A Week of Amazingness-Part II

Week 30-

I can honestly say until this past weekend, I have never felt so much love from so many people in our roof.  Seriously.  The Welcome Autumn Party was Saturday and it was honestly more than Chris and I had ever hoped for!  We knew from the beginning we wanted to do something fun, something co-ed, something that was more a celebration than a ‘shower’, and I thanks to Lauren with assistance from my mama, the party was absolutely SPECTACULAR!

Meg arrived in town on Wednesday and Jenna and James arrived in town on Thursday!   I was over-the-moon thrilled that they were able to make it up from Sarasota and down from North Carolina! I was even more thrilled that James could accompany Jenna so Chris would be able to have his ‘male bonding’ time as well.  They were an INCREDIBLE help that weekend and Chris and I couldn’t be more thankful.  Let’s put it this way, thanks to James assisting Chris, we now have a ~500lb stump sitting in our living room as our coffee table! (we only had it in the garage for 3 months before getting it to it’s home. :-) From helping clean, to running errands, to setting up the day of, they were constantly on the move when we were on the move and for that I am forever grateful.  Why is it that it’s so easy to underestimate the work that goes into having parties?  They’re completely fun when they’re happening but seriously, up until then it’s WORK!

 Chris and I worked tirelessly to get the last coat of pain on Autumn’s walls and Thursday night before Jenna and James arrived we began assembling the decal on the wall.  Can I just say-wow, I completely felt like an artist! We both did!  It went up in a snap and we worked up until Jenna and James arrived! Here’s the progress we made!

While we were all exhausted from either working or driving the entire day, Thursday nights’ chatter was kept to a minimum (not to mention Chris had to be up at 3am for a ruck the next morning-arg) and we all retired to bed fairly early eager for the next day.

We woke up on Thursday ready to hit the ground running though and Jenna generously agreed to assist me in completing the decal in little Autumn’s room!  Finishing the flowers was actually the hardest part but it looks oh-so-pretty!! (also in daylight, you can see the true color of her nursery-in-progress!)

~Autumn Breezes~

After our hard work we were finally ready for the beach and to meet up with Meg and her sweet friend Michelle who came in from North Carolina!!  We were all ecstatic to finally be together again and have a day of relaxing on our ‘home turf’.  Navarre’s beaches truly are a sight for sore eyes….

It was seriously the first time in months it felt like that I was able to sit, relax and just enjoy good friends, good conversation and the gorgeous surroundings of the ocean.  I was reminded how integral those visits are for Jenna, Meg and I especially~ it’s our bonding time!  While we have all vowed to get better at more consistent communication ( and have been doing pretty well at it in fact!) it’s the face-to-face interaction and just being together that truly brings us back to our ‘centers’ I believe.  I feel ‘home’ when I am with them and it doesn’t matter the location.  We’ve rendezvoused all over the country and when we all get in the same place together there is a sense of comfort we all give each other and a reminder of where we came from and who we truly are.  (I credit Jenna for especially reminding me of this in one of her blog posts :-)  It is something that even when I am 70 I want to be reminded of ~ where I came from and who I am.

Onto the other festivities of Thursday though!  After we had all had our fill of catching up, reminiscing and taking in the sunshine, we packed up our coolers and headed home to get ready dinner out on the town!  A fave of ours is The Fishhouse in Pensacola and especially since James and Michelle had never been there and everyone else adores it, it was a no brainer where we would end up.   So we all rendezvoused back at our place after we were finished getting ready and snapped a few group pics before we headed out!  It was too funny we all thought how Jenna, Lauren and I (the Florida girls jonsing for fall) all dressed like it was 50 out even though it was probably mid 60s and Meg and Michelle (northern girls already tired of the cold weather that was only getting colder up in Charlotte) donned their adorable, flowy, and very Florida spring outfits!  The grass is always greener right girls?

We all had a wonderful time yet again taking in the local fair. We shared the famous grits-a-ya-ya and I think 3 of us at least got the surf-and-turf special complete with giant prawn and a goat cheese stuffed filet mignon!  It was delicious even if it was a little different on the flavorings.  I sipped happily on my soda water and muddled fruit while the girls sipped their martinis and wine and we chatted for what was probably another 2 hours while the boys had their ‘male bonding’ time at the bar.   

We knew tomorrow was going to be a long day so we decided that pj’s and sitting on the couch at home to finish our catching up was best.  This pregnant girl wasn’t going to disagree with that consensus.

The next morning I felt like I hit the ground running and couldn’t believe the things still on the ‘to-do’ list before 5pm when the party was to begin.  Jenna and I started the morning off in the kitchen her with a cup of coffee, I with a cup of tea,  baking some delicious spiced oatmeal chocolate chip cookies ( a recipe that has become a new seasonal fave thanks to a FABULOUS blogger I follow, who happens to be preggo too~ Daily Garnish !  I replaced the raisens with chocolate chips and add walnuts for more of the choclately nutty flavor that I LOVE in a cookie!)  The cookies weren’t actually for the party though, Chris’s squadron was raising money for Making Strides with Breast Cancer and needed some goodies to sell that day for the bake sale.  First think to check of the list and thankfully with a bit of teamwork, Jenna and I had them baked in no time! 
 

After that, the afternoon seemed to blend together.  Jenna and I worked on getting things set up and finalized at the house before Lauren and Mom arrived with the food at about 2pm to finish making and creating!   

Let me just say that I have THE BEST sister in the world.  The menu she put together for the event was just amazing and included things like a spicy mac and cheese, baked brie with pear preserves, apple pie, frosted pumpkin cookies, spiked cider, mulled wine, a beautiful veggie tray spread and the list goes on.  All the details that she crafted made me smile.  From having guests sign a frame to put in Autumn’s room, to the onesies that each guest would decorate for each of the first 12 months,  to the ‘Welcome Autumn’ sign she hung from the front door, she poured her heart into it and it was truly felt by all I feel, especially Chris and I. 

Mama’s cooking was absolutely delicious and the décor that she brought to the house reminded me so much of my childhood and the wonderful memories that decorating for fall brings to mind.  Her talent never seizes to amaze me.

~The butternut squash happens to be how BIG Autumn was this week and the bear is from Andy who's still overseas... Chris decided the bear needed to be in a special place to symbolize that he was actually there..aww..:-)~

Before we knew it, 5pm rolled around and the guests began arriving.  Chris had the guys, with beer in hand, watching one of the many football games while the girls all mingled, got to know one another and tasted he delicious drinks that Lauren concocted.   I can honestly say I enjoyed every minute of the party and was overwhelmed but those that came.  It was fantastic to feel like everyone was truly enjoying themselves as I become such a people-pleaser at gatherings making sure everyone is having a good time!

As Lauren put it so well, we had to at least have ONE game at the ‘baby party’ so she chose to play ‘who can diaper the balloon the fastest’ and let me just say, judging by the photos captured, I think it went over well even with the boys!  (note the beer and the football in the background, BUT, they are still diapering away!) Oh and a certain someone (aka, the future father) was the first one to pop his balloon...hmmm....maybe we need to spend some nights practicing perhaps?? ;-)

 ~James hard at work!~

~Lisa was so meticulous and through, she's definitely diapered before!~

The night continued on with a gift opening session that brought tears to my eyes and an ear to ear grin that was permanently affixed to my face the entire time.  We felt SO much love in that room for our little unborn Autumn it was unexplainable.  And not only from those that were able to be there, but from those from far away as well~no gesture went unnoticed.  She is so loved by so many already.  I’ll let the photos do the talking, but we are SPEECHLESS when it comes to all that we have to begin to Autumns’ life here on earth with! (Pictures to come!~)

The night continued on and on as everyone ate, drank, played a little beer pong and worked diligently on their onesies for Autumn!  Chris and I can’t wait to debut her onesie each month, we had some serious artists at work at the party!

As the night winded down, we decided we had to capture one group shot before anyone left the party.  Little did we know this one group shot would take us at least 30 minutes to get ‘perfect’.  Here’s a few of the outtakes as well as the final shot we all ok’ed! (and to think, it was all adults, no children!  Although I think the children might have behaved better! Ha!) (Picture to come!~~)

After most of the guests departed and the last few games of beer pong were winding down in the garage, we ended the night by the fireplace recapping the evening and just being so grateful for all those that put so much into making it an incredible memory for us.  The love we felt wasn’t necessarily shown by the things that we received, but instead by the gestures of those that are closest to us coming together to help as a team give little Autumn the best ushering into the world possible.  The kind words written and spoken are things that Chris and I will never forget and that we will surely share with Autumn upon her arrival into this world.

We stayed up reflecting on the amazingness of the evening, reminising about old times and watched the last flicker of the fire disappear into the night before we said our goodnights and headed for a wonderful nights rest after a very, very successful Welcome Autumn party.

Chris and I's promise is that Autumn will be reminded everyday that she was so loved by so many before she was even born and that, in and of itself, no money can buy.  To feel love and to be loved is the greatest gift to her of all.