Where in the world has May gone? It seems like it was only a week ago we were in April...now we're nearing the end of May! Pure Craziness!!

So..do you want the good or the bad first?

I think I'll start with the good to get us in a happy place..and then move on to the bad....

Anyway, like usual, things have been pretty crazy here. The first weekend in May was fabulous. My friend David graduated from IU with his bachelor degree. So of course we had to go out and celebrate college style! We started at the pool hall (David's favorite, as they have...well...used to have, $1 beer) and then eventually headed to Nick's to play sink the biz. It was such a fun night. We hadn't gone out with David and company since the wedding, so it was really nice to catch up with everyone. And on top of that..it was actually a ton of fun reliving the college bar life...if only for a night :)

The weekend after was mother's day (I love you Mom!) and instead of being an awesome child...I completely sucked. Alex and I staying in Bloomington that weekend instead of venturing north to see our moms. But in our defense...we at least thought ahead and ordered flowers. My mom was so surprised!

Since we were in town for the weekend, we decided to make the best of it. We headed over to Nashville with one of our friends to pick up our wine club package. As it turned out...once we got in town we found they were having an art festival. It was some of the coolest stuff! I could easily have spent a few paychecks on artwork and furniture for the house. By the time we were done with the art show it wasn't terribly late, so we headed over to Brown County State Park. We drove around and showed Alison where we typically go camping and some of the sights.

Halfway through our drive we got a call from a few of our other friends who were heading out to Player's Pub for dinner and a concert. We decided we were starving...so we decided to tag along. The food was delicious and the show was awesome! I love that little bar. It always has a unique mix of people..so we know we won't be stuck fighting for a table among the college students.

And then there was this past weekend. It was completely amazing!!! I felt really bad Friday night, as I had to miss my little sister's dance recital. It was such a busy weekend that I wasn't able to make the drive. Anyway, Mom and Dad came down Saturday for our annual Crawfish Boil! It was the first time that my parent's were able to come. My dad has been really excited about the Boil for several weeks now...so I'm really happy that they were able to come. The day itself was pretty laid back. We hung out in lawn chairs...or on the grass..with our drinks and a "plate" full of crawfish. I say "plate", because our plates for the Boil are nothing more than the cardboard trays they sell cans of beer on at the liquor store! They're larger than regular paper plates, and they have sides...so no losing crawfish on the ground :)  It was such a blast! And as usual...I was sad to see the guys head back down to louisiana. But on a fun note...I finally got to meet Al's wife! She's awesome! I will definitely have to make sure she's in town if we make a trip down.

Alright..so you know I said the bad was coming...

I've had a really hard time with this lately...but the second week of May one of my good friends had a seizure. Kevin was rushed to the hospital in Fort Wayne. They ran some tests and on the CAT scan they found a golf-ball sized tumor in his left frontal lobe. He had never had any headaches..or any other possible warning signs before the seizure. Needless to say I think everyone is still pretty shell-shocked and attempting to keep their spirits high...he's only 26..it's not his time yet. All I ask it that you guys keep him in your thoughts.

And well, since I don't really want to end on that note...I'll use the sandwich technique.

I'm really looking forward to this coming weekend! It's going to be a bunch of fun..and probably a lot of craziness. My little brother graduates from high school on friday, so Alex and I are heading back to my hometown. My Aunt and Uncle from Virginia are also flying in...so I can't wait to see Aunt Linda! We're also celebrating my birthday with my family..and then heading to my in-laws to celebrate my birthday and my father-in-law's birthday. It sounds like I'll be extra busy...but I'll make sure to let you all know how it goes!

That's right...only 45 days until the wedding. Slowly, but surely, I think I'm getting things crossed off my list! :)  I've recently been thinking about my centerpieces. I've honestly had the worst time trying to figure out how I wanted my tables to look. I didn't like the look (or the price!) of floral arrangements, but I didn't want the table to feel too empty or plain either. So, without further ado, here is what I've recently come up with.

Never mind that you can see one of my feet in the background, or that I set everything up on the guest bedroom floor.

Some of you may recognize the idea, as my obsession with weddingbee.com seems to give me all kinds of grand ideas. A recent bride blogged about using drinkware instead of candle holders (brilliant, really. Why didn't I think of that?). So I rushed out to the nearest housewares department and picked up about 80 glasses for 30 dollars. Today I picked up 96 votives and tea lights (each supposedly burns 10 hours) for about 15 dollars. All in all, I'm pretty comfortable with these going on half of my tables.

As for the other half, well I'm still deciding. Here is what was the original plan:

Keep in mind, I will do a much better job centering the candles for the actual reception. However, I feel like this arrangement is missing something. I will continue to look into what I'm missing. But for now, I'm thrilled that I finally came up with one centerpiece that I love!

More to come on last weekend's adventures! .....