Proud

"I like to see a man proud of the place in which he lives.

I like to see a man live so that his place will be proud of him." 

-Abraham Lincoln

Be proud.  Memorial Day and every day.

A Sparkly Sneak Peek & A Word About Cousins...

My cousin, Laney, is getting married this June up in the mountains and we are excited for another family wedding. (Read: I'm pumped, and even moreso that I am not quite as involved as in my sister's, because that thing nearly killed me....) Elizabeth and I are both bridesmaids and we are all looking forward to all of the fun that's in store!

A few weekends ago I was terribly honored to get to take her bridal portrait pictures up in Linville at Grandfather Mountain, which is where the wedding will be. I, of course, cannot show off anything that shows the dress. However, everyone has seen/can see her gorgeous ring, and I LOVE this picture. And would like to thank my parents, AGAIN, for the lens that allows me to get such neat shots. How beautiful is her ring???

Let me tell you, she looked phenomenal. After June I will show off more. :) The afternoon was perfect for pictures. The day started off with a crystal blue sky, not a cloud in sight, and sunshine everywhere. A great day, but no good for a photographer. But then the clouds rolled in and it was go time. We got her dressed, ran around the golf course and bridges and to find the prettiest flowers on the grounds, and I was in hog heaven, just snapping away. And I'm telling you what, not 10 minutes (literally) after we finished and got her inside and out of her dress, THE. HEAVENS. OPENED. I'm not talking it started to sprinkle and then picked up. I mean the bottom totally fell out and we had just missed an absolutely torrential downpour. I don't even want to THINK what mess we could have been in had we gotten caught out in that... But anyway. :)

Laney is 2.5 years older than me, 5.5 years older than Elizabeth. She has one older brother, Grayson, and then we all have 3 older cousins - William, Brian and Tom. We came in order from 3 sisters - none of them overlapped in having kids. And all the boys came first and then the girls. Hello, textbook. We were raised more like siblings, if you ask me. Family trips and sleepovers and everything in between, we could often be found in all sorts of combinations in Lenoir and elsewhere, all through the years.

(Circa, oh, I don't know - 1987? I'm probably in trouble for putting this out there, but it's at one of Nanny & GanGan's famous Christmas parties, so I might be off the hook. Man, those were the days...)

We still love getting together when we can, even though we have managed to end up in different cities/states all over the place. Our biggest similarity was, obviously, our grandparents, who doted on us all. the. time. And we miss them both dearly. I think - I know - that they'd be awfully proud of us that we all love to be together as much as we do. They, along with all of our parents, really fostered our relationships with each other growing up, and for that, I think all 7 of us will be forever grateful. To them and to our moms and dads.

(2008 at Wrightsville for the "Beach Beach Trip". We totally all make fun of Flamingo Laney in this picture!)

Here's to cousins! Here's to family!

Sweet 6 Months

(Well, this post was supposed to happen yesterday. But, Aunt Becca went out for Cinco de Mayo, as did the REST OF THE PLANET, so when I got home, I was beat. Because "quick Mexican" took nearly 4 hours. Aunt Laura and Mom have already done 6 month posts for Em, but I still feel entitled to do one, so here we go!)

Emmy. You are 6 months old. You are the cutest thing on the planet. I could spend every waking moment with you and never be bored. These are all facts.I can't believe you are already halfway to a year. I feel like you were just born and your dad just called me the second I got to work on November 5th to tell me you were here. I will remember ducking into a conference room at my office to hear all about you forever. I will remember your mom calling me just before leaving for the hospital the night before - she sounded scared to death but tried not to act like it, but I know her better than that.I will remember forever walking into the hospital room in Charlotte to see you for the very first time, perched on your mom's shoulder after eating. You were the tiniest, pinkest little thing, and I was, of course, sobbing. Your mom makes fun of me because I told her the night before that I had laid out my outfit for your birthday, so I would be all set to go to come see you. But it was a big deal! I was so excited that I could hardly stand it. I remember going to a luncheon that day and telling everyone - EVERYONE - there that you had arrived, and proudly showing off pictures from Aunt Laura on my phone.The night that I met you was one of my favorite nights. When I first took you from your mom your eyes were wide open, and as I rocked you and talked to you I felt like you were really listening, trying to figure out who I was. You had LOTS of visitors that day, and I had come later on and could only imagine how tired your sweet parents were. After I had been there for a while, I decided it was time to let everyone get some rest. Your dad was headed in to take a shower when I got up to leave, looked at me and said "I don't know where you think you're going." So I stayed. I chatted with your dear mother and stared at you the whole time.You are so loved. Loved FIERCELY. You make everyone smile - how could you not!? Your parents are so easily natural with you - sometimes I feel like they have had you forever. I knew from the moment that you were on your way that you would be a girl. Your dad is a girl's daddy. He needed a girl first, so everyone knew that one was on the way. Don't you love him?! Your mom was made for this. I've known that for as long as I have known her. I have learned so much from watching her with you, but have not been surprised by a second of it. She is calm and patient and loving and strong. All things that both of your parents will instill in you. And she gets funnier by the day, doesn't she!? We are all so proud of her for that. :)I would walk through fire for you, sweet Emerson. I love you to the moon and back, and will be there for you forever and ever. And spoil you ROTTEN.Love Forever,

Aunt Becca