A Break in the Busyness

Last Monday night I went to our monthly Heart to Home group and so enjoyed visiting with some precious girls. Our heart moms always make us the best dinner and give us little gifts for the month. It is such an awesome ministry and I have the opportunity to meet some sweet new friends. We always have a short devotional time and this month it was about priorities. There was a lot of discussion – mostly about how busy our lives are that we often don’t have the time to do some of the little things that we wish we could. Like exercise, or bake cookies, or take food to a neighbor. You know how that conversation goes. If you have ever been part of a discussion with any variety of women of all ages.  Busyness. We all are familiar with. We have all wished we had more time.

And I realized something the other night that has slowly been coming on but it finally hit me like a ton of bricks. For the first time in a long time, I can actually say that I am not all that busy. Even though I am working two jobs, keeping up with housework, and trying my best to be a good wife for Andrew – this is nothing compared to what my life used to be like. These things are just day to day busyness, somehow different from being busy every waking moment. After spending 6 years in college, between internships and Master’s projects and moving to a new town to starting a new job, to planning a wedding, to quitting that job and starting a new job and then taking a position with the school system and getting adjusted to a new schedule. I feel like I am finally to a point where I can sit down and take a long sigh. I can look back at those busy times and realize that they are what got me to where I am.  And I do realize that this break – this break from the busyness – has been granted to me for a season. Life will get busier – kids will come and then there will be homework and little league games and gymnastics and weekend trips to the zoo and all of those things that will come with having little ones. But for now… I am going to enjoy this time that God has granted me.

(*If I could hashtag a blog post this one would be #latepost.. I wrote this last week and never got around to posting it.)

Happy Birthday Avery Mae!

Can't believe Avery Mae turned TWO this past Friday! She is just the sweetest most fun-loving dog that I have ever had and I just love her to pieces! People tell us all the time that when we have kids that Avery will be "just a dog", but I know there will always be a special place in my heart for our fearless, chicken chasin', squirrel lovin', daddy kissin', duck huntin', accident prone little chocolate dog.

This is a photo collage I made and posted to Facebook on Friday:

And then Andrew made one too - and I had to include it because he had some pictures of her duck hunting that I didn't have. They had a great duck season this year and it finally clicked with Avery why she was there and she did awesome!

And yes, I did make her a little birthday cake on Friday.

She loved it! It's so easy to make. Here is the recipe I used for all you fellow dog lovers:

1 cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup natural peanut butter
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup honey
1 cup shredded carrots
1 egg

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 8" round pan (I used a 6") or an 8x4 inch loaf pan. Combine all ingredients. Pour batter into pan and bake for about 30 minutes.

I also combined some peanut butter and honey and used for icing. Add a dog treat on top and there you have it! Super super easy!

Friday night we took the Ranger and rode some trails behind Andrew's parent's house. It was such a fun and laid back weekend. Here is one of seventeen attempts to get a selfie of us on the Ranger - I just love it :)

 Hope you all enjoyed your weekend and your week has gotten off to a great start!

-Laura

What? Our wedding? Featured on THE KNOT?!

I am still a little bit in shock. I never in a million years would have expected that our small town Louisiana wedding would be featured on a nationally known wedding blog/website. Sure, we thought it was beautiful, but we were also seeing it through our newlywed bliss tinted glasses. Not to mention, we were a little bit partial. It was our day, after all. And it was perfect. Still, a year and a half later, there is not a single thing that I would have done differently. There are moments that stand out to me when I think back on September 22, 2012. The words that Andrew whispered in my ear when he saw me for the first time. Riding through town in the back of a convertible Roadster to buy some time until all our guests got to the reception site. Eating with Andrew in his parent's kitchen so we could steal a few minutes together before getting pulled in a hundred different directions. The way it felt to pull away from the reception, feel the cool breeze and hear the silence, and know that it was just us for the rest of our lives. These are things that the pictures did not capture, and the images that the editors/bloggers at The Knot could never write about. These are things that I think about when I remember our wedding day. Yes, the flowers were absolutely breathtakingly gorgeous and all the details came together just right to create the romantic charm and shabby chic feel that I had imagined. But these things only added to the true essence of our wedding day. I will forever be honored that someone without any personal connection to our day whatsoever, saw what we saw. We are honored to share small glimpses of our day with you.

Laura & Andrew on The Knot

There were so many wonderful people who worked so hard behind the scenes to make our wedding day so beautiful - and some that I never even got the chance to meet! Thanks again for everything!

 Styling & Wedding Planning: Shanna Lumpkin Events with Kelleigh McLeod and Pam Collins McLeod
Photography: Lauren F. Liddell
Catering: Fresh Cut Catering + Wendy Putt
Floral: Allums Line Floral Designs
Cinematography: Brian Flint
Lighting: Davaine Lighting
Stationary: Shanna Lumpkin Events
Cakes: The Cake Diva