Chad & Steph Come to Town!

This past weekend, my brother & his girlfriend came to Knoxville for a relaxing weekend. Last time she came in town was my graduation weekend & our family friends' wedding, so needless to say we had lots of family in town & it was a little overwhelming for her! This weekend was perfect...we had some people over on Friday night for a cookout and time around the hot tub & fire pit. If you've been around my family at all, you know this is what we do best! Saturday was a beautiful day, and we just relaxed by the pool ALL day and got a little sunburnt. Saturday night we went out to eat at our family favorite restaurant, Altrudas! Afterwards, we stopped by a wedding shower for some of our friends and spent time with them outside on the perfect night! We definitely laughed A LOT (mainly laughing at my mom), but my favorite part was just getting to spend time with them!

The Special Olympics!

Last Friday, the little guy I babysit for Adam, performed in the Special Olympics! You may recognize him and his little brother Davis from previous postings, their family is just SO great to me! Adam has talked for almost a year about the Special Olympics because his friend Olivia participated in them last year, and he couldn't wait to be part of it. He ran in the 100 meter dash, as well as the long jump. His friends from school made him a poster to cheer him on, and he got 2nd place in the 100 meter dash! I was so proud of him! Above are some pictures of him in his race, getting congratulated by some students at Hardin Valley Academy, getting loved on by his mom and his teacher from school, and then getting his silver medal! Way to go Adam!!

The big day!

The big day has come and gone! It was just the sweetest day, and it was a wedding I will never forget. Picture a garden wedding with wooden benches made by the father of the groom, the sweetest family and friends gathered around, the happiest couple, and a poolside reception in the back yard with a mexican theme! The weather was perfect, the locations were perfect, and their love is perfect. I didn't have my camera for very much of the day, but go to this blog to check out some professional pictures taken by Jennie Andrews. She did an awesome job! www.jennieandrewsphoto.blogspot.com

Rehearsal and Rehearsal Dinner

On friday afternoon, after the bridesmaid luncheon was over and all of the packing and errands were complete, we met at the Odom house for the rehearsal. We practiced with perfection, and then headed over to Peerless Steakhouse for the rehearsal dinner. It was such a sweet time with both of the families to eat and celebrate with a slideshow and words of love and encouragement for Will and Jessica as they start their new lives together. Lots of tears were shed, happy tears of course! Then the wedding party and some other friends came over to the house where all of the bridesmaids were staying to all hang out together for their last night as an engaged couple!

The Bridesmaids' Luncheon

On Friday morning, April 18th, we headed over to a family's house that lives right across from the Odom's (the wedding ceremony site) for the bridesmaid luncheon. This family offered their house to us for the weekend so we could all be together which was AMAZING! It was so fun for all of us to be together, especially since we don't get to see one another very often. The invitation said "come dressed in your PJ's" and it was a casual and relaxed event. We had muffins, toast, the best home made preserves you could think of, salad, quiche, and fresh fruit yogurt parfaits. Delicious! Enjoy some pictures from the event. The first one is of all 10 bridesmaids with JJ, the second picture is JJ with all of her in-town bridesmaids, and the third picture is of JJ and all of her out-of-town bridesmaids! Amy isn't considered an out of towner, because her heart is in Tennessee!! Enjoy!!!

JJ's Bachelorette Party!

On Thursday afternoon, after all of the out-of-town guests had arrived, we celebrated the last couple of days with Jessica Leigh Joyce! The bridesmaids went to Lilly's Bead Box to design and create the jewelry of our choice for the big day on Saturday! We then headed over to Gourmet's Market (JJ's favorite) for the most amazing dinner! We basically had the whole restaurant to ourselves, they had flowers set on the tables for us, they had cheese and crackers as appetizers for us, and they served us so well the whole night! Me and JJ had chosen the menu, so it was buffet style for our group. I would HIGHLY recommend Gourmet's Market to anyone for private parties...and it was only 17 dollars per person (tip included)! We couldn't have asked for anything more!

We then headed back to my house for dessert, games, lingerie, and the hot tub! Enjoy some pictures from the night, sorry they are in random order! We had a blast and laughed so much! It was a night I will never forget!

Road Trip!

On Wednesday me and two of my great friends, Mackenzie and Claire, went on a little road trip to Atlanta for some shopping, great food, and a fun baseball game! We headed out about 9am and arrived around 11:30 to my favorite place, IKEA!! We walked aimlessly around there taking in all of the overwhelming rooms and items it has to offer. We purchased our goodies and then decided we were starved, so we went out for lunch at the Cheesecake Bistro, a spinoff of the Cheesecake Factory (no comparison, cheesecake factory is WAY better)! After we were refreshed and ready to go, we decided to hit Lenox mall for Anthropologie! My favorite! After that, we were ready to sit down and enjoy a hot dog at a baseball game! Our friend Brett plays for the Florida Marlins and they were visiting the Braves, so it was really fun to watch him live out his dream playing at Turner Field! We got there early to watch him warm up and we got to talk to him a little before the game. The night turned out to be FREEZING, but it was really fun to sit with his family and catch up with them. After the game we got to go down to the family area underneath the stadium and visit with him for a little while, which is where the last picture is taken. We stayed the night with some of our great family friends and were exhausted by the end of the night! What a fun day!! Enjoy some pictures from the game....

I'm 23?

I had a great birthday & it was spent celebrating with all of my closest family and friends! I woke up and my sweet friend Amber took me to Cracker Barrel for breakfast. Then I went with the bride-to-be JJ for her final wedding dress fitting and to pick it up. Then Jessica came to my house to bring me a sweet present and we walked around the mall. Then off to Chez Guevera with 25 of my closest family and friends, or La Paz as everyone I know calls it, for some yummy mexican food and margaritas! A great time was had by all, and I couldn't have asked for anything more perfect for my birthday!

Here are some a few pictures from the night! Enjoy!!

A busy, busy week!!

Hello to all!! I just wanted to write a quick post to let everyone know that I will be M.I.A. for the rest of this week. This is a picture of my sweet friend JJ who is getting married on Saturday, April 18th. We have been counting down the days with her since September, and her wedding week is FINALLY here!!! Let the festivities begin!! I have listed below what the rest of my week will entail, so get ready!

Tuesday: my birthday (I'm 23? Crazy!) Breakfast with amber, running errands, dinner and margaritas at La Paz with 20 of my closest family and friends!! can't wait!

Wednesday: my friend Mackenzie and I are taking a road trip to Atlanta for some shopping and to see our great friend that plays for the Marlins as they take on the Braves, and then staying with my parent's friends at their house!

Thursday: Come back from Atlanta, get prepared for JJ's bachelorette par-tay! We are going to lily's at 5pm to make jewelry for our bridesmaid dresses, then dinner at her favorite Gourmet's Market at 7pm, then back to my parent's house for lingerie, games, and the hot tub! I'm so excited to see everyone who is coming in town from Texas, Colorado, and California!

Friday: Bridesmaid brunch at 10:30Am, get our nails done, spend the day with JJ, wedding rehearsal at 5pm, reshearsal dinner following at Peerless, and then all of the bridesmaids staying under one roof...probably getting NO sleep, haha!

Saturday: THE DAY IS HERE!! Get ready with JJ, pictures, cry a lot because my sweet friend is becoming a wife, wedding at 4pm, reception, then crash from exhaustion from all of the festivities during the past few days.

I will have lots of pictures to post from the next week so get ready!!! Have a great day and a great rest of the week!!

Is that the Easter Bunny???

That's one cute cotton-tail...but that doesn't look like the Easter bunny. Who is it??
It's Lola, the cutest, most spoiled English Bulldog around town. She can almost pull it off if it weren't for her under bite. Our family had a fantastic Easter celebration and we filled our day with church, egg hunting, present opening, lots of eating, and then finishing the day off with watching the Masters. A great time was had by all...here are some pictures!

Happy Easter.

I love Easter...I love that everyone pulls out their most colorful attire and (usually) enjoys the warmth of being outside hunting Easter eggs! I love these pictures because they are of my little cousins, and they represent what Easter is like for our family. The kids are counting their eggs and checking out which ones have money in them. I love the picture of Cassidy on the right, because, well, look at that cute dress, sunglasses, and basket. But I mostly love it because she is searching so hard for eggs and there is one RIGHT in front of her face and she doesn't see it. haha! My Easter tradition consists of getting dressed up and going to church as a family, then going to my Aunt's house for the Annual Easter Egg Hunt, a lovely lunch with deviled eggs (one of my favorites), a little gift opening (yes, we do that still), and just sweet time with our family!

I pray that on Sunday I don't lose sight of what Easter is really means to me. I am so thankful for the resurrection of Jesus Christ, for my freedom. Freedom from my shame that I carried for so many years. I am grateful in debt to the resurrection. My life matters because Jesus came back.

"Saviour, He can move the mountains. My God is mighty to save. He is mighty to save. Forever, Author of salvation. He rose and conquered the grave. Jesus conquered the grave."-Mighty to Save -Hillsong

A new idea.

I have been so excited about posting this earring holder for everyone to see! I wanted to create something a little different, but I still wanted it to be simple. This is an ivory picture frame (8x10) with brown accents. It is tied together at the top with twine, which I LOVE. I made this for my friend Mary who wanted neutral colors. This can be done in any color scheme you choose, and it is SO great for holding numerous earrings (if you have as many as I do!). The price for this earring holder is 15 dollars. Feel free to email me if you are interested or have any questions! My email address is hrichards14@gmail.com