Our 2012 Christmas Letter

2012 -- OH, WHAT A GRAND YEAR IT WAS! 

Let's see if we can recap this year's highlights with memories and pictures...

Beginning with Christmas 2011...

It all started with a kitten named Brie (yes, after the cheese; Drew is an aspiring chef, you know...)

Drew showed up at 7:00 a.m. on Christmas Eve (having driven in from Shreveport after his shift at the restaurant the night before -- THANK YOU, Guardian Angels!) with this little cutie pie he'd rescued from the pound.

Before all was said and done, she'd kissed every Baby Jesus in the house & had won over even those hearts most resistant to feline wiles!  (Paw Paw said she was "treading on dangerous ground," but he didn't fool anyone!)


A very merry Christmas was had by all, spending good times with family & friends, enjoying bonfires on the levee in Lutcher to light the way for Papa Noel (a new family tradition) followed by midnight Mass (which now starts at 11:00 p.m. - figure that one out), a visit from Santa (yes, even big kids get Christmas stockings around here!), and a trip to Mum's (grandma's) -- literally over the river (the Comite River, that is) and through the woods (Walker, LA is out in the sticks, y'all!)

Wrapping up the holidays Dewey & Angela dressed up & went out to eat on New Year's Eve to celebrate 30 years of marriage -- what a grand blessing, indeed!

JANUARY 2012

Bright and early on 1/1/12, we loaded up the car and headed to (in our collective opinion) the GRANDEST place on earth -- Walt Disney World!

If you know Dewey, then you know he's WDW's biggest fan.  And if you were around 30 years ago when we got hitched, then you know that we spent our honeymoon there.  For those of you who weren't at the wedding, trust us, you'd have remembered where we honeymooned because our going-away outfits were Mickey and Minnie Mouse costumes!  (NO kidding!)

Anyway, we thought it would be fun to take the kids there for our big 3-0 anniversary, and it would have, we're sure.  Unfortunately, Drew was unable to get off work --  holidays are REALLY big for those in the restaurant industry -- so he missed out.  Boo Hoo!!  Well, Hope didn't really mind being an only child for a while...

Is there anything better
than a toy store?

We also spent some time at Harry Potter World at Universal Studios.  What a fun place!  Crowded, very crowded, and cold, VERY cold, but fun!

As you can see, we were rocking our LSU gear in high hopes of a victory in the BCS Championship Bowl....we could just taste how good it was going to be on the beaches at Gulf Shores this summer!  Oh, well.  THAT was NOT meant to be.

C'est la vie.

Maybe a Mickey Mouse ear
ice cream!
With chocolate!

Before we left the Orlando area, we had the opportunity to visit with my cousin Cindy who lives nearby with her husband, Jeff & her son, Zach.  What a treat!  Thanks, Cindy, for taking time out of your busy week to spend time with us.  It was fun to catch up!

While we were whooping it up in WDW, we got this text from Drew: 

Why all the excitement, you might ask??  

Well, here is the "before" picture -->

Seems that Chef Anthony decided the entire kitchen crew needed a new look for a new year.  Hip, hip, hooray!  

Guess there's more than one way to skin a cat!  OOOPS!  Sorry about that, Brie.  

FEBRUARY 2012

Pretty GRAND things to do in early February.....

...go deer hunting with a crossbow....

...go hiking in the Ozarks with your buddies....

...crochet some cute little bags...

...bake some kick-it break pudding for a SuperBowl Party...

...get engaged...

WAIT!  GET ENGAGED?!  

Yep.  That's what Hope & Weston did!  

CONGRATULATIONS! 

Dewey & I spent Mardi Gras with them and Weston's mom in Nashville celebrating the engagement and kicking off the wedding plans.  We were there for the first -- and only! -- snow of the year.  A light dusting on Sunday morning before church -- beautiful! 

A pitstop for ribs at the original Dreamland BBQ in Tuscaloosa on the way back to BR... 

...this place is WAY off the beaten path! (Thank you, UrbanSpoon & GPS!)

Then we were off for a weekend with Drew-Man in Shreveport...

We always get the royal treatment at Wine Country Bistro when we're in town! 

(You gotta know somebody)

Check out this ultra-grand dessert!  Wasn't even on the menu!  Were we the talk of the town, or what?! 

It was as delicious as it was entertaining! 

We caught up with Brie....

We ate some good food at our favorite haunts, including the original Superior Grille (hi, Kirchoffs!) and The Real Pickle....

...we made some plans for the spring & summer.  

All in all, an excellent month, don't you think??!!  

Yes, February was just GRAND.  

God is good!  God is GRAND!  

MARCHANDAPRIL2012 (aka the BLUR)

Now, let's see.....how many tasks are involved in planning a wedding.....hmmm.....couple 'o million, you reckon?  

Oh, at least.  

You know, they fill thick, glossy MAGAZINES with nothing but wedding stuff....there are endless WEBSITES & BLOGS dedicated to wedding planning, right down to the tiniest detail....there are entire INDUSTRIES full of people whose eyes glaze over with delight when you say you're planning a wedding (imagine the look on the face of the wolf who met Little Red Riding Hood on the narrow path in the depths of the dark forest and you'll get the picture), and in the background you can hear cash registers cha-chinging away every time you walk through their doors....

WHY?  

Because it's FUN & EXCITING & INTOXICATING, that's why!  It really is!  ALL of it!  

And I don't think I'm speaking out of turn when I say that we ALL had a GRAND time planning this wonderful wedding!  

(Thank you, Dewey.  Thank you, Carla.  Thank you, Hope.  Thank you, Weston.) 

It really was a blast!  

Engagement photos...
(thank you, my talented friend, Dana!)

the perfect dress...!
(thank you, Bustle Bridal!)

bridal registry....

invitations....stamps....calligraphy...
(thank you, Amanda @ The Keeping Room
& Martha, our calligrapher!)

wedding favors....
(thank you, Milou @ Bocage Bee & Honey Co!)

having a grandmother who can sew
makes life amazingly grand.....!
(thank you, MUM!)

& it just doesn't get any cuter than this!
(Thank you, darling Lily!)

Then, just when you think it might turn into a runaway train, along comes a lovely Easter break at the beach and you know it's all going to come together just fine......

...as long as you remember to say your prayers 

& stop to smell the flowers once in a while! 

Thank you, Blessed Mother, for your prayers and intercessions to your precious son, 

our Lord Jesus Christ, on our behalf over all of our child-rearing years! 

I think we were fortunate to have the perfect recipe for a wonderful wedding:  one very happy bride and one very happy groom who envisioned an elegantly simple ceremony, two families who were very happy for them, huge dollops of love, heaping servings of willingness, & gallons of joy, all mixed well and spiced with technology (for ease of long-distance preparation) and baked for a short & sweet period of time and -- voila!  

The next thing we knew......it was MAY!  

MAY 2012

As soon as Hope & Weston were done with their finals, they left Nashville and headed to BR to kick off the festivities...

 showers & bridesmaid's luncheon

(thank you, ladies!)

Fittings &
Last-minute details...

It all came together remarkably smoothly!  

And then, the BIG DAY!  

Early Appointment with the hairdresser...

When did these children grow up?!