Preparing for Micah's Big Day

God’s timing could not have been better. Who knows if we would have been able to fly in from Germany for both Liam’s birth AND Micah and Aaron’s wedding. I can’t imagine missing either and fortunately I didn’t have to. I couldn’t have planned it better myself: *a few days with Mom * a great day with the bride-to-be discussing all of the last minute details while lounging by the pool * be there in time to see my little sister’s big ol’ pregnant belly (which I’d been dying to see) and for the birth of my nephew * a whole day to spend with Brad and his family * and still get back to do all the fun wedding stuff.

The minute I arrived back in Dallas I was in full on wedding mode. Ok, that’s a lie – first I slept then woke up and got a facial but THEN I was in full on wedding mode. Mom was hosting a bridal luncheon for Micah and I was busy helping out here and there. Amy arrived mid-afternoon and we went in search of jewelry to wear on our best friend’s big day.

That evening we enjoyed an incredible dinner at Cowtown Sushi in Southlake to celebrate my birthday. Honestly, some of the best sushi I’ve ever had…and it’s in a strip mall. We finished off the night tying ribbons on all of the programs and watching Ellen reruns.

The luncheon was fantastic! After the crazy week we’d just had, I would have thought having the whole thing catered would have been easiest. Not for Mrs. Milliner. My Mom promised Riley that if she ever had a gourmet kitchen, she’d become a gourmet chef. So far, she’s holding up her end of the bargain. She got the idea to do these darling individual bundt cakes from this little bakery called “Nothing Bundt Cakes” however she calls it “Nothing But Bundt Cakes.” She’s still a blonde at heart.

Following the luncheon, Amy and I packed up for our haul to McKinney. Micah and Aaron had about 20 friends and family show up to help set up for the ceremony and reception. This is saying A LOT because I kid you not, it was about 115 degrees inside. They were getting married at The Cotton Mill and the venue doesn’t turn the AC on when there isn’t an actual event being held. I was a hot mess in about 2 minutes flat.

Fortunately, Micah spoiled us and had booked a cottage at this adorable little B&B, The Virginia Rose, in downtown McKinney. So stinkin’ cute! She had really booked this as the place her and Aaron would spend their wedding night but it was also the perfect place for the three of us to get ready. The owner told us on arrival that the “R” above the bed stood for “Romance.” I assured him that for today it stood for “Really Good Friends,” the romance would have to wait.

The Virginia Rose

The rehearsal dinner was a blast! It was held at La Hacienda Ranch in Frisco. Aaron’s sweet little grandmother was the first to order a “frozen margarita, no salt, with a straw) and that go t the party started. Aaron’s family is from Louisiana and Micah’s family is from Kansas and Beaver, Oklahoma. It was a room full of fun loving, good hearted people. You just know God had a hand in not only bringing Micah and Aaron together, but these two families, as well.

Brad could be the 4th Evans brother

One word... T-r-o-u-b-l-e

The three of us ended the night with a glass of wine at the B&B. It was the perfect end to a wonderful day. If the bride was nervous about the following day, you couldn’t tell. She was cool as a cucumber even though in a few short hours, it would be her Wedding Day…

The Arrival of Baby Liam

I may have unpacked from our Sardinia vacation but the suitcases were never put away. As soon as the laundry was finished from that trip, it was time to start packing again. USA – here I come.

My Mom and Riley picked me up on Friday, June 11th. There was about a 35 degree difference from when I got on the plane in Frankfurt and when I stepped off the plane in Dallas. I must say that I don’t miss that heat and humidity one bit. Therefore, our first stop was Sonic. It was happy hour after all and I was parched. Once my thirst had been quenched, we took the scenic route through Roanoke and Keller to my Mom and Riley’s new house. It’s a perfect haven for grandchildren, future grandchildren, and in my case, a granddog.

My Mom and I spent the next few days on Baby Alert as Liam was expected to arrive any day. We filled our time with shopping. Surprised? I didn’t think so. I had a lovely lunch with my dear friend Kasey and also enjoyed some time with my Grandparents in Bridgeport. Wednesday morning I received “The Call” from Hailey. Baby Liam would make his debut on Thursday. This of course meant I had about 30 seconds to stop crying from excitement and go throw some clothes in a bag to take to Tulsa.

We arrived in Tulsa with enough time to take the soon-to-be-mommy out for a pedicure. We figured she wouldn’t have much time for things like that after the following day so better get it in now.

The first time I'd ever felt her belly

The whole group of us (Mom, Dad, Hailey, Cody, Cody’s pop, sister, nephew, and me) had dinner at On the Border that evening. We spent the whole night telling funny stories of things we all did as kids. Cody also chimed in with a few great stories about Hailey’s pregnancy. I think my favorite was when she had heartburn for the first time and she told Cody she had fire burps.

Thursday was the big day. Hailey was induced at 5:30 am and then we played the waiting game.

By 2:30 pm I was starving so Dad and I set out in search of food. Of course the minute we left, we got a call that we’d better hurry up, it was time. We rushed back…..only to wait some more. And this time we were stuck in the actual waiting room with no one giving us updates. That didn’t work for me so I snuck back to her room and stood outside the door hoping no one would tell me to leave. The rest of the group joined me a few minutes later. We stood there for 45 minutes listening to the nurse count to ten. But then I heard it, the most precious sound ever. A cry. The most wonderful cry.

And just like that, he was here. And he was perfect.

Everybody, meet my nephew Liam.

Hailey did amazing. Unfortunately, somewhere along the way she pulled a muscle in her neck (which she’ll tell you was more painful than the actual delivery) making it difficult to look at her new baby. So she spent few more days in the hospital but soon it was time for the new family to head home.

I don't think that is how it's supposed to be used

Abby meeting her new brother

Talk about the perfect Father’s Day gift.

Lots and lots of lovin'.

Sunday evening, I went back to OKC with my Dad and Carmen for a barbecue at my in-laws house. After a week apart, I was a little excited to see my husband. But his family hadn’t seen him in over a year so I guess you could say they were a little excited, too. We enjoyed time with his parents, grandparents, sister, aunt and cousins. And to “top” off the evening, Brad and I were finally able to eat our wedding cake topper that his mom had saved for us. It was shockingly good and brought back great memories. Brad, again, dropped cake down/on my dress….just like on our wedding day.

The following day we visited my mother-in-law’s store, Leisure Time RV, and took a tour of the new building and a few of the new RVs. No wonder Brad doesn’t like sleeping in a tent when we go camping. He’s been spoiled. We met our newly married friends, Chris and Aelayna, for lunch then spent the afternoon shopping. My grandmother arrived late that afternoon, just in time to have dinner with me, Dad, Brad and his family. We went to Mama Rojas on Lake Hefner. FINALLY! My Mexican food craving had been curbed.

Tuesday, Brad and I drove to Tulsa so he could meet his new nephew. When we arrived in Tulsa, I was quickly reminded how much I rely on Karen, our GPS. We managed to get lost for a good half hour before figuring out where we were. But it was worth the wait. Liam was even cuter than he was two days before. Check out Uncle Brad.

It also happened to be my birthday. We celebrated with a little birthday cake……and I personally celebrated by wearing my new cowboy boots that my Mom and Riley gave me. Perfection.

But the day was cut short since Mom and I had to head back to the Big D to start getting ready for Micah’s Bridal Luncheon that was on Thursday. That’s right, my best friend’s wedding was a week after my nephew’s birth…talk about perfect timing.

But that story will have to wait until next time. Until then, I leave you with this...

Ciao Sardinia!

Wednesday was our last day at Li Cuncheddi and thank the Lord we woke up to sunshine. We set up shop (and by shop I mean our 30 different types of sun block, 4 novels, towels, etc.) early so we had prime location for sun bathing and, of course, people watching. It was a beautiful day!

By lunch time, Brad was craving pizza (again) so we found a little restaurant that overlooked the cove near our hotel. Wouldn’t you know it, they weren’t serving pizza until 7 pm. What kind of deal is that? I don’t know. But we enjoyed melon and prosciutto and a tomato caprese salad with a homemade spicy olive oil dressing instead. It was perfection!

We couldn’t leave without spending some time on the beach so that’s how we spent our last afternoon. Brad had decided on day one that he wanted to go sit on the rocks that were out in the cove and he was running out of time. So away he went…

Our Hotel - Li Cuncheddi

The day soon came to an end and it was unfortunately time to pack. But on the bright side, our flight wasn’t leaving until the following evening so we had most of the next day to enjoy our drive back to Alghero and spend some time in the adorable Catalan town.

We kicked off the morning with a delicious breakfast of croissants with Nutella and what I swear looked and tasted like chocolate cake…works for me. We said goodbye to our beautiful hotel and hit the road.

On our initial drive to Olbia, we passed a beautiful church in the middle of nowhere that we wanted to stop at on the way back. I found some information on it in my little Sardinia travel book and it turned out to be a pretty neat highlight of our trip.

The church is called Santissima Trinita di Saccargia and was built in striped layers of black and white stone. It’s surprisingly simple but still impressive, especially when you consider that it was built in the 6th century. We couldn’t take pictures with a flash inside (and it was really dark) but we took plenty outside.

Alghero was only about a half hour from the church; unfortunately, we had NO idea where we were going or what we were looking for. So, when in doubt, follow the signs for “City Center.” We did a little sightseeing from the car before hitting the jackpot with a parking spot. We strolled along the Ramparts, the ancient wall that is positioned between the old city and the sea.

We picked a small outdoor restaurant for lunch, not realizing what we had gotten ourselves into. A chalkboard advertised 16 euro for lunch and a glass of wine. Sounds good. We should have read further. When the waiter brought us another set of silverware after we had just stuffed ourselves (Brad had an incredible spaghetti Bolognese and I had delicious pasta with mussels) we were a little worried. Sure enough, round two came and we couldn’t just let it go to waste. Needless to say, we had to roll ourselves back to the car after that.

And that is where our trip ends. I may find the energy to tell you about our flight home and how Brad has refused to fly RyanAir ever, ever again…but that will have to come another day.

So goodbye Sardinia, you will be missed.