Lake Weekend

My parents and our friends Claire and Jeremy came up for some fun in the sun/rain at Eagle Lake this past weekend, and we enjoyed every minute of it. It actually stormed for a good bit Saturday afternoon (we got caught in the middle of the lake on the pontoon boat during the storm), but it made for some gorgeous sunset pics.

It was a perfect, memorable day, and we even brought Bentley, who is still recovering from all the fun he had. :)

It was great to spend some time out there just relaxing, especially with this hurricane this week. Mom and Dad are battening down the hatches in Hattiesburg, and I'm on stand-by for emergency response for work. It's kind of crazy how different just a few days will make. BUT, we enjoyed it while it lasted, and we hope for the best over the next few days. Stay safe, everyone!

Another faux nephew to love!

My college friends and I call ourselves "faux aunts" to each other's children, and about a month ago I became a faux aunt for the third time.

This is a really wonderful situation because I get to watch all of them (all boys so far) grow up while still fitting in a good girls' weekend or two or three.

I went down to the coast this past weekend to visit my newest "newphew," Jackson Taylor Crosby. He is so precious, and his parents are over the moon in love with this little boy.

It's so fun to watch these girls come into their own as mamas. We're all grown-ups now, and while I'm not a mama myself just yet, I sure enjoy being a faux aunt, especially when it's time for a diaper change or a temper tantrum. I'm content to just hold, love, cuddle, ooh and ahh over all these babies and then hand them back to their rightful owners. Not a bad gig at all.

Congrats, Crosby Family! Jackson is as sweet as can be and can't wait to spend more time with Aunt Lizzie (so he told me).

Photo-less Weekend

We had one of those wonderfully productive, enjoyable weekends at home, but I didn't take a single photo to prove it. Sorry, kids...

Friday night we went to go visit our friend Drew's mom in the hospital. She's making progress, it's just going to be a long road ahead. But each day is a new day. It's been a hard month or so for them, to say the least.

After our hospital visit, we met our friends Katherine and Paul at the Bulldog for happy hour before having an actual dinner date (just the two of us) at Bravo. It was great! It was the perfect way to end the week.

Saturday we were all over the place... I went to a baby shower for my friend Melanie (who actually HAD the baby on Sunday - about a month early, but all was well and we can't wait to meet Baby May), then we went out on the reservoir with our friends Claire and Jeremy. It was a gorgeous day! Then that night we walked down the street for "dips and drinks" with the neighbors on the other end of our street. It was fun to venture out and still walk home! Ha!

Sunday we piddled around the house and then both did a little shopping that afternoon. It was a pretty relaxing weekend that I think we both thoroughly enjoyed. Sorry for the lack of pics. In fact, you probably stopped reading waaaay before this paragraph, but that's cool too.

Only a few more weeks left of what I call summer... kind of sad to see it go, but anxiously awaiting fall weather, boots, red wine, and firepits. :)

Birthday at the Beach

Derek turned the Big 3-0 on Friday, and to celebrate we headed down to Seagrove Beach, Florida, with some friends for a few days of sun and fun.

We actually had this trip planned since May with our friends Drew and Kristin, but because of the circumstances with his mom that I've mentioned in previous posts, they understandably had to cancel. We were lucky that our friends Allison and Jeb were able to fill in at short notice.

This was our second time to stay on 30-A in Florida, but our first time at Seagrove Beach, and it was absolutely beautiful. It had a really vintage feel with still a lot of trees before the beach sand started. Just gorgeous...

We got some good sun, grilled up some fresh mahi mahi and shrimp, explored Seaside and ate a few good dinners out, including Derek's birthday dinner at Cafe 30-A across the street from our condo. It was a nice trip, and I think it was a great way to ring in a new decade for the love of my life. :)

I can't tell you how happy I am that this guy is FINALLY 30. He has not stopped rubbing in the fact that I've been out of my twenties for the past two years, so it's time he joined my bracket.

Happy Dirty 30, D! Welcome to your best decade!

Not really a cat person, BUT...

Before July got away from me, I wanted to wish my sweet Izzy Girl a happy TENTH birthday. We're not exactly sure when she was born, but I know it was sometime in July.

From the moment I saw this sweet thing with a Garfield scarf around her neck at the adoption place, I knew we'd enjoy one another's company. She is the best cat in the world, and I still don't really consider myself a "cat person" necessarily (especially since I'm incredibly allergic), but it's been a great decade.

She kept me company in my little one-bedroom apartment in Vicksburg, in my too-big-for-one-person house in Vicksburg, and even finally took a liking to her "brother" Bentley after a while.

Her favorite pastimes include sleeping and eating. She wouldn't chase a mouse even if it was chasing her (we've tested this theory), but she sure is a good cuddler.

Happy Birthday, Iz! I've enjoyed every cuddle you've wanted to share with me. You don't meet a stranger. Here's to another ten years, my sweet baby girl.

Adult Kickball

Derek and I played in the inaugural league of adult co-ed kickball this summer in Clinton, and we had so much fun! Our team (the Honey Badgers) was a few girls I played bunco with and their husbands/brothers/friends. What a fun group!

We didn't completely embarrass ourselves, either... I think we ended up in third place overall, which made us pretty happy. After the first game (back when we all thought we were 10-year-old kickball all-stars but ended up injuring ourselves instead) we got the hang of it and started having fun.

This was way better than co-ed softball, which we tried for a few summers. This was fun, and I can honestly say I CONTRIBUTED to this team! Ha!

Until next summer when I decide to try another random sport, this Honey Badger is hanging up her cleats (or New Balances, but whatever).

Bice Visit and Gibbes Grocery

We had a really wonderful weekend. It started Friday with a quick trip to Hattiesburg after work to catch up with my cousins and aunt and uncle who were in town from Oklahoma to visit Grandma. It wasn't the whole Bice crew (we were missing a few cousins and some spouses), but some is better than none!

We went to dinner at Rocket City Diner, where I spent many a fun night back in the '80s and '90s. It reopened last year in a new location, but the food was just as great as I remembered it. I think I was more excited than the kids were (which is why we went to begin with), but I'm not ashamed. We had a good time. :)

On Saturday we had a nice visit with Grandma, then Granny and Pap, before heading back to Jackson.

Saturday night was a very special treat. As you know from my last post, our friends Drew and Kristin have had a petty rough week. Yesterday was Kristin's birthday, so we went out to dinner Saturday night to celebrate. We took a mini road trip to Gibbes Grocery in Learned, Miss. It's about half an hour away (when you don't get lost). It's an old country store that serves some delicious steaks, lamb chops, and seafood on the weekend. The tables are set up family style, and it's just a really cool place. Dinner was delish and the company even better! 

We had SUCH a great time and shared a lot of laughs, which they definitely needed after last week. Drew's mom continues to make progress every day, but she still has a long way to go. Please keep them in your prayers. It's been tough. So glad we were able to help them take a break from it all and celebrate Kristin's big 2-9. We love these two. :)

We didn't do too much on Sunday except cook up some homemade shrimp and grits and white chocolate bread pudding. Derek and I cooked as a team like we were on Iron Chef and really enjoyed ourselves!

Some weekends are just more enjoyable than others, for no particular reason. This weekend we were able to spend some quality time with people we love, and we just enjoyed every minute of it. Life is good.