We hit the road July 19th to head south to Hattiesburg, MS for Jamie and Ty's wedding. Whoo hoo! It was the start of a very fun trip! Jamie is my cousin and I love her dearly. I was beyond honored when she asked me a few months ago to be her matron of honor. The good news kept on coming because she also asked Whitley to be a flower girl and Drew and David to be ring bearers! The boys were excited but I have to admit, I was probably the most thrilled of all! I couldn't help but picture their cute little selves all dressed up and George and I the proud parents. Of course, I also couldn't help but picture them being disruptive or loud or not doing what they were asked to do. Thus began the endless rehearsals for Jamie and Ty's wedding! Luckily, nobody loves make-believe more than Drew so he was always game for practice. And what Drew does, David happily does as well so we regularly walked the hall upstairs, pillows in hand. Drew would usually get his "wedding clothes" on which consisted of a button up shirt, tie, and raincoat (closest thing to a man's sport coat that he owns). Drew was actually perturbed with Jamie about his wedding attire. He couldn't understand why my dress came in the mail and he had to wait to pick his up in Hattiesburg. Even after explaining that it was being rented, he said, "Well, it wasn't very nice of Jamie to do that." She and I laughed about it and once he got the suit and saw how dapper he was in it, all was forgotten. In addition to practicing their walk down the aisle, I regularly reminded them that they had to be on their absolute best behavior at the wedding. I explained how important a wedding day is to the bride and groom and that it would very upsetting to be remembered as the kids who ruined Jamie's wedding. I may have gone a little overboard but the kids did GREAT and were perfectly behaved. I did crack up when Drew asked at the wedding "Is this supposed to be the best day of my life too?" I probably put too much pressure on him when I mentioned that Jamie and Ty's wedding day is very exciting for them and we only want to contribute to the good memories they will have. Drew was relieved to hear that he would have his own "best day" someday although I'm sure that one did rank pretty high! He (David and Whitley too) danced all night and stayed up till 11 (midnight our time). It was a wonderful wedding - Jamie was absolutely stunning, the food and drinks were plentiful and delicious, the band fantastic, and the people superb. I miss the other bridesmaids so much. I was so sad to say goodbye after getting to know them at the bachelorette and wedding weekends.
I guess I skipped around a bit so back to the road trip... We had a surprisingly pleasant drive to MS. We got on the road around 5am with plans to stop in Atlanta for a couple of hours, maybe do a museum or something. The kids were doing so well by the time we got there that we decided to make a quick stop and then keep trucking. We were keeping in touch with my parents and the Watson's who were riding together and the timing worked out well to stop in Tuscaloosa and pig out at The Original Dreamland BBQ together. That's where David showed us all exactly how much he loves ribs. Whoa! We were worried that his wedding suit would be too big but after that meal it was a perfect fit. From there it was on to Hattiesburg. We checked in the hotel in the early evening and got to see Jamie and cousin Matt that night. The next day was busy with a bridal luncheon and rehearsal. I got to spend the day of the wedding getting ready with Jamie and the other bridesmaids. George found a kids jump place, took the boys to lunch and then started getting them ready. I was most impressed when they walked in (on time!) looking super handsome and happy. Points for George! My Mom was a big help at the hotel too :) It was picture time once everyone arrived and then the big day!!!! As everyone always says about weddings, it went by way too fast! Thank you Jamie and Ty for inviting our family to be a part of your special day. We are so very, very happy for you and love you tons!
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| Bridal luncheon. Sweet Jamie showered us with gifts! |
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| Cuties at the wedding rehearsal. |
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| It's not often we get a photo of the four of us. I love this one. |
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| Sweeties. |
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| Great photo of the T and Tom! |
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| Christmas card? |
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| Getting ready for the big event!!! |
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| My handsome boys all dressed up. |
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| Had to make time to get some sillies out :) |
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| We took lots of shots on the golf course - so pretty. |
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| I got to walk with cousin Matty!!! |
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| Sweet Whitley was into it! |
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| Yay!!!! LOVE THEM!!! |
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| Taking a break before some more photos. |
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Then the boys ran around on the golf
course for a bit before posing for
some more pictures. |
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| Love David's sleeve :) |
