Lessons in Arkansas

Why Southern Weddings are the Best, Y'all

1). The wedding begins at 6pm, and you still get a tan during the half hour ceremony.

2). Sweet tea is the main beverage during the reception.

3). Lightning bugs flicker on and off as the new Mr. and Mrs. dance the night away.

4). Baby Bean poops on your bridesmaid dress. 

 A night to remember, indeed.

more photos to come, 

once I recoup from the weekend. 

and dry clean my dress. 

xoxo

{Bon Bon}

Mawwiage

{at my wedding}

 Everything they say about Southern belles is true.

Everything sweet, that is.

Case in point: My cousin Sara.

She's sweet. sweet tea sweet.

And teeny tiny petite; and those big luminous green eyes...

Give her an over-sized pair of sunglasses, an over-sized venti starbucks cup, and then

you might recognize her as the Olsen's long lost triplet sister.

Sara Olsen, kinda has a ring to it. 

But, another last name, (who gave her a sparkly finger ring) is totally taking the cake this weekend, 

in Arkansas! 

It's going to be a wedding weekend filled to the brim. 

bachelorette party. bridesmaid luncheon. rehearsal. big day.

 and packing one under 50 lb. bag for the Bean and I.

{give me that venti coffee}

Sunshine, matrimony, and chick-fil-A, here we come y'all!

 xoxo

{Bon Bon}

 

Baby Banner

 

 10PM-3:59AM

4AM

5AM

 

5:32 AM

 

5:58 AM

 

 5:59 AM

6:10 AM

6:15 AM

6:26 AM

 

 6:30AM HULKSMASHHHHH!!!!

and to think, I used to complain when the sweet and gentle birds chirping outside my window woke me up.

xoxo

{Bon Bon}

Playing Hooky

Today will be spent with these silly gooses. geese. goosen. 

There's waffles to be eaten. Iced coffee to be drinken. Houses to be hunted. and husbands to be dated. 

A date with a husband. Only one. Mine. Just to clarify. 

Honestly though, who has time for language rules-schmules when a Friday full of possibilities is waiting to be possibled? 

{Unless you're day is full of school possibilities. Then you should definitely make time for it, 
says the mom-jeans wearing side of me} 

  

Hope you all have a perfect weekend full of "possible."  

Even you grammar police out there. 

xoxo

{Bon Bon}

My Baby Shower Gift to You

{we did it!}

Either something's in the water or it's just the stage of life that we're in, but I know so many pregnant ladies right now. 
This letter is for them. 
{and the future moms-to-be as well, cause you're time will come...amanda. and amy. hehe}




Dear {insert name},

Yes. I'm talking to you.

You beautifully glowing mama in the making, you.

Look at that, growing a human being and all.

Girl. That's pretty amazing. pretttttty darn amazing.

I'm betting nine months seems like an eternity chock full of pretty darn amazing and potentially less than amazing moments now, doesn't it?

Sure, it's all rainbows and glitter and gender revealing cupcake parties,

until you're reminded {approx. 793 times. 812 if you include complete strangers at the grocery store} of the whole "THAT has to squeeze out of THAT!?"

Plus the heartburn, and the sleepless nights, and the awkward summer months squeezed into a bikini while the bump hasn't completely -umped yet, more like, {too many} -cheeseburgered.  

No wonder some women drink red wine during their pregnancy. 

I almost poured myself a glass as well. 

Especially after several particularly uncomfortable TUMS induced constipation labors, that sent my hypnobirthing confident-self into a downward spiral. 

Cause if I can't even do THAT, how am I gonna do THAT!? 

{I'm assuming by now, you know what the "that's" are referring to}

And so began many a tossed and turned night, praying for a miraculous cure to any and all birthing discomfort. This is 2012 people! We have Siri and Tupac holograms for goodness sake.

But like most of life does, nine months goes by fast.

One minute you're trying to solve the 1+1 pink line mystery equation while your husband's gone camping for the weekend,

and the next you're huffing and puffing your way through the hospital entrance at 11 PM, {hopefully not while your husband's gone camping for the weekend}

Thankfully,

us girls are pretty strong. prettttttty darn strong.

Like, I am woman hear me roar strong.

Which you might do. 

You might roar during labor. 
Who cares though.


"We've heard and seen it all," said my nurse friend who had a lady accidentally poop on her shoe during labor. 
Which, somehow made me feel better, because, really, what are the odds that'll happen to you too?


I did a lot of moaning and combing my fingers through my hair. 

Plus, a lot of slurping down those cranberry-sprite spritzer mocktails my bartender moonlighting as a nurse kept making me. 

In the end, all that matters is your baby. 

and hospital ice. 

Both are quite fabulous.

xoxo

{Bon Bon}

Je Ne Sais Quoi

{our matching noggins}

Baby Bean was born with a head full of thick dark hair. 

My nurse, midwife, and family can all testify that he came out squawking and with a hairstyle. 

The squawking is still just as loud as ever, but the hair is no longer the same. 

All of those baby hairs fell out. every.single.strand. 

Over a matter of weeks, he went from a faux hawk-to a combover- to a very unfortunate two-day episode of looking like a mini Kim Jong Il with a bout of baby acne-to a mullet-to three stubborn strands firmly rooted on the top of his head. then those fell out as well. 

oh how we laughed. and laughed. and laughedandlaughedandlaughed. 

Until, my hair...

my head full of thick dark hair, 

began falling out. 

things got serious.

Fortunately, I had a lot of hair to begin with. 

Unfortunately, I had a lot of hair to lose. 

Pretty much, I get a haircut in the shower with every shampoo and condition session, 

and the amount of sweeping and vacuuming going on would make you think that we own a dog. or a shetland pony. or a dog riding on a shetland pony, all over the house. 

 I think things are gonna be ok though.  

As I was picking out my breakfast at {Nuvrei} the other day, the girl taking my order looked at me, at me! and said, "I love your hair! It looks, I don't know, so healthy!" 

Your. Hair. Healthy. Love. 

Those words, spoken so nonchalantly, yet so timely in the middle of a picturesque pâtisserie downtown, and what I thought was the beginning of a bad hair day. 

Inwardly, I wanted to shout, "oubliez le croissant jambon et fromage. donner à cette fille une augmentation! Which is a {horrible} french translation for, "Forget the ham and cheese croissant, give this girl a raise!"

Or dance on the table, while throwing handfuls of colorful macarons into the air. 

In the end, I decided to...

give her a tip. 

Lame. 

xoxo

{Bon Bon}

ZZZZZzzzzz

{night owl}

It's just one of those nights. While everyone else is cozily snuggled, sprawling and snoring in their beds and cribs, without a care in the world, 

I find myself out on the couch at two in the morning with a spoonful of trader joe's speculoos cookie butter and a glass of almond milk... googling the whereabouts of Freddie Prinze Jr. 

Insomnia at its finest. 

Note to Self 

Make copious amounts of {THIS} tomorrow morning

Take copious? amounts of {THIS} tomorrow night

And on that note, 

a Good Night-Morning to you! 

xoxo

{Bon Bon}