Surprises and Poll Results -

Hello, fellow peasants!! :)

So tonight as I was scrolling through some pictures, and actually, emptying a card, I found - Fiesta Pictures! My darling friend, Emily, had a Mexican fiesta for her 19th birthday party, and although I was leaving at 5am for the airport the next mornin' with my Mama and a dear friend, I couldn't just miss my good friend's birthday party, and I'm glad I did not. :) All that to say .... I did not stay overly long, and I did not snap many pictures. Here are a few, though! I thought that since it was a fiesta, an old Polaroid action edit on the shots would be fun, so that's what I did! I love how they turned out. :)

Some I left alone though, like this cute fruit arrangement.

A recipe-card-photo-look-alike. :)

Emily's gifts, and one of the many, many pom-pom balls made from tissue paper!

Emily listening to Matt and Zach serenade on their gee-tars.

Finding something that actually was sitting still is the reason that I have 2 shots of this.

Bright splashes of color were everywhere at the Stone's house that night!! It was glorious! Emily and fam - great job! :)

Gabe - HAHAhahaha! How he cracks us all up - see the fake mustaches on a stick? I helped invent them. Don't ask about the hat. Really....just don't.

Lane, Matt and Zach, soundin' quite good, I must say!

Some of the delicious and pretty punch -

Peter K. caught red-handed, double-handed too!, with banned electronic devices at the event. We quickly confiscated them (for the moment), and gave them back, but he was somewhat "boo-ed" in the moment. :) All in very good fun of a bro. :)

Emily...watching, listening, learning...looking so captivated by the strums upon another guitar so close to her.

Two of the Mommas at the party that we love - Momma Fambrough and Momma Burnsed. Thank you for helping with all the food, all you Mommas, 'twas delicious!

"Scenes from a fiesta" Lane, Gabe(way back there), Paulina(hidden), Anna, and Emily Case. We were all given lovely flowers to attach in our hair, and keep! :)
... and that was our dear Emily's 19th birthday party/fiesta. Happy birthday, sweet girl! I love you so much!!!

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Now down to the Beach poll results I put up ... some time ago. *cough* Life is busy, folks.

Out of 11 votes, we learn that, (yes, apparently this is now educational too) this summer:

3 were pinched/slashed by a crab
1 was bitten by a fish
5 were really badly sunburned
9 were thrashed by a wave
3 got stuck in an eddy and didn't get out for at least 10 mins
5 swum for an hour in water more than twice their height
5 were hit by a friend's board
1 "pearled", following the board vertically down into the sand
4 shredded their knees coming in on shells
3 were convinced they were dying while being pulled out and under by the rips
1 carried around moonjellies to freak out the tourists (ahem: me)
6 had the best time of your life all summer ridin' waves and being at the beach!

Hooray! Thank you so much for taking this poll! I was really enjoying seeing who did what, and remembering quite a few of those events! :)

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Soooo....surprises. :) As many of you already know, we are going to a wedding in MO soon, and I thought that whilst I was gone, the blog shouldn't be dead, and sooo....I have a gift for you all. It's a gift only because I spent lots of time organizing, editing and uploading all these pictures. :) I actually have 2 more posts ready for when I return, but I have simply - too little time and too much blogging, so they will wait for later (Lauren's b-day 1 & 2 are what they are). But! I truly hope that you enjoy looking and reading through these two posts while I am gone.

Wednesday's post will be: The BOOT shopping post! :) ... because even though this was back in August, I really finally got around to putting this up, for Becca's sake. :) If you don't like looking at boots or country life in general, don't look at this post. :) Rest of ya'll, put on some Aldean or Turner or whatever country you like, and sip some swate tae while you scroll through.
Saturday's post will be: The Orlando Foliage post from back in September! If nature and creation are not near and dear to your heart like mine, and if you don't like a few short poems thrown in for good measure, this is not the post for you. :) If you DO - I hope you enjoy the loveliness of God's riches in beauty poured out around where I live here in FL. :)
... and that should tide you all over until I return ... I may, possibly, be blogging a very short bit from MO, but we are not sure yet. Until then, may God hold you in the palm of His hand, and may you continue to praise Him for His outpouring of grace, for your life, for the moment, for the hour, for He "gives grace to the humble", and "wisdom to those who ask it from Him".

My love to you all! Truly, I thank God for each of you, my readers. I hope you enjoy the surprise posts as much as I did, "drawing them up" with you all in mind. :)

To Him, Who holds me there,
in every valley,
Who loves to hear my voice,
calling out His name,
and giving it all up to -
Him Who is able.

~ Jean Marie
Psalm 103