Beauty Will Rise

I know that this is completely random, but I just bought Steven Curtis Chapman's newest cd yesterday, and it has thoroughly blessed me! This is his first album after the tragic death of his five year old little girl, Maria Sue. It is such a sobering and yet hopeful cd for anyone that has ever faced a difficult moment in their Christian life. If you've ever lost a loved one, or gone through a life-altering event in your life, you will want this cd! Blessings!

Slip 'N Slide Fun

The other day, Justin ran the store to pick up a "few items" and came back with a Slip 'N Slide for Addie! As soon as he got home this afternoon, he set it up in the backyard. He and Addie had a blast! Enjoy these pictures from today.

Once A Flower Girl.....

This past weekend, Justin's best friend, Ankur, got married! Well... actually he and Noelle were married a year ago, but they had their ceremony and reception after he finished his first year of Internship at MCG in Augusta. Justin was the best man, and he looked absolutely dashing (no surprise there)! Addie was asked to be the flower girl, and I had some big reservations about how well she would do with that position! On Friday night at the rehearsal, she took her basket and ran down the aisle to go stand by her Daddy. I reminded her several times to walk, but after a few practice runs, she was still racing down the aisle! On Saturday, I got her already in her beautiful white dress and had her playing in the nursery at the church until it was time for the wedding. She loved looking at Noelle's "big, white dress", and loved all the attention she got from the other bridesmaids. We all huddled together in the vestibule at the church and awaited the big moment. Addie saw Justin at the end of the aisle, and I was afraid she was going to dart in front of the bridesmaids, but she did very well waiting her turn. When we got the nod from the director, I whispered to Addie "go see Daddy", she looked up at me with wide eyes, then grabbed by hand. (We were prepared for this, and Noelle had already told me days ago that I could walk down with her.) So, I got to be a flower girl at the wedding too! We both walked down hand in hand, and when we neared the front, Justin put out his hand and Addie went to him. She did so great waiting there with Justin! As soon as the preacher began the ceremony, Addie came to me on the front row, and we quietly slipped out to the side. I was so immensely proud of her!! I had nightmares of all of the things that could have happened, but she was a trooper! Especially considering that she only had a 30 minute nap!! She had such a great time and was so tired once the day was over.

Waiting with Daddy while Mrs. Noelle came down the aisle.

Our tired little girl during the reception! She REALLY enjoyed all of the food, the cake, and the bubbles at the end!

It's Official...

Justin has chosen a specialty! Through much prayer and thought, he has decided on.....ophthalmology! The next six months will be grueling on Justin (and us). He has applied for some away rotations this fall and will be traveling for interviews throughout the fall and winter of this year. There are so many issues that really need to be bathed in prayer, but to be succinct, pray that Justin will have wisdom and for doors to open or close as the Lord sees fit. Even as I type this, I must remark that this is our 3 year anniversary in Macon, and I am amazed to see how much the Lord has seen us through. Thank you to all of you that pray for us and I appreciate your prayers as we enter this new stage in our lives.

Potty Time!

Well, it's time! Addie has been increasingly interested in going to the potty and would not let me have any peace until she too could sit on her own potty. I bought her some big girl underwear and she immediately ran to the hallway, took them out of the package, and tried them on! To say she is eager is an understatement. I believe she is ready and has had 2 good days of training with no accidents yet! Me, on the other hand, am anxious with each and every moment that passes, anticipating the inevitable accident.
However, I am very proud of what she has done so far and each day has gotten better. If you have recently been through this process and would like to leave a comment...please do so! :)

Anniversary Weekend

Well, it is official ladies, I have the best husband in the world! In honor of our 5th anniversary, Justin planned a secret get-away trip for both of us. He had been planning this for weeks and would only tell me small hints here and there. He also threw in some false hints to keep me guessing! He had me pack everything from a tent (I was dreading a camping trip) to church clothes. On Friday afternoon, he had my parents come get Addie while we hit the road to our secret destination. While we were driving I would rule places out based on direction and time for our dinner reservation (he did give me that bit of information). Around 5:00, we ended up near Savannah, so I pressed him to find out our final destination... the suspense was absolutely killing me! After he confirmed that Savannah was indeed where we were going, my mind raced with where we would stay and what we would do. We finally ended up downtown near one of the squares and Justin parked infront of an unassuming row house. Upon closer inspection, it was a bed and breakfast!! Hooray! No camping trip :)! In addition to booking us a room there, he had flowers delivered to our room, but not just any flowers, he had oriental lilies straight from Hawaii since that is where we went on our honeymoon!

The entrance to our bed and breakfast.

Our room looked right onto Chatham Square.

Our beautiful room.

The Oriental Lilies (they are still beautiful and have bloomed into large pink and white flowers!)

As soon as we were settled in our room, we took the quick walk to River Street for our dinner reservation which turned out to be a dinner cruise on the Savannah River. It was so sweet and reminded me of our Junior/Senior (prom) when we were in high school! One of the stewards was kind enough to take our picture!


On Saturday, we got up early, and had a DELICIOUS breakfast of french toast and pecan syrup! We walked towards the river and stopped off to do some shopping. We were going to go to Lady and Sons for lunch, but hadn't heard great things about it since they moved, so I just went into Paula's store to look around! (No trip to Savannah is complete without paying homage to Paula..right?!)

Around lunch time, we drove to Tybee Island for lunch at AJ's Dockside (some friends recommended it) and feasted on fried fish while we watched some boats come in.

Once we had eaten, we were ready for some water fun! We were going to rent a jet ski, but decided to rent a sea kayak instead! Yep, that's right!! Libby got in a kayak and rowed around Little Tybee Island!! Can you believe how I've changed since we've been married!! If he had asked me to do that on our honeymoon, I would have just laughed, but I really enjoyed myself. The tide was out, so we were able to go to many little exposed "islands" and look around. We even rowed to the little light house and explored it! After a few hours of kayaking, we were ready to relax and swim, so we headed to the local beach and spent an hour or so! (Sorry, no pictures of the beach fun; I didn't want to drop my camera out of the kayak and lose a camera!) After an exhausting afternoon, we went back to the B & B, showered, and got ready for our dinner reservations! Justin took me to a fabulous restaurant near the City Market...phenomenal food! Good thing I had exercised that day :)

On Sunday, after a yummy cheese omelet, we packed our bags and headed to Valdosta to go get our little girl! I truly appreciate Justin planning this surprise little trip. It is times like those where a marriage can rest and get "back to the basics" of what makes it great: friendship!

5th Anniversary

It is hard to believe that 5 years ago today I became "Mrs. Justin Mann". That was the happiest day of my life! After 7 years of courtship and dating we FINALLY said, "I do" on May 14, 2005 at First Baptist Church in Valdosta. I remember looking into his eyes that beautiful Saturday afternoon trying to imagine what our married lives would hold; however, I had no idea that it would be this wonderful. Sure, we've had some trials and tribulations, but there is no one on earth I would rather go through them with than Justin. We still enjoy the little moments we get together and relish in any opportunity to just sit and talk. He is my best friend and I love him dearly!