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.

The Absurdity of my every day life

Try being surrounded by boys all day. I am from 9-5. I secretly love it. At the office, on the 2nd floor (where the cool peeps are), I am usually the only girl up there. (they put the air so cold and try to freeze me out) However, sometimes Jennifer is there. So for the most part of the day I get picked on. Even Dad gets caught up the in the peer pressure of Follin and Andrew and decides to throw minor jabs my way. Not going to lie, it's funny. There is only so much I can do to fight back. They honestly think they are the funniest 3 people in the world. I let them believe that little lie. You know me-always building people up...So usually me, Follin, Andrew and Dad go out to lunch. A little lunch bunch if you will. I pray every time that dad will want to buy my lunch. It's a 50/50 shot. So today we got in the car and headed out. Today the usual conversations started.
Dad: "Can you believe what's happening to our gov't (or something along those lines) Illegal aliens everywhere."
Follin: "Take em out Herb"
Andrew: "He He"
Me: "help me now"
Then Follin interjects with some funny sarcastic comment.
Me:" Andrew how come you always have Maxim magazines in your truck?"
Andrew: "I like to stay current with the times"
All: Awkward silence.
Conversation resumes. Most likely about guns.
Meanwhile my phone rings. It's someone with questions about a lingerie shower. I think to myself how can I answer her without the boys knowing what I am talking about. I start sweating. So I precede to pretend to tell a story with the key info in it. For ex: Why yes, It was MEDIUM sized. But that is typical for that area. I'd say there were definitely 34 of them. Yeah thats right. The fish were really biting...
That was a close one. I was so proud of myself...
All: "Sarah. You have to stay in the car. We will crack the windows for you."

So after lunch on the way back men's fashion comes into the conversation.
Follin: "I used to like sear sucker, not it's just a status symbol. Why yes. I am from Charleston. Can't you see my sear sucker suit. Puh."
Dad: "I don't mind it. Bow ties get me stirred up."
Andrew: "I used to wear a clip on one."
Dad: "Listen. Anyone over 60 should not wear one. Or under 3. It's just the way it is. And if you are on the bigger end of things, don't do it. It does not help. Only little scrawny man boys can really get away with it."
Me: "Seriously. I think boys that wear them are cute."
Follin: "Sarah. Just because you are the boss' daughter does not mean you can just jump in the conversation. This is serious."
Me: I just bust out laughing."
Dad: "How come nobody else understands the whole bow tie thing? For the love"

This is just a typical lunch car ride. I love it. Just thought I'd share the love...

-Sarah

True Confession

I don't know if you are in a small group, but maybe you should get in one. But don't get your hopes up because ours is exceptionally cool(Thanks to Biz). Last week we decided to have a social. Luckily a member's dad owns a pretty sweet lil boat. By little I mean 60 ft give or take a few. It's called the Jabez too...So we decided that our next meeting would be on water. Tonight was beautiful. One of the prettiest nights I've seen in a while. So each week some people volunteer to do the food. This week it was Ted. It was quite the Little Debbie showcase...I was cracking up. He even had Zebra Cakes. Who doesn't love a good Zebra cake? So sometimes I like to dedicate a blog post to someone. Tonight lil Rosemary Jr. is the lucky recipient....Don't worry I won't call you what your teacher calls you..We spent a good part of the night picking on one another. It was a good time.

Rosemary this next part is for you-

I have a confession. It's a bit overdue.. In 8th grade I was forced to do confirmation. I didn't even know what it really was.(Big surprise..) I do know I was terrified. If you did show though you got to have a Krispy Kreme. Clever incentives... Lil Rosemary happened to be leader...I will not make a sarcastic comment. Ha. So on the Saturday night before confirmation you have to stand up and give your testimony. Well that may sound easy to some, but when you didn't exactly have one it was a bit trickier..All week I was panicked. But I couldn't exactly verbalize my worries. So Saturday night came. We went in alphabetical order so I may or may not have skimmed a little off of some prior testimonies in order to piece one together. So Yes. I may have fabricated a testimony. And by may I mean I totally did. What was I to do? I was a sweaty little middle schooler who had nothing to say. I did the best I could...There I said it. 11 years later the truth is out. Just thought you should know...ha. Sure hope Mr. Martin doesn't happen upon this...

This is what cool people do on Sat. night..

Its Saturday night and I am at home. I'm not just at home, but I am blogging. And you now what? I am okay with that. I hit a wall at about 9 pm and called it a night. This week has been action packed. Dodgeball is still the highlight of the week. So since our team dominated the other team (other team/Anna don't even try...) I have received some funny emails. Some mom's ready to take revenge...ahahah. Last night PCA had their prom. Since I was staying with Caroline Wagner (to whom this blog is dedicated to tonight..) I had to be the stand in Tobey Wagner and take some pics. She was so so so pretty. Then I went to Robbie's baseball game which was awesome because he rocked it. Today one of my all time favorite families was in town. Well 1/4 of them at least. So I got up early and headed out to see them at Avery's soccer game. They are awesome. Hands down. Stellar. Then I made my way back to Mt. Perfect for breakfast and Lukey's 4 yr old bday party. Let me tell you, Eliza can do a 4 yr old party. It was awesome. It was construction themed. She even served dirt cake out of a dump truck. Then Eliza sweet talked me into going to a 3 yr old party. I am a goober. We went to the fire museum which to my surprise was actually pretty cool. Thank God there was chicken nuggets, because I was about to die. So after we demolished some nugs we headed home. Then I got to go meet some awesome people for dinner at Mustard Seed (one of my fav's). So good.

So enough of the play by play. A couple of weeks ago I got the chance to lead a small group of some really cool high school kids at St. Andrews. At first I immediately declined. I thought I was taking a bit of a sabbatical from pretty much any type of leadership responsibility. Wrong. I knew that I would do it. Even when I said no....I just can't help it. I like them a lot. A whole lot. Even though I don't hardly know them. They are super cool. Probably more mature/deeper than I am, but we will just have to compromise and meet somewhere in the middle. So I was a bit nervous trying to figure out what the heck we were going to do. Then it hit me. I can take what I learn and share it with them. Duh. Thank you captain obvious. So we talked about leaving our comfort zones/our familiar. Not going to lie. I think it went well. This is what always cracks me up-As I am mid sentence trying to sound smart, I realize whoa this totally applies to me....Ha.

So this week the bridesmaidenship training kicked it up a notch. Went to the gym Mon, Tues, Thurs and Fri. Honestly, I can't move my stinking arms. They hurt. Just a sacrifice we maidens have make. All in the glory of looking good/toned as we stumble down the aisle. I got stuck next to coughing coffee lady again. She may have collapsed a lung on Friday from her coughing. But she kept on trekking... Only 1 diet coke and 2 beers this week. That is dedication people. Ok. I need my beauty sleep.

Icing my arms,
Betty B
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Currently listening to: Patty Griffin and Oasis