Pics from the "Whirlwind Weekend"

By popular request, here are some pics from all my hostessing, cooking, and entertaining I did a couple weekends back.

Here is the Bride to Be, Lauren, and I at the shower. For those of you who aren't familiar with my friends and our little story, I made instant friends with three other girls when I went to college and we have remained close through so much. Lauren is by far my "kindred spirit" ( to steal a phrase from Anne of Green Gables) and she will always remain the closest and most loyal friend I have ever had. I am so thankful to have her in my life.

Here is the food spread Brooke and I created. I made everything you see except for the cupcakes, mini brownies and stuffed strawberries. I was assigned the "non sweet foods" for the shower. The menu included Deviled eggs (bottom left corner of table) a homemade Mexican Cheese ball with celery and tortilla chips for dipping(bottom right corner next to the forks), heart shaped tea sandwiches ( left diagonal from the cheese tray) and Bambinis, which are cheese and peperoni stuffed biscuits with marinara sauce for dipping (to the right of the tall flower arrangement). I was pretty dang proud of myself. I have hosted showers before, but always did the unoriginal fruit tray, cheese and crackers, veggie tray with dip, blah blah blah, boring boring boring. For a special friend like Lauren, I went all out! Plus, I was able to use some heirloom Depression glass peices that once belonged to Dave's grandmother given to my by my mother in law.

This picture is "the gang" minus my husband. We are all connected from lots of angles, but mostly from our friend Laurie who passed away three years ago from cancer. Brooke (far left with the pillow) Lauren and I all met Laurie in college and we were the instant friends I mentioned earlier. Patrick is Brooke's husband, and they dated all of high school and college. I have never really known Brooke with out Pat. Gibby (far right on the couch) is so special to us in so many ways. When Laurie was her sickest, she started to shut some people out and only talked to a few people. Gibby was one of the last people to actually talk to her before she went to the hospital to pass. When Laurie returned to HPU for one last semester, Gibby was her boyfriends best friend and was given strict instructions to "Take care of her" when Brooke and I couldn't. He was such a strong person in her life, and I truly love him for what he did for her in her last few months. He left for a year in Iraq last week. The last two, Kim and Bobby (above the couch) have recently been added to the gang. Bobby is Lauren's brother and we have always knows Bobby as long as we have known Lauren . Dave was Bobby's best man when he married Kim, who was a sorority sister of mine and Brooke's that we set up to go out with Bobby. Little did we know that blind date would turn into marriage!

So that's my gang, my core group of friends, my possee, my home boys and girls, my comrades, my support, the people who know as much about me as my family, and maybe more in some instances. Each of them has a special place in my heart, and I am so thankful for the path the Lord lead me on to meet each one of them. They really epitomize the verse we all repeat to one another....

"I thank my GOD upon every remembrance of thee"

A Whirlwind Weekend

Wow...It is Monday and I feel like the weekend has just started! Dave and I had one of the most involved weekends we have had in a while these past three days. Here's the wrap-up.

Friday we hosted the Sunday School Social at our home. It was so fun, but an adventure as well. It gave me a good excuse to give our house a good scrubbing from top to bottom. There is nothing quite as satisfying as a clean house. Dave grilled burgers and hot dogs just before the rain started again, and we had about 17 people in our little duplex....11 adults a 6 kids under the age of 4. It was a great time of fellowship and I got to put my hostessing skills to work.

Saturday was my birthday! Dave surprised me with a sewing machine! I am so excited and can't wait to learn. Saturday morning we went to the mall to do a little shopping with my birthday cash and then finished off the afternoon with lunch at Papadeaux's (my all time favorite). The rain started, again, when we got home so we finished up the day with a nap, a movie and some cake leftover from the Sunday school social. All in all, it was a great, relaxing birthday.

Yesterday I hosted a Wedding shower for my best friend Lauren. She lives in Houston, but has many friends in the Dallas area, so she came down for the day for the shower. It was an amazing success. My co-hostess and I spent all day making the food...tea sandwiches cut in the shapes of hearts, a homemade Mexican cheese ball, Bambini's, stuffed strawberries, deviled eggs, and strawberry cupcakes. The table looked beautiful and I think Lauren was awful happy with everything. Afterwards a special group of us went to dinner at On The Border. Since my friend Laurie died three years ago, there has been a strong connection between a group of my friends and Laurie's parents. Right up until her death we were the friends that she kept talking to, so we have maintained a close relationship with her parents ever since. The past two years we all have gotten together on the anniversary of her death, which happens in two weeks, to visit and "celebrate" Laurie. One of the group is leaving to serve in Iraq today, so we wanted to have our gathering early that doubled as a fare well dinner for him . It was a sobering ending to a fun weekend. Pictures to come later...I took the old fashioned ones (non-digital) this weekend to use up film.