Betty takes a hit

Now I know you have all been on the edge of your seats waiting for Betty Bridesmaid to return from her quiet hiatus from the wedding world (I mumble this in my most sarcastic tone...). Betty had to take a lil break since the Martin/Wallace carnival/wedding. I came out of retirement today as I made my way to the "Dress Shop" to see Molly. Now let me just say that Molly could possibly be an alteration/sewing/genius wizard. Just throwing that out there before I get dramatic. So today was the day. I had been staring at the dress knowing it needed to go down to get operated on so that it can perform to its fullest potential come June 19. However every time I looked at it, I became a little queesie. Can't explain it, but it happens every time. If I were a wedding Dr. I would most likely diagnose me with Bridesmaidenship anxiety level 10. Just to be on the safe side. Anyways as I pulled on to King St. I felt my stomach get a little weak. Then I forgot to breathe for a bit once I made eye contact with the shop. I threw my car into the loading zone and tried to collect myself before I went in. I may have shot up a few prayers. Why you ask? No flippin idea, but I was freaking out for some reason. So I go in (against my better judgement..) only to find a college aged boy. Great. A boy. Just what I wanted to see/talk to about my dress....Shoot me now...I immediately panic and start rambling about the weather. He continues to stare at me. I now turn red and stutter. He's still staring. Finally I say: "You really want to work here? For real? Why? Oops. I didn't mean that in a mean way..." He continued to stare at me. Finally I remember the lady's name and ask to see her. Now I thought I would just drop the ol dress off and come back in a week or so to pick it up. Clearly I have never been altered before. I could tell things were going down hill. FAST. She threw me into the dressing room and told me to suit up. In a nice way...So I cuss inside my head dreading putting it back on bc I knew it was right yet....Then I tell her I'm done, not knowing what comes next and she barges right on in. Clearly she does not know my unique modesty rules. Megan-knows them very well. Then she proceeds to tell me she needs to measure something so I can go ahead and take the dress off. Meanwhile she is standing there. No way am I taking that thing off with her right there. We just met. My gosh...Finally I ask her if she needs to be in there while I change. She takes the hint and steps out. Right about now my surpressed nervousness decides to make its way out. Does this woman, whom I hardly know expect me to stand there naked. AIN'T GOING TO HAPPEN....I bargained with her. All of the unmentionables + tank top are staying on for the measuring. I'm not sure, but she may possibly hate me....I did try to charm her with my wisecracks...didn't really help. Here is where I should mention that getting measured is really not that fun. In fact I think I strongly dislike/loathe it. I mean who wants some lady seeing you half naked, measuring you and then making small noises that you aren't sure whether they are positive or negative...Sign me up-NOT. So after what seemed like hours (1 min regular people time) she finished and allowed me to get dressed. Thank you Lord. I mean this lady now knows me a lil too well if you can smell what I'm stepping in here...I made my exit out of the dressing room and was itching to get out of there. She told me something, but I never really heard her bc I was so ready to get the stink out of there. On my way out I said bye to the boy at the front desk. Again, he stared at me. I didn't quite have my head on straight and I may or may not have run into the door. By may or may not I mean that I completely smacked into the front door. And guess what?? The boy was there. Staring. I quickly laughed about it and ejected myself from the store. Now I am 23%-76% traumatized. All for the glory of marriage......

Watch out for glass doors,
Betty B

thanks a bunch

I am really really really thankful for Pandora. Just wanted to throw that out there. Oh and also thankful for really good crushed ice. Your friend Betty Bridesmaid will be back shortly...

The Girl Palace takes to the road

Spa Pedi with Wimmy and Megan and Taylor=$32
Dinner at Zaxby's=$8
Riding in the car with the girl palace=anxiety, laughter, sarcasm and ridiculousness
Seeing Lulie Martin become Lulie Wallace with people I love=Priceless

The last 4 days have been a complete whirlwind/emotional roller coaster/complete and utter delight. That about sums it up for me. It started on Thursday. Megan, Wim and I headed to the nail place to get dolled up for the big day. It took a bit longer than expected and we grew weary and faint from lack of food, so we did what any normal people do before embarking on a road trip. We made haste and headed straight for Andolinis. It's our #1 fall back choice. We finished our glorious lunch and headed home to pack up bc we were supposed to leave at 1pm and it was now 2pm. I wasn't quite sure what to bring so I just put my entire wardrobe in my hanging bag and called it a day. Ask Megan. It's true. I packed everything I own. We loaded up Megan's space ship car and headed down the driveway. We pulled out, put it in drive and then almost wet our pants. The spaceship broke. literally right in front of the house. We eased her back up the driveway and loaded up Wimmy's car. Then we were on our way.

We started out a bit rocky (anxiety/silence/IDK) but we were soon on happy trails. Now that I think about it, I think it is the first time the 3 of us have been on a road trip with just the three. I love it. I have come to a brilliant conclusion. The 3 of us are completely different from each other. In a good way. We each have a completely different personality. I think it is why I love them so much. Meg and Wim-In case I never mentioned this before-I love you longtime. Ok so now back to the trip. We stopped at lovely Zaxby's for supper. Finally after 6 hours in the car we made it to the sprawling city of Columbus. We pulled up to the Martins house and immediately felt so good to be there. I LOVE THE MARTINS. Good people. We went inside and said our hellos. Then our goodbyes because Lulie was taking us to the river. Now I was thinking a little shanty by some water when imagining the river. WRONG. It was a glorious cottage on the river. I kid you not. It is exactly what I would want my house to be like. You can check out the pics below. It was truly beautiful. A little piece of heaven if you will. We sat around with our drinks of choice and chatted into the wee hours of the night. Could possibly be one of my favorite times with us four. (I could possibly be tearing up right now, and by possibly I mean I definitely am..) Then we went to our respective rooms, which were off the chain. We woke up and headed back to the Martins to change and get ready for the bridesmaid's lunch. All I can say about that is-Ham BIscuits. Awesome Ham Biscuits.

Let us move on to the rehearsal dinner. It was at the Big Eddy. It was glorious. The girl palace and Chris got to sit with some of Lulie's best friends whom I truly love. For example. Sally Varner. You are a rock star. Move to Charleston. We will take care of it. There is a spot for you in the Girl Palace....Anyways we ate delicious food, drank too many delicious drinks, watched a slideshow and then gave our toasts. Fun times. Then we headed out to the after party. This is where I had emotional overlaod. A good many of our dear friends from Charleston and other distant lands were at the party. Seriously I think my heart felt so good to see everyone. I only wish we had more time to hang out. So at about 1230 am Megan and I headed up to our room only to find that we couldn't get in. The batteries in our door lock died. We sat in the hall for about an hour in our dresses while the sweet security guard tried to break in. By the end our drinks had worn off and we became slightly frustrated. Didn't they know that Carol Hannah's dresses were in there?? And my jewels?....They threatened to put us in another room and we would have to sleep in our clothes. Aint Happenin... Finally the sweet man got us into our room at about 1 35 am. We instantaniously fell asleep once in the room. We woke up in the morning and headed to the out of town guest lunch. After that I headed out with Lulie's sweet friends. They truly are awesome. I love them. They took me to Smokey Pig. Columbus' hot spot.

We headed back to get ready for the next event. THE WEDDING!! I got there early. If you didn't know, I got to be the reader. Glorious position if you ask me. Less pressure, no dress and you get a microphone. It's a win-win. The wedding was absolutely beautiful. Lulie was stunning. I cried through the entire thing. I got to read scripture from Ephesians 3. I don't think I have ever been that nervous. Luckily I didn't bawl through it. After the wedding we headed to the reception.

This is where all the magic happened. It was at the River Mill. An awesome old building that has been renovated. Let's start with the food. Sweet potato fries, venison, tempura lobster galore, shrimp, tempura shrooms, risotto bar, asian spring rolls, goat cheese, asparagus, funnel cakes, creme brule, fried strawberries, truffles, 3 wedding cakes and cupcakes. It was amazing. I am leaving out others too. Then there was a photo booth. That needs no explanation. The the bar. Also no explanation needed. The dance floor. It was on like donkey kong..The band was awesome. We danced the entire time. This is what was so fun. Usually I don't like out of town weddings as much bc you don't know a lot of people and what not. Lulie's friends were awesome. (Carter, Molly, Carrie Beth, Erin...we love yall 100%) We fit right in. I danced until my feet were falling off. Me and Melinda tore up the dance floor. Then after many lobsters, drinks and dancing, Lulie and Harrison said farewell and the rest was history.

All in all it was an awesome weekend. One of the most exciting and sweet times ever. Lulie I am sad to see you leave the Girl Palace, but we are so excited you are staying in Charleston. To the Girl Palace-I love you. All. At the same time.

That being said, Betty Bridesmaid is on full force. She is also on the wagon for a while....So I will probably be less fun, but a girls got to do what a girls got to do. All in the name of bridesmaidenship....
Cheers to an awesome weekend with awesome people,
Betty Bridesmaid

(Megan worried about Carol Hannah's dress.....ha)

So many things

Ahhhh. I feel like I have been running around like a crazy chicken with my head cut off. No lie. Ever since we drove to the ATL last Friday I have not been able to catch up. First let me start with Van Morrison. It pains me to write this, but I have finally come to terms with my disappointment. First let me say that I loved the people I got to go with. 100% the best part of the night. But lil Van left me with my tank half full. We paid $100 and spent 10 hours on the road for 90 minutes of music. And he didn't play any of my favorite songs. No Domino, Dancing in the Moonlight, Into the Mystic-Nothing. So there it is. The truth is out there. I am glad to knock it off the ol bucket list though. And it was really cool to see someone that I do truly love.

On to better things. It has been a long time coming, but I finally got to meet Mary Margaret Wagner. She is beautiful. I already love her. Plus Katie is back in town which is a major plus! She Rydas for life.

Tomorrow the girl palace heads to Columbus to let Lulie get married. I am sad. I am also happy. Our little nugget is leaving the nest to go live with a boy...Lulie we love you.

Here we are at the concert

Sketchy liquor girl

Sketchy. I always feel so sketchy when I leave the ABC store. Only when I leave. When I am actually inside I love it. Like a kid in a candy shop. Well not exactly. This is what happens...I only go to the ABC every once in a while so don't be getting the wrong idea. Sometimes a girl just has to make margaritas etc. Anyways I always get a little nervous for some reason when I pull up. I think it is because I never know exactly where to go once inside. Then I get severely overwhelmed once inside. They always have really cool displays that distract me. Then I find myself meandering about. I always think the guy thinks I am underage because I never know where I am going. So lately I just start on one end and wander until I find what I am looking for...So then I go check out. I love the guy in Brabahms ABC bc he is so friendly. Always asks about my weekend and what not. He always convinces me to buy the cute lil mini bottles up front. Now I know his tricks so I don't fall so easily. Sometimes he cards me, sometimes not. Here is where I begin to feel bad. He rings me up and puts it in the brown bag. Why the brown bag?? Then I have to walk outside in public. Don't you always feel like people stare at you when you have a brown bag. I mean I always stare and then assume the person has a major drinking problem and what not... Are they thinking I am an alcoholic just in to get my fix? Am I having a party? Why is that nice looking girl in the ABC store? My mind just starts to wonder...Then I just try to book it to my car...I get so self conscious when I walk with that darn brown bag. It may even stress me out. Does anyone else feel this way?? Alright. I just thought I would share that. Hope you have a wonderful night!

Rain is a good thing

It rained today. And I loved it. Bottom line=I love rainy days. I feel like I thought about many a things today. Last weekend I went to Litchfield for MCC's bachelorette weekend. Just like old times. It's funny how you don't spend time with certain people for a long time and then when you are together again it feels like you picked up where you left off. Sometimes people pleasantly surprise you. I don't know where I am going with this. We stayed at Fraser's beach house and just hung, ate and danced to single ladies. Thank you Katie Arthur. We will surely be a bad combination on June 19th. Katie and I headed back to Mt. Perfect pretty early to make church. I went with a friend to 9 o'clock church to catch a few baptisms. Steve talked about love. How it's not just an emotion, but an action. I flat out love St. Andrews. No lie. I love the people, the music and the funny stuff that happens. It feels good to know where I am supposed to be. I'm thankful for that. Then I got to hang out with a friend all day. I love a good low key day. It was much needed after the bachelorette shenanigans..Last night we had life group. It was a good time. I'm thankful for our fearless leader. It's kind of cool how random our group is, but we have come together pretty quickly and have gotten off to a great start. I'm excited to see what happens this next year. I have been thinking about gifts a lot lately. Not like presents, but gifts that God has given us. I think it's really important to think about what God has given us and put our gifts in use. No sense in wasting them, right? So why don't you think about it. If you aren't sure, ask someone. It sounds trivial, but I have to constantly remind myself sometimes. Sometimes I feel like I don't have anything to offer. I think we can all get like that sometimes. Then once you realize what some of your gifts are you need to figure out how to put them to use. Enough of the preaching. I thought about some things I like and I thought I would share them:

I like playing my guitar. Scratch that. I LOVE playing my guitar. I could do it all day.

I love the sound the boat makes when you are racing across glassy water. It makes a cool spray sound. I love it.

Community. I am surrounded by some amazing people. Day to day. It is so important and I am so so so thankful to be where I am right now. It's amazing how people can encourage you with out even trying.

Boulevard Diner I love you. Is it bad that Ms. Kim knows my name and my usual order? No...I don't think so either...

High school. I loved it. Period.

Writing. I don't do it much, but I enjoy it. I like writing songs and other stuff. I started writing a book like 3 years ago and am still not done, but we're making some headway. My goal is to finish it by my birthday. Better get cracking..

Taking pictures. I have started to notice how each picture tells a story. Every time I take one I am aware of it. I guess now I have become an intentional photo taker. (Nerd Alert)

Mom friends. If you don't have some you are missing out. I don't mean any offense toward our own personal moms. (I hope I don't get in trouble for this one) My mom is awesome. Period. However it has been cool having some mom friends. They just know a lot more than my age friends which comes in handy many a times..They have a bit more life experience. The funniest part about them is they don't think they are cool. Which I totally don't get, because they are waaay cool. In fact most of the ones I am friends with- I was once totally intimidated by. So to all the moms out there that consider me a friend-thank you

Family. I like em. I love em. Mine makes me laugh. We are each funny in our own way and its funny to mix us all up together. For instance tonight I ate at mom and dad's. It was just me, Lili and madre. We had pizza and stone crab claws. Killer combination. What did we do while eating you ask? We watched the real housewives of NYC and New Jersey. Then of course dad rolls in at 7:59. Just in time to watch NCIS with mom for the 56,873 time. I love it.

Reading. I am a complete book nerd to the extreme. I could hang in Barnes and Noble everyday and all day. I have to be reading something. I read a whole book last night and today. Maybe I am a book Junkie. I inherited it from my mom. She loves to read too. Apple don't fall far from the tree I guess.

I know these are completely random, but that's pretty much me in a nutshell. Well today at least. I hope this post finds you well. Van Morrison is on Friday. I can hardly stand it.
Love ya longtime,
Sarah

Listen to "The Saving One" by Starfield. Playing it at church on Sunday. I love it. You will too.