The Lovely Lemmons Ladies

While we were in Abilene, we had the good fortune of getting to stay at Emerald's house. It was wonderful to be able to see her and Lily again (twice in three months...yay!). And, despite the title of this post, Em's husband, Eric, was also at home. It was very good to see him, too, but I don't know that I'd call him lovely. :)

Lily wasn't quite sure what to think of Darby, but she did enjoy bossing instructing him on the xylophone.

Don't you just love her tutu and cowboy boots?

While we were in Abilene, we even got to tour a historic home. In fact, we had the special privilege of sleeping there. :)

Me and Em in front of her house. It's an actual landmark. Isn't that awesome?

Darby and I wanted to get a picture with Lily before we left on Sunday. But, Lily had just woken up, and, as you'll see from the pictures below, was NOT receptive to Darby's attempts to cheer her up.

Oh well. Even without a smile, she's still pretty cute.

Laura and Dan's wedding

This weekend, Darby and I went to Abilene for my dear friend Laura's wedding. I met Laura while I was working at ACU after graduation, and we immediately "clicked." We have very similar oldest-child personalities and share so many of the same interests. I only knew her for about 18 months before we moved, but in that time, we talked for hours and hours and were in a supper club and book club together. And, since I've moved, we've continued to talk and e-mail regularly, but I've only been able to see her once very briefly. So I was very thankful to be able to attend her wedding.

The beautiful bride and me. The photographer got a picture of Laura, Dan, Darby, and me together, but, obviously, I don't have it yet.

On the morning of the wedding, Laura invited many of her close girlfriends over to eat brunch together. I had heard so much about many of these friends but had never met them, so it was wonderful to get to finally see them in person. Laura is incredibly sweet and went around the room telling what she admired about each person. She has done such a good job of keeping up with people from all stages of her life. It inspired me to do a better job of that.

The wedding itself was incredibly sincere and moving. It was held in her parents' backyard and was so beautiful and personal. Laura's brother performed the ceremony, and she and Dan had both prepared very moving vows. Dan is also a wonderful person, and he and Laura make a great team. They have been dating for 8 years, so this wedding was very eagerly anticipated by everyone. :) And the reception was catered by Abuelo's. Yum!

You know how you sometimes go to a wedding and you just feel a little unsettled about it? Maybe you don't know either the bride or groom very well, or you do know them both, but you're not sure they're a good match? Well, this was the complete opposite of that. I feel so confident in Dan and Laura's commitment, and I think anyone who witnessed the ceremony would say the same thing. It was a very special day, and I'm so glad I was able to be a part of it.

Early retirement?

I use an online program, Mint, to keep track of our finances. Overall, I think the program works very well. But, when I logged on today, this is the balance that was displaying for our checking account.



Saving a little bit here and a little bit there really adds up, I guess. :)

Roughing It

This weekend, Darby and I went camping in Indiana. It was our first time to camp together (and only my second time to camp ever), so it was quite the adventure for us. We borrowed a tent from Liz and Daniel and set up a cozy little campsite.



We did some hiking in Turkey Run State Park. I forgot to bring my camera on our hike, but it was absolutely beautiful. (If you're interested, google "Turkey Run State Park" and click on Images to see some nice pictures.)

Darby did a great job of tending the fire, so we could enjoy our hot dogs and s'mores. Sleeping was a little difficult because a group of frat boys were partying very loudly until about 1 a.m. Also, if we go camping again, we'll definitely buy a foam pad to put under our sleeping bags.

Darby remembered making "biscuits in a bag" in his Boy Scout camping days, so we gave it a shot. Despite how it looks, it actually tasted pretty good.



I must admit that camping was somewhat of a pretext for getting us to Indiana so we could buy...Blue Bell ice cream!! Darby just found out that Blue Bell has started distributing out of Indianapolis. We had to go about an hour out of our way to the store that carries it, but it was so worth it. We bought two pints for immediate consumption and two half-gallons to bring home. Yum! Soo worth it.

Welcome, Fall!

After a couple of weeks of abnormally high temperatures, it is so wonderful to see highs in the mid-70s in the entire 7-day forecast. I was getting tired of coming home from school all sweaty. Now that I'm teaching, I have to dress up a little, and I just don't have too many dress clothes appropriate for 100 degrees. :)

This long weekend has been the perfect balance of productivity, relaxation, and socialization. I've enjoyed a U of I volleyball game, brunch with friends, a wedding, free Custard Cup, lunch with the Millers to celebrate Dick and Kim's birthdays, a long walk with Darby, and some reading time. Tonight, we're going to a barbecue at some new friends' house. I made homemade Spiced Brown Sugar Banana ice cream, so I'm looking forward to that and lots of other yummy food.

Hope you've had a wonderful weekend as well!