Last night we went to an “Around the House” shower for my friend. She is getting married at the end of September and I’m very happy for her. It’s funny because we always expected her to be the first of us to get married. She was always the girl that wanted to be married so badly and I was the girl claiming I would never ever ever do so. Interesting how life works out, huh? And I gotta say I’m happy my plans don’t always go as expected since it tends to lead toward greater things. I adore my life now!

Upon arriving to the shower, I got a quick moment to say hello to my friend.

There was some strained feeling conversation. I admit that part of it could be mental on my part because I wanted to share my good news with her but didn’t want to do so on her special night. But I also was a little disappointed because she knew I would have tested by then and that I had called her a couple times during the week, yet she didn’t even ask. I basically got a brief hello and all the details of getting her makeup done before she flitted off to talk to other guests. I also felt like she was avoiding me the rest of the night because every time I went up to her she walked off immediately.

I’m not too upset about that because I know part of the responsibility as guest of honor is to visit everyone. And there were a lot of people at the shower…many of which I did not know. I know my friend’s family well, but it was so crowded I didn’t even get to be around them much. Normally I would mingle and make new friends, but we had Makenzie with us and had to keep an eye on her the entire time. We are used to attending kid friendly functions and there was nothing on the invite to let us know this would not be a kid friendly place. Makenzie tried to entertain everyone and was still welcomed though.

And there were some yummy snacks to keep me happy. Guacamole, raw veggies, and pita chips (unpictured) are a girl’s best friend when the remainder of the food is very subpar.

We left after only a couple of hours. I was getting tired, Makenzie was starting to act up, we were bored with all the cliques, and I still felt a little hurt by my friend’s cold shoulder. I might be over reacting, but I’m a little surprised she didn’t think to ask when I told her a week ago I would be calling to let her know the results. Also surprising since she has no problem pointing out how hard it must be for me to be heavier (while being sure to sneak in her weight) and wondering how pregnant I will be for her wedding….because after all “she picked the bridesmaids dresses specifically because I was supposed to be pregnant” (something she said not even 2 weeks ago). And it might also be in light of the many questions, supportive comments, and emails from others that I received over the course of the week. Wouldn’t my supposed best friend be more on top of the game?

Okay I’m finished. I don’t like being negative so let’s talk about today. Today was another day of festivity. It has just been a party kind of weekend. This party was more up our alley though. It was our friends’ daughter’s 2nd Birthday. Elmo, a bunch of tots, balloons, and friends from church can make a great party. Trust me.

The atmosphere was much more laid back, we were surrounded by quite a few friends and even the people we didn’t know well were so nice to talk to. The excitement and laughter from the kids just overflows to put smiles on every face in the room and makes for an all around fun afternoon. It's nice to feel like you are a valued friend and that your company is appreciated, but I digress. I think that is almost as negative as you’ve ever heard me get on my blog. I don’t like it. I will say though it helps to vent frustrations. I’m going to give her the benefit of the doubt and just recognize some of those actions are just part of who she is and I have to accept that. I also need to consider her perspective of maybe she sensed I had news to share, but didn't want it on her party night, which I understand. So I feel better and am actively going to move on now.

• Are there things you face with any of your friends that can drive you crazy? How do you deal with it? I try to focus on the positive aspects of the friendship, trust there are reasons behind the person’s actions, and just move on. Sometimes it’s hard when you’re hormonal more strongly emotionally invested in what is going on, but I believe you have to trust someone who has been a friend for so long.
• What is something you never foresaw yourself doing, but couldn’t imagine your life without that part of you now? Marriage! And then having a kid not even 2 years into it. The saying “when you know, you know” definitely applies to both of those. I just knew it was right, trusted it, and won’t ever look back.

Did that get your attention pyros? We’ll have to get to that in a minute. First, we need to backtrack.

Remember our trip to the Renaissance Festival? Well, now we must continue on with what happened during our busy Saturday. We left the Renaissance Festival at around 3:00 to head to lunch. We had the perfect place to go to. About a month ago, I bought a Groupon to a pizza joint in the Virginia Highlands to get $25 worth of food for $10. My parents live in the Highlands area and we were going to their apartment for Makenzie to nap after our late lunch, so we knew this was a great chance to use the Groupon.

Everbody’s Pizza hit the spot. They have a ton of fresh toppings to go with their daily fresh made pizza dough. We figured it would be best to split a medium…half hers and half his. My side had olives, mushrooms, spinach, and Italian sausage. His had pepperoni, sausage, and feta. Definitely his and hers, right? Especially considering I scraped off most of the sausage as it was just too much.

I had one monstrous slice and a tiny sliver off another piece. It was very filling. And very good. There was an entire thick layer of spinach underneath the cheese! Mmmmm.

I don’t see a problem with us using our other Groupon we got for Everybody’s Pizza before the end of October. We are very picky about pizza and this was great. Next time I will just know to forego the sausage.

The remainder of the day, after Makenzie napping and me blogging, was the Laser Show Spectacular at Stone Mountain Park.

Our Sunday school group of friends were all meeting up there for a night of fun. It was pretty hectic because they had most of the lawn fenced in with only one opening. You had to walk completely around the lawn and little town area to get from one area to another (about a 15 minute walk) so it was difficult finding everyone and getting together. We got it figured out though and then all enjoyed a picnic dinner.

Since we were out all day and didn’t want food going bad in a hot car, we picked up some subs before going into the park. Subway can make for a great dinner in a pinch. Especially when it’s sit-on-a-blanket style.

We spent a couple of hours talking with our friends, enjoying everyone’s company, and letting the kids play. Makenzie was cute and seeking attention, as always.

At around 9:15 the laser show began. It was different this year (finally) and was fun to watch. Going to the laser show is a tradition we have every year and it was nice to enjoy it with friends. It was also great to see Makenzie so into it. She loved the fireworks. I wish I had some better pictures of them! This is the only picture you can relatively see that Peter managed to get during the show.

It was so cute to see her eyes light up at all the fireworks, flames, and lasers. Yep, our laser show isn’t just lasers. It’s like 4th of July every night at Stone Mountain. When it was time to say goodbye to all the pyrotechnic fun, we packed our exhausted selves up and headed home to crash. Only for me to wake-up at five am and not be able to go back to sleep. I guess that works for the best because I was able to type this post and have it ready to publish for you all while I’m out galavanting around in my Happy Mother’s Day glory. Be sure to tell your momma you love her today! And come back tomorrow for my FIRST VLOG! It will be an exciting one. I can assure you of that. 😉