Black Tie Country

Last weekend was really fun.  Mary Ellen came to visit and Katie was in town for her sister's wedding.  We caught up over breakfast in Grapevine on Saturday morning with SMoo.  I think this picture looks like we went on an actual girls' trip to a fun, far-away place.  It was fun, but not too far!

Mary Ellen and I got our nails done and made a Target trip Saturday afternoon before getting all dressed up!  I LOVE getting dressed up.  Really.  My Dad had some extra tickets to a gala benefitting the charity that goes along with the Dallas Summer Musicals, and so I got to bring Mary Ellen, SMoo and of course, Adam.  :-)  I should've gotten a picture with her, but we ran into Lyndsy there, too! 

My aunt and uncle and other summer bunch friends came, too, and Mark jumped in our photo above.  He is just so stinkin' funny.  Both he and Adam make me laugh so hard.

After the dinner, Blake Shelton performed.  We got to walk right up to the stage, and Adam and I danced to almost every song over on the side.  Loved it.

Me and my hot date!  Lookin' good in his suit & tie.

Sunday we celebrated Mother's Day!  We met up for dinner with the Flaggs and Papa and Jonita at Breadwinners.  {They have free dessert on Sunday nights, just FYI.  Yum.}  We sat out on the patio and had a lovely dinner together!  

 

{Me and my Mama}

Happy Day to you, Mom!

Happy Mother's Day, Mom.  To the Mom who, as Troy said, "Can always make things work."  Seriously, you have a way of figuring out all sorts of solutions to things.

Mom, you...

• are a great hostess
• are great at making things feel homey and put-together all at the same time
• love us unconditionally.  I'm sure we make it hard sometimes.  :-)
• are great at balancing a zillion projects at once
• are a wonderful example of what it means to be a great wife, mom, sister and daughter.
• are LOVED!

Excited to celebrate you tonight.

Love,

Shay 

The Power of Piles

Long ago in fourth grade, my cousin Anna introduced me to the Pile Method.  As a 10 year old, I didn't want to try on anything I saw in J.C. Penney's.  Anna, however, had just about everything possible in the girls' section INSIDE our one large dressing room.  I was dumbfounded.  Meanwhile, my Mom and Laura were pulling things for me to try on.  It's quite possible I already had the eye-roll down at this point.

When we got to the dressing room, I was overwhelmed.  Anna said, "It's easy, Shay!  You just make a Yes Pile, a No Pile and a Maybe Pile."  (You also have to imagine the lilt of her seven-year-old voice squeaking high on the first syllable of MAYbe.)

Let me tell you...that was the day it all changed in the dressing room.  (No pun intended.) 

Recently I ventured out of my usual Target shopping mode and went to the mall.  I was looking for some denim shorts that were much longer than the tiny 2-inch ones they feature in Tar-jay.  I needed a few more options.  When I got to the mall, I kept finding things I actually wanted to try on.  And of course, they brought me a few more shirts they "thought I might like."  Of course I did, thankyouverymuch. 

So here I am14 years later, still employing the yes-no-maybe pile system.  I'm telling you, it works like a charm.

This was my Maybe pile.

This was one part of my No pile.  All super-cute stuff that just didn't quite fit.

And this is my Yes pile.

Just kidding.

This is the rest of my No pile, after reevaluating my Maybes. :-)

And I did walk out of there with a pair of denim shorts. 

Imagine that.

So thanks, Anna, for teaching me to make piles and to take one thing at a time.  Who knew a seven-year-old could impart such wisdom??

Bike Rides and a Steak Dinner

source

Well the entire lower half of my body is rather sore from yesterday's 9 mile bike ride around the lake, but it was so worth it.  Spring in Dallas lasts only a few weeks, and I'm determined to enjoy it!  We checked out a "cruiser bike" for me yesterday afternoon--the kind with the tall handle bars that would look really great with a basket and a bell.  Adam & I rode around the entire lake, stopping at one of the bridges to spot 20 turtles popping up their heads, and baby ducks following their Mama, so small they could fit in the palm of your hand.  It was precious. 

{Yum.}

Then we came back and cooked out on the charcoal grill.  I don't know if I was exceptionally hungry, the charcoal made the steak even better, or if it was the grill master (I think I'll go with that one), but it was so good that I ate almost the entire steak.  That's sayin' something, for the girl who typically eats about half of every meal.  :-) 

Here's to Spring and to a weekend that's almost here, full of good friends visiting and fun adventures ahead!

ps.  Anna posted a blog about her cousin Troy and his song he wrote (about me and AMP).  Go read it.  It's sweet.

Weekend Letters

Dear Royal Wedding, I enjoyed watching you on Friday night while doing my nails.  To see a common girl become royalty is pretty fascinating, and I really liked Kate's bouquet.  It did bug me, though, that they kept making references to Charles and Diana's wedding day.  Does anyone remember how that worked out??  Just sayin'.  Dear AMP, you came and found me on Saturday afternoon in the most interesting get-up, including black socks and sandals.  Thanks for going to great lengths to make me laugh.  

Dear Girls' Night Out, you were much welcomed.  I'd be lying if I told you I wasn't more than a little sad about not having girl roomies after September 24.  I mean, it's not like I can wear Adam's necklaces and heels.  I'm thankful there will be plenty of opportunities for Fireside Pies and movie nights, still.  We will have to find a way to swap wardrobes on a regular basis.  Maybe we can build an underground tunnel?  King's Speech, you are the best movie I've seen in a very long time.  I'd watch it again in a heartbeat.  (And that's saying something.)   Sunday, who knew that May 1 would bring weather cold enough to welcome chili and cornbread for dinner?  It was a great ending to the weekend.  AMP, so excited we've booked our honeymoon to Hawaii.  Can't wait for beaches and Jeep adventures on the island!

A Song for Sister

Sister by TroyCartwright

Today my brother posted a new song he'd recorded called "Sister."  After listening, I texted him and asked if it was about any sister in particular.  :-)  He said, "The only one I've got!"  This is seriously the best gift he could've given.

And I'm pretty sure this is pretty true to how he feels ("I don't have my head around it yet"), because when we called to tell him our good news, all he could say was, "Wow.  I can't believe it."

I love how he writes, because it's not how "normal" people think.  My favorite parts are in bold.

So here it is...

I don't have my head around it yet

But I'm doing the best that I can

So hold her up, when she feels like sinking

In all you white, I just can't believe it

Sister, I hope when you shiver

He gives you his coat and hes holding you close

through the pain and sickness

the health and the rich-es

And its all so beautiful

I just don't know what I'm so anxious for

Cause you used to hold my hand

and help me to understand

taught me bout Jesus

and how to believe it

So hold her up, when she feels like sinking

In all you white, I just can't believe it

Sister, I hope when you shiver

He gives you his coat and hes holding you close

through the pain and sickness

the health and the rich-es

Or how deep you're in it

your loves gonna fix it

The thorniest thicket

has spaces within it

and thats where the love is

thats where the love is

And if you ever get to thinkin'

its not enough, believe me it is

Trust your brother on this one

Sister, I hope when you shiver

He gives you his coat and hes holding you close

through the pain and sickness

the health and the rich-es

Decisions, Decisions.

  

Yesterday, had you been a fly on the wall in Dillard's, you might have heard a conversation like this...

Shay:  Do you like this yellow dinner plate?  I can't imagine eating roast off a cream plate.  I think I would get bored, and it wouldn't taste as good.

Adam:  {Laughing}Sure, but I 'm pretty sure roast would taste good either way.

Shay: Ok, how big of a bowl do you think you'll need for cereal?

Adam: Um, I think I'll need about three bowls for all the cereal I eat.  Let's go with the big bowls.

Shay: True.  But can we register for Shay-sized bowls, too?  {There are smaller bowls and bigger bowls. Read: too many decisions.  We registered for both.}

Adam: Who knew that getting married meant we'd have these kinds of conversations?? 

 

In case you haven't noticed, Adam is incredibly patient with me.  {And I'm so grateful.}  I have about a two-hour window before I hit a wall when it comes to making wedding decisions.  This usually means that we either stop what we're doing and eat, or just stop all together.  

This is also the second department store we've registered in.  I couldn't find dishes I liked at Macy's or Bed, Bath & Beyond, so Adam was such a trooper, and we went and registered there instead.  {Again, grateful!}

I realize that there are much bigger and more important decisions to be made than dishes.  Someday, though, we will look back and laugh at that experience.  Yesterday we tried a new church and continued our search for a place to live after we're married.  Indeed, those are much bigger decisions.  I know we'll figure it all out, and we'll have a place to go each Sunday that's more our size, and a roof over our head.  But if dishes are the most challenging of our decisions we're making this weekend, I'm totally ok with that right now.  :-)