Playing Catch Up....

Since my blog still has a Easter background, I figured it was time to update!  My friend, Melissa, and I were talking yesterday about when we were "little girls" keeping diaries, we'd always write:  "Dear Diary, SO SORRY it's been so long since I've written!"  This cracked us up, because, in essence, who were we really writing to???....but I'm glad to know there is someone with the same diary mentality as me. Maybe there's some "Diary Fairy" out there somewhere, just longing for us to update the little frilly notebooks we kept under our mattress.  (It's not there anymore, Mom...don't go looking.)

Anyway-so last weekend we traveled to Mississippi as Jeremie was serving as a groomsmen in Josh Jefcoat's wedding.  Jeremie and Josh met at Jones and have been great friends ever since.  The wedding was in Newton, about 20 minutes from Kelly, so we stayed with her and Keith for the weekend.  It was GREAT to spend some time with her and catch up.  In true Mississippi form, we hung out at the creek, and took the dogs, so Manny had his first creek experience & swimming lesson.  He LOVED it and was covered in sand, and proud of it.

The wedding was beautiful....I thought I was going to be a wallflower since I didn't know much of the wedding party, but I ended up seeing all kinds of people I knew.  I never get tired of going to weddings because I love to see all the different ways of decorating and such.  This tailgating spin of the Groom's Cake/area was ADORABLE.

The Dynamic Duo.....

I always think that going to weddings is going to make me jealous that mine has already taken place, but to the contrary-it just reminds me of how perfect our day was for us and how much I loved the little touches it had.  Okay-so maybe I'm a little jealous of wearing the pretty dress, but what girl wouldn't want to do that again?

The rest of the week was full of hard work as usual, but I had my eye on the prize for Thursday......the CHOCOLATE PARTY that I hosted at the house.  The Women's Ministry at our church has a group called "Cuisine Queens" and we alternate eating out and cooking at someone's house each month.  Whoever's home it's being held usually gets to picks the theme...we've done appetizer theme, soup theme, squash theme....well, it's no secret what my favorite food is, so I established a long time ago that chocolate would be the featured ingredient at my home! The party was a blast and we had soups with cocoa in them, cupcakes galore, and even a salad that was covered in CHOCOLATE balsamic vinegarette.  Now I could become a vegetarian for that!

This long weekend has beem long awaited and we have spent some good times with friends. Friday evening we took cheeseburgers to our friends Ben & Adriana, who was admitted into the hospital earlier this week with some complications to her pregnancy.  She was due in July, but ended up having to deliver the baby last night, but the good news is baby and mama are happy & healthy.  We can't wait to meet Baby Sofia.  And we are sure our cheeseburgers are the culprit......she's been in the hospital since Tuesday, we show up Friday with cheeseburgers and has the baby the next day.

Another incredible event happened yesterday...... wait for it.....I went to the NEW HOBBY LOBBY!  There are no words for how excited I was.  My scrapbooking obsession can now be fed.  While a few of us girls attended this grand event, the husbands went fishing, who regularly sent us photos and videos of the fish they were catching and their encounters with the alligators.  I wonder if they would care if we sent them photos of the scrapbook aisle and videos of the fabric department???

Church was great today, with an incredible message from John 12. Church was followed by a Sunday nap, Taylor family style:  get in bed and just hibernate.  I probably wasted a good part of the day, but it was worth it.  Mom, Dad, thank you for instilling the "Sunday Nap" gene in me.  If anything, it helps me to keep the Sabbath holy.  : )

Ode to the Mamas....

So Mother's Day was a couple Sundays ago and I've been meaning to salute the mothers in my life via blog. 

This Mother's Day, Mom & Amy visited Tally, which was really special.  It was great to spend some quality time with my mama! Doesn't matter how old I get, there's something about hugs from your mom that are like no other.  Thanks Mom, for always being there and putting our family's needs above yours.  

Below is my favorite pic of all time of me and Mom...doing our signature "Triple Kiss" on my wedding day.  (I can't tell  you what a triple kiss is....if I told you I'd have to kill you.) 

To my "Mother in Marriage":  

Jeremie's fabulous God-fearing mother who could pray up snow storm in the middle of July. If I told her every day what an incredible son she has raised, it still wouldn't be enough. Mama Cate has prayed us through all the seasons of our relationship and Jeremie values her advise so much.  He LOVES. HIS. MAMA.

More favorite pics below: Left: Our rehearsal dinner....Right: Groom & Mother of the Groom

The GRAND-MAMAS: And boy are they grand. We are blessed with such amazing grandmothers. From the Left: "Grammy", my mom's mom; "Grandma" my dad's mom, and "Grandmother", J's grandmother on his mom's side. 

When I was born, I looked so much like Grammy, I could've been her daughter.  She's a spunky Cajun lady who knows how to throw a party and cook the world's best gumbo.  Always there to provide the "magic pillows" for a great nap, or a shoulder to lean on, Grammy is a nurturer at heart. 

Grandma, my email partner, and one of my #1 Blog Followers,  was always the "Hider of the Eggs" on Easter and took me to choir practice every Wednesday! Watch out for her deviled eggs; they're the best.  She loves a "deal", so this is likely where I inherited my love of shopping. : )  

Grandmother Mathis refers to Jeremie as her "Sunshine", and there is one word to sum up how Jeremie & Grandmother feel about each other: Adoration.  Each thinks the other hung the moon. : ) All family events are held at Grandmother's house, who amidst the 50 family members present, always seems to cook each person their preference of eggs on Christmas morning. 

And to my "Honorary Mamas"  who have stepped in as mamas over the years when needed:  

Mrs. Alyce.  If you've met her, you know how special she is. Her and Mom are like sisters, and sometimes scare me when they get together. ALWAYS providing a good laugh, she's known me since I was born, and s treats me like one of her own.  She is the creativity behind the gorgeous wreaths at our wedding....

Mrs. Carol Trussell:  Neighbor and mama alike. Always there to keep me on my toes, she put up with all the practical jokes me and her son played on each other, which oftentimes included ran-sacking her house or front yard. She's another prayer warrior who I'm glad is on my side. : ) 

To wrap up my Belated Mother's Day Salute, below is the poem that I wrote for my mom and gave to her the day before our wedding.  It's hard to express how special my mom is to me, but I found it easier to do when rhyming!  It's pretty amateur, but I figured I'd post it anyway! 

Mother of the Bride

Not often I’m lost for words,

And don’t know what to say,

But how do you thank your mother enough

On your wedding day?

“Mother of the Bride”,

Is the title you will be,

But what it actually means,

No one will ever see.

You tucked me into bed

With a triple kiss each night,

And worked on all my costumes

Until you got them just right.

If I had a bad dream,

In my bed you would stay.

And at every piano recital

You held your breath while I’d play.

For all my school projects

You came up with a scheme.

And at every birthday party,

There was always a theme.

It’s our annual Piccadilly trip

After camp on the way back.

It’s making sure at recess

I always had a good snack.

You hung all our stockings

Each year in their special place

You held me as I cried

With tears running down my face.

All the times we’ve prayed,

About God doing His will.

And your very wise words:

“Sometimes He just wants you to be still”

So the title “Mother of the Bride”

Comes with no fortune or fame,

But today it is the title

That only you can claim.

Because it’s more than dressing up

To say you give me away,

It’s your unfailing love you give me

Each and every day.

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

TWO Years Ago Today.....

I can't believe it's already been two years since I became Mrs. Wells.  What a magical day day it was.  Like I told Jeremie today, the wedding really seems like yesterday, but then again, I can't imagine what life was like before we were married.  I feel so blessed to have such wonderful husband.  Praise God for blessing me with my best friend and partner in life.

Hoppy Easter

Jeremie and I stayed in Tally for Easter since he was on call.  We missed being with our families, but it was still a special weekend and I tried to make it the traditional Easter with a big meal and Easter baskets.  (Set out on the hearth, just like my Mama did every year!)  Friday night was the Good Friday service at our church which was amazing.   They had a large table in the middle of the sanctuary with the Lord's Supper laid out.  It was a great time of prayer and preparation for the Easter weekend.  Sunday morning service was equally amazing but different atmosphere.....Warren (our worship leader) was ROCKIN'....as usual....and David gave an awesome sermon about the meaning and significance of the veil being torn by Jesus' death on the cross.  I'm not well versed enough to expand on how incredible this message was...but you can listen to it at http://www.icelebrationmembers.org/

Anyway.....so I forced Jeremie to take pics when we got home from church..he looked so handsome in his suit and my FAVORITE pink shirt of his.  When I told him how good he looked, he returned the compliment with...."You look beautiful....like the risen sun".....that was the quickest comparison he could make in regards to the orange in my dress.....then we realized the irony that it was Easter...so this comment was not to be confused with "The Risen Son"....we laughed all the way to church. 

Manny was even dressed up in his new Springtime handkerchief. This is his friend Tom.....

The Easter meal menu consisted of: 

Pork loin, butter beans, mac and cheese, cornbread dressing salad, creamed spinach and sweet tea. : )  

Dessert was Mandarin Orange cake which is Jeremie's favorite that his Grandmother makes.  I had to call her to get the correct recipe and it turned out good.  Even Manny got a lick off the spatuala.  Which came back to haunt us later.   

It was a great Easter holiday with our little family.....

A Night Of Mystery.......

Last weekend we went to a murder mystery party!  I have always wanted to go to one, so I was excited when we got the chance.  The theme for this party was "Las Vegas" and my character was "Mimi Martini", a cocktail waitress and Jeremie was "Ace High", a high roller.  We were assigned our characters a few weeks ago, and had so much fun shopping for our outfits.  Believe it or not, but most of both of ours came from Goodwill! Even J's sear sucker suit, which cracked me up.  J had a great time accessorizing with the bowtie, rings, cigar, Mimi Vice sunglasses, and even the fake $5,000 bills that he left hanging out of his pocket.  (A lady a Dollar General actually stopped him coming out of the store trying to tell him his money was falling out of his pocket!)  I even glued some plastic glasses to a tray to finish of my waitress look.

We had already been given some information about our character, and when got to the party, we were given more info plus some paper cash in case we needed to "pay up" for secrets......

My character was a money lovin' waitress who was in love with Ace High (and his money.)  Although, Ace had supposedly lost a bet to "Hustling Haley" the night before and wed her in the casino chapel.....

Our friends Melissa & David were "Precious Trump", the casino owner's daughter, and "Paul Piano", the casino entertainer.  Take note of his glitter microphone that he carried around all night.....

Precious Trump was dating Jack Black, one of the casino dealers, which is totally against casino policy.......She had to pay me some cash to keep me from spreading her secret to her father, Ronald Trump, owner of the casino.....I told him anyway....which I also got cash for....sorry Melissa...

Jessica & Alex (on the right) were "Senator Justice and Mrs. Justice".  Senator Justice was apparently involved in some suspicious activity that would harm his campaign.....and ignored his wife...making for a very bitter woman........

As we were mingling around the room, the lights suddenly went out and we heard a thud!!!!  When they came back on, much to my despair was Ace High on the floor--murdered!!!  They taped off the scene (literally with masking tape...hilarious) and we got more info about what our character knew about going's on in the casino and what info we were looking for. 

Since Jeremie's character died, he turned into the FBI Agent on the scene and presented us with all the evidence to make the decision about who we thought the murderer was.....just as I thought-- it was that Hustling Haley!  Awards were also handed out to best dressed, which was Elvis, and Drama Queen--which went to......drumroll please.....Mimi Martini!!!!  I'm not sure how I feel about winning the Drama Queen award, but I guess I can't deny my inner cocktail waitress. 

The fun didn't stop after the party...one of our party favors was scratch off lotto tickets, and we won the big money on one of them....$2!!! So the boys wanted to stop at a gas station to cash them in, but were rejected. (Apparently you have to mail it in.) This gas station had probably never seen anything like Ace High and Paul Piano. He actually did take the microphone into the gas station and made the poor clerk repeat herself in the microphone when she said she couldn't cash them in........ 

We had a blast dressing up, cracking the case, and meeting new friends. 

Viva Stark Vegas!

Catching up on the last few weeks of life....Jeremie and I recently made the 7 hour trek to Starkville for Super Bulldog Weekend. We packed in as much festivities AND food that we could. Saturday we hit up the traditional sidewalk sale at The Lodge where they have all things MSU and I almost spent our month's savings. With a little niece or nephew on the way, it opens up a whole new world of shopping. No one will wonder where this baby's loyalty lies.

We met up with Debbie, Amy, and Mary Perry for lunch at......the Grill! Mary and I realized that we have not seen each other in over a year which is just plain blasphemy.

Then we headed to the baseball game, which we won't talk about, but we enjoyed the socializing anyway. Well-the girls did---poor Jeremie was surrounded by 3 women most of the day, but he was a good sport. The Maroon & White game was next, which gave me just enough a taste of football that I am now ready for the season again!

That night we hit-up Old Venice-another Starkville classic, complete with crawfish rolls and pizza.

Sunday kicked off with the BEST donuts in the world in my opinion--Shipley's. We ate our breakfast on campus and met up with the dynamic duo (Amy & Roxie) to walk around campus and take some pics. Manny got his first tour of MSU and looked like he really enjoyed it.

Campus is always beautiful--but springtime is just breathtaking; the lawns and flowers are impeccable. It was great to be back at the place that has served as a backdrop for all the 4-H camps, where I got my education, met some of my best friends, and most importantly where Jeremie and I fell in love.....

The Simple Life....Camping with the Clendenins

A few weeks ago we met up with our favorite fellow honeymooners and went camping with Bart & Jenn near the Suwanee River. In true form, the weekend started out with some drama when Manny jumped out of the truck and immediately ran over our neighbor's site and engaged their dog in a fight UNDER their RV. And also in true form, Bart jumped right under the RV and yanked Manny out while I screamed at the top of my lungs. (If you recall, our last visit with the Clendenins involved a squirrel on the loose in our house.)

After the dog fight, J and I decided we should get settled in and put up our tent. We were quickly embarrassed by the size (or lack there of) our tent was in comparison to the Clendenins. Bart hit the nail on the head when he said it looked like their tent gave birth:

Their Tent

Our Tent

After we discovered there was a huge gash in our brand new air mattress and J went to Wal-Mart to get another, we finally settled down to some grilled hamburgers and veggies. I wouldn't really call our camping the "simple" life, because we definitely didn't go hungry. We had pancakes, french toast, sausage dogs.......

Saturday we went canoeing on the Suwanee River which was a blast. Even Manny buddy got to go on his first river trip. The water was so calm and we even stopped at a place that has a natural spring that used to be a resort 100 years ago. It even had it's own railroad and people would come to from all over to experience the "healing waters" of the spring. There was still some of the stone walls from the resort. It was really amazing. We even saw some "friendly" critters along the way....

The camping resort had a neat craft village and ice cream stand that we also hit up. Saturday night was a wildly competitive round of Phase 10 that was won by....I hate to even say this...Jeremie.

We had so much fun with Bart and Jenn-we feel like we have known them forever and are so excited about their new addition that is arriving in September! So the next get together will have one more in this picture...