Reunited

This past Friday night Daniel took the RA's camping. I didn't really have any plans for the night until my best friend, Kristen, called earlier in the week and said she was going to be in Hattiesburg for the weekend. One of my other best friends, Anne, lives in Hattiesburg (Mississippi - about an hour and a half from N.O.) and recently had a baby in late December. Our schedules have been so crazy that I hadn't even met baby Kristen! This past weekend was the perfect chance for me to kill many birds with one stone! So, Friday after work, I headed to the "burg," as many locals (or at least my friends) call it.

Here we are last year at the wedding...Kristen (on left) was my maid of honor and Anne (on right) was my matron of honor

When I arrived at Anne's house, I immediately noticed all of the gift bags on the other side of the room. Just to put it into perspective, the only people there that night were myself, Kristen, Anne, and Anne's husband, Trey. There were at least 8 large gift bags sitting there waiting for me to open. I could not believe it! Here's a pic (not a great one because it was taken with my phone) of most of the stash they gave us. What incredibly supportive and generous friends!!!

There have been so many times in my life that I've literally said out loud, I don't know what I would do without these two. This was definitely another one of those times. Just as a side note, Kristen and Anne are the ones who literally brought me back to New Orleans in 2006 kicking and screaming (after I had been gone for a year because of Hurricane Katrina). They were convinced (even though I wasn't!) it was God's will for me to move back, and I'm so thankful they listened to Him because about a week after they dropped me off, I met Daniel on the first day of class. :) And the rest is history...

Besides the presents and being reunited with friends, another BIG highlight of the weekend was meeting Kristen Lynn Wilson for the first time. Look at this adorable little girl!

She is such a happy little thing! Even when she first wakes up, she is all smiles! Love her!

Here she is playing with Aunt Kris (the crazy one, I mean, amazing one she was named after)

Aunt Laura and baby Kristen...I sure hope Riley's such a happy baby!

What a fun time we all had! Anne gave me LOTS of great advice about parenting and preparing for Riley's arrival. I am SO thankful for all of the wisdom she passed on! Kristen, as usual, threw in jokes every now and then and kept us all laughing. It had been six months since I'd seen either of them, and I am just praying now that it doesn't take another six months for us to enjoy a reunion. Remember ladies, Riley's coming in 3 short months...hint, hint! :)