may thirtieth.

Today is a tremendously special day for two reasons, and lovely reasons at that. Birthdays, as you well know, are my most favorite thing in the whole world. I love to celebrate, and birthdays are a wonderful means of doing so. On this day, the thirtieth of May, my step-mom and one of my very best friends are both turning a year older. Allow me to introduce you to two of God's most beautiful creations: Shannon and Courtney.

This is Shannon.

She's been my step-mom since I was nine years old, but in the last five years or so, she's become one of my dearest friends. It's the biggest blessing have two moms who are so great, and I can't wait for the day to come when I get to show the same love to my children. There is no one else on the planet who encourages and supports like this lady does, and I am constantly lifted up by her thoughtfulness and random acts of the best kindness. I've lost count of the number of times I have discovered a package of several of my favorite things in the mail, just because she wanted me to know she was thinking about me. To say she is the best is a severe understatement, and I love her so much for all the dozens upon dozens of times she has brought a smile to my face simply by being there for me. I don't think it's possible for me to put into words just how much I love this dashing young lady, but I'll keep trying.

Happy birthday, Shannon!

I hope every one of your dreams come true during your fortieth year. And yes, I just told the world that you're forty, but only because there's no way they'll believe it, hot mama! I love you more than words could even begin to say!

This is Courtney.

 We met my freshman year at Western Carolina University, and it was honestly one of those love-at-first-sight moments. We had both just broken up with our long-time boyfriends, and instead of running wild, we honestly ran straight into each other. I have no doubt that the Lord brought us together at the most perfect moment, and she was right there by my side for some of the hardest days of my life. Aside from being rocks for each other, we were also those two girls who went absolutely nut-so when we got together. Who am I kidding? We are still, to this day, those crazy girls. I could tell you story after story about our wacky adventures, but this is my most favorite characteristic of us: she challenges me in ways that no one else does, and Christ's light shines so bright in her that it immediately extends to everyone who gets near her. I've been so blessed by this always fantastic friendship for the past five years, and I look forward to the rest of our lives as that friendship.

Happy birthday, Court Bourt!

I hope you know how much I love you and thank Jesus for you every single day, but especially on your very own day! I can't wait to have many, many more adventures with you that make us laugh so hard we...well, you know. ;)

"Most of us don't need a psychiatric therapist as much as a friend to be silly with."

-Robert Braun

meet the Bargerons.

Family pictures may not be the first thing you think about getting taken while you're on vacation, but I must admit that this is one of the memories that will always stand out from this week. And the pictures, themselves, turned out so stinkin' cute that I'm certain Teesh and I will have them printed and framed and hanging from our picture wall (that I'm still waiting for the opportunity to have) one day soon. I love this family a lot. Even more so simply because it's mine. I'll always be proud to be a Bargeron, and even more proud of the Bargeron who I get to come home to every single day. I'm talkin' about you, Teesh. :o)

Now that all the traditional sentiments have been said, let's have some fun. Guys and gals, feast your eyes on these!

 

"Today was good. Today was fun. Tomorrow is another one."

-Dr. Seuss

balloons.

Early yesterday morning, Teesh got up to get in the shower, and I laid in bed hoping to keep my eyes closed for just a few more minutes. Only seconds after he left, he came running back into our loft screaming "Get up! Get up! GET UP!" so I flew out of bed thinking something was wrong. He grabbed the camera and took off running back out the door. I was confused, and still pretty much asleep, but I followed him outside. I immediately woke up when I saw what he was so excited about. There were five hot air balloons being prepped to go up...all in our front + back yard. EEEEK! We took picture after picture, and watched them for about half an hour before remembering that we had responsibilities.

It was the best way to start this Sunday.

"The moments of happiness we enjoy take us by surprise. It's not that we seize them, but that they seize us."

-Ashley Montagu

happy times.

Yesterday was filled with celebration after celebration. Two of our favorite little fellas in the whole world added another year to their precious lives, so we celebrated with the youngest that morning and the oldest that afternoon. Any day that is made up of a combination of Mickey Mouse AND the Avengers is destined for greatness, but it was even more wonderful than I expected. Teesh and I had SO much fun hanging out with our friends and their kiddos; honestly, we can't even begin to put into words how blessed we are by the friendships that the Lord has placed right in front of us. 

First up, we shared in Trey and Leslie's joy as Liam turned two.

And, then, we shared in John and Sarah's joy as Jackson turned three!

Hip hip hooray for Liam and Jackson and their stellar families who let us share in their smiles and laughter for the day! Our prayer for them today and every other day is that they are overwhelmed with the goodness of Christ, and that they feel every single ounce of love that surrounds them.

"In the eyes of a child there is joy, there is laughter, there is hope, there is trust, a chance to shape the future."

-Air Supply

gav.

Aside from all of the interesting people who surrounded us during the show, my first concert at Freedom Weekend Aloft was a huge success! Not only did I get to hang out with most of my favorite people on the planet, but I also got the pleasure of seeing my favorite artist perform for a second time in just a matter of months. Gavin, once again, stole my heart and had me acting all shades of crazy, but I've got really great friends who still claimed me a midst each of those momentary losses of consciousness. We even got to see Colbie Caillat perform for the first time; she was stunning! To top it all off, I even had a small run-in with the most polite seventeen year-old boy who smelled of adult beverages and had a lot of respect for the female gender. It was definitely a ghetto Haley moment, and I was quickly defended by my handsome husband with his big, strong muscles. Yepp, you guessed it, we won.

It was a perfect Friday night, and I was reminded, yet again, that my life is blessed beyond my wildest dreams.

Meet my newest follower on twitter, the man of the hour...GAVIN DEGRAW!

And then there was this pretty lady. What a treat it was to be in the presence of two such talented people all in the same night!

"I'm tired of looking 'round rooms wonderin' what I gotta do or who I'm supposed to be, I don't wanna be anything other than me."

-Gavin DeGraw