This weekend was a whirlwind. Many of those near and dear gathered in Nashville for a bridal shower celebrating the upcoming nuptials of my niece (Lowi’s daughter) Sydney.

My sister and nieces put on an amazing tea party fit to meet the wildest of little girl dreams. But I will save that for Lowi to tell you about.

One of my favorite parts of the weekend was the unplanned and unstructured breakfast we all shared Sunday morning. While the tea party was reserved for the ladies, our family breakfast included Sydney’s fiancée, Jake; and Lowi’s brothers-in-law Jason and Caleb. We grazed and snacked on leftover quiche, fruit and freshly baked bread and sipped hot coffee and tea.

What made this most enjoyable were the side conversations, the inside jokes, the fun-loving nudges and knowing smiles exchanged as we shared upcoming plans and reminisced on recent good times. As everyone congregated in the kitchen, it soon turned into a comical confessional of long-ago teenage mishaps and newly confessed incidents of bruised car bumpers and other missteps of young adulthood. Some of the stories had been told many times before and the youngest of us took advantage of safety in numbers and outed their mistakes for the first time. All was shared amid laughter and light-hearted understanding that we all make our stumbles along the way.

Before long we were collecting our bags and preparing to part ways. These goodbyes are always bittersweet as we return to our homes and our everyday lives. We are sad to leave each other as we simultaneously look expectantly toward those who await our return at home.

It’s easier to leave when we are assured that in a few short months we’ll all be together again.

It was a full weekend that sent us home with full hearts.

All sunshine,
Lowi & G