the bright life: showered [with love].

tonight i'm thinking about the meaning of family.

i'm thinking about that circle of people i have around me...you know, the ones who stand up for you when harsh words are spoken. or who share late night talks on the corduroy couches. or summer evening wiffleball games in the front yard. i'm thinking of everyone who has given their time and love into making july 31 a day to remember, and this season of life a very, very special one for me. and i feel an overwhelming sense of gratefulness.

i couldn't ask for a better team surrounding me.

there have been hours spent and things accomplished that i will never be able to repay.

there has been a dress made.

a yard transformed.

napkins sewn...scratch that. napkins cut, sewn, and cut again.

errands run.

schedules written.

four dresses altered.

two pairs of pants hemmed.

and at least a thousand other things crossed off the checklist.

and i most certainly did not do these things myself.

i am loved. and thoroughly humbled.

throughout this process, there have been moments that really make me stop and realize how blessed i am. they usually result in tears. this was one of them:

i was really looking forward to my shower a few weeks ago. my aunts were hosting, and aunts, cousins and friends from both mine and landon's side were going to be there. but as the day came closer, i was really wishing my grandma would be able to come. i love her to pieces and knew she would enjoy being there, but as it turned out, the day before she told us she wouldn't be able to make it without "the wings of an angel."

so the day of the shower, i walked into my aunt's home and started saying my "hellos" when i turned toward the living room and saw that black dress with the little white pattern. you guessed it, there was the lady herself sitting nonchalantly on the couch, just waiting for me to notice.

i yelled "GRAMS!"

...and then i cried.

my aunt and uncle had flown her down to surprise me. when people make a sacrifice on your behalf, it makes you stop to appreciate the moment. moments that you know, without a doubt, you won't forget for a long, long time.

my aunts prepared my favorite dessert for the shower, ina garten's orange chocolate chunk cake.

double yum. and with a butterfly too. precious.

my sisters, sister-in-law, and mom and i with uncle mark in his newly landscaped (and beautiful) backyard.

everyone brought a favorite family recipe for me. above is my sister's foolproof (that is, unless i make them) chocolate chip cookies. the perfect fluff:crunch:doughiness ratio EVER.

and my mom gave me this adorable recipe book to keep them in.

thinking back now, i'm realizing that while the gifts are fun (and i'll never turn one down), it's the relationships and sacrifice that mean the most. this shower, in itself, and having my grandma and others there who love me was a gift enough.