Oh Wednesday! I love you! There are so many reasons to love Wednesday, but one great reason is all of the cool blog link-ups. Jamie over at This Kind Of Love rocks it out every time with her link-up. Click on the pic above to go share your Wednesday love!

I am LOVING that my Dad had his 50th birthday last week. He had a great day, great meal, and great laughs.

{sis at R.L.}

{Greg and Ryno showing their best smile}

{Ryan and me enjoying the great company of my fam}

{Dad was super excited about his birthday!}

{Is my mom not absolutely gorgeous? Wow, I love this picture of her!}

We went back to the house after dinner and enjoyed a glorious brownie dessert that Mom made. Daddy opened presents! We all are blessed with a father like him! I love him!

Thursday and Friday, Mom held her sewing classes. They were super successful! I am so proud of her. I also love that she took the time on Friday afternoon to help me sew this little number below!
I wore it out on a girl's night with Carrie Mae until it rained, and the girl's night turned into date night! Bonefish is a fantastic restaurant that Carrie and I love. The boys aren't too impressed. We had fun with them, though! Afterwards we went by CVS and got some candy to munch on during the movie.

At home Lyla showed us her mad skills by jumping clear off of the ground for her Binky!

{Carrie and Kyle}

On Saturday, Erin and I shot a fabulous wedding! My friend Laura and Brian got hitched! They looked sharp I must say! I am loving the pictures that I am editing for them. Here's a sneak peek!

On Sunday, Erin did a shoot with my lovely cousin Hannah! I can't believe my little baby cousin is almost out of high school! I love her and the shots my talented sis got!

Last but not least, I LOVE THAT THIS WEEKEND IS THE 4th! We have some big plans with family and friends! Be safe and remember what the USA is all about!

Seriously! Why didn't I think of Pinterest. As women, our brain doesn't compartmentalize things like men. If you don't believe me, Google it! There are tons of people that have done the research. I believe that's why we NEED Pinterest! I know that my brain is constantly thinking of photography, family, Ryan, decorating the house, recipes, friends, school, ideas for the classroom, church, and the list goes on. It's also not necessarily in that order. My point: Pinterest solves this issue. When I want a new recipe, I can head over to the site, click on recipes, and they are all there. It is perfect.

So, without more rambling, here are my new pins!






{I can't wait to finish (begin) on our room off of the living room, here's the couch I love}



{Coffee table to go along with the couch - one a bit bigger to fill that space would be good}



{For all you teachers: I do this in my classroom and love it}



{I am going to do this! After a couple of seasons
when the sweaters don't wear the same way, this is a great idea!}

So, share your pins! Head over to the precious blog, THE VINTAGE APPLE, by clicking the link at the top and join in! Thanks Michelle for hosting!

Can you take it! My mom held her first sewing camp on Thursday and Friday morning. I was her assistant with 4 sweet girls. They created a headband, necklace, and a skirt with pockets! They all turned out precious!

{Mom in the studio - I am so proud of her!}

{One of the little ladies cutting out the pocket using a pattern!}

{Finished products! Headbands, necklaces, and skirts!}

So, after the class was over Mom, Erin, and I grabbed a sandwich in the kitchen, and I decided I wanted to sew my own outfit. I was going to eat at Bonefish later that evening and wanted to wear a dress. I wasn't sure if it was possible to have it finished in time. Mom found a pattern on Thursday that we both liked, and we thought it could be used for a future class. There was just enough fabric left over from the class to use for the dress. We started and finished the dress in 2 hours and 15 minutes! I was super excited! Here is the bright, fun dress Mom helped me make from a Simplicity pattern.

P.S. Mom created the belt!
&
The storm was coming which explains the wild hair!

So, I love it! I am so thankful for my mom teaching me how to sew! If you want to learn or have a fun girl's night check out Just Sew! Studio on Facebook or click HERE!

{on the boat with Dad}

{wearing Daddy's boots}

{on the 4 wheeler in Hiawassee}

{at Auntie Ann & Uncle Bryan's wedding}

{Our Father - Daughter Dance - YOUTUBE}

I couldn't ever replace my Daddy with anyone cooler and I thought about that more than ever this Father's day. Nearly losing him does that for me! Thank you Daddy for my cool nickname, my fishing lessons, our serious and funny talks, making me laugh, teaching me the value of a dollar, being a NOT normal dad, showing love to mom, and taking care of our family! I could not ask for more! Trace Adkins sings the song posted below. My mom shared it with me a week and a half ago. Don't pay attention too much, tears are possible. Love you Daddy!

{Our view from the chairs at the pool}

{I bet he has a better view, and his music kept us entertained}

We all met up at the pool around 12 because water aerobics was on! Danielle and I rocked it out and stuck it out til the end. It was a good little workout/cool down from our run. After that the activity leaders knew who we were. We were asked if we were sisters and people in our group were surprised that we weren't. It cracked us up. I think that was the first time people said that on the trip. It definitely wasn't the last. The boys didn't join in - they hung out with a float people watching.

This was also the day they had a pool fashion show. It consisted of 3 models walking around the pool in cute suits and versatile cover-ups. While we were watching the show we all caught glimpse of an extremely rude, older, (for lack of a better word) CREEPER! Pardon me while I step on my soapbox: This man would hold his hand out and say "STOP!" to the models while he would pull out his point and shoot camera and snap pictures of them. At first the girls had no idea what he was doing, but on the second round they wouldn't stop for him. I know the models are used to this, but to see this man's actions I wanted to tell him what I thought. I also know this wouldn't have done any good, but my goodness it was disgusting. What especially irritated me was his wife that was smoking with her feet hanging in the pool while we were doing aerobics blowing her smoke towards us. SOME PEOPLE! Ok, done!

We met some friendly honeymooners who didn't have luggage as the airplane company lost it. She had a great attitude. We saw her later on and she had her clothes. Thank goodness!

{the pool where we enjoyed our aerobics}

{the path we walked daily, nightly, and ran on today}

Before dinner we got ready a little early and got to snap some pictures. This is the bridge we swam under. The spots to take pictures were numerous and we took advantage.

{ J and D - aren't they gorgeous?!}

{sweet}

{love these}

{my bestie and I}

{this is one reason I love him}

{ love }

{ bffs }

{Ryan checking out the menu}

We decided on the Mediterranean restaurant named Cibu's. We thoroughly enjoyed it. I am going to venture and say it was our favorite. We also had a great waiter that had the biggest smile.

After dinner we went to check out the nightclub. We met a sweet married couple that met in Texas. Danielle and I chatted it up with them. We found out that Walt was from Australia and Heidi was from England. They had kiddos and were just traveling without them and enjoying it! The DJ arrived and we all decided we needed to show the young ones how to dance. Needless to say we laughed the entire time and danced til we were glistening!

{Jon after dinner}

{R and J got in a game of pool while we met Heidi and Walt}

We decided after the dancing to call it a night. So, after a walk back to the room we said our see you tomorrows and made plans to get up to see the sunrise. THAT DIDN'T HAPPEN! More about that next post!