You May Now Kiss the Bride!

This past weekend was the much awaited Dyson-Stevenson wedding! And it was so beautiful! The weather cooperated, which I was a little worried about since I drove through a few patches of rain on the drive up, and it went off without a hitch! 

These doors were behind all of the seating and allowed for a grand entrance of the bride, even with an outdoor wedding which I loved. Samantha looked flawless (as expected) and the ceremony was sweet and meaningful. And the pastor almost forgot to tell them "You may now kiss your bride" haha So funny. 

The reception was at the barn about 20 feet away from where the ceremony was. They served Trader Joe's wine and some craft beers and have food set up at tables around the barn. They had a fruit, cheese, crackers, and delicious hot crab dip at one table, salads at another, sandwiches at yet another, and my favorite, a mashed potato bar complete with bacon, sour cream, cheese, and gravies. Yum-o.

The "guest book"was a quilt that the guests signed in sharpies! I'd never seen that before and I loved that it was something that they can have out and is personalized.

The band was great and so much fun to dance to, but my favorite part was getting to spend time with camp friends. It was such a sweet reunion to see so many friends that I haven't gotten to see in months--or even years! And getting to meet friend's boyfriends is always fun too! :) 

My date for the night :)

The gorgeous bride!

We danced and celebrated for several hours and eventually made it back to Taylor's house for a much needed night of rest. Cara, Taylor and I slept in on Sunday, cuddled in Taylor's bed watching the Hills and finally got ourselves up and ready in time for an early lunch. We went to this cute unique to Nashville burger place called The Pharmacy. It. was. so. good. Cara had to get back on the road so we had to say bye. 

I was so glad that I didn't have to rush back so I got to enjoy the afternoon with Taylor--I have so missed my time with her and I was so grateful that I got the chance to really spend some quality time with her before I drove back to Marietta (in tornado like conditions--terrifying).

Samantha's Getting Married!!!

Samantha and I became fast friends during my last full summer working at camp in 2009. She had gone to Christ Pres Academy with several other camp staffers and was one of Jerry's recruits from the old church he had worked with. She and I had mutual friends so conversation came easily. The "moment" that I really remember as the start of our friendship was during clean up week when we were raking the path beside the camp store. I can't remember what exactly we talked about, but it was that day that I remember thinking of her as a true friend.

Although she only worked the first term, we spent all of those weekends together with friends and I got to see her soon after camp ended when I went up to Knoxville for Boom's Day over Labor Day weekend. Hands down, still one of my favorite memories with camp friends.

Throughout the years, we kept in touch the best we could with our busy schedules, but definitely took advantage of random weekend trips, birthdays and camp friend's weddings (like Matt and Drexel's and Hannah Card's!) when we could spend quality time together face to face. 

Fast forward to this past fall. Samantha was in town visiting Elliot--pause: Insert Elliot and Samantha's story. Elliot and Samantha went to high school together and were in the same group of friends. His senior year/her junior year, Elliot asked Samantha to prom. They both went to Africa that following summer with their church on a missions trip and started dating soon after that. Both E and S went to the University of Tennessee so they at least were in the same city after dating for a year. Something I have admired so much about their relationship is that they both encourage each other to experience their own adventures while the other is their cheerleader, even if it's from a distance. After graduating, Elliot moved to Chattanooga when he was offered a job at Amazon while Sam finished up nursing school in Knoxville.

Okay, that brings us back to this fall when Samantha was visiting Elliot in Chattanooga. I had Sam up to my mountain home for dinner one night she was in town. Earlier that day, our sweet friend Taylor had called me to tell me what Elliot was planning on proposing and wanted to have a surprise engagement party with her friends and family after he popped the question. I have never had to so consciously lie again and again to a friend like that!! We talked about how hard it was for her to wait for their next step, considering they had been dating for over 4 years, and she was anxious for a commitment of forever. Holy. Toledo. I wanted to scream--It's coming! So soon! It'll be perfect! And wonderful! But nope. I held my tongue. Go me. Seriously, I considered that a more than small feat to keep a straight face that whole night.

A few weeks later, Erin, Cara, and I hopped into Cara's car to visit Knoxville for the afternoon to surprise our friend after her engagement. Naturally, I was the sappy one and started to tear up when I saw the absolute look of surprise when Samantha saw that we were there. And the wedding planning began!

 And now the weekend is finally here!! Samantha and Elliot are going to be Mr. and Mrs. Dyson tomorrow evening and I am so excited to celebrate their marriage! And almost as excited, selfishly, I am so excited to and catch up with wonderful camp friends that I don't get to see or talk to nearly enough.

Cheers to Samantha and Elliot! So excited to be apart of your special day as you start your life together as husband and wife! :)

Weddings, Reunions and Babies

Matt and Becca's wedding was beautiful and so them! The wedding was on Saturday at 4 pm at on church on Signal. The ceremony was traditional and simple and spoke of the Gospel. The pastor spoke of the importance of a "triangle" of relationships in the marriage between Matt, Becca, and God. So sweet to hear the reminder of what a marriage is meant to be and the bond that is so unique.

Side note: If you are ever an usher at a wedding, I do not recommend seating a girl that comes in solo on a row by herself--like not a soul to turn around and talk to. No joke, I had the whole pew to myself for about 15 minutes. Talk about feeling lonely...

The reception that followed was downtown at the Chattanoogan and the attention to detail, that I knew Becca put so much effort into, was great! Starting with a cocktail hour, it was so fun to get to say hi and catch up with sweet camp friends couples and their little ones before dinner started! The "Bo era" of camp staff had a mini reunion of sorts--but this time with kids in tow! It's even more special since I've gotten to be at David & Emily's wedding, Sarah & Jason's, and Alex & Forrest wedding--and now we all got to be together for Matt and Becca's! Even more sweet that all 4 of these couples have CVP to thank for meeting. 

We had a sit down dinner that was delicious. Since Todd couldn't make it, we decided that they already had his food plated, so we took advantage of having some extra food to share! Jackson ate his roll, Emily had his water, I took the rice, Alex switched meals completely, and Sarah had some of his asparagus! haha You snooze, you lose! 

After we ate our fill, it was time for toasts. Toasts can always be a little hit or miss at weddings, but the Matron of Honor gave a sweet, heartfelt toast and Andy, Matt's brother, gave us a few laughs and brought a tears to everyone in the room's eyes. Speaking of the hardships that Becca and Matt had endured just reminded us how much sweeter their union is. 

Once the couple had been toasted to, it was time to dance and take some pictures! The little ones made it to the dance floor for a few songs before dozing off, shedding a few tears, or having to head home for bedtime! Pictures were a necessity before we said our goodbyes though.

You could tell that Matt and Becca were just loving getting to see friends and family! They were so themselves and truly happy. There was dancing, wining, and spending time as Emily, David, and Crawford's 4th wheel (thanks guys!) for most of the night. Oh and watching a few awesome dance moves from the sidelines...

Becca made a beautiful bride! I had to squat so I wouldn't feel like I was towering over her! haha

I am so glad I got to stay until the couple left! They rode off in a horse drawn carriage--so fun!

 I am so excited that I got to share this occasion with Matt and Becca and spend the evening so so many wonderful camp friends! Even though the reception ended at 10:00, I was pooped! 

PS-One of my favorite touches of the wedding were the favors! At each table setting, there were a bag of gumballs with a note saying: A donation to the "Be the Match Foundation" has been made in your honor. Thank you for your love and support, Matt and Rebecca. For those of you that don't know what Be the Match is, it is a foundation that researches and connects people together that are matches for bone marrow when a patient is in need of a marrow transplant. In other words, the foundation that saved Matt's live, along with thousands of others. What a great, personal, and meaningful gift to give as favors for their wedding guests!

Another Camp Couple Going to the Chapel!

I met Becca Hart our first summer working at Camp Vesper Point in 2006. We were both in Cabin 15 for Staff Training and quickly formed a bond between us and a few other girls. These girls were who I stayed with on the weekends and hung out with on the dock and Sugar Shack...that is a true definition of a camp friendship! :) This was also the summer the Matt and Becca met. I don't remember the first time I heard Becca talk about her crush on Matt, but I knew pretty well by the end of our first term together that there was something there. Lo and behold, they were dating by the start of the school year. 

The following summer, I was so grateful to have a close friend back at my favorite place. This summer had such a different vibe, as every summer at CVP does, but it was great being a veteran at this whole counselor thing. Becca and I stayed close the 2nd summer and since both of our boyfriends were friends, we could relate to relationship woes and went on a double date to the TN Aquarium too. I loved that Matt and Becca had been together for almost a year and to see how their relationship had progressed as well as seeing mine and Becca's friendship evolve!

After that summer, Becca transferred to Furman which was much closer to Matt--a blessing I know for both of them! Becca and I sporadically kept in touch, but I always heard about her and Matt's relationship and was so encouraged.

She and I went too long before seeing each other again, but finally got together and had lunch for over 4 hours the winter of our Senior year! We promised to never go that long without seeing each other again and so far it's been a promise well kept! I got to visit her at Furman later that spring too.

She and I both started our first summer at camp after our freshman year, so it was truly a blessing of a friendship to have someone that was experiencing very similar life situations throughout our college years. Something I especially loved was getting to hear about her relationship with Matt progressing, especially because I knew him as a friend rather than just my friend's boyfriend.

Becca went to grad school in Ohio when I moved to Chattanooga the fall after our senior years in college. Conveniently for me, Matt's family lives in Chattanooga so I was almost guaranteed a visit with my friend when she came into town to see him between his traveling for work. What really spoiled me was during the summer of 2010 when Becca got an internship in Chattanooga and we were BOTH living on Signal Mountain together at the same time. Our favorite spot to catch up was getting coffee at the Signal McDonald's! haha Even though she was living in Matt's house, they still had a long distance relationship. The handful of LDR's that I've been in were not easy by any means, so I cannot imagine keeping it up for nearly as long as they did.

God does funny things sometimes and their relationship was long distance no longer in January of 2011 when Matt was diagnosed with Leukemia. Thankfully, Becca's school was super understanding and she basically picked up and moved back into Matt's parents home so that she could be there for him. I have admired few other people as much as I admired Becca during this time in their life. She was so strong, caring, and was Matt's cheerleader day in and day out. The time she and I spent together was so precious to me during that time for so many reasons, but I don't think she will ever know how much respect I gained for her.

I loved getting to do fun "take her mind of things" things with Becca like frequent coffee dates, lunches, and even a day at the spa getting massages! I was so grateful that I was able to share this time with Becca as she was able to spend this time with Matt. Regardless of the circumstances, Matt and Becca's relationship seemed to grow stronger.

Since Matt's mobility with large crowds was still pretty limited in the early fall of 2011 after his bone marrow transplant, Becca asked me to be her date to a wedding in North Georgia and I gladly accepted! I LOVE that Becca and I have had little fun trips, lunch dates, and coffee dates at McDonald's to keep our friendship growing over the years whether we were in the same city, state, or neither. And something I love just as much is that Matt has been apart of Becca's life for almost as long as she and I have been friends.

This Saturday, I get to experience seeing Matt and Becca become husband and wife after years of patience, love, hardship, and trusting in God. What a beautiful celebration it's going to be! Knowing Becca, I know that she has spent so much time, thought, and effort into planning this wedding. And selfishly, I'm pretty excited about getting to see other camp friends and spend a weekend in the Scenic City.

HAPPY WEDDING WEEKEND MATT AND BECCA!! ENJOY EVERY SINGLE SECOND OF IT--YOUR RELATIONSHIP DESERVES EVERY BIT OF CELEBRATION! 

An Early Weekend

It's always a toss up what my weekend plans are going to be dependent on my work schedule. Our week's at Anthro are scheduled Sunday-Saturday and I usually don't get my schedule for the next week until Thursdays. So it was a pleasant surprise last week when I saw that I had this past Friday off and didn't have to come in until 2:00 on Saturday!

Since I missed Becca Hart's wedding shower the last weekend, I decided that it was a sign to come up to the Scenic City and visit a few of my favorites! And another goal of this trip, besides friendship was my belly. I have missed me some yummy Chattanooga favorites so I centered my friendships around where I wanted to go eat too! Two birds, one stone.

Thursday after work, I headed straight to one of my favorite restaurants in downtown Chattanooga--Southern Star. I had been craving the Charleston salad and it hit the spot with a bottomless glass of sweet tea (lots of lemons on the side, please).

The Charleston is a fried chicken salad with honey mustard vinaigrette, sugared pecans, blue cheese crumbles, cherry tomatoes, and onions all on top of lots of yummy greens. It was my go to meal for several lunches and I almost enjoyed my salad as much as the company! :) It was great to catch up with Becca and even more special was that I got to spend the night with her so we got some real quality time together.  The next time I see her, it'll be her wedding day!!

Friday morning, I met Samantha Stevenson after she was finished with her overnight nursing shift for breakfast at another favorite of mine--Bluegrass Grill. I frequented Bluegrass on mornings that I met up with students for before school breakfasts and will always love being there. Just to make your mouth water, I got the mushroom and cheddar omelet with grips and a whole grain biscuit...if only they delivered to Marietta...As always, it was so great to spend time with Sam, I am so glad that she and Elliot are in Chattanooga!! We ran into Daniel Gamble (whom I always run into at Bluegrass!) and got to catch up with him too!

After that, I left to meet up with Mischa and Paytton. Something I love about my time with Mischa, besides the honest heartfelt conversations we always get to enjoy, is that I get to just live life with them. Because of Mischa's chronic arm pain, she really tries to avoid driving too much so I love that I can help her out while we spend time together.

I rushed off, running late of course, to lunch with Katie Woodruff at the Terminal. She had forgotten she had a doctor's appoint so the waiter thought we were crazy when I sat down, ordered, and asked for my check and a to go box all at the same time. But I still got to enjoy my Herbivore (stuffed, baked sandwich with mushrooms and festo: feta and pesto mix) on the run. I went to Katie's appointment with her--which is such a thing that would only work with me and Katie. Love her.

She and I met up with Erin Kennedy to head up to camp together for the afternoon. We said we definitely didn't want to overstay our welcome so we would leave by the end of free time, sooner if we wanted. Fast forward through free time, dinner, and then being convinced to stay for Friday Night Live so Erin could relive her days in "If I were not a Counselor"...we finally left! haha But it was a pleasant surprise how great it was to be up there considering it's been a few years since each of us have worked so we only know a handful of staffers and campers these days. Highlight of my day was totally selfish though because I got to relive my days as Dock Mama and drive the director's wife and camp nanny around on the tube. I. was. in. Heaven. It was one of those times that I really was experiencing pure joy because I love being at camp so dearly and even more so in my "niche" of the lake driving a boat.

Dock Mama Days

Since we only snacked on camp food and sweet tea (counselor juice is what I would always tell the kids what it was), we wanted some food. So last but not least, I got to eat at another favorite--Taco Mamacita. Katie had a coupon for a free queso so I was perfectly content with a marg (or two) and some queso. Delish. 

Cara met up with us so I could spend the night at her house before I woke up bright and early to head home Saturday for work that afternoon. 

I love that I got to have a weekend before my weekend officially began and that I got to spend it in Chattanooga with some of my favorite friends (and food)! What a blessing to have been able to keep in touch with these friends long distance and that every once and a while, my schedule works out so I can head up there to spend quality time with them. There never seems to be enough time to fit every one in, but I know this time around that I'll be back in a month from today for Becca and Matt's wedding on August 18th! YAY!

My 7th Peachtree!

I started running sometime in high school with my dad in the famous 4th of July Peachtree Road Race! My dad is a regular; this year was his 24th Peachtree!!! I never have been a runner, but I was definitely in better cardio shape in high school so a 10K didn't seem as much of a feat as it seems now. Since I started running before the digital camera age, I only have a few pictures from my racing in the college years and following. Most of these years, I was working at camp so I had to take my 2-4 to run a 10K, take a nap and head back to CVP! Talk about not having a restful day off!

My racing buddy

After I recruited some friends to join me! :) 

Another race completely!

This was the day after my 4th Peachtree when I sprained my ankle the night after the race!

This year was really the first year I put in some time and effort into training and I could tell the difference! I finished in 1 hour and 13 minutes. I wanted to finish in 1:10, but walked most of the 5th mile because my knee was really bothering me (effects of the year I injured myself the night after the race!).  But I finished and felt really good (and sweaty) at the end!

#7 and #24!

It was especially fun this year because it was Katie and Lee's first time and I felt like a pro knowing what to do and where to go next. Next year is my dad's 25th Peachtree so Katie and I are going to convince the whole family to run, wearing matching shirts of course, in support of my dad's big Peachtree Anniversary! 

I love this tradition and loved the benefits of having actually trained this year...I'm thinking now I'll start trying to do the Thanksgiving Half--make a tradition of holiday time races? We'll see.