that relaxing weekend.

After months of planning and waiting, our relax-to-the-max weekend was finally upon us! This time last week, Caitlin and I stayed in our pajamas + stayed on the couch the whole weekend except for a trip to The Cowfish for lunch on Saturday + church on Sunday morning before I hit the road to head back home. We watched Frozen + eight episodes of the fourth season of One Tree Hill + Beauty and the Beast, and we also spent hours talking + confiding in each other + praying together. I think we're both looking forward to another weekend like this, one that causes us to be so thankful to the Father for the friendships He blesses us with.

moonlight movie.

Scenes from that beautiful Wednesday evening when Teesh surprised me with a date night to Falls Park on the Reedy for an outdoor showing of The Sandlot with a thousand other Greenville residents. I'm so thankful to live in such a fun-loving city, and I'm even more thankful to live in it with such a fun-loving man. 

Everything about this place I call home makes my heart beat fast, y'all.

three cheers for Abs!

This past Saturday, I had the pleasure of spending the afternoon of two of my precious former kiddos! Helene and I made the short trek to Easley to cheer on Abbe in her gymnastics meet. After she impressed us all, we then went to CiCi's Pizza for an hour of laughing + taking several trips down memory lane + sharing our hearts with each other + stuffing our faces with an endless buffet, of course. Days like this are the best, and my heart is still giving thanks for the never-ending smile I'm wearing even now because of our time together. I've been looking forward to our next girls day since this previous one began!

girls day.

Every Tuesday afternoon, my sweet friend, Abbi, and I do something adventurous together. This Tuesday, in particular, we stopped by Sonic to get slushes (thank you, Jesus, for happy hour!), and then we continued on down the road to Lake Conestee Nature Park for a stroll along the Reedy River. We saw frogs + turtles + birds, and the green that surrounded us caused both of us to wear big smiles. What a blessing it was to talk about our Creator in the midst of so many beautiful things He has made!

When is the last time you went on an adventure with a good friend?

artisphere.

Scenes from our post-hike wanderings on Saturday afternoon. I'll never, ever grow tired of going out on dates with my Teesh, especially when we get to walk the streets of our lovely city admiring all the sights + sounds along the way.

mountain creek trail.

It was a rainy Saturday, so we decided to stay close to home and hike through parts of Paris Mountain State Park that we've never explored. It was a cool morning, and the trees were extra green from all the rain, which made for an extra beautiful walk. After we finished up the trail, we continued along Lake Placid Trail. Sometimes it's just hard to stop once you get started. Walking hand-in-hand with my Creator + my husband is such a blessing. I love it when the three of us are adventuring together.

"For in the nature of things, if we rightly consider, every green tree is far more glorious than if it were made of gold and silver."

-Martin Luther

surprise!

On Friday night, Melanie's family + closest friends gathered at the bungalow for the execution of a month-long plot to surprise her before she sets off for another summer at camp. We all rejoiced when we saw her face light up + her smile be bigger than most had ever seen before as we all shouted "SURPRISE!" It was a glorious evening of food + fellowship + making happy memories, all in honor of our precious Melanie. We prayed over her + loved on her + laughed all night all the while being protected from the rain that the weatherman assured us would come. We were all blessed, mostly because we have a lady in our lives as wonderful as her.

It's my prayer that her excitement only grows as she sets out to be the hands + feet of Jesus Christ this summer at Asbury Hills. Would you join me in praying for her, too?

"Declare His glory among the nations, His marvelous deeds among the people."

-Psalm 96:3

y'all ready for this?

In Mrs. Patterson's seventh grade math class at Bryson Middle School, I sat behind a tall boy with blonde hair + blue eyes + the most handsome grin. It's the only math class I've ever truly enjoyed, and he played a major role in that, especially that day I was passed a note that read, "Will you go out with me?" with two boxes that read "yes" and "no." I bring up this memory because, starting next school year, Mrs. Patterson will no longer be my favorite seventh grade math teacher. Remember that handsome grin I mentioned? Well, the same boy who still wears it today is now my husband, and he'll be teaching math to a group of seventh grade boys + girls at Bryson Middle School come August.

There are no words to describe the excitement + pride + thankfulness that are all swirling around inside of me! Only six months ago, we were celebrating his first job as a real teacher, and now we're celebrating another achievement + blessing from our generous God. Moms + dads in Simpsonville + Fountain Inn + neighboring communities, I can assure you that if your kiddos are assigned to go to BMS, you'll want them to get Mr. Bargeron for math. There's no one else like him in the whole, wide world!

"The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires."

-William A. Ward

side note.

Have you ever used a sledge hammer? Melanie says it's good therapy.

tada!

Here is the before + after of the mess we had in the backyard. My legs may or may not have been sore the next day, but it sure was exciting cleaning up the old in preparation of the new! We loaded up a little over half before deciding to call it a night, that is, until six eager hands showed up in our driveway to help us finish up (sidenote: we love our family so much!). In a little over three hours from start to finish, the rocks were gone + so was our energy! It sure feels good to accomplish a goal, but it feels even better to accomplish it ahead of schedule.

crushed it.

Back in December, another project began at the Bargeron Bungalow, which can be viewed here + here to refresh your memory. Last week, my muscley (yes, I just made that word up) husband became best friends with a sixteen-pound sledge hammer + a crow bar + a pad of sixty year-old concrete. It only took three days to completely crush it up, and then we tidied up on the fourth day (don't y'all worry, the finale will be available for viewing soon enough!). Hopefully in the next couple of months, reconstruction will begin, and my Teesh will have a place to park Blaze, his 1972 Chevy Chevelle + display all of his man cave items. Our home improvement list keeps getting shorter + shorter, and we're both lovin' it!