Weekend in Review...

This past weekend wasn't just busy...it was CRAZY busy (and saying that in my household--because you all know how busy our weekends always are--is really saying something!).

Gary directed the Mustang Roundup softball tournament all weekend (this was sponsored by our team, as a fundraiser to help with our World Series trip later this summer to Maryland), so he was absolutely swamped every minute of the weekend with responsibilities tied to that. McKenna, Sydney, and I went to watch Delaney play Friday night (they won their first game--to the eventual tournament champions--and then lost their second); then Saturday, we had to be at the park at 8 am for an early game. We watched them lose a really tight game, and then had to run back to Hueytown for the 50th anniversary celebration for Gary's aunt and uncle. We held it at our church (most of the relatives were from Oklahoma and Georgia), so I stuck around as much as I could to help out.

After it was over, McKenna went and worked with a fundraiser for her mission trip to Illinois next week and Sydney and I ran BACK over to the tournament where Delaney's team was finally eliminated. It was a very tough tournament (the best competition so far this year) and it was SO sweltering hot, so I think the girls did great even if they didn't win it all!

I am a BAD Mom and don't have any pictures of Delaney playing this weekend (I will regret this when I get around to doing a mini album of the season later on!), but I did get some pictures from the anniversary celebration and they are some good ones.

This is my very FAVORITE picture from the reception. Yes, there was punch and champagne, but this is the South...so there was a big, giant bowl of iced, sweet tea. Yummmm....

This is my second favorite picture from the reception. You all know how much I love me some cake?? (I have been known to go to a wedding solely because I knew there would be cake there!)...

And, yes, the event was not just about food and drinks and all that yummy goodness (LOL!). It was mostly about this couple celebrating their 50th anniversary. Gary's Aunt Jewell and Uncle Charlie got married when she was 14 and they never had an actual wedding ceremony. So they had a renewal of their vows, and it was so sweet...

If you will recall (lol), we had just rushed back from the ballpark where it was very HOT and sweaty and yucky...so, of course, Sydney and I looked pretty darned awful...so, I had to change Sydney's clothes, wash the sweat from every nook and cranny on her body, brush her hair, and try and make her look presentable. We did an okay job and then had to get a picture with some of her cousins, who all looked fresh as daisies compared to her! (And look at what dress she's wearing? She wears this dress ALL the time and I can count how many times it's appeared on this blog! LOL By the way, the girl on the end next to Sydney is Marjorie and the two of them are like two peas-in-a-pod. They are both so outgoing and chatty and silly; they could seriously wreak some havoc if they were together very often!)...

Then came the ceremony, which was done by one of my favorite people in the whole wide world (our parish minister, Brother Jack). He did such a good job and at the end, had Uncle Charlie kiss his "bride." I love this picture, because look at everyone smiling and laughing behind them...

Another highlight of the ceremony was my niece, Lori, singing "Unchained Melody" acapella. She has such a beautiful voice, you would just not believe it! (And, lookie, there behind Lori you can kinda see a glimpse of Gary...who managed to run into town for the event for about thirty minutes, before he had to run back to the tournament again)...

And a few more favorite pictures...lol...here is a picture of me holding my sweet little great-niece, Kelsey (of course, as soon as Sydney saw me holding her in my lap, who had to jump up in my lap too?)...

and then Sydney had to mess with Kelsey and make her cry, and then Sydney said, "She's loud! Make her stop crying!!"....

And then ANOTHER favorite picture is this one of Sydney holding the biggest number of balloons I have ever seen!! At the end of the reception, she was dragging these balloons all over the place and it just cracked me up. I thought she was going to try and talk me into taking them all home, but surprisingly she didn't! (And look at this pic. It looks like they're about to float away with her! lol)

And then one last picture from the day...this beautiful bouquet that Aunt Jewell carried with her down the aisle. If you look carefully, you can see four pearls down the side. They represent her four children...

I thought that it was just the sweetest touch and it really made me think about how one couple, one marriage can really change the world. They have children, those children have children, and the family gets bigger and bigger...and that decision to marry someone so many years ago ends up having this huge, lasting impact on so many people!

(It also made me think about how LONG Gary and I have to go if we will ever see 50 years! We only just celebrated 13 years, so we both better stay really healthy if we're gonna make it even close to fifty!!!)

Well...there's another weekend review for all of you!! I'm gonna try and pop around to say "Hey!" to some of you. Talk to you again soon!!!