Darling Fiance's Mother was coming! His Mother was coming! This rang through
our heads as we swung into full alert the Wednesday before she arrived. In
preparation for her visit we spent the day cleaning and cooking in an attempt
to better welcome our guest from the "Great North." Finally, after
much anticipation, she arrived this past Thursday! We celebrated her arrival
with an afternoon of shopping & relaxing and then finished off the day with
an evening at the salon! I introduced her to "Chico's" where she
proceeded to purchase several new tops, prompting us to plan a return visit
later during her stay. Later, the evening at the salon was nothing short of
miraculous, I must say! When we first arrived, Darling Fiance's Mother
mentioned that she wanted a new look, but wasn't sure about how to accomplish
this. She asked my opinion and I excitedly offered her my ideas: a stylish,
shorter cut to give her 'do some shape, complimented by fresh new colors of
warm, sandy blondes. To my astonishment, she agreed to the makeover plan and
(three hours later!), I was absolutely amazed with her new look! Here are a
couple before and after photos, I just couldn't help myself, I had to
share!
Before:
After:
So what do you think? Definitely a more natural blonde hue--no more grays
here! I personally think she looks ten years younger! Freshened up, indeed!
After our evening of shopping and make-overs, Friday afternoon seemed
peaceful and relaxing. Darling Fiance' & I took his Mother on a visit to
Natural Bridge to view the ceremony & reception sites. It was,
unfortunately, quite a dreary day, so after our short stop at the Bridge we all
agreed against a muddy hike. (We decided to save that for another trip.) It was
then that we parted ways for the evening--I headed home to spend time with my
parents before our household shower the next day while Darling Fiance' and his
mother headed back to Lexington for the night.
Saturday was, in short, beautiful chaos! My mother, sister, and I spent the
early portion of the day preparing for the shower. We gathered table cloths,
candles, vases, and baskets for decorating purposes as well as homemade mints
that my mom & I had prepared just the night before! Then, in the blink of
an eye, my mother & sister dashed away to decorate the church, banning me
from arriving until just 15 minutes prior to the start time! I anxiously waited
to leave home, feeling lazy & useless. When I did finally arrive, though, I
was amazed at the beautiful decorations! Our church basement was filled with
whites, creams, and pinks as well as three beautiful cakes from our family
cake-baker, Carolyn:
My mother, sister, aunts, grandmother, cousins, future mother-in-law, and
other friends and family did a wonderful job of making the space beautiful!
After taking in the wonderful decor, I spent quite some time enjoying the
company of our guests! It was fantastic to have church family, friends young
& old, and immediate family all together in one room! This made me realize
that I can't imagine how I'll feel on the wedding day with even more of our
loved ones together! We began the shower festivities with a beautiful blessing
from our dear friend Rev. Henrietta G. and proceeded to enjoy the delicious
treats before us. During the meal we played two bridal games: the bridal purse
game (where guests were provided a list of items that may or may not be housed
within my purse, and were asked to mark which they thought I possessed), and a
marriage scramble (where guests raced to unscramble a list of wedding-related
nouns). Visitors became quite competitive and involved:
In the end, only the winners prevailed, though, and were rewarded with
candles, fragrances, and all sorts of goodies!
After the games, I began opening our mountain of gifts! More than once I was
moved & overwhelmed by the generosity of our loved ones! We received many
special gifts, some of which included a red KitchenAid mixer (from Sweet
Sister, Brian & Eli), beautiful pots & pans, gorgeous crystal,
elegantly embroidered towels, and two very special quilts--one from "The
Paducah Gals" (three very special ladies that recently went on a quilting
trip with my mother & I) and one from my sweet, sweet Momma. Both were
absolutely gorgeous and will forever hold special places in my heart. And in
fact, both were made since our Paducah trip together (only about a month ago)!
Here are a couple pictures of the quilts:
The Paducah Gals' Quilt:
Momma's Quilt:
Darling Fiance & I are truly so blessed to have such loving family &
friends! After our shower we truly feel ready to begin our new life together
and create our own little family! I couldn't have asked for a more special day
and I will be forever grateful to all of you that made it possible!
Til Next Time...
Hugs & Kisses,
A Southern Sweetheart
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