama had been tearing up for him to go take to the trash (a genius idea...the boy could totally have a future in custodial work if he so chooses), we headed down to the river to look at the boats.

I now present to you the largest ship anyone in our group had ever seen.


I needed a panoramic camera just to get the whole thing in the picture. We were all in awe.

Brody was loving all the "big boats."


The Francis Family! (Josh, Jennifer (plus sweet Jillian!), and Brody)! I just wish they were just a little more beautiful, don't you?? ;-)


The girls with Brody.


Jen, I am pretty sure both our eyes are closed in this picture because we are super cool like that.

Brody found the 3 grown-ups to be very entertaining.


Plus, all that trash collecting really takes it out of a boy.

WARNING: Adorableness Alert!


Smiling at that crazy "Jenn-ahh" woman.


Josh and Jennifer - thank ya'll SO much for meeting up with me! It was so fun, and just made my weekend!

And Brody, you are the cutest guy ever. Tell your mama and daddy I am definitely going to have to make a trip to AR soon so we can hang out some more. :-)

Simply the best

dear big al,


thanks for being the kind of father


that when people tell us, "You are DEFINITELY your daddy's daughter/son!"




we respond with a genuine and very proud, "thanks!"


and walk away with a smile.


happy father's day!


we love you!

Deb takes Miami

My parents are out of town this week. My dad had a business trip to Miami, so several months ago they decided Mama would go too (it was work, but there promised to be lots of play as well).

Let it be said that Debbie Tyson is a BEACH LOVER.

She is that woman that is down on the beach at 9, comes in for a quick lunch, and stays on the beach until dusk when it's time to go up for showers and dinner.

A dinner which will always, always involve at least one crab cake.

In the last few years, our family has not done a big beach trip. We did all growing up, but at this point with schedules, finances, etc. - we haven't had much beach time.

Please refer to my fluorescent skin tone if you doubt my word is true.

Anyways, I have been so happy they were going to have this trip because I know the beach-time deficit makes Deb sad. And since it was a work trip, we knew it'd be super nice accommodations, many expenses paid, and just some good, much-deserved get-a-way time.

Well.

If I had only known what was really in store, I might have made some sort of move to get in on this trip.

They left on Wednesday, stopped halfway to spend the night, and then made it to their final destination around lunch on Thursday.

This was the text I received from Deb upon their arrival:

"Just got in the room! Early bird arrivals got nicer rooms - mini suite overlooking the city! Off to lunch! Love you!"

And Here is a text conversation between me and the beach babe this morning:

Deb - Finally made it to the beach!! Ahhhh!!!! Love you!

Jen - Yay! Enjoy! LOL2

(For those who may not know, "LOL2" is family code for "love you". It was established after I informed Deb that "LOL" actually meant "Laugh out Loud" and not "Lots of Love" which she had thought for approximately 1 year. Yes, Mama had been signing all of her texts to loved ones with LOL. Leaving friends and family to wonder - "Why does Debbie think everything is so funny?")

Jen - Wish I was there with you! Are you on a nude beach?

(Small joke. But it is Miami, after all.)

Deb - Yes! But don't tell anyone! HA! Not! Cabana Boy got me all situated for my day! Wish you were here too! LOL2

(Um, excuse me - Cabana boy????)

(Before I could recover to text back...)

Deb - Yes, Dante just brought the food and drink menu! Ooh la la! This is awesome beyond words. Haha

Jen - OMG. The Queen has landed. I am starting to worry ya'll may never want to come home.

(Seriously. What if once you go "Dante", you never go back??)

Deb - That's "Her Majesty" to you! Correction, I AM on a topless beach....just not topless, personally! Whoa!

Jen - Oh my. Well, try to keep your wits about you, Your Majesty.

(I can see the headlines now - "Local Woman gets high off beach time, asks Cabana Boy to untie her top.")

Deb - :D

(As Deb would say - MIAMI ON!)

Weekend Top 20

Let's see, where did we leave off?

Oh yes, it was Friday, and the fam was about to leave to go to Savannah...


...and I was about to haphazardly throw a bunch of clothes into a bag and head to see my newly engaged BFF, Lindsay!

Do you how many minutes are in a weekend?

I have no idea either, and I am too lazy (mathematically challenged?) to figure it out, but when it comes to last weekend - I have to say that I enjoyed (and pretty much laughed during) every single one them!

Seeing Matthew and Larsen definitely started it off with a bang and once they left for their concert in Savannah, I hit the road for a 3 hour journey to Lindsay's.

Here are some fun moments from the trip!

1. Making a pit stop on the 3 hour journey to hit up this little shop....


The purpose: To buy my bridesmaid dress!!!

It felt just like Say Yes to the Dress except, well, my dress was pink, Keisha nor Randy could be found, and no one asked me, "Well, is this your dress?"

I wanted to yell, "THIS IS MY DRESS!" but I just did it on the inside so as not to cause a scene.

After Kleinfeld's, I got back on the road for the last leg of my journey.

2. Enjoying those GA backroads at sunset


One of my very favorite things.

3. Meeting up with Linds, her brother Benjamin, and some of his friends at a local Mexican restaurant.

It was fun to sit and chat, and the convo quickly moved onto the subject of wedding plans. Laughs were plentiful and fun ideas were shared.

4. Going back to Lindsay's mama's house after eating (and getting to see Ms. Carol and chat for a long while with she and Benjamin).

It was so good to catch up with the fam!

5. Staying at Lindsay's grandparents house where we were treated like royalty (i.e. the most beautiful spread of breakfast food I have ever seen on Saturday morning...pancakes, eggs, sausage, fruit...I had a moment.)

6. Having this girl meet up with us on Saturday morning for a day of Wedding Fun!


Bri is a wedding planning champion. I have witnessed her work.

7. Remembering the reason for the season....



8. Wedding dress shopping!!!

The bride getting ready to go in....


....while her ridiculous friends/bridesmaids acted like hooligans.


Our apologies, as always.

We did try to make ourselves somewhat useful, though. Here's Bri looking through some dresses. I love this picture (even though it was taken illegally).


Ms. Carol was there to help wrangle us.


Lindsay looked beautiful in all the dresses she tried. I actually had a moment when she came out in the first one and stood up on the little step in front of all the mirrors.

I just couldn't believe she was in a WEDDING dress. Is there even a number high enough for the amount of times we've thought about that moment???

9. Heading home after dress shopping.

Ms. Carol stopped on the side of the road at a produce stand and got some fresh tomatoes, peaches, and a watermelon.

Then she made us BLTs, God love her.


SO good!

Yummy Georgia peaches.


Linds tired out from her episode of "Say Maybe to the Dress."


10. Hanging out with Justin (the groom!) after he got off of work. He joined us at Ms. Carol's to hang out until we had to leave to go take engagement pictures!

10. Making a pit stop to see David and his bridal.


Since the engagement pics were being taken in Macon (ha, that rhymed) we stopped back by David's for Brittany to get her dress.

Exciting!


We LOVE the dresses. (Linds giving the thumbs up in the background).

Lindsay happened to see a dress she liked on one of the mannequins, so we made her try it on, and the girl's face lit up like the sky on July 4th!

Add another one to the running!

I made an immediate call to Justin (he had dropped us off, but was coming back) to tell him that his admittance into David's Bridal was no longer permitted, and that he would be contacted when the status changed. :-)

We also tried on some accessories.

(We are THOSE girls that bridal store employees hate.)


11. Having sweet Justin haul us around and put up with our chatter. He was a great chauffeur and we heart him.


He fits right in!

(J-Weezy, only YOU can decide if that is a compliment or an insult).

12. Picture taking time!


Linds organizing the wardrobe changes for the bride and groom.

The cute couple before the camera clicks began....




Bri and I were excited to tag along and watch the picture-making magic. We watched, helped when we could, and took pictures of ourselves with Justin iPhone (then made it his background).

You know, the usual.

Brittany especially loved when the trains rolled by.


Nothing like the sounds of screeching metal on a hot June afternoon.

Wardrobe changes in the parking lot.


You might be in south GA if....




I love this picture below! I think they like each other.


I would just like to add in at this point that the temperature on Saturday in Macon was around 150 degrees Fahrenheit with a heat index of about 200.

During the last round of pictures, Bri and I decided to "get the car cooled down for everyone".


I think you'd call it win-win.

13. Going to eat afterwards - hungry, hot, sweaty, tired. We might have been looking a little rough but our hearts were happy!

Lindsay's especially....


We went to Wild Wings Cafe where the menu is about 22 pages long. But we liked it instantly for obvious reasons....


Way to represent, Wild Wings.

The door on the bathroom was so appropriate.


And the boy's side.


We may not be men, but we sure were sweating like a couple of 'em. (Lindsay was not as committed to this picture as I was.)

Lindsay and a couple of 'maids.


This is Taylor and Brittany (aka "Justin's Brittany"). Brittany is Justin's sister (not to be confused with "Our Brittany") and Taylor is her husband.


Taylor was the man behind the camera that day. It was great to meet them and hang out!

14. Brittany looking like we all felt.


(Don't kill me, Bri. It's not as bad as when I showed Earle's parents our "nun" picture. Love you. Bye.)

15. Scoping out the tux store after supper.

GOOD NEWS!

I met my husband.


I thought it was kind of rude how Brittany tried to immediately move in on my man(nequin).

Give the single girls a chance, woman!



16. Eventually making it back home where we all sat around in Lin's living room again.

Insert a picture of Ms. Carol, Benj, Justin, Linds, and I here recounting the fun-filled day.

17. Waking up on Sunday and having Lindsay's grandparents (aka Ma B. and Mr. G.) once again serve us some yummy breakfast (and as always a huge dose of Southern hospitality).

How CUTE are they???


That is a blue and white seersucker suit for anyone who would like to hug Mr. G at this time.

18. Packing Linds up for youth camp, saying goodbye to the Watson fam, and then heading to our homeland before parting ways.


It wouldn't be a Jen/Lin trip without at least one meal shared at the SW.

19. Riding home so thankful for great friends and weddings and road trips.

20. Looking forward to all the fun ahead in the next few months of wedding fun!


The end!