ALL OF THE LOVE!

There were about 29384856 different kinds of love floating around this weekend.

On Saturday, Brett and I went to Ellijay, GA to celebrate the life of his Uncle Darrell who passed away last month.

Darrell was a popular man. The amount of family and friends in that room was unbelievable. There were some really beautiful, sweet, and hilarious stories shared. Pictures were passed around. Brett sang the last line of a song the Darrell loved.

There were hugs, tears, and lots of laughs that filled that room. 

He was a man who was deeply loved by many.



Today, Sunday, my best friend and her husband celebrated their one year wedding anniversary. 

This is a particularly special anniversary, because in that year, they brought into the world little miss Lily Kate. And to say that we all love Lily Kate would be a tremendous understatement.



And today, the man that I love, with every fiber of my being, asked me to be his wife.

For those of you who don't know, Brett and I have been dating just shy of 20 months (yes I keep count!)

My best friend and her husband who are celebrating their one year anniversary today? We met at their engagement party. 

Exactly six months later we went on our first date.

I am not sure what I did to deserve the kind of love we share, but I'm not asking questions. I am taking it and running with it!!

Becoming Mrs. Mayo is going to be quite the adventure! Words just can't portray how excited I am!!

Even more exciting is the thought of the rest of our lives together. I cannot wait to create a life with Brett.

It's amazing I've stopped staring at my ring long enough to even type this. But I'm getting kind of antsy, so I'll leave you with a couple of pictures :)

He proposed after we toured Ruby Falls. We were on top of Lookout Mountain, observing the storm that was forming across the river. We both love storms, and while everyone else was starting to take cover, we were soaking it in. It was there, on the observation deck, in the pouring rain, where he asked me to marry him.

The ring we decided to use is my grandmother's that my paw-paw had picked out for her 60 years ago. My grandfather is someone who I absolutely adored. He died when I was six. I don't remember a whole lot of him, but I vividly remember the feelings of happiness I had when I was around him. I am beyond excited to be able to carry a part of him with me. I know he'd be so proud and excited right now!

HELLOOOOOOO Late Twenties!

Well, folks...it's official. 

I have turned 27. I'm in my late-twenties. 

I know how ridiculous this post is going to sound to some of you, but just bear with me here.

My mid-twenties were the best and worst years of my life. It was filled with confusion, sadness, and anger. But it was also filled with love, fulfilling relationships, hope, and a brand new start.

I was just stupid and completely clueless in my early twenties.

So what will I write when I turn 30? How will I describe my late-twenties? I can't predict the future, but I think it will go something like this:

My mid-twenties were the best years of my life. It's when love grew into something I didn't know was even possible. It's when I switched my life from average to awesome. It's when I stopped dreading Sunday nights and started looking forward to "work." It's when Brett bought me a VW Bug in every color! 

Ok, I got a little carried away on the last part. It's unrealistic. His driveway is not that big.

But the rest of it? I can do that. 

We often think that we can't control what happens in our lives because we can't control the situations that arise around us. And that is true-- to an extent.

What we CAN control is how we react to those situations. We can control our attitude. And sometimes, my friends, that makes ALL the difference.

I know what I want to achieve in the next few years. And I know that as long as I keep a positive attitude and surround myself with support and encouragement, I can achieve whatever I want.

Here's to 27! May it be the start of the very best years of my life.

Everyone likes flowers. Even if you say you don't.

Maybe I'll ruffle a few girl-feathers....but I have to be honest here.

I don't believe you when you say you don't like it when your boyfriend or husband or whoever buys you flowers. 

Are you REALLY saying you will roll your eyes in disgust when your significant other surprises you with a lovely bouquet? 

Are you really saying that it annoys you that he was thinking about you, and he decided to buy you some romantic roses?

REALLY?!?!

I get it. Not all girls are "girly girls"...but you can't possibly be appalled by flowers. 

I can see rare exceptions. Let's say your family is starving and living in a cardboard box on the side of the road. If your man comes to the box with some flowers from Kroger, I'd be pissed, too. "Hey man, you could have spent that $12.00 on, I don't know...FOOD."

But for the most part, shouldn't you be grateful that he thought about you?

I mean...they're FLOWERS. He's not bringing you something gross. Flowers are pretty, and are a general expression of love.

I also have to note, that I think some girls say that, because their dudes DON'T get them flowers. NOT EVEN FOR VALENTINES DAY! (a travesty!) 

So fellas...maybe you should step up your game a little bit here, and stop making your girl bitter.

So, girls, tell me what you think? Are you a flower lover? A flower hater? Why?

Guys, do you buy your girl flowers? Why or why not?

Answer in the comments below!

When Your Sister Gets Married

When your baby sister gets married...

Even if you've known it would happen for a long time..

Even if you love her husband-to-be...

Even if they've dated for years...

Even if you are super happy for her...

Even if you've already seen her in her wedding dress...

You will still cry like a baby when you see her walk down the aisle with your daddy.

I know this from personal experience.

Congratulations, Mr. and Mrs. Justin Hollis! I love you both, and couldn't be happier to have been part of your big day. :)

Me and my baby sister :)

The 5 Love Languages

This is Brett. 

He is my incredibly funny, handsome and loving boyfriend. He likes to read. A lot. Mostly finance books (bblllllaaaahhhhhh) but a long time ago (I think right after we started dating), he was talking about The 5 Love Languages, and how he liked it so much, that for Christmas he bought several of his friends the book.

So, I've been meaning to read it for a long time because he isn't the first person I've heard that from. Well, I downloaded it on my kindle last week and I finally got to finish it last night.

It. was. fabulous.

It talks about how we each give and receive love in different "languages"...for example, some people feel most loved when their partner gives them encouraging words, while other people feel most loved when their partner spends quality time with them.

There are five main languages: Quality time, Words of affirmation, Acts of service, Receiving gifts, and Physical touch.

It also explains how to learn a language if you aren't familiar or comfortable with your partner's primary love language.

Brett and I both took the quiz at the end to see what our love languages were. It turns out, we have almost the exact same order of languages! So, really, its no wonder why we work so well together. Both of our top 2 languages are words of affirmation and physical touch. (Mine were actually tied for 1st and 2nd place.)

Again, its no surprise for me. I feel most loved by Brett when he writes me a letter or tells me that he is really glad we are together. (Which he does often.) I also feel most loved when he puts his arm around me while we're out, or chooses to sit close to me on the couch, while he very well doesn't have to.

Anyway, this book is THE BUSINESS! There are several different versions of it, too. There is one for couples, husbands, single folks, children and teenagers. (the Children and Teenagers books are geared towards the parents.)

So if you fall into any of these categories...which you do...it is definitely worth a few bucks to read it. I think it would be especially helpful if you are in a rough place in your relationship, or even with yourself. 

If you have read it, or read it in the future, let me know what you think!! I'd like to talk about it with you :)