a little R&R in Mexico

GT and I celebrated our 6th anniversary with a trip to Cancun at the beginning of July!

We had not really planned on a big trip for this year, but it just kind of fell in our lap.

let me tell you the ditty of how we ended up in Mexico...

GT started a mens group in Huntsville last year.

once a month he travels back to lead this group on the designated Monday night.

a few guys from this group started a similar group for couples.

they meet once a month on a Friday night.

earlier in the summer, GT and I attended one of the groups when we were in Huntsville.

I only knew one other couple there out of the (roughly) 15 others

It was a great group and we were so encouraged.

I got to talking to the wife of the host couple and she was great!

we were talking about summer plans for our families and she mentioned that they were going to Cancun with 2 other couples (of which I knew the husbands, who were childhood friends of GT)

after we had talked for a bit, they said, "y'all should go with us to Cancun!"

we asked the dates and it happened to be on our anniversary

they talked a bit more about it and we kind of brushed it off (or so GT thought)

after we got in the car, I looked at GT and told him that I actually was serious about going with them. after learning that both of our parents were available to keep the kids and that it wasn't a huge monetary sacrifice, we realized that it might actually be a possibility that we could go

so, we booked our flights!

at that point I had didn't really know any of the other couples, but knew I could spend time on a beach at an all-inclusive resort with just about anybody...

all of the couples live in Huntsville, so we dropped the boys off at GTs parents and carpooled with the others to DFW for our flight

by the time we were at our gate, I had not stopped laughing since we left Huntsville at 630 that morning and knew it would be a wonderful and entertaining trip!

the first view of the ocean when we arrived at the resort

We had 3 full days and did not waste a one of 'em

the first morning, after a stellar breakfast buffett, we all had a spa experience

i am certainly glad that we did not have our cameras/phones, since we were all (men and women) given the same size robes... don't think too long on that one

no really, it was super fun and we laughed a lot

we spent most of the days at the beach and the pool then a delicious dinner followed by the resort entertainment (a glow-show one night, Mayan dancers the next)

our balcony view

paradise, right?

one night-after spending the next day at the pool and beach, we went on an excursion to Xplor

swam in caves, boated in caves, drove their off-road vehicles (John Deere gators with lawn mower engines), and zip-lined in the dark.

it was all a blast and we don't have pictures because our phones were not water proof, but it was memorable for sure! 

the zip-lining would've been slightly terrifying had we done it in the day time, but i felt super tough not knowing how far the drop was under me

two of the afternoons were spent playing beach volleyball versus a group from Ohio

we were probably a bit competitive and probably a bit sore the following day

while waiting for our opponents to show up for our 3 o'oclock match time (not serious at all), a big ole storm rolled in over the ocean

we all camped out at the grill on the beach and enjoyed the cool breeze and awesome storm

the guys after the storm

the morning before we left, we ventured into the town of Cancun for some touristing and souvenir buying. supporting the local economy, ya know?

we were also all pretty sunburned, so a morning out of the sun was welcomed by all skins

I absolutely loved the group that we went with

the guys are hilarious and I laughed until my cheeks hurt every day

the girls and I all hit it off and never really ran out of things to talk about

most of all, i loved being with GT

we have never really celebrated our anniversary in a big way, so we were super excited about this trip!

on July 3rd, our 6th anniversary, we played tennis, worked out, ate a slow breakfast then joined the group

later that day, we were surprised to find that the resort had added to our celebration by decorating our room!

i'm super thankful for this little getaway with my man

he is still my best friend and my favorite person to vacation with, hands down

we both really appreciated this time away with one another and might find a way to make it happen every year. i'm serious

one last look from our room.....

Buzz wedding

My dear friend, Laura, who I call "Buzz" got married in April.

We met our freshman year at Harding and were friends throughout college, but really dug deeper in our friendship while we both lived in Dallas post-college. 

When we first met, I thought she was the coolest.

She is from Pennsylvania, wore Vans, hoodies, and listened to really great, new-to-me music.

so, my fascination with her coolness developed into one of my favorite friendships.

She is naturally hilarious, selfless, loyal, confident, creative, positive, encouraging. She keeps me up to date on the best music and always makes me feel like i'm her favorite person.

I love her and was beyond thrilled to celebrate her marriage to Curtis, who is equally awesome.

But, more importantly, he thinks that Laura is the best.

In February, I made the trip to Austin for her bachelorette party with some of our besties.

It was a wonderful, quick, 48 hours spent eating amazing food, laughing about ridiculous things, talking the details of marriage and giving lots of hugs.

we stayed at the South Congress Hotel and it was super hipster 

with an excellent pool, where we spent the majority of Saturday

Sunday morning, we walked down Congress for breakfast at Jo's coffee

then for lunch, we ate at LaCondesa in an underground/cavelike room with a delicious spread

it was so fun to catch up with friends from college that I haven't seen in 10 years (how in the world is that possible?!)

we all made a promise that we wouldn't let that much time pass again

so we all got back together again, plus some more, for the wedding in April!

The wedding was in Dallas, so we all got together for lunch the day before for some catchin-up

spent the afternoon at the hotel/pool chatting, then a a great dinner and late night visiting

so many friends who i don't get to see often enough!

the morning of the wedding, we drove out to the venue.

the White Sparrow barn

and my jaw dropped.

it is the wedding location of all of our dreams and it made me so happy for Buzz, that this was her wedding venue. 

just perfect! 

we were all able to watch her get ready and visit before the ceremony

the reception was out on the lawn

the skies were clear, a breeze was blowing, and the temperature just right

and Buzz was a beautiful, generous bride!

then she played the bass at her own wedding

i mean, the coolest, right?!?

to say that we all had a great time at the reception would be an understatement

and i loved having my forever wedding date with me

it was a dream wedding

and a wonderful reason to get together with old friends

and an excellent excuse for me and GT to have a few days away together

i know that the quality of my phone pictures are poor, so here are a few screenshots of the photos shot by the actual photographer. she did a fantastic job!

if you'd like to see the pics, and i'm sure you would, click here

Sophie, Lauras niece! isn't she the cutest?!

the wedding party

Buzz's girls

i regret not taking any photos with Curtis, but these should suffice

we were standing next to eachother as the band played, with Buzz at the bass.

I told Curtis, "your wife is awesome". to which he replied, "yep, she is the coolest person in the world"

Garrett and Cristie get married!

GT's youngest brother, Garrett, got married at the end of May.

We are so thrilled that Cristie is officially part of the family! She is fun, beautiful, kind, laid-back, generous, always up for anything, a huge helper, and she loves and appreciates Garrett- winner!

the wedding was at the Four Season Dallas and we spent the weekend loving on family and celebrating Garrett and Cristie!

my little family arrived Thursday night and my parents were already there, so we had friday to just relax before everyone else arrived.

the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner were Friday evening 

and when we got to see everyone!

cutest little ringbearer and flower girl

Taylor kids

Saturday morning, us girls attended the sweetest bridesmaid luncheon hosted by Cristies aunt

not only was the room and decor beautiful, but the words spoken were tender and incredibly sweet

i love these shots of Ruth, Cristies mom, speaking.

her beautiful words brought on equal amounts of laughs and tears.

they have such a special relationship that was so clear for us all to see

the rest of the day was spent by the pool, taking naps, and playing in the grandparents rooms.

That night, there was a Boots & Blazers welcome party for everyone in town for the wedding

and Judson was so pumped 

he spent the entirety of the evening out on the lawn roping

it was super fun having our friends with us, too!

 i wish that i had more pictures of Garrett and Cristie- and more with the whole family, but it just didn't happen. 

the wedding was Sunday evening!

that morning, we had a church service at the hotel for everyone staying there (about 100 people!) and it was awesome. 

Then we had more time at the pool, naps(!), then getting ready for the wedding

the boys were the ring bearers and actually did pretty good.

Judson did great during the rehearsal, but froze at the ceremony

he hates being the center of attention, so when they opened the door and he saw a couple hundred faces looking at him-he bolted.

after begging him to follow the other three down the aisle, he wouldn't budge.

so, i did what all good mothers do. i said if he walked down the aisle i'd buy him a big ninja turtle.

he turned around and ran to his uncle Garrett.

i mean, i'm not proud- but he did it.

Townes and Gracie were given suckers right before they walked down, so they went no problem at all. i'm sure the pictures are entertaining

Cristie was stunning!

hopefully I can link to the professional pics eventually so you can see more of her amazing dress and the jaw-dropping venue. 

sweet sisters

i only had brothers growing up, so I am loving that these awesome girls are my sisters!

all of the Taylor kiddos

the best family photo we managed...

and i could not get enough of these handsome guys

all the heart eyes

Judson's behavior was on par for him at the reception

he preferred to stand to the side and watch all of the other kids (including his hilarious brother) dance and run around on the dance floor

the iphone quality is far from good, but you get the idea of how cute the little bitties were

and my parents and brother came, too!

along with lots of other friends and family 

we had the best time at the reception celebrating Garrett and Cristie!

the band was phenomenal and i think we could've danced all night.

if you can view it, click here to see a cute little video of the bride and groom from the photobooth.

probably my favorite wedding reception ever.  

the whole weekend was wonderful.

we were able to spend some time with all of the family and our good friends.

The boys loved the hotel and the pool, even having little picnics in our hotel room.

the hotel had little robes for the boys!

before we left town on Monday, we were able to meet my girls and my brother for brunch at Breadwinners (our favorite)

after a weekend with our family and friends, we are always so full of gratitude for the relationships we have. Adding another Taylor is just the icing on the cake!