Friday morning, we were up early (guess we're just programmed, at this point) and hit the road to Oxford. Once we reached our destination, we enjoyed a delicious lunch at Newk's Cafe followed by an afternoon of window shopping on the Square. We reminisced about the last time we had been in Mississippi together (during our engagement!) and how much had changed since then...and, by that same token, how much had stayed exactly the same. Reminisce -- such a calm and pleasant word...one of many that I had practically forgotten the meaning of over the past 14 months. I love how being in Oxford with my sweetheart helped me to find a few things I had lost this year. No hidden meanings there...just so grateful for the time together in such a glorious place without a worry in the world.
After we checked into our hotel that afternoon, I had the opportunity to visit with one of my most treasured friends, Jean, in her room, while Jared relaxed in our room. There is almost nothing as good for my soul as time spent with an old, precious friend, and speaking of those, while I was there with Jean, her son, Marc, popped in for a visit too!! If you'll recall, we were there for Marc's wedding this weekend, so it was such a treat to have a few minutes with the groom in the midst of all of his honey-doing. :) I have known Marc since my first days at Ole Miss in 1999. He is the director of the counseling center on campus, and he worked a good bit with all of us golf team headcases as our sports psychologist to help straighten out our noodles. After my time on the team was up, Marc hired me as a graduate assistant in his office so that I could go to graduate school for F-R-E-E while I decided what to do next with my life. I decided on law school, which unfortunately, could not also be for F-R-E-E...but I probably wouldn't have gone had I not had that downtime to think about it without the stress of figuring out how to pay back loans and find my first real job. Anyway, Marc and I developed a wonderful friendship over the course of my 7 years in Oxford, and it was such a treat to be able to make it back there for his special day...and of course, it was icing on the cake to have so much time with his mom, Jean, as well. Their family just became so much like mine to me while I was at school...and they have remained so to this day.
Anyhoo, we finished up Friday with the Rehearsal Dinner and a nightcap of Arnold Palmers at a beautifully decorated Southern home on the outskirts of town. Seriously, anyone who serves Arnold Palmers as their Rehearsal Dinner signature drink is alright by me. Saturday, we walked to the Square from our hotel and at a delicious breakfast at the Bottletree Bakery. We shared three things, because we just couldn't make up our minds - a ginormous cinnamon roll, a strawberry/apple streudel, and a turkey/cheddar croissant. Yum! We lunched at Ajax - J had the meatloaf and I had the Big Easy - and both of us left fat and happy. The Chessers make no secret of our love for good food. :)The wedding was at 2 p.m. and was just as lovely and joyous as we had hoped it would be. The couple looked beyond happy, and every detail of their day was just perfectly tailored to them. The bride, also a longtime friend, looked absolutely stunning, and just thinking of their faces as their eyes met on opposite ends of the aisle -- aahhh, yes, we bore witness to MAGIC in the sanctuary that day. After a short reception, we headed back to our hotel for a rest before dinner. For dinner, we tried a new restaurant in town called Lenora's...which became a fast favorite and which we highly recommend. After dinner, we cruised on over to the newlyweds' new home for an evening of live music and good-times with the couple and some of the other guests who had come into town for the occasion. It was casual, low-key, and allowed us the opportunity to visit a little more with Marc and Tricia...afterall, who knows when we'll be back??
By morning, although I could have spent an eternity in la-la land with the hubs, I was getting a little bit annnnnntsy and ready to be home to my little man. I guess when you haven't even spent 6 hours apart, 4 days is bound to feel like a looong time!! We snapped a few photos before we drove off into the sunset, had a fabulous lunch in Jackson with a precious girlfriend of mine from law school, and we were touching down in H-town before 6 p.m.Of our homecoming, all I can say is that I'm fairly certain Henry didn't even realize we had been gone...and I am so grateful for that. I, on the other hand, had tears in my eyes and a lump in my throat as he came toddling over to me. Evidently, I'm kind of a sucker for that naughty, screechy, yellow-haired boy you see in all the photos...
...you know, the one with chubby feet, blue eyes, round tummy, his daddy's smile, and the uncanny ability to melt his mama's heart in an instant. 
Yeah, that's the one. 
No comments:
Post a Comment