A dose of home

I'm headed to NC for Thanksgiving and will finally be in Raleigh instead of Charlotte.  I have missed my precious friends and can't wait to be with them and catch up on the past 6 months. 

Here are just a few of the faces I can't wait to see....

 Emily Nance is perfect and if hosting a wine and cheese party for all of us next Friday.  I can't wait to be in one place with all of these girls...such a treat!

 Duh, no holiday is complete without my Meemaw and Peepaw.

Gosh, hard to believe it's been 6 months since I've seen these two....if you had asked me if I could survive without them for 6 months I would have said no!

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The newly weds...see ya on the 17th!

 Mike Caiola--I've already planned a sushi lunch for us, I hope you are free that day!  Mullins--the earlier you come home from Africa, the sooner I see you...hustle!  Valore--can't wait to see the new and improved V-dome!

 Is Janis my mother-in-law now?  Nevertheless, I'll be seeing both of my "moms" for sure.  Hey Pattianne.

 Odd...Biggest is coming home for Tgiving, right?  Bring elastic in the waist pants, and I'll see ya at 1125 Aycock!

I land at RDU at 9:50pm....seeing this love bug at 9:51pm....can't get there fast enough.  We have some SERIOUS wedding planning to do for her big day in April. 

Yes, Ali...we'll go eat at Fiesta while I'm home!

 I'm gonna hug yall so hard!  C, bring G to Tgiving....well maybe for half of the day! 

If we don't go to at least ONE Taco Tuesday while I'm there, I'm never coming back.

Dad...this is a very subtle hint of where I would like to have lunch with you...and JUST you!

I moved...AGAIN

Moving is usually dreadful, but it has been really fun for me.  I've lived in Dallas for 6 months and have lived in 5 places!  This is my newest crib....YES, I count my blessings everyday! 

 Well, this is the front, and I guess to be fair, I don't really live here...I live in the guest quarters of this house...but still!


This is the back, and that little apartment-looking thing on the left side of the picture is my house.  The view is not too shabby.  Come visit...you'll love it too. 

Still loving Dallas

Life in Dallas only seems to get better and better.  The friends here are incredible, and our lives are more fun than we deserve.  The best feeling in the world is to look forward to going home to my family...but being excited to come back to Dallas to these sweet faces!

A few highlights....

 Loren Fowler, me, Ashley Chronister, Holli Williams, and Liz Larsen....out for Loren's birthday!!

Amazing seats at the Cowboys vs Giants game....

Kelley and Liz at the Cowboys vs Giants game. 

Liz and I enjoying our up-close-and-personal view at the Cowboys game!

 Jordan, Liz, and Ashley....we went to the airport to pick up Ashley from her misison trip to Haiti.  So proud of her and all the work she did....but also so glad to see her back in Dallas...we missed her!!

 Jordan, Liz, Ashley, and me....welcome home, Ash!  We LOVE HAITI!

Ashley, me, Liz, and Amber....Texas/OU weekend!

Halloween

The best part about Halloween this year was that the mom that was in charge of the Halloween party for Ward's classroom bailed at the last minute....so I got to throw the party with Heath! 

Life and Death

The past few weeks have given me the chance to celebrate new life, and to celebrate the end of life on this Earth and the beginning of the journey into paradise. 

Sarah and Matt announced that they will be having a baby in May!  I can't even imagine my little friend with a big ole belly, but it's happening.  Although I would give anything to be in Charleston with her and watch her pregnancy first hand, God has really given me an amazing excitement about getting updates and pictures, and our visits will just be extra special treats that will be SO SWEET! 

Julie and Evan also announced their pregnancy and had a gender reveal party so we could all find out the sex of the baby together.  They face timed me into the party, so I got to see Julie cut open the cake to find that it was BLUE....a baby boy is on the way!!!

I was excited to find out the sex of the baby, but also really excited to see Taylor and Angel on face time!  Robyn was sweet enough to walk me around so I could say hey to everyone. 

On the flip side, we also lost our sweet Aunt Mary Lou.  She has left her farm in the country and has gone to reconnect with my Granddaddy in Heaven.  My Dad loved his aunt so much and loved visiting the country and going back to where he grew up.  She was the best cook in the world, and we will miss her greatly.  Her life was simple, and we have the BEST memories of her!

Dad on the farm next to the "Jacks Place" sign. 

Dad with his Aunt Mary Lou on her birthday a few years ago!  A life well lived....

From 5 to 6

It was the celebration of all celebrations....Bradley got married!  Our family is so happy to have an "Allie Utz" now!  The weekend was perfect and then some...

 Selfishly, this was my favorite part of the entire weekend!  It meant the WORLD to me to have "my girls" there to share this special day with my family.  They came from near and far to be at this wedding....they are by far the best friends a girl could ever ask for. 

The smartest thing my family did was hire Lauren and Sarah to help with the wedding...they pulled it off!  Lauren decorated and Sarah did all the photography!  I have nightmares about what it would have been like without their help. 

No matter what....

NC will always be home....



Who knew?

When I moved, I always imagined that trips home would be my craving....and they are.  BUT, what I never imagined is that I would have a hard time leaving Dallas and missing my friends here.  I board the plane today, and I am overwhelmed by how hard it is to leave.  I will love being in NC....and I'll love when it's time to come back to TX!  These people have made my life so sweet, and have made Dallas feel like home.  I miss you guys already......

Tex

Quite possibly my favorite picture with Ward.  His favorite book is called "Tex" and he has most of  it memorized.  It is about a little boy named Luke that dreams of being a cowboy named Tex.  This is Ward's version of Tex....

Official

It feels so good to be official members of Watermark Church!  We finished the membership class and are so HAPPY to be in this "family!"  Of course, things like this are so much more fun because I'm going through it with these precious girlfriends. 

Bangs? or No Bangs?

September means...

September means...
that I get to celebrate my mom and my sisters birthdays this month
that this is the last month my brother will ever be UN-married
that Lindsey Ogus will set the date for her wedding
that I will travel to Nashville
that Heath will have a new baby, Hunter Havens Beasley
that I will close my first deal at work
that Sarah Mullins will visit Africa and Jamaica
that mom will visit me in Dallas for the first time
that Mrs. Reynolds will be here visiting
that I will attend Bradley and Allie's last party before the wedding
that I will meet Robyn, Cindy, and Angel's babies for the first time
that the weather will cool off
that Sarah Kassouf will be a full time nurse, saving lives everyday
that I'll hit a milestone in my ongoing journey
that I'll step foot in Raleigh for the first time since May 16th
that the Texas State Fair will begin



Nashville, TN for Allie's Bachelorette Party...

NC for a party hosted by my parent's Elon friends.....

Hunter Havens Beasley was born on September 14th!  They were already the most precious family in the world....Hunter is just the cherry on top!!  I can't get enough of him, and Ward just gets more fun by the day.  I love the Beasley family so so so much!

 Ward's first day of school...

My first picture with both boys!  Best moment of my life!

Meet Hunter.....

Ran off the airplane, sprinted through the airport, drove as fast as I could, sanitized my hands, and FINALLY got to meet Hunter for the first time!

I flew into RDU for the first time since I moved and it was great to be back in Raleigh to see some old friends!  Saturday morning coffee with Robyn and Margaret...and their precious little boys!

Had just enough time to grab a quick dinner with Angel, Jan, and Cindy and catch up before flying out.  I HAD to meet Kelsi and Ellie....precious new baby girls! 

I found mom at baggage claim, and we took on Dallas for the weekend!  Mom fell in love with Dallas...just like everyone does....so we went house shopping!  I hope Dad likes the house we picked out for them.