All Things Joyful: Recap.

Like I said earlier, I spent 16 days at the beach in May. It was probably the most relaxed I've been in my entire life, but after my internship with PwC in Birmingham, followed by all the emotions and heartache that came with graduating college, a little relaxation was exactly what I needed!
So here's a little recap..

On May 12th, I hopped in my car and drove six hours (with a quick shopping stop at the Summit, of course) to spend time with my best friends from high school. Elizabeth and Allison graduated from Alabama the same day I graduated from Ole Miss! Here we are our first night in town--celebrating graduation with the Merrill's in Pensacola!

On Saturday, our sweet friend Lisa joined us after having graduated from Auburn the night before. Thanks to Collier, we landed artist passes to the Hangout, a music festival on the beach in Gulf Shores. To name a few, we saw John Legend, Trey Anastasio, Ray Lamontagne, and Ben Harper--all from backstage! SO much fun. Check it out.

BEN HARPER

Trey Anasasio=amazing.

We love Collier and Cate!

These girls are the reason I can be excited about what's to come. We have been best friends our entire lives, and splitting up after high school didn't change that. We went to school where we felt led, and it's been such a sweet blessing to be able to visit each of them in their college towns and experience life with them in a different setting. We have befriended each other's friends, and our networks just continue to grow. I can't wait to see where these girls end up. Each of them have big dreams and incredible talents, and for the rest of our lives, no matter where we are, we'll always have each other. I can't imagine it any other way with all of you in Oxford! How sweet.

And after 10 days with the girls, the family came--the whole family. My aunt, uncle, cousins, sister, brother-in-law, nephew, and parents all spent a week in Perdido Key. I forget how much fun it is to have babies at the beach. My nephew, Jack, loved the water--he was fearless. He would squeal each time a wave washed over his little feet. He loved his cousin, Sam. Sam is 5 and was a big help taking care of Jack. Baby Andy was with us, too, but we'll have to wait until next year to hear his squeals. I love a good family vacation--makes you realize just how blessed you are, and how big and good and loving our God really is.