Baby Shower at The Barn

Shower time!

Last night we had our first baby shower, and let me just brag on my wonderful friends--it was gorgeous and so much fun!

A relatively mild night (Thanks, God!) in downtown Roswell's Fickle Pickle with super feminine and vintage decorations, these girls really outdid themselves.  Ryan actually made it in town for the couples event, and as we were headed out the door with nothing in our hands, Ryan looked at me and said, "Well this feels great...we just show up?" :)  It's been a while since he's even been to a shower (say about seven years since our wedding?) let alone been the guest of honor, and although it was TOTALLY counterintuitive for us to not do a single thing for a party, it was also so nice.

Peach, coral and gray...oh, my!

Girlie decor for our little girlie

We arrived to a twilit room in the back barn, complete with tissue paper flowers (which I'm sure took a million years to construct!) and lanterns, mason jars of peach and coral ranunculus, roses and tulips (which are now graciously beautifying our home), and picture vignettes of Ryan and I themed "First comes love...then comes marriage...then comes baby!" (So, so, so cute!)  Really, I know how much time and energy it must've taken these girls to pull everything together (especially with kids, husbands and careers to attend to along the way!), and not only did they go above and beyond, but they really, truly made it an event that was so beautiful that I just wanted to sit and take everything in all night.

This guy...

Beyond how everything looked, it was also so fun to see our friends (especially for Ryan, who's been home a total of like three days this month) and to catch up and celebrate. The highlight of the night, I must say, was definitely Tim Carley and Eric Ragone's Dramatic Readings in between gifts.  The hostesses had requested our guests write a bit of advice to Ryan and I or to the baby, and to liven up the opening of presents, the boys entertained us by reading the "stacked" deck of notes (some sweet, but mostly they just ragged on Ryan).  One of the most fun shower "games" that I've ever witnessed, here are a few of my favorite funny excerpts (written to the baby)...

"When you're 16 and want two cars instead of just one, don't worry, just remind your mom that she bought you two cribs. A girl's gotta' have options."


"Remember that your dad will always have the better hair products to borrow."


"When you're ready for your first beer, come see your Uncle Shane."


"Just because your mom was Homecoming Queen doesn't mean you have to..."


"Whatever it is you want, make sure to ask your dad."

Uh-mazing.  And, of course, I made Ryan actually do all of the opening of gifts, which was funny to watch since he didn't know what most of the items' names or purposes, which gave the girls something to chuckle at as he squirmed. :)

Overall, it was a wonderful evening and as Ryan and I settled down into bed last night, we couldn't help but be overwhelmed by our wonderful friends.  God has surrounded us with people that inspire us, make us laugh, give great advice, are fun to celebrate with, give us hope, encourage us, and people who make us better in life.  We were so overwhelmed at everyone's generosity not only in helping us "set up shop" for the baby, but also in taking time out of their busy lives on a Saturday night to hang out for some literal "baby talk."  Thank you to everyone who made it out...you were wonderful!

And, of course, THANK YOU A MILLION TIMES OVER to Kristan Carley, Alli Finlay, Natalie Kitchen and Ashley Glover (and their hard-working husbands) for putting on an event we'll always remember! We'll never be able to show our gratitude enough...for last night, but mostly for being great friends.

And on a final note, man, that was one heck of a shower! :)