On a more sunny note...

I guess it is officially fall now that the weather is cooler and it is October. And I am very glad it is! It seems the end of summer just quickly disappeared and I forgot to post some fun stuff over the last month.

At the end of August each year, our friends in Atlanta take a beach trip to Watercolor. This was the 3rd annual trip and we had 40 people this year! It is so much fun. Our friends, Rob and Rachel, (below) are amazing to put this whole thing together. It is quite a task to rent 5 houses, prepare for food, and coordinate other logistics for 40 and 3 babies this year, but they are awesome! We all gather in the morning after breakfast for a short time of sharing, spend the whole day on the beach, at the pool, etc and then we meet back up for a huge family style dinner each night. It sounds crazy and chaotic but everyone pitches in to help and we have a different dinner crew each night. We are truly blessed to have such amazing friends.

Unfortunately, I do not have the big group picture of everyone but here are a few I took from the week.

Rob & Rachel

Shrimp Boil Night!

So glad Cuz came this year!

Labor Day weekend we headed up to the lake with my family. We all live in 4 different cities and states, so we are usually only able to all be together for holidays but we are trying to plan one other time a year to all meet somewhere for a long weekend. This was a perfect weekend to do just that! My mom cooked amazing food, we kicked off the football season watching the Auburn game, spent long mornings outside talking on the porch, and of course we played on the lake. We were also able to have a little reunion on Saturday with all the Gaileys. Our families have been super close for almost 20 years now and as our families expand it is also hard to get everyone together. I wish we could have a weekend like this every month!

Amy (12 wks pregnant) Leigh (32 wks) Stacey (39 wks)

And lastly, also in September, we headed to an Auburn game with Christian and Linsey. I just had to go to one this season before the baby comes and it was a great one! My good friend, Anna, lives in my old house and so we tailgated there for most of the day. I am convinced (and probably biased) it is the best house in Auburn! I have so many wonderful memories there and so, of course, I loved every minute of sitting on the front porch swing tailgating with friends.

Before the game, we headed over to the library lawn to meet up with some other friends that I always love to see!

And just as we were heading to the stadium, a huge dark cloud came in and the bottom fell out! Luckily, we made it in the stadium and stayed dry out near the bathrooms and concessions. It was a terrible storm that delayed the game a little over an hour. Totally worth it though! Auburn had a great game and dominated W. Virginia. We finally got home about 4am, my feet were swollen and I was totally exhausted. I am so glad we went though. I love Auburn. It truly is the lovliest village on the plains!

More Pictures

For those of you who don't live in Atlanta and want a peek at what it has looked like the last few days, click on the link below.

http://projects.ajc.com.coxnewsweb.com/gallery/view/metro/atlanta/atlanta-flood-aerial-0922/

Forget the Drought

I have only lived in this city 2 and half years. In that short time I can remember not too long along when people were praying for rain desperately. There were all kinds of water restrictions in the city and the fear we could run out of water if it didn't rain.

Now it is completely different. We are in our 3rd week straight of consistant rain. Specifically, starting this weekend the rain became heavier and seemed to last forever (or atleast thru Monday night). The storms Sunday night going into Monday were the loudest I think I have ever heard. I normally love sleeping to the sound of storms and rain, but these storms were disturbing. Monday we were able to see just how devastating the damage to this city. Trees down everywhere, streets and neighborhoods transformed into lakes, and houses going under water.

I have watched the news in the past on other floods, fires, hurricanes, etc around the country but to see and experience it in your own city is unbelieveable. The places you drive and houses you see everyday to be completely destroyed. Yes, these people affected by the floods have (for the most part) only lost earthly possessions, and it could have been something much worse, but it is still so sad. Their lives have been changed forever. Many have nothing and will be starting over. Many will not have insurance and won't be able to afford rebuilding their homes.

I feel terrible that many times I have overlooked these tragedies because I don't know anyone affected. I don't know why as humans we believe we are invincible for tragedy like this to ever happen to us or those we love. The last 24 hours have really opened my eyes in a new way. I love this city I live in and the people here.

(The pictures above are from John's sister house and his aunt and uncle's house. Thankfully, everyone is okay).

It's Coming

While it may still be 95 degrees outside, believe it or not, that time of year is coming and Jordan Hare will look like this in just a month.

Fall is not necessarily one of my favorite seasons for the cool weather or beautiful changing leaves, but for the FOOTBALL!