Gracie & The Gold's: June 2011

Monday, June 20, 2011

A Father's Day Funny

We had a great Father's Day weekend! Of course, I took no pictures (except for 1).

Friday night we had dinner with Jason's parents', brother and his girlfriend at Outback. It was yummy! Normally, we do Father's Day with my family on Sunday, but this year we had to improvise and gather at a different time due to South Carolina's first game of the College World Series scheduled for Sunday at 7. Yes, we are those people. Well, let me take that back. My dad is "those people". He is not missing the Gamecocks play in the CWS- no matter what the time ends up being. I am so glad Daniel and Clary didn't plan their wedding anywhere near this season. Otherwise, we would have been short a best man :) So, no big deal we got together on Saturday night and ate at mom's and dad's. We decided to just pick up from a local restaurant here and relax and fellowship. None of us really wanted to get dressed and go all out. So, we spent a great night in!

Funny story. I have been seeing for weeks the Dairy Queen commercial on TV advertising the Father's Day ice cream cakes. I decided on Friday that we had to have one. My dad is a golfer, so I thought the golf decorated one was perfect for him. I call the order in and they tell me to pick it up Saturday afternoon. Cutting it alittle close, but ok, what choice do I have after all?!

This is our yummy cake

Now, it was great. The only problem is that my daddy's nickname is "Cap", not "Cat". I am sure people get weird messages written on cakes all the time, but I did tell the employee "CAP, as in baseball CAP" repeatedly.

Oh well, we all at least had a good laugh!

Hope your Father's Day was special!

Friday, June 17, 2011

Do You Smell That?

What is in a smell? Sometimes, nothing worth smelling. Sometimes, trivial things like supper cooking, freshly cut grass, lemons, household cleaners. We take smell for granted so much- at least I do.

Until those days when you catch a fresh whiff of something that you can’t quite put your finger on, but are transported back in time. All of a sudden there you are in that moment from so long ago, and the nostalgia nearly swallows you whole. This morning, I was stepping in the shower in my bathroom at home one minute and at my grandfather’s lake house almost instantly. All of those summers’ passed came rushing over me like a tidal wave of memories and emotion. I saw my brother and me running, feet clad in flip flops, down the long and twisting hill to the dock. The grass was so thin under our feet, but oh so green. Rocks and little pebbles lay all along the path, so we had to be careful not to trip. The dock was old wood- many years of wear and tear yet still sturdy. We would feed the fish in the morning with the bread my grandmother sent down with us. Pretty soon, there would be a school of fish all around us. We laughed and laughed and laughed in the early morning summer sun, ready for a full day of childhood fun. We splashed in the lake, played on the jet skis, skied and tubed until the sun just began to set. Then, we would all load up in the “big boat” as we called it then, and cap the day off with a little drive around the coves.

I am still smelling my sun tan lotion as I snap back into reality and realize, 10 + years have come and gone and the lake house was sold years ago.

Thank you Lord for those smells. You know the ones. The ones that take you back in time. The ones that make you remember, appreciate and be ever so thankful to God for all that He has blessed you with!

I wish I had pictures, but I don’t think we do. Fortunately, memories are with you a lifetime.

Monday, June 13, 2011

It's Finally Here!

Wedding season has finally arrived! I have been waiting almost a year for the celebrations to begin for my brother and Clary, and the time is now upon us!

Friday night marked their very first shower, which ended up being a Tool and Garden Shower given by Clary's aunt. It was so much fun, and at the most adorable barn! The setting was just beautiful, and we had such a great time with each others family.