Happy Mother's Day and Happy Graduation, Lacy!

A good word to describe our family lately is sojourners!

We've been traveling out of state two weekends in a row and are now home and settled in for awhile. After celebrating my mother-in-law, Ellen's, birthday in VA, we traveled to Bloomington/Nashville, Indiana to celebrate my cousin, Lacy's, graduation from Indiana University! I still can't believe that the little girl who I used to make scavenger hunts for has graduated and is beginning the next phase of her adult life. We had a wonderful time with my family all staying together in a big house. We joked a lot that we felt like the Waltons or the family on the old tv show, Eight is Enough, especially the scenes when you're standing there with your toothbrush and towel and wondering who's in the bathroom! It was SO much fun to just walk down the stairs and hang out with my family in the kitchen over bacon and bagels. My little cousin, Katie, and I even dried our hair together in her room. The only one missing was my cousin, Wes, who had to study for his college finals. He'll graduate in December from Bluefield State in VA. We missed him!

Here's a picture of my family doing something we're all passionate about - eating breakfast!! Pancakes, bacon, eggs, sausage, biscuits and gravy, oatmeal - you name it- I think we ate it Sunday morning! It was a great way to celebrate my FIRST Mother's Day! My parents are in the foreground, and on the left side of the table are my cousin, Katie, who graduates from hs next weekend, my Uncle Rick, and Aunt Jill, and on the right side of the table is my Uncle Lonnie, who introduced Ben and me twelve years ago, my Aunt Syd, and cousin, Lacy.



My aunt had rented this cute little house for the entire family for the weekend in Nashville, Indiana, a very quaint little town. The house had previously been an antique shop, but the owners had turned it into a place to rent for the weekend. A short walk down the sidewalk, and we were in the town of Nashville. It had horse-drawn carriages and cute shops and ice cream parlors galore! If you're ever near Bloomington, be sure to check out Nashville.



This is my dear cousin, Lacy. She surprised me with a rose for Mother's Day.



I wanted to get a picture taken with Ava in front of this little shop. It had dried flowers and real flowers spilling out onto the sidewalk - my kind of shop! Very girly stuff inside.



Happy Mother's Day to my Mom! She will always be my biggest fan, and her nurturing and positive encouragement and affirmation have shaped me so much throughout the years. She is a woman of strength and of faith. Notice the matching flip flops. We found these cool flip flops, and most of the women in my family bought a pair. We were the matching flip flop family walking through Nashville. :)



A picture with my sweet husband and Ava's Daddy!