Celebrating Granny.

The first week of June we drove to North Carolina to celebrate Granny's life and home-going.

{Granny} was an amazing person and we miss her!

Our travels in Facebook Status Updates: 

There are a handful of people that I'm wishing were here now. Just to be here.

June 6 at 9:55pm via iPhone

We're in the car, headed for North Carolina.  Prayers, calls, and texts welcome!

(I also have a yard work task that needs to be completed for the trash on Thursday, if anyone is available to help.)

June 7 at 4:40am via iPhone

1,000 miles to go.  (211 down)

June 7 at 7:47am via iPhone

Hello, Mississippi!

June 7 at 11:12am via iPhone

Hello, Alabama!

June 7 at 12:13pm via iPhone

605.5 miles to go.  Halfway point.

June 7 at 2:48pm via iPhone

Hello, Georgia!

June 7 at 4:43pm via iPhone

Hello, South Carolina!

June 7 at 7:16pm via iPhone

Just saw an 18-wheeler completely engulfed in flames.  Prayers for the driver.

June 7 at 8:45pm via iPhone

P.S. In an unrelated event, God still answers prayer... in case you were doubting.

June 7 at 8:49pm via iPhone

200 miles to go.

June 7 at 8:54pm via iPhone

Hello, North Carolina!!!!

June 7 at 9:08pm via iPhone

We made it!

June 8 at 12:00am via iPhone

We had a memorial service for Granny on Wednesday afternoon.  It was a beautiful time of remembering her humor, her generosity and her love for her family.  Daniel Pierce, Jeremy's youth leader, told a story of her arriving in heaven and being greeted by those who were blessed by her faithful generosity.  He told about a boy who was undergoing cancer treatments in a neighboring town that Daniel was able to visit regularly because of her giving.  He told of several other real life people who were blessed because of her life.  I'm sure that hearing that account will leave an impression on my heart forever.

A handful of the cousins being kids at the memorial service.

Immediately after the memorial service, they fed us a delicious meal at the chapel.

Feeding us seemed to be a common theme the entire week.  The Williams family was showered with all kinds of compassion and care and that included making sure that we were heartily fed.  It was a huge blessing.

Jeremy's Aunt Carolyn and Uncle Ronnie came to visit us all.  It was fun getting to know them and getting to introduce them to Justus and Lexi.

Lexi is pretty enamored with her baby girl cousin, Claire.

Lexi reading "The Monster at the End of This Book" with Nana.  Over and over.

One of my favorite parts of the week was sitting on the front steps with Nicki, my sis-in-law, while the kids went to the neighbors' to watch him shoot off fireworks.  We watched fireworks and chatted.  I really loved seeing fireflies out in their big front yard!

The next day, Nicki and I went to Granny's apartment to pack up her clothes and shoes for Nancy.  She was always well-dressed and well-accessorized.  We all used to tease her about her love for shoes and her huge shoe collection.  The shoe-love is being passed down through the generations.  But we had to laugh because we had no idea the BELT collection that Granny had!  It put her shoe collection to shame.  And it made us smile.

Rob and Brooke came out with their girls.  It was great to see them again.  Jeremy and Rob grew up at camp together.  And we both went to college with him, too.

Daddies and their girlies

Rob and Stephen, Jeremy's brother, are pretty tight, so they posed for some nice family pics together.  When we were done, they all wanted a crazy picture together.  This cracked me up and it's extra funny that Lexi managed to sneak into their family photo.

My fav

Lexi reading more stories with Nana.

Lexi adores her Uncle Stephen.  He teases her just the right amount, but also makes sure he compliments her too.  He's a pretty special guy! 

Soren, Justus, and Sawyer...  Cousins and friends.

I love this pic of them!



It was a really sweet time of remembering Granny and enjoying each other.  More than once we all commented on how great it was that we had had such a good time being all together with Granny at our house in March.  You can check it out {here} and {here}.

The Entire Williams Crew



Our travels in Facebook Status Updates: 

On the road again...

June 10 at 10:59am via iPhone

Howdy, South Carolina!

June 10 at 2:30pm via

Dana Williams was at Starbucks.

June 10 at 2:54pm via iPhone

Howdy, Georgia!

June 10 at 4:25pm via iPhone

Howdy, Alabama!

June 10 at 7:35pm via iPhone

Justus is explaining Room Service to Lexi! - with Jeremy Williams at Embassy Suites Montgomery Alabama

June 10 at 8:45pm via iPhone

Justus is freaking out a bit because there's no door on the shower.  Lexi is freaking out a bit cause there's no tub.  June 11 7:34am

Lexi (giving thanks at breakfast):  ... help Paige take care of my dog named Bella.  Thank You for this HEAVENLY........... breakfast!

June 11 at 8:49am via iPhone

On the road.  661 miles to knock out today.

June 11 at 9:57am via iPhone

Oh, hey, Mississippi.

June 11 at 12:42pm via iPhone

Howdy, Louisiana!

June 11 at 3:15pm via iPhone

Hello, Texas!  I {heart} you!

June 11 at 7:04pm via iPhone

To quote what my dad always said after a trip, "Home again.  Home again.  Jiggity jig!"

June 11 at 9:16pm via iPhone

Thankful for those who have prayed for and checked in on the Williams family this week. Thankful for Paige and her practical help with Bella and our home. Thankful for our North Carolina friends who gave of themselves to feed us, comfort us and even entertain our kids on the long trip. Feeling a bit overwhelmed by the neglected items this week, but putting that in God's hands.

June 12 at 8:11am via iPhone

Reality, Kryptonite and 2 Corinthians

So, I'm gonna be real.

Don't get me wrong.  I'm usually pretty real.  I guess that's my way of warning you that I'm walking on vulnerable ground here.

In the past, I've lost friends over being real.  I hate that I've lost people I care about along the way.  But I've also strengthened and deepened some friendships as a result of taking that risk.  It seems to me that the value of knowing and being known and, ultimately, being accepted as you are is worth the risk.

Hangin' Tough

I'm feeling a little reflective tonight.  Hope you don't mind.

It seems that with all the hard knocks and blows, blessings and miracles that life has brought in my 30s, one thing I'm learning is how to go through life

Thick-skinned

but

Tender-hearted

Winning!!!

Maybe you hear about {my first blog giveaway EVER!}
It was kind of a big deal.  To me, anyway!

My friend Charissa just launched her Etsy shop {Sew Sweetly Loved}
  To celebrate, she's giving away a hair clip and earring set to a lucky LifeUncontainable reader!

Thank you everyone for participating!
Charissa was really encouraged and grateful for all your looks and all your likes!

Rob Dob & Whit Dob's Backyard Wedding Celebration with our Kiddos

We had an absolutely stellar time at {Rob doB and Whitney's wedding}!

But it was a grown-ups-only occasion (maybe that's part of the reason we had so much fun!), so Justus and Lexi didn't get to celebrate with them.  And they are super special to our family, so we decided to have a mini-reception to celebrate with the kids.

Honduras.

{My first giveaway ever} is almost over!  Comment by 11:59pm for a chance to win.

This morning at 5:30am I sent off Jeremy and the Senior Mission Team to Honduras.  He is leading the trip~his final youth responsibility.  It's strange to see this chapter of our lives closing.

But I'm so proud of him and I know great things will happen there over the next 12 days!

Firehouse Fun

In case you missed it, I'm doing{my first giveaway ever}!

Our friends are doing a series of playdates this summer.  My friends are super creative moms!

Meredith planned a trip to the local fire department...

since I'm at work during the day, my amazing nanny, Paige, took her and snapped a few photos for me.

Lexi~all ready for her Firehouse Fun Playdate in her "please wear a splash of red" shoes.

best.dad.ever.

Jeremy,

I couldn't do it without you.

Nor would I want to.

I love you soooo much!

Father, and more importantly, Daddy to my babies.

I love how Lexi looks at you, like you hung the moon.

I love how Justus strives to be just like you.

I'm so thankful for the guys in your life who are walking this road of fatherhood with you...

Stephen, Ryan, Wes, Kevin, Chuck, Bryan, Andrew, Philip, Tim, Scott, among many others!

I know they are an encouragement to you

and that blesses our kids

and me.

My Dad

My dad is great.

He can fix ANYTHING.

He's so smart.

First Blog Giveaway Ever!! {Sew Sweetly Loved} Etsy Shop

I am so excited to announce my first blog giveaway EVER!

This is Charissa. I met her way back in the day when I was in college. Jeremy and I were Young Life leaders and Charissa was involved with Young Life. That leader/student relationship blossomed into a friendship. She is absolutely precious.

And she just married Ryan about eight months ago.  They are absolutely adorable.  It was hard to pick just one picture of them because they have SO MUCH FUN together!

And she's just launched her Etsy shop {Sew Sweetly Loved}
  To celebrate, she's giving away a hair clip and earring set to a lucky LifeUncontainable reader!

"A whimsical and unique flower hair clip and earring set is just what you need to add some color to your summer wardrobe! The felt flower can be clipped in your hair, on a headband, or your favorite long necklace! The sweet button earrings compliment the clip for your casual or dressy outfit.

These items were handmade with love in my smoke-free home."

Aren't they so summery and cheerful?  Each item is handmade and one of a kind.  The set is so cute so, I know you're wondering how you can enter!

It's all in the comments, kids.

There are five ways to enter.  You'll get one entry for each item you do.  A random number generator will select the winner of the comments posted before 11:59pm on Tuesday, June 22, 2011.

1. Tell me how you found this giveaway. Leave a comment below: "I'm already a LifeUncontainable Reader" or write the name of the person who referred you.
2. Go to Charissa's Etsy Shop {Sew Sweetly Loved}, check out her items, and Favorite her shop.  Leave a comment below: "I favorited Sew Sweetly Loved."
3. Go to {Sew Sweetly Loved's Facebook page} and click to Like It.  Leave a comment below:  "I liked Sew Sweetly Loved."
4. Click the share on Facebook link below and tell your Facebook friends about this giveaway.  Leave a comment below: "I shared Sew Sweetly Loved's giveaway."
5. Copy and retweet this on Twitter: RT @htowndaners "Click to win the Sew Sweetly Loved Giveaway on LifeUncontainable http://tinyurl.com/5sjhc85  Leave a comment below:  "I tweeted Sew Sweetly Loved's giveaway."



Enter up to five times, once per task.  Be sure to follow LifeUncontainable or include your e-mail address in your comment, so that I can contact you if you win.

Good luck!

Festivities!

I feel like I've been absent from the blogging world.

I've missed it!

I've missed y'all!

(and I have a special giveaway announcement coming up, too.)

I've had some celebrating to do.  My birthday was May 20.  My mom instilled in me a love for birthdays and celebrating, so the party just ended Wednesday night.  I know it's almost a month later.  Don't judge.

My birthday was filled with texts, phone calls, and Facebook wall posts.  It was fun to hear from so many people.  I was giddy all day.  Virginia took me to lunch at {100% Taquito}.  I have a minor obsession with that place and Virginia has never been, but I think I made a believer out of her.  It wasn't hard.  The tacos speak for themselves.

The kiddos each chose a pair of earrings for me.  So sweet!

Jeremy and his mom got me the camera bag I asked for!

But, my goodness, it was not canary yellow like the picture seemed.  It was a whole lot more mustard-y.  So it's going back and a pewter one is on the way.

Some of my friends brought gifts by my house.  Super sweet!

Meredith brought a fun nail color...

...complete with birthday balloon!

(And I know that she was crazy-busy that day, so it meant a lot that she stopped by to do that.)

 Ambre brought this cool sign.  She has all kinds of neat Bible verses and quotes around her house.

 I like having the reminder, too.  I may need to expand my collection of scripture-inspired decor!

Helen gave me this pretty and yummy Scentsy warmer.  {Scentsy}, where have you been all my life?  (That's a link to her consultant page.  Check it out!)

When I got home from work, the Carlisle family joined us for dinner at our place.  Jeremy made filet minon, roasted asparagus, and pita crisps.  He is a fantastic cook!

But that's not all...

Jeremy bought two dozen cake balls from Angie's Cake.  And they are TO DIE FOR!

My tummy is rumbling just looking at these photos again....

Top:  vanilla, Middle:  birthday cake, Bottom:  chocolate

Top: snickers, Middle: lemon, Bottom: s'mores

I had to make more cake balls after seeing these pictures.  Wish I had more pictures of the evening with friend and the delicious food to show you!

So.... that was pretty much an incredible day!  But it didn't end there.  The next day, my BFF & Sister, Jill, came to visit with my nephew, {Aaron} for the weekend.  I was beside myself when I found a great deal on tickets just a couple days before my birthday.  At last check, they had been $800!  What?!?  They dropped drastically, so she snatched one up.

We planned a little Girls Night Out.  We started out with dinner at Char House and watching the {JJ Worthen} trio play.  They played my current song obsession, Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'", just for me.  P.S.  JJ is Jess' husband, so she has a little pull that way. ;) 

me, Jess, Jill, Christie

 After that, we got our groove on, which was great!  Lots of fun.  (...except for being stepped on with a stiletto just 3/4" from my surgery site on my foot.  Yikes!  She was nice about it, but I had a perfect stiletto-shaped indented print in my foot the next morning.  It later turned into massive swelling.  Oy!  Totally worth it, though.)  Jill got to stay until Tuesday and it was so great to spend time with her.

The day Jill left, I met up with Amy for dinner at Japaneiros.  We talked life and mommyhood.  It was awesome to get to know her better and she surprised my by buying it as my birthday dinner!

The celebration was set on To Be Continued for a bit.  Life and travels got in the way, but we finished up this week!

Monday night, the girls from my small group went to dinner with me at Yia Yia Mary's.  I've been meaning to go there for years and hadnt' made it over there until Monday.  It was everything my inner Greek girl could hope for!

Gina, Martha, Ambre, me, Heidi, Erin
We had Saganaki Cheese-fried cheese fried tableside! Opa!

And last, but not least, on Wednesday, I had a Birthday dinner date at Japaneiro's with my mentor from church.  (Don't go judging on the Japaneiro's thing, either. I {heart} that place!)  Diana and I both have May birthdays, so we decided a while ago that we'd have to celebrate together!

It had been a while since we'd seen each other, so it was great to catch up!

Whew!  Party animal, right?!?  And completely spoiled beyong belief.  No wonder I'm tired!

Don't forget about the giveaway announcement!  Stay tuned... it may even be tonight.  I cannot wait to tell you about it!

Granny. If you had a granny like our Granny, you'd be lucky, too.

Granny.

She was the sweetest little fireball I have ever met.

She loved us all immensely.

And we loved her.

She was witty and never short of a come back.

Her only daughter (my mother-in-law), Nancy, was her best friend.  I'm pretty sure of it.

She'd beat the tar out of you in cards and not feel bad about it.  Not one bit.

Speaking of tar, she was an avid Tar Heels fan.

She walked with a limp her whole life, but never once did I hear her complain in the 14 years I knew her.

She was close to her son-in-law.

If you ever got the upper hand in a game, she'd made a little fist and wave it around threateningly.  I loved that.  It cracked me up!

She had two grandsons.  In her mind, they hung the moon.  You could tell.

She loved Nicki and I like we'd been there all along.

She joked around.  Even right up til the end, I'm told.

She was passionate about food.  In the midst of enjoying this meal, she'd always be anticipating the next one.

She had seven great-grandchildren, who had the priviledge of knowing her and spending time playing, cuddling, chatting and reading with her.

She had a wall full of framed photos of the ones she loved in her living room.

I'm gonna miss her hugs.

Her cards for every occasion.

The way she'd say, "Love you!"

How she'd nod off and insist that she was awake.

Her cranberry jelly.

Playing board games and card games with her.

Her honesty.

How she'd hold the little ones and chat with the big boys.

Granny was a very special lady and we will miss her.

She has left quite a legacy.

And now she is enjoying her inheritance with her Savior!

³ Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, ⁴ to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, ⁵ who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. ⁶ In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, ⁷ so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ; ⁸ and though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, ⁹ obtaining as the outcome of your faith the salvation of your souls.

I Peter 1:3-9

{{WR}} "The Dob's" Wedding

Remember Rob doB and Whitney?  We did the behind the scenes work for them to {get engaged}...

Well, NOW they're married!  And the wedding was incredibly fun!

But let's back it up a bit.

At their engagement party, Rob gave Jeremy a puzzle maze to solve.

 There may or may not have been some serious frustration involved here.

Inside was a card asking Jeremy to be a groomsman.

JJ got one, too!

(Jeremy's has a photo from when he and Rob went skydiving.  I cannot vouch for JJ's photo.)

Fast forward to the rehearsal.  It was perfect May in Texas weather...

I don't know the story on the hat.  I wish I did so I could tell you.

Parents of the bride and groom

 All the guys managed to avoid getting sunburned on their wakeboarding outing earlier that day.

Groom with his father-in-law and cousin.  Happiness! 

Rob's parents put together a photo slide show of Rob and Whitney growing up for the rehearsal and the cutest personal poem with a stream of Chicago-themed gifts for the couple.

After a delicious dinner at Berryhill, Rob gave the guys their groomsman gifts.

Jeremy was astounded because it was pretty much his favorite thing on earth... an Apple product.  This, my friends, is an AppleTV.  What is an AppleTV, you ask?  It's okay, I had to ask, too.  Basically, it is a device that connects your television to the internet so that you can stream Netflix, YouTube, etc.  You can even rent movies from AppleTV.  I admit, like all other Apple products, it's a pretty cool device.

JJ was pretty excited about his AppleTV, too.  His expression reads more "enthused" than "astounded", though.

On their wedding day, after the bride and groom's first look, it was time for wedding party photos.  The {photographer} had spotted a really cool wooden fence as a background, so we hiked over for some pictures.

This moment just cracked me up!  I'm not sure if we're going Monkee's walk or Red Rover here or something entirely different, but it was too classic not to snap a picture.

Whitney was stunning.

Somewhere right around here, Taylor (the photographer) started saying, "I love your wedding!  It's so much fun!"  It may have been all the hilarious comments she was getting.  She hadn't seen anything yet.

And where these guys go, silliness follows closely behind!

Beautiful!

That's my guy... lookin' good!

The courtyard they married in was such a beautiful venue.

They branded their whole wedding.  Super clever... notice how it changes after the ceremony.

Waiting for his bride...

This is where I fell prey to "short person who isn't allowed to wear heels for several more weeks at the end of the row" syndrome and didn't get any pictures of Whitney during the ceremony.

The ceremony was beautiful and personal.  I loved that there was a perfect combination of seriousness, joy and laughter throughout.

Afterwards, we were invited inside for a reception of all kinds of mouth-watering food, drinks, and desserts.

Seriously, check out this cake...

I told you they branded their wedding!  So amazing.

And they had Marble Slab on site, which was awesome.

Each table had a small notebook with a question on the front.  Ours said, "If Rob and Whitney had a celebrity couple name, what would it be?"  For me, this was a no brainer, you see, I started using it the moment they were engaged:  Rob doB and Whit doB.  It's catching on... promise.

The first dance!

It was choreographed.  They played it up.  It.was.adorable.

And a dip to end the dance.

Father-Daughter Dance

Mother-Son Dance

And then, I don't have any photos because we got out on the floor and had a B-L-A-S-T.  Once the DJ got everyone going on the Cupid Shuffle, then came out to make sure we all knew how to Dougie, the rest was a whole lot of silliness and fun.  I cannot wait to see the official wedding photos!  The ones of these two guys are going to be a serious riot.

It was fun getting to know Jess & JJ better, too!

This is Jill.  We went to the same college, but not at the same time.  Her hubby, Josh, is Rob's best friend and the best man.  It was great to see them again!  Those two totally make me laugh.

We went outside to see the newlyweds off under a canopy of sparklers.

It was such a fun wedding and I'm looking forward to many more fun times with Rob doB and Whit doB!