friendships and a wedding.

do not waste your relationships. the friendships you have & the friendships to come. they are truly a gift.

i just a wrote a whole long post about this weekend. about road trips. meeting new people. weddings and the emotion we felt when we drove back into chesapeake. but sometimes...

there truly are no words. 

i think that says it all. this weekend was special and real and we are beyond grateful for the friendships we have. truly it is all a gift. really it is. thank you for allowing us to be in yours.

this weekend was a great reminder of why i love what we do. the relationships that we have through young life have changed our lives. high school students we met in chesapeake and gave our lives away too. over meals, coffee, soccer games, sleep overs, etc. many who are now in college and we all came back together again to celebrate a new marriage. but in that we were given the chance to gather over food, a bon fire, and candles to share life. catch up and do life together again. even if only for a day or so.

saturday night at the carr's house was special. thanks for making it happen.

the reason we all came back together for this. brandon and katie's brand new marriage.

  but first. to get there. we had to drive past these.

we felt a little like this...

because our little one stayed home.

but it was okay. she played with hew new friends katrina and julie at home. but we missed you. we all missed you. not one person in chesapeake failed to ask about you. they love you so much little ava.

even before arriving in chesapeake. we took our time getting home and stopped for lunch in richmond. i loved meeting rachel and of course we love you casey. thanks queeny and josh for road tripping with us.

before even entering chesapeake we met billy. we love katie so dearly and cherish our friendship with her. justin and i loved being with you guys this weekend. we are for you and this new relationship.

then the reception. what a great celebration for brandon and katie. we danced. a lot. i loved it. the bride and i. stunning. honestly katie. stunning. glad we got that bustle figured out.

 

i love a photo booth.

i love this man. with all i have. i love him.

like every event. every party. so much goes undocumented. but we loved being back with you all again to celebrate the new couple. but to celebrate where each of us our and where we are going and how the Lord is using us in many different ways.

it is not often that many of the people you love the most are in one place. so when it happens. do it and do it right. be intentional. be honest. be real. please be real. it is only in our honesty and vulnerability that our friendships and relationships grow deeper and deeper. because many of you this weekend walked right alongside us through cancer. i could not help but think as we were all dancing last night where justin and i were just one year ago. i have nothing profound to say about that. just thankful. thankful to be here and celebrating life. this weekend was about celebrating. let's never stop. even in the midst of trials, heartache, change, and uncertain plans for the future. do not waste what is happening now. you do not want to miss what is going on now because of what you think may or may not happen in the future. it can all so quickly change.

yay for great weekends full of road trips, weddings, conversations, and people you love.