Thursday Gal Zoo Trip

We meet practically every Thursday throughout the year and have been for quite some time now. We all just providentially found each other and have been hanging ever since! New friends have joined us along the way, and as a stay-at-home-mom, hanging with these ladies (and kiddos) is something I look forward to week after week. While this rhythm has most definitely become a consistent play date for our kids, I've personally come to view it (and LOVE it) as much more than that. It's a few consistent hours each week (often more) that I get to connect with ladies in the same season I'm in. In the thick of the same struggles I'm in. Struggles I face as a mom. As a wife. As a human being. We're all different and yet SO much the same: Not one of us claims to have our entire act together, and we love our kids with EVERYthing we've got. I truly admire my many girlfriends in their seasons of mommyhood, including those that I hang with on Thursdays. I have never felt like less of a mom when I'm around them. Only inspired, encouraged, and loved.

The bond I have with these "Thursday Gals" (our unofficial name for ourselves) is something I treasure on Thursdays and beyond. 

I'm pretty sure our primary bond is because of our love for coffee.

It's just a certain kind of special, you know?

Girls. Love you, mean it.

A handful of us took the plunge and ventured farther than ever so far.

Here are some pictures from our trip to the Jacksonville Zoo last week!

(Note: about half of the group didn't go, and they were SO missed!)

The carpool crew. We made it!

Ashley, our beautiful guide

Carmen and Meg and their crew!






Here we go!


Eiley Beth (aka Ebae)

Love this one of Sellers and McClain


Finley and Rowan


Sims








Coen and his precious smile






















Ohhh these two




































Sometimes you run into long-time friends in line to feed the giraffe! So great seeing you, Laura and Adam!








Fed my favorite animal. Bucket list check-off complete!

This Mother's Day

Mother's Day fell on a really fun weekend this year. Kev played in a volleyball tournament on Saturday on Tybee Island. Nolan and I spent the WHOLE day at the beach. The whole day. Like 10.5 hours. It was SO much fun. And Kev and his partner, Nick, placed second in their league!

The weather was perfect. 

The company was sweet. 

It was all around just a really great day.

 You know it's a beach day when you eat chips for breakfast.

 The water was colllllld.

45 minutes of pure heaven on earth.

Happy early Mother's Day to me from a kid who never naps like this!

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I spent Mother's Day enjoying my number one request: some nonstop hangout time with my boys. After the Sunday gathering with our EV fam, we came home for lunch and napped while the Braves played on TV. One of our favorite things to do is drive around our neighborhood and look at houses. We talk about their character and designs and just soak up God's goodness and grace in letting us call this city home. So we loaded up the Jeep and did just that. 

 We ate ice cream for dinner because #MothersDay.

We had pizza at Vinnie Van Go-Go's for dessert. 

The simplicity of yesterday was my favorite part.  

My heart was SO full when my head hit my pillow last night.

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I love Kevin first and being his wife is my absolute favorite. 

And Nolan is my favorite part of us.

He made me a mom, and so has taken me down a path that only he could.

Motherhood.

Where grace conquers guilt, and where there's freedom to not have it all together.

Because of Jesus.

I absolutely love that.

Motherhood points me to Jesus unlike anything else.

I could stop right there and let that be enough.

In fact, I will.

Because it is.