It started on Friday night @ Shalina’s new apartment in Tustin, where she and I worked on the venue set up for a couple minutes and then tried on engagement picture outfits. It is really different not being roommates with her, but it has been fun figuring out our friendship…I LOVE that I am still her person – that we still text and talk often, that there is something irreplaceable about her. I still have to mentally remind myself that she isn’t coming home – my heart still waits for her to walk through the front door, come upstairs and say hi every night. It feels more normal than I thought it would, but I miss her more than I thought I would as well. SO thankful for the 7 months we had together and prayerfully the lifetime of friendship we’ll have now because of those sweet months.
After leaving Shalina’s house, I went to San Diego and spent the rest of the evening with Jamie and Amber decorating cupcakes to look like Minnie Mouse and catching up.
Kev got home from work late and we watched 1,000 Ways to Die together until like 1am…good times with the big brother! Ha! Saturday I woke up at 7:15am to the most beautiful alarm clock I’ve ever heard. Her name is Madeline and she was standing in her crib yelling “SHELLS” repeatedly in hopes that I would come get her out! The cutest darn thing I’ve ever heard in my life! I am in LOVE with that girl for sure! Getting ready for the day with an almost 2-year-old in tow is a challenge to say the least. 
She wanted to shower with me, do her hair with me, brush her teeth with me, read books throughout the process and have my undivided attention. Needless to say, I ran a bit behind for the days activities! By 10:30am I was out the door and on my way to Downtown San Diego to meet up with a couple World Changers friends who were in town for the weekend.
It was SO fun getting to spend a couple hours with Jill and Ally (and their friend Ashton who came with them). We had cookies and coffee @ Seaport Village and then drove around downtown looking for a t-shirt shop in the Gaslamp Quarter that Jill remembered from her visit a few summers ago. We found it – but it didn’t end up having what she wanted. Bummer.
After shopping a bit (and getting an INCREDIBLE deal on a swimsuit top for Ashton) we sat down for lunch at Dick’s Last Resort. The food was really good but the sweet southern ladies were definitely caught off guard by the crass expressions of our waiter. I think they were ready to get up and leave when he threw our silverware on the table, and that was definitely only the beginning.
All too soon it was time to say goodbye and get back to Kevin and Jamie’s to help with the last minute stuff before Madeline’s 2nd birthday party! I got there right around 3:00pm to cut up a pineapple and get the last of the food on the table before going on a walk with M and then greeting all the guests at her big MICKEY MOUSE CELEBRATION! The party itself is kind of a blur…a lot of family, visiting, snacking, presents, kids playing in the backyard, bubbles, singing Happy Birthday, Madeline exclaiming Happy Birthday, candles, eating, Arnold Palmers, catching M as she came down the slide like 1,000 times, more chatting, cupcakes, dirty kids running a muck, the infamous watermelon that sat untouched on the counter all night, saying goodbye, cleaning dishes, laughing with Sean and Amber, steaming floors, sorting the loot, etc.
It was a successful party to say the least. I really can’t believe that M is already 2. My brain cannot comprehend it. 2 years of laughing and loving her…and a lifetime still to come. 
Thank you Lord for that sweet baby and the way she owns my heart. I would not have it any other way!Sunday morning started SUPER early (especially after a late night looking @ Amber and Sean’s wedding pictures for hours) – we had to leave the house by 6:30am to get to UCSD in time for my cousin Christina Swope’s graduation from UCSD. My Uncle Pete and his family live in Santa Maria approximately 5.5 hours from my parents – so we have never gotten to spend quite as much time with them as we would have liked – but they are SO FUN! It was really neat to be able to celebrate Chrissy’s graduation as a family. Graduation itself was pretty boring – standard – but they actually did a pretty good job getting through it quickly. It was under 2 hours and over 1,000 students walked across the stage! Pretty impressive.
After graduation, we went to Dana Landing to have a beach picnic and PARTY in Chrissy’s honor. We had a little bit of trouble getting there, which was HYSTERICAL because it just furthered my opinion that my Uncle Pete and my Dad are the SAME PERSON (they look the same, talk the same, have the same mannerisms, and FIGHT THE SAME TOO!). We left the beach around 3:00pm, picked up M-girl and I spent a bit more time with her. Then I went to my parents for a little bit to help my mom with a couple things and see them – the weekend was SO FULL that I really didn’t get to enjoy their company very much. Finally around 6:15pm or so, I packed a snack and said goodbye. I pit stopped at Anna’s to drop off a bag of t-shirts and then drove back to Orange County. By the time I got home, I was totally exhausted and wanted nothing more than to shower and go to bed. SO I unpacked my bag, took care of the clothes on the floor, and did just that. It was a WONDERFUL weekend indeed!!
1 comment:
Glad you had a good time! Cute AA shirt!
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