what has been consuming my life

THE INVITATIONS ARE DONE!!!!!!!!

this is where i'm moving...

i so wish this picture had turned out better. i stopped for gas the other night in new orleans. as i pulled in there was a van that was having to be towed. apparently they spent all their money on turning the van into a teapot and neglected the tires. it's all about priorities! i would put the tires off too!
if you click on the picture you can kind of make out the spout coming out of the grill on the front and the lid on top of the van. i should have gotten a side shot so you could see the handle coming out of the back.

i really would love to know the story behind the van. you know there has to be one.

wedding festivities

it has begun! most of the planning is done...most. i finally put all the driving directions and hotel information on our website, so if you are planning on making the trip all the info you need is on www.theknot.com/ourwedding/emilyguthrie&heathferguson.

now that the planning is done...the festivities can begin!! my mom's friends recently hosted a wedding shower for me and i was completely blown away by the generosity and love i felt that day!

we are definitely blessed!
the shower was at vicki robinson's house, and it was absolutely beautiful!


here are the hostesses for the party





















have i mentioned that i have the prettiest flower girls? this is one of them. molly and me and her babydoll.
























my mom and me before the shower






















on the right is jennifer lowe, my sister's best friend from childhood. her mom, mrs. lee, and her sister, kristy sanders, are on the left.
























sweet mrs. fyke and me by the beautiful table! if you can't tell by the colorful flowers...they know me well!























all the girls. molly, emily annie, my sister, mom and me.
























sweet hellian and mrs. moss. helen is one of my bridesmaids. i think i have the sweetest, prettiest bridesmaids.

























laura husband and weezie polk! weezie...i put this on here for you!
























mrs. mccay and me.























sweet kate long and me. kate married one of my good guy friends from high school.
























this picture is trouble. this is how i opened presnts. the girls would pick out the next present for me to open. my sister would write it down while cannada put it back in the box. cannada and nette together are trouble. i believe during this picture cannada was asking molly how many children she wanted heath and me to have.























on the sofa are some of heath's aunts. aunt gayle, aunt jean, aunt rosie and aunt geraldine. they were so sweet to make the drive up for the shower!

























cannada and me. we don't really know exactly how long we have been best friends. my dad and her mom went to law school together. it seems like she's always been in my life. she is engaged right now and getting married in march. it is so much fun going through all of this together!

























this is mrs. tohill. you need to know her. she is hysterical and wonderful! obviously she got the memo that i'm not the typical bride & like fun!!




























my beautiful cousin julie, her precious daughter mary evins and my beautiful aunt pam. they were so sweet to come as well with all they have going on!
























on the left is lauren dent. she and i used to work together at first pres. and on the right is my old roommate, emily craft. i love these girls!!
























my matron of honor....my sweet, sweet sissy.

this is for caroline

so i was threatened if i didn't update my blog. i need people in my life who are going to set me straight like that!
i'm heading down to nola this weekend. have i mentioned that i'm moving there after the wedding?
all my stuff is already there. heath is living there right now, but stays in the hotel when i come to town.


if you are ever in nola come see us! we have plenty of room for visitors!
here are a few pictures that were taken with my phone...so they're not the best quality.

thank you caroline for making me update!

where do i start....

i owe y'all a huge apology for not updating until now, but i think y'all will forgive me when i explain why i have been occupied!

well you see.....

I'M ENGAGED!!!!

i have been dating a guy named heath for a little while....we knew of each other previously though. on aug.7th he asked me to marry him! he took me to a bluff off of the trace. got down on one knee and asked me. i of course said yes! i had decided a while back that i wouldn't pray with any guy until i was engaged. so we prayed together for the first time. it was the sweetest moment!

heath lives in new orleans and is going to the new orleans baptist theological seminary. he is getting his masters of divinity in counseling.

we will be getting married in jackson on december 19th!! and then i will be moving to new orleans for 2 years. how much fun is that???

for some reason i envision the new orleans, married me being a lot more artsy and really cool!

we of course will always be open to having visitors....all the time!

now that i have rediscovered my love of my blog i will post the things you have missed over the past couple of months.

until then.

xoxo.



for your viewing pleasure....this is at my sisters after we got engaged.

sometimes i can be cool too...

in less than 24 hours my roommate and i threw together a house show for stephen gordon and adam agin.

it was awesome.



ok...so i'll be honest. stephen is one of my roommate's old ruf students, so it really had nothing to do with me being cool. i knew y'all would have figured out that i couldn't be that cool. y'all are smart.



adam is on the left. stephen is on the right. check out their music on itunes! or pause the music on my page and listen to them below.

for all you in or near nashville tomorrow....

this post is for you.

i hope that everyone reading this post has had the opportunity to meet ruthie sayles, but i don't think that is the case. if you do know her then you understand how hard it is for me to put into words just how amazing this girl is!

i remember the first time i met ruthie in college, but i also remember the time i realized just how cool of a friend i had made. it was my freshman year. super swap at forresters with 17th floor playing. it was our first swap. we were all there with our "owl pals" feeling oh so cool. all of a sudden in walks ruthie with our pledge trainer, leslie logan. i had only met ruthie one other time before this, but i was pretty sure she wasn't a chi o. she was a couple years older and we had just pledged, so i didn't know for sure. ruthie is beautiful and tall, but can get down unlike any white girl i have ever seen! we were all awkward freshmen who had no clue what was going on. ruthie got us all out on that dance floor, though. it was hands down the greatest swap we ever had! as we were leaving she informed us that she wasn't a chi o, but that she never passes up an opportunity to dance to 17th floor. (p.s. if you're looking for tupac, i'm pretty sure he is the lead singer for 17th floor, the rap cover band that plays ole miss parties. they are awesome.) she didn't care if they kicked her out. she was going to dance. that is when i realized just how cool she is!


on april 15th, ruthie's father passed away. this was a complete surprise, but thankfully we serve a God who knows no surprises. ruthie started a blog to share this hard walk with us. one of the things i love the most about ruthie is how real she is. this is a hard time in her life and she doesn't pretend like it isn't. she does this with hope though b/c she knows she will be with her father again.






















(ruthie with her father on her wedding day)


a couple of weeks ago ruthie and her husband, will, were driving through jackson on their way back to nashville. will's car broke down and they were stranded here. when it rains it pours. i got to spend a little time with them and catch up with this sweet friend.

i knew that ruthie had been having treatments for her back (problems remaining from a wreck she had in high school), but i learned the extent of all of this.

one of her close friend's summed it up better than i can....

"For those who don't know, she was in a very serious auto accident in 1996 and was in critical care for 6-8 weeks. With a broken neck, it was a miracle that she was even able to walk again. However, she has suffered chronic and intolerable pain since then. Recently, doctors discovered a surgical wire that has broken and pierced her spinal cord that must be removed. The countless medical bills will be in excess of $100,000, and their insurance policy excludes Ruthie's pre-existing condition."

the surgery is risky, but it can't be left the way it is.

this is what brings me to this post.

TOMORROW NIGHT (thursday, june 4) there is a benefit concert in nashville for ruthie.

it is going to be an amazing night, and i wish more than anything that i could be there!
i figured that i would post this on here on the off chance that someone in nashville hasn't heard about it, and wants to help out my sweet friend!!

this flyer has all the information, but if you need more just let me know!





























i love you ruthie!!

why is it....

that my lips go down for a frown, but can't go up for a smile?

ever since i was little i could make the "bulldog face", which then turned into the will clark face.
will clark played baseball for mississippi state, but went on to play for the giants, rangers, orioles and cardinals. when he would bat he would always make a frown.

since my family rarely missed a state baseball game they thought it was entertaining to get me to do the frown.




















it isn't a mystery that i love to laugh, and i love to smile. all the time. one day in high school, a friend (caroline...i think it was you) pointed out that when i smile my lips don't go up.

to illustrate this point here are some ridiculous pictures. i apologize.

here is the will smith frown these days....
























and here is my no smiling smile.
i am trying my absolute hardest to bring the corners of my mouth up. they don't budge.


























thanks for letting me share.

this past weekend

i really am ashamed that i haven't updated this in forever. i mean caroline hogan and cassie corless just gave birth (with two small ones at home) and they updated theirs! i have no excuse.

this past weekend was such a great one....i know y'all want to hear all about it!

lucky you!

my mom and i drove up to memphis on thursday for my cousin's wedding weekend. i was going to stay with newman on thursday night and help her celebrate her birthday (i try to help out where i can!)!

my mom dropped me off at a mexican restaurant. yes, i felt like i was in junior high. especially after my mom ramped half of the car up onto the curb. (sorry mama, it was funny)

we had apps at the mexican restaurant with andy and vern, then headed to bosco's to meet up with more people. i would tell you who all was there, but i don't remember. part of me being old.

bosco's is a great restaurant in memphis...i highly recommend sitting out on the patio (i highly recommend sitting on any patio).

from there we went to some hole in the wall pub. i love hole in the wall pubs!! especially when long lost friends, like isaac byrd, walk in! i went to college with byrd dawg and i don't think i've seen him since i've graduated.

here is the one and only picture taken from that night.


























the next day my mom and i spent most of the day with my grandfather. he is in rehab now, but they are pretty sure that he had a stroke, which made him fall. he has a pacemaker, so they can't do an MRI to determine that. physically he is fine, but mentally he isn't quite as with it. when we got there he said he was ready to go to the farm.
he grew up on a dairy farm in mccomb (probably where i get my love of milk from!)
the next day we went to see him he had on two button down shirts. he said that he was afraid he would get cold while he was working.
he still is hands down the cutest grandfather around!!
i discovered something while we visited. he loves wheel of fortune. so do i! my sister makes fun of me for this. although i am in the wheel watchers club, and i don't think he is quite to that level.

friday night we went to the most beautiful rehearsal dinner for my cousin's wedding. drew's dad (my uncle) is on the national heart transplant list and wasn't able to be there for the wedding. i know he hated missing it, but he wouldn't have wanted them to cancel it.
drew's oldest brother, bryan, stepped in and read the sweetest toast my uncle had typed out. drew has two older brothers and they are all really close. i love all of them so much and was so happy to share this night with drew and his new wife, merry claire.

merry claire is adored by everyone she meets, but i don't think anyone loves her as much as my sister's girls!

here are some pictures from the wedding at the memphis botanic gardens.....

merry claire was a beautiful bride!!















































their first dance was to elton john's "this is your song." my uncle was a classical guitarast in college and sang this song to his wife when they were dating and after they got married. it was so sweet to see drew and merry claire dance to it.
































drew dancing with his mom. all the babies call her "aunt pink"

































the reception was gorgeous!


























on the left is elizabeth bratley wardlaw (married to my cousin, bryan), me, julie wardlaw (married to my cousin, russ) and their little girl mary evins wardlaw.










































congratulations drew and merry claire! i love y'all both and pray the Lord will continue to shower you with his love and blessings!

text messages

this is why i love my friends....























because they take pictures of themselves while driving and message them to me with "miss y'all already" as the subject.

speaking of driving and taking pictures.

one of these days i'm going to figure out how to get vhs videos on to a computer, so i can show y'all the meatloaf music video hallie and newman filmed while driving my car.
that is when i knew we would be bff.

my sweet grandfather

i've told y'all about my cute grandfather, "grandaddy wardlaw," in this post.

this past weekend he had a really bad fall and had a brain hemorrhage. he used to walk 2 miles a day...every single day. he also ate an apple a day...core and all. he walked those two miles up until a couple of months ago. he is 91.

my sister, her youngest and i went up to memphis on saturday, so we could spend some time with him.

even in a hospital bed he is the cutest thing.

he has moved to a rehab place and is doing much better than we originally though!

thank y'all for the prayers!


want to hear a cute story?

we got to memphis on saturday and went straight to the hospital to see my grandfather. my mom was telling molly what my grandfather had eaten for lunch....tomato soup and apple juice.
after we left we ran by target. sweet molly asked her mama if we could get some apple juice, so she could share some with grandaddy wardlaw.

she wanted to have an apple juice party with him. the juicy juice in the picture would be from their party. he loved the apple juice!!

a dear friend

i don't think there is a memory i have of my freshman year in college without patrick ross and eric eaton in them. the three of us did everything together.

that year for fall break i flew out to san diego to see my sister for the weekend. patrick and eric actually wrote me letters for the plane ride b/c they were scared i would get bored without them.
once when i was sick i was laying in bed and heard the door open. i thought that either someone was breaking in, or someone was coming over to just hang out. my house was kind of a free-for-all for anyone who wanted to come over. i called out and got no response, so i decided it was a robber. i didn't really care b/c i felt so bad. after awhile eric and patrick came in my room with chicken soup. i'm pretty sure it was homemade too. i can't tell you how many stories like these that i have.

i bet you are wondering why i'm taking this walk down memory lane. may 5, 2004, our sweet friend, patrick, died in a car accident. everything about that day is so vivid....it seems like it was just yesterday.

i'm not writing this to make y'all sad. i've actually been laughing to myself remembering all the things we did together. i can smile because i know that patrick loved God. it was evident in everything he did. i use this day as a reminder of how short life is. a reminder to ask myself what kind of legacy i am leaving. it also reminds me to be thankful for my dear friends and all the memories we have together.

i hope y'all know that i'm thankful for you. all of you.

patrick used to give the best bear hugs. hands down the best. if he didn't give a bear hug he would put his arm around you and grab onto the seam on the shoulder. he would cup his hand under the seam and squeeze tight. i always thought that was so strange, but he said it was his way of giving a sideways bear hug.

all that to say

don't let an opportuntity pass you by to give your friends and family a great big bear hug.




















this picture is from our trip to madison, GA (patrick's hometown). we went to see the ole miss/georgia game. patrick's sweet family took us in for the weekend. he has the greatest family ever and i'm so thankful that i can keep up with them still.
left to right is luke, carol anne, patrick, me, amanda and eric.
i love these people!

(eric...that first song is for you. i tried to find cabin fever, but it wasn't on there...i can't imagine why!)

signs i'm approaching 88 and not 28

- i love playing bridge with my family

- scrabble is probably one of my favorite games...if there was a jackson league i would probably join

- my breakfast of choice is always oatmeal with walnuts and strawberries

- i love hot tea with lemon and honey

- i prefer honey that is made locally...to help with the allergies, you know

- i always have to have a blanket when i watch a movie, even in summer

- i have to wear reading glasses

- when i drive i like to listen to sermons, mpr or afr. really? i'm embarrassed of that one. the next step is getting books on tape. i don't listen to the classical music on them yet, but i do listen to the talk radio segments.

- i prefer soymilk

- i frequent fabric stores

- i like eating dinner at 5:30

- there are many, many white hairs on my head

- i like to sew and really want to learn how to knit, smock and quilt

- when i'm out with my friends we complain about the noise (at least i'm not alone on that one)

Easter festivities

this is the wreath that my sister and i set out to make. she had found the picture in an old magazine, so we were determined to make it. it's so colorful and looks so pretty with my azaleas that finally bloomed that i don't want to take it down.
i'll try to come up with another colorful wreath to take it's place.






















after church on Easter sunday we went over to my mom's house for lunch. we missed having my brother's families there, but i couldn't resist a photo op with my sister's children in their Easter dresses.





















i told them to hug each other. it looks like alex sort of has a choke-hold on molly.



















no choke-hold




















if you wear bunny ears you have to do a bunny pose





































alex might kill me one day, but then again he is the one who did the pose




















after the posing it was off to the hunting. as you can tell the eggs weren't really "hidden." this was about their 6th hunt, so the excitement had worn off.
alex, who learned how to be sarcastic from his mom and me, looked at his mamaw and said, "wow! you hide eggs really well!"









































cute little annie






















sweet mimi put her eggs in so carefully






































molly was missing a lot of the eggs and not really in to all of it....until....jeanette told her that some of the eggs had "crabby patties" in them! the kids gave up candy for lent, and crabby patties are molly's favorite! (crabby patties are from spongebob squarepants just in case you are unfamiliar)
after molly heard that she was running across the front yard trying to grab as many as she could.























their church had a hunt for them after the service, and alex had racked up. we decided that they should put all the eggs on the floor and divide them evenly. it was a ton of eggs!!! after we went through all of them and picked out the ones where people had just stuck some unpackaged jelly beans in they had a normal amount.























if you go to my sister's blog you can see pictures from earlier in the week of the egg dying and cake making. Easter is jeanette's favorite holiday, so we always go all out!