Busy Bradys

Whew! I'm still reeling from a crazy, crazy weekend! We were an action-packed Brady bunch for the past few days. I had known that my Saturday was pretty full for a few weeks, but didn't really realize just HOW full it was until I actually lived it! Jimmy was scheduled to work on Saturday, so I was planning on buckling my seatbelt and taking on everything as a single Mom. As always, plans changed. On Friday afternoon, I started to feel a little sluggish and not-so-hot. By about 7pm, I knew something was really wrong. It felt like someone had beaten me with a baseball bat from head to toe (and, I'm talking Major League batter, here). I also had a fever and a nasty head cold. I started to research Swine Flu (yes, I know, I'm paranoid like that) and ruled that out because I didn't have the stomach issues that the Swine Flu victims had noted. And, then it hit me. I was warned of these exact symptoms after my surgery two weeks ago. I called my doctor and confirmed that it was, indeed, complications from my procedure. He prescribed antibiotics and Jimmy ran to the drugstore right before it closed.

Here's where God comes in (did you think He wouldn't come to the rescue?!) At the last minute, Jimmy's schedule was changed and he was given Saturday off. Thank you, Jesus, because I would have not survived my Saturday as a single Mom with a flu-like condition, a toddler and a full plate of activities. Also thankfully, the antibiotics attacked my condition and I felt better already on Saturday morning. Better enough to tag along for ALL of the activities.

So, are you ready? Buckle YOUR belts, and I'll take you along for our ride.

On Saturday morning, our neighborhood had a May Day festival. A bunch of vendors lined the commercial area of our community, passing out goodies like balloons, suckers and bubbles. A child's paradise. And did I mention the inflatable bouncy house and slide? We all know how much Taylor loves a bouncy playground.
So, after about an hour of playing and jumping and walking a mile or so to and from the festival, Tay took a catnap while I relaxed and Jimmy went fishing. We woke her up and headed out to our next activity. The Jon Cooke Memorial Golf Tournament. Jon was one of Jimmy's fraternity brothers, and a good friend to us all. He was killed Christmas '07 in a car accident and, in his memory, several of the fraternity brothers planned a tournament to fund a UNCW scholarship in his name. It was SUCH a good time. So much fun to see all of the guys that I practically called my own brothers throughout college, some of whom I hadn't seen since we graduated. Friends came from all over the U.S. to celebrate "Cookie". So, Taylor, Jimmy and I headed to the tournament to see everyone. (See, another awesome thing orchestrated by God -- Jimmy was supposed to work and would have missed seeing all of his brothers. Instead, he was able to attend. Awesome).

A quick side note to tell you about another miracle related to this story. It turns out that Cookie was going to be a father. His baby girl was born about eight months after he passed away. His parents brought pictures of his daughter to the tournament. They just touched us all so deeply. She looks JUST like Cookie. Adorable. And awesome how God has provided his family with a constant reminder of their son through their new granddaughter. Every single bit of it is beautiful to me.

So, anyway, we had a great time celebrating Cookie, and enjoying all of our friends.

Taylor enjoyed riding the beverage carts with the girls. (Taylor was laughing in most of the pictures, but this is the only photo that concealed my beautiful friend, Sarah,'s "gifts". This is a family blog, here Sarah ;))

And playing with her new buddy, Dana.
After the tournament, we headed straight to a going away cookout for our small group leaders. I think there were close to 35 people there, including about 20 children. Taylor had a blast!













THEN, we headed over to the post-golf tournament BBQ at Captain Bills, where all of the boys used to play sand volleyball. Taylor played a little ball, ran circles in the sand, and ate chicken wings. Daddy ate his second dinner for the evening while I caught up with our friends.
We didn't get Taylor into bed on Saturday night until about 10pm. Needless to say, she was WHOOPED. And so were we. But that didn't stop us from getting our behinds up and ready for church early the next morning. After that, we headed home, napped and then went to the pool. What's a weekend without pool time?












It was SUCH a good weekend. I sat in bed last night thinking about how blessed we are. We spent the weekend with old friends that were, essentially, our family in college, and also spent time with new friends that have by our side through every bit of our current journey. And I love both groups dearly. Each and every one of those people holds such a special place in my heart. I felt at home, and loved for who I am and who I have always been deep down. My friends are so special to me. Not to mention, I got to enjoy all of these friends with my family, and we had relaxing time at our pool too. I just feel so full. And blessed.