Tis the season to be married

As promised, we're updating everyone on the past few weekends of fun events.

Sadly, this is the only picture we have with the bride & groom. The wedding was at the home of Eudora Welty in downtown Jackson. We loved Jackson! The city is old and full of Southern charm. Since most of our weekend revolved around the wedding, we didn't explore as much as we would have liked. But we did make it to a fun restaurant in the Fondren District called Que Sara for brunch.

We are suckers for a great patio and as you can see, Que Sara had an awesome one. We enjoyed the beautiful weather and scrumptious food. We highly recommend checking out Fondren if you are ever in Jackson.

The wedding party (plus significant others) hit up Hal & Mal's in downtown Jackson. Awesome restaurant with an even better atmosphere. The groom, Drew and other groomsmen went to college together in Nashville, so they all especially enjoyed the live music. Also another neat place to visit in Jackson - wish we could go back!

The next weekend, Drew played tour guide for Lacey, one of my close college friends, and me when we visited Nashville. Lacey ran the Country Music Half Marathon! She wants Drew and me to run with her next year...we'll see about that. Sadly, we have NO PICTURES from the entire weekend! What were we thinking?!? We did attend the Street Festival in Historic Downtown Franklin after my brave friend finished running 13.1 miles. We picked up some cool stuff for our future home. Drew found a print from a local Nashville photographer that captured Belmont's campus during the 2008 Presidential Debate hosted on campus. We're framing it for the apartment since Drew was a student there when the debate happened. Love how the small things make your apartment homey!

The BIG move happens in 7 days!

Praise You in this storm...

Honestly, Drew and I had planned a follow-up post about our Jackson trip, but recent events have changed everything. Our sweet hometown was hit by the tragic tornado that swept through Alabama last week. The disaster site is less than a mile from where I live with my parents until the move. We begin the process of officially moving to Nashville in two short weeks and while we are excited that I will become an official Nashville resident, our hearts are not prepared for being away from our town in this time of need. We are so blessed compared to other cities such as Tuscaloosa and Pleasant Grove, who both had loss of lives. The Lord will provide through this tragedy. He has a plan for this devastation. Drew and I may live in Tennessee soon, but our home will always be our small town in Alabama.

Relief efforts are in full swing for all the communities involved. Last night, Casting Crowns graciously donated their talent to a free concert that raised over $20,000 for relief efforts. Drew and I were completely overwhelmed to witness 6,000+ people gather to worship and donate. What a demonstration of the power of Christ!

Please, please donate your time or money to help families across the state that are facing the long road to recovery. Pray every day that our Lord is glorified through this process. Thank emergency workers such as the National Guard, policemen and women, firefighters, relief organizations and churches that will provide much needed help in the coming weeks. Reflect on the blessings in your life. Most of all, remember that God calls us to love our neighbors and care for those who cannot care for themselves.