wedding part 1

whew! what. a. weekend!
my best friend is no longer stephanie crane. she is now stephanie bowles. and it's legit this time.
words cannot express how happy i am for steph and shawn.
they deserve all of the happiness in the world!!
these days true love is hard to come by... but i can assure you that these two people have found it and they have found it in each other.

one thing was missing from this weekend though, and that was cindy crane- stephanie's incredible mother.
cindy passed away last fall after years of battling cancer. she was the definition of a fighter.
every girl dreams of the day she will get married, and those dreams always involve both parents being there, but that isn't always how it works out.
stephanie and shawn were able to plan it out though to where they held a small ceremony in a neighbor's front yard where steph's mom could watch her get married. my dad just so happens to be a pastor and very willingly married the two of them back in september. they did not sign any official papers,
but under God they were already married.
they held off on the big ceremony and reception until this spring. steph always wanted a spring wedding and she wanted time to grieve over the loss of her mother- even though that is something you never truly accept.
so april 14th, 2012 they were married for a second time and let me tell you- it could not have been a more beautiful or more perfect wedding!!
here are pictures from the first wedding held for steph's mother.

stay tuned tomorrow for more pictures of the second go around :)
not every girl gets to marry the same man twice- am i right?!
xoxo.
j.

my best friend's wedding.

wedding season is in full swing, my friends!!

i won't be blogging much between now and sunday because this weekend is...

MY BEST FRIEND'S WEDDING!

(i always think of the julia roberts movie when i say that)

and i am beyondddd excited for stephanie and shawn!

she's kind of, sort of, already "married" to shawn (i'll explain that in another post)

but this is the BIG celebratory wedding with all of her family and friends. 

stay tuned for details and pictures :)

xoxo.

j.

bloom.

i know i've had a lot of funny posts making jokes about myself here lately...
but it's time to get surr-ious people... for now.

in the blogging world it is easy (and oh so fun) to stumble upon other people's blogs. i have found some amazing blogs out there with great recipes, beauty tips, inspirations, and what-not. but one blog has stuck out more than the others. it is that of Kelle Hampton. not only does she live in naples, fl (where a lot of my family lives) she has an incredible story to tell. and no, i've never met her (or had any communication with her what-so-ever) but she has over 17,000 followers, which is saying a LOT compared to my... 6.

you see, i have always had a significant place in my heart for special needs children. i did my field placement for the social work department at WCU doing developmental therapy with children of different physical and mental handicaps. i can't explain to you the joy i got out of my work with these children, and i have always believed that they are just one of the precious gifts God has given us in this life.
that is just one reason why kelle's story touched me...

kelle's blog details the story of her life as a wife and a mother of two (one of which is a little girl with down syndrome). she is also the author of the new book called bloom: finding beauty in the unexpected. her book debuted on april 3rd and can be found in pretty much any well-known bookstore across the country,
including barnes & noble.
it's definitely next on my reading list, and probably should be next on yours as well.

definitely watch this awesome book trailer and you will get a glimpse at why her story is so incredible...

also make sure you check out her blog... Enjoying the Small Things... and show her some love. for a detailed look into her story with her precious nella cordelia start HERE.

plus, the book trailer includes one of my all-time favorite quotes, so i kind of have to love it.

"tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life" -mary oliver.

hope you are as touched as i was when i came across kelle's story.
j.

sometimes & always.

sometimes: i worry about my future.
always: i trust in God.

sometimes: i pick off my freshly painted nailpolish.
always: i paint my nails... again.

sometimes: i plan to wake up early and be productive in the mornings.
always: i hit the snooze button.

sometimes: i miss living at home.
always: i love my freedom.

sometimes: i wish i was a skinny minny.
always: i love my curvy bod and black girl booty.

sometimes: i want to pitch a fit like i did when i was 5.
always: i remember im 24, not 5, and suck it up.

sometimes: i think i'm a rapper like my boy lil wayne.
always: i'm not.

sometimes: i pretend i'm back in college.
always: my headache the next morning proves i'm not.

sometimes: i really miss my ava.
always: i remember we're both much happier. and then i get pictures (like this)
of her and her new brudder harley taking walks...

happy hump day fraaands.
j.

Easter Wrap-up.

I think I can easily say that Easter (weekend) 2012 was the best one yet.
we celebrated my Papaw's 87th birthday, spent an entire day in the sun and at the park, celebrated Layla Rose's 5th birthday, and had one of the best Sunday services at Franklin Covenant Church. I could go into a ridiculous amount of details and bore you with all sorts of stories... so instead, I'm just going to let you enjoy some of our pictures from the weekend!

tell me that's not the cutest baby you've ever seen!!
i hope everyone else had a wonderful Easter with family and friends.
happy tuesday.
j.

Eastaahhh.

I can easily say that Easter is a favorite Holiday in my book.

Not only does it celebrate the Resurrection of Christ and 

one of the most symbolic and important parts of my Faith. 

It also brings back a lot of really great childhood memories and traditions.

sunday service followed by a wonderful brunch with family, dying eggs, egg hunts, easter baskets full of goodies, sundresses, and warm spring days. 

it also is the true start (in my opinion) of Spring. 

we all bust out our prettiest sundresses and sandals for church and spend hours outside enjoying the warmer weather. to be honest- i cannot remember an Easter Sunday that was not full of sunshine. it's one of those days that just always seems to be nice. watch me jinx it and we get storms all day. oops.

it is the start of something new every year... a new chapter and it brings new life to everything around us.

there is only one downfall to this holiday. and it's a serious one.

these guys...

yuck. yuck. yuck. i hate them. seriously. i almost gagged trying to find a picture of them. never get me these... 

i may just stop being your friend.

i hope everyone has a very blessed Easter Holiday. and i hope we all remember exactly what Easter is all about. it isn't just about the traditions, the eggs, the awesome candy, the easter bunny, or the new blooms on all our pretty flowers. it is about celebrating the life, death, and resurrection of our Savior- Jesus Christ. it is about realizing that we are forgiven, because he once forgave us and died for our sins. so getcha praise on peeps!!

and just because this is the hottest bunny around...

oh happy day,

j.

tuesday.

let's play a little catch up.
if you will notice, i rarely get on this thing on the weekends- i cherish them so dearly and hardly ever find the time to get on the internet and update my few followers.

another weekend has come and gone though.
this one was especially good to yours truly.
my friday consisted of margs, girl talk, apples to apples, precious baby nash, and lots of laughs.
saturday was even better- did a little shopping, a little cleaning, and a lot of primping.
that night was spent in asheville having dinner (cooked for me) and then going downtown for a rooftop bar full of lights, the beautiful mountain city, good company, and fantastic local brews.
sunday consisted of rest, self reflection, prayers, walking the lake, and couch time.

i've really been trying to make it to church on sunday mornings, but i have honestly been slacking lately. i have found a fantastic church here in waynesville that really touches me and i have been able to truly relate to.  however, due to being in different towns almost every weekend, i haven't made it as often as i would like. instead, i have been studying and worshiping on my own time. and to be honest- i think we can have just as strong and as meaningful of a relationship with our Father in a church as we can on our porch, on our couch, in a Bible study group, etc. He doesn't care how or when we pray, worship, or spread the word- just as long as we are doing it and are putting our whole heart into it.

anywhooo, moving on...
this week has already started flying by. i honestly cannot believe it's tuesday night.
we had our grand opening at the new building today- busy days make for shorter days.
tomorrow means lunch with my fabulous coworkers.
thursday will bring another day of work and then a dinner party to celebrate the promotion of our dear friend and coworker, diane.
of course friday will be an even better day because it is 'good friday' and i have absolutely no plans. those are the best days in my opinion.

sending my love for a good rest of the week.
j.