A + B = We: September 2014

Back to school has been a very busy season for the Spear household. I kicked off the year with 2 weeks of professional development at VOICE followed by 3 weekends out of town and the return of all my school kiddos. When not traveling I have been very busy comforting kindergarteners, counseling, conducting groups, teaching “Mind, Body & Heart,” attending meetings, consulting with teachers and parents, and drinking too much coffee.

The first trip was to Missouri for my grandmother’s 90^th birthday over Labor Day weekend. It was very special to be there to celebrate with her and to see all the lives she has impacted. We started the weekend with a family reunion of sorts. My dad’s side of the family is huge and lives all over the country. My dad is the youngest of 6 kids and I’m the youngest of 13 grandchildren ranging from age late 40ish to 25 (me!). Almost all of my cousins have kids of their own so there were tons of great grandchildren (some of these “children” are in college now!) and even a great-great grandchild. I hadn’t seen a few of my relatives since my grandmother’s 75^th birthday so it was crazy to see a 15-year difference on everyone. On Sunday we all piled into her little church and my Dad shared a special message with the congregation. He asked anyone in the church who had been impacted by my grandmother’s late husband to stand. He then asked anyone in the church who had been impacted by my grandmother to stand. Nearly everyone in the sanctuary was standing. My uncle Danny also sang a song dedicated to my grandmother. After the service we held a birthday party with church members and people from the community. Over 100 people attended. As I reflect on the weekend I couldn’t help but think of how often we gather to honor people after they have already passed on to heaven. What a blessing it was to celebrate my Grandmother in her very presence and show her how much we appreciate her godly character and service to others. She is a very special and loved lady.

Grandmother with some of her many great-grandchildren

Grandmother visiting with Autumn and Daniel

We got her a VCR for her birthday :)

I don't even know ...

I love how she's known as "Ms. Juanita" to people of all ages

A worthy woman who can find? Her worth is far above jewels.

4 generations

The next weekend I headed to Arkansas solo for the wedding of my childhood BFF, Marybeth. My friendship with Marybeth dates back to my first day of kindergarten. We became instant and inseparable friends. Nearly every childhood memory I have involves Marybeth in some way! My family moved away to Kentucky when I was in 5^th grade and the story goes that while we were excited for the new adventures to come, our moms sobbed in the driveway as we said our goodbyes. Kentucky turned into a wonderful place to finish out my childhood and turn into a young adult but one regret is leaving Marybeth! I sometimes think about what our friendship would have looked like if we could have gone through our middle school and high school years together. Nevertheless I still consider Marybeth to be a special friend and I was honored to witness her big day. Congrats to Marybeth and GB. Can’t wait to double-date next time I’m in Arkansas!

Morning mocha with my parents before the wedding

Beautiful morning!

Walking Feaster Trail with my parents before the wedding

Hugs with the bride

Mothers/Daughters. Can you tell who goes with who??

Epic photo bomb courtesy of my parents

Newlyweds!

The final weekend of travel was to Rhode Island for Braden’s cousin’s wedding. This was quite the event! All of the guests spent the weekend at a beautiful country estate called “Whispering Pines” surrounded by forests, lakes, and streams. The day of the wedding we had a relaxing morning of bike riding and games before the “Wedding of the Century,” as my in-laws like to call it :) This thing went from 3:30 in the afternoon to sometime after 11:30pm when Braden and I finally hit the sack. But we had so much fun! Highlights included beautiful live music, stunning decore, a very handsome and hilarious MC (Okay, okay, my husband was the MC), funny toasts, dancing with Braden’s grandpa, and having a golden ticket at dinner which meant I got to take a slice of EVERY FLAVOR of cake. That was five slices of cake, people. FIVE. Congrats to Kasey and Ryan! Lucky for us they are living nearby in DC. I see more weekend travels in our near future!