This past weekend was another trip back to Georgia, one for me to Atlanta and Jamey to Athens. Mine was…probably a bit more tame than his, so I’ll let Jamey be the one to go into details for you about that later.

My mom’s longtime friend Mrs. T hosted a shower for me, and it was one of those special occasions that my mom and I will both cherish for a long, long time.

Plus, I got this extra special Jamey doll!

The food was delicious. Can you believe these flowers are *not* real?

It wouldn’t have been such a special without these ladies there, either. Walton High School represent!

Since Jamey gave me my wedding present early, I spent the rest of my Saturday getting camera lessons from my brother. (More details on the camera will come later, especially once I am able to get out there and take some good photos!) Until then, it was fantastic to just be with my parents and little bro, the one who just seems to keep getting bigger, older, and more mature every time I see him. Mom got a great flash-blasted iPhone pic of our East Cobb-style night out (can you guess where we ate dinner?):

Coming back to Charleston was painful, both from exhaustion but also from the fact that I feel like I haven’t spent nearly enough time with my family over the past 10 months. Being a grown up is rough stuff. Therefore, I leave you with my mom’s favorite photo from the weekend!

Yeah, that’s right: I have a wedding crown. Top that, brides-to-be!

But really, it was a beautiful weekend that I will cherish for a long time. I am so grateful for the incredible family I have – extended, immediate and unrelated – who care so much and who came out to show their love. Weekends like this really do make me understand on a greater level just how special this entire experience truly is, and I am blessed to share it with such amazing people.