The Hathcocks

This was the most amazing weekend. Ever.

Laura and I went home for Easter early, on Thursday. CLAY was performing on Sunday, and we were both excited and ready to get together with the girls. We've been looking forward to this dance for a long time, and the girls seemed pumped as well.

Friday was a day of getting things done. I got my new glasses (eh-they're acceptable), and went shopping with mom. She and I hung out a lot, and it was really nice. I worked out at Gammy's "gym" and wished B could be there with me. He loves that little gym. heh.

Friday night (at midnight), my family and I painted eggs! I love this tradition at my house, and don't care that it is considered 'pagan'. Dad made his 'ugly' egg, and accidentally put one in his milk without noticing. I love them so much. Saturday was going to be busy, so I got a fair amount of sleep on Friday in anticipation. I had no clue as to how badly I would be needing it.

We had practice at church at 10 to prepare for Sunday. Gammy was throwing me a family shower at 12:30, so mom came and picked me up from church to head over to Yorktown. When I arrived at Gammy's, I went to the back room to put my cardigan away. Someone tapped me from behind, so I turned around...It was Brian. He surprised me! I was completely shocked. I had no idea he was coming to the shower! I hadn't recovered from that initial shock when in walked his mother, father, and brother. They all came for it! I'm using more exclamation points than normal. Take that as a sign.

The shower was so nice. There were many cousins and great-aunts and distant relatives (some of which I didn't know very well, I will admit). It was so great to have B there.

After the shower, I had to get ready for my dress alterations appointment. I can't believe its so close to the wedding day! :-D

After the appointment, we decided that we'd go to Victor's for dinner, so that Brian's family could see what the rehearsal dinner site is like. They have never been to Victor's, and while it is not a really fancy-shmancy place, I am looking forward to our rehearsal dinner there. B and I were getting ready to go, when Laura called. She was in a panic. She said that the stage had been moved, and that we'd have to re-do our formations for the dance. This had happened before, so I could tell that she was really upset, and needed my help. She was at the church; could I come there? Heh--I laugh now.

I went to the church "on the way to dinner" to find that there was a shower awaiting me! I could barely take it--another surprise! It made a little more sense as to why Brian's whole family came up for the shower once I knew that there would be two in one day. The ladies of the church were so great. They made great food, and had games. Diane Shearn (Morgan's mom) made the cake, and even learned how to make sugar Calla Lillies for me! I have never felt so honored.

The gifts seemed endless, and I can't express my gratitude to those involved in the showers. Such wonderful company, gifts that I don't feel I deserve, and just good clean fun. I was all smiles. I can't thank everyone enough.

Brian and family had to leave Sunday morning, and it was a very good thing that they brought two cars. Each was stuffed to the brim as they headed out early, and I prepared for church.

The dance went really well! The girls did such an amazing job, and I could tell that everyone was having such a good time. My Easter concluded with dinner with my family and a great ride back to school with Laura. (Next to Brian, she is my favorite person to be with in the car.)

I could say a million more things about the weekend, but the main idea goes something like: I can't believe God is blessing us in this way, and love the people in my life more than they could ever know.

Thank you, Lord.

Posted by Lindsey at 07:23 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Our Sunday was amazing. Brian and I went to church, and the minister talked about God needing something in each of us.

We spent a lazy hour on a blanket, since it was so beautiful outside. I thought about Gig—today he would have been 17.

We left for the church around 1:40. Before we left, I received a message from my mom, saying she loves me, "have a great shower," etc. I grabbed my phone on the way out of the door, thinking she might call during the shower.

When I walked in, I almost fell over from shock. I couldn't believe they came. I almost cried.

The gifts were endless, and God-sent. Everyone was so nice, and the ladies at the church did such a good job. We had food (good food), decorations, and a king and queen-esque bench to open our gifts upon. That last part seemed a little strange, but I liked having him so close.

All of the cousins stopped by, along with many people I don't know yet. So generous; so caring.

After we could nab the camera from Gary (he's almost as bad as his son), we took more pictures and loaded up dad's truck. It was then that the ladies came out and produced a corsage for me. Heh. They had forgotten about it until around 3:52. I felt really bad, because the woman had made the arrangement herself, after a big issue with gathering the flowers. (I think they were stolen, or something. Cool.) I wore the thing for about fifteen minutes, until I changed clothes at Brian's house.

One of the best parts of the whole day was when I realized that my parents could come by and see the house. They love it almost as much as we do.

Brian and I signed the lease, the group of us jiggled the storm door, and Brian and my mother took a video of the house on her Kodak digital camera. As we were leaving, we spotted a baby squirrel that had most likely been orphaned a few days prior. Brian took him home in a box to nurse it to health.

My parents drove me back to school, and I miss my baby-animal-hero all too much.

Posted by Lindsey at 12:10 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

As the shower was winding down, Bud and some others began loading up his truck. Lindsey and I thanked everyone and said our good-byes, after Kathy (Lindsey's mom) took her last round of pictures, of course.

We made a quick stop by my parents' to pick up a bag, then I led the Proctors to our new house. My parents met us there. Lindsey's mom liked the place immediately, I assume from her reaction, anyway. We showed them inside and Lindsey's dad, Bud, complimented our selection. "It's perfect," I believe he said at one point. It's far from perfect, but it's a great little house for a poor young couple.

They piled our loot into the house while Lindsey and I walked over to Peggy Burris's house to sign the lease (she lives just across the street). We told her about the trouble we had with the bolt on the glass door, and she hunted for a key, then accompanied us back to the house. Bud eventually got the door to unlock and said it simply needs to be adjusted.

While Peggy chatted with my parents and Lindsey, Kathy, Bud, and I walked around outside. Kathy marveled at the pecan trees and grape arbor. We all talked for several minutes until the rest joined us outside. After a little while, just before we were to disperse, Kathy called me to the front of the house and asked me to use her digital camera to record a video tour of the house, with my narration. I'm sure she'll later regret the decision to have me do it.

After this, we were all gathered around the vehicles, ready to go, except for Lindsey and her dad, who were looking up into the front yard tree. I walked over, and Bud was petting a squirrel on a low limb. It seemed feeble and shaky, and we thought it might be sick. But, after I climbed up to get a closer look, I found that it was just a baby. Peggy told us then that a squirrel had been killed in the road just a day or two before, and was probably the mother. After much debate and suggestions, I decided to take it home in a box Peggy provided.

When I got home, Carlyn, my brother, had left five messages on the answering machine. We had left him skating in Norwood for the day, and he was ready to come home, apparently. I went searching for him and eventually found him near M & R Retreading. We went to Food Lion where I bought whole milk. At home, after mixing a small amount of water to thin it out, I tried to feed the squirrel with a medicine siphon thingy. He swallowed some of it. I'm afraid he might die. I did a little research online and it might be better if I take him back to where he was found. We'll see.

Apart from the fact that I may have aided in the death of a cute baby animal, it was a great day.

Posted by Brian at 06:26 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The shower was from 2-4 today, as you might already know. We arrived at 1:45 and my mom ushered us in with a strange smirk. Lindsey went in first and promptly jumped with her hands to her face. Her parents had driven down this morning and surprised us.

The ladies of the church had arranged the fellowship hall very nicely, with a table of food and decorations. They were in the kitchen when we got there, moving things around and bringing out the last of the food. There was also a long table of gifts and cards against the wall. Many people came, including Ann Horton (my great-aunt Doris's daughter), aunt Libby (Doris's sister), my great-uncle James Morgan's wife Myrtle, James's daughter Susan, Jeremy and his family, Justin, Josh and Jodi, Nathan and his girlfriend Jordan, aunt Lisa(my mom's sister), Oren and Nancy Josey, and many others.

We received so many gifts that I began to feel guilty. What had I done to deserve such great treatment? I'm very grateful to everyone, especially Vera Kaye, Nancy, and the other women of the church for preparing and setting up everything. A special thank-you goes to Sharon Faulkner and her family, who are providing Lindsey and I with much needed furniture. We truly appreciate it, along with all of the great gifts we've received. Thank-you to everyone.

Posted by Brian at 08:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

But it's being shown with gifts, money, and well-wishing. The act of giving is what I focus on, however, because love always outweighs money, no matter what.

We just returned from church. Lots of people are giving gifts, and we appreciate them all. Big or small, simple or extravagant, they are welcomed equally. Thanks to everyone.

Lindsey and I are going to lie outside on a blanket and enjoy this weather before we go back to church for the bridal shower. Wedding shower? Whatever it is.

I'm very tired, but content.

Posted by Brian at 12:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

This weekend, as was the last and will all those yet to come, is a very busy one. The house is ours; I payed the first month and the security deposit. Lindsey and I stopped by for a late night visit after attending The Shadow Box (a thoughtful play about life, death, humanity, all that jazz) at Pfeiffer Friday evening. At the house, we imagined chairs, beds, and appliances in different places, and checked the windows and doors. After scaring Lindsey a few times, we went home to sleep.

Saturday comprised a trip to Wal-Mart for a few house things (lightswitch covers, new toilet seat, etc.), and a second trip to drop off some things in our house and let my dad have a look inside. We then returned home, readied ourselves, and went for a walk in the park. The ducks and kingfisher kept us entertained, as did the -tink- of aluminum baseball bats from the adjacent ballpark.

That night we continued our long, difficult task of gathering songs for the reception. We have about eight hours of time invested so far, and we're about halfway done. Selecting music for our wedding is proving to be the biggest challenge of all. However, one minor victory for me so far has been to ensure The Cars a place in the reception.

Posted by Brian at 10:28 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Today is our first shower. It also happens to be Gig's birthday. He would have been 17 today. We miss you, Gig.

Brian and I are excited about the shower, since we've been worried lately about finances. Well, who doesn't worry about finances, really? I haven't been really worried about these things; we just want to know that it's going to be alright. We are trusting in God, and that isn't always easy.

God has provided. Brian received a much larger check from the government (excess from grants, scholarships, loans) than he had expected (nothing). We are so grateful.

We are getting ready for church now, as it starts at eleven.

Grandpa came by this morning and gave us a card and money since he can't make it to the shower. He gave us more than we would have guessed, as he hasn't been working as much as he used to. What a great man. Thank You, Lord.

Posted by Lindsey at 10:14 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

This entry is taken from my blog at brianhathcock.com.

Lindsey and I are registered at Wal-Mart and Target. What else do you need, right? (Well, maybe Cracker Barrel gift cards.) I can view these online, and I check about once a week out of curiosity. It's exciting to see things "Fulfilled." Not because I want things, but because it shows that there are actually people out there that care about me (this is a delusion—they care about Lindsey).

My big question is, why hasn't anyone bought me that black 60GB iPod yet? Who needs forks and plates?

Posted by Brian at 02:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I didn't stutter. No joke. 45 days until I change my name. Whoa.

Brian and I had a very full weekend. We went to Yorktown and did a million and five things, some of which were in preparation for the wedding, and some that weren't. I picked out some spectacles, which wasn't the most fun in the world. Why can't they make the ones I have NOW? Would it be all that difficult to recreate this style? Man. The ones I picked out are a tad boxier than these, but with thinner frames, sort of. That was a really bad description; I'll put up a picture someday. Maybe.

Brian Regan was hilarous, of course. We were practically touching him with the amazing seats that Brian (my brian) snagged a few minutes after going on sale. It was So great.

Brian got some clothes at Target. He has to stock up whenever we're home, since there isn't one in NC. That needs to change, by the way. I don't know how I'm going to handle not having a Target nearby. I'm trying not to focus on that at the moment.

Hm...what else...what else....

OH—we have our house now. Minor detail, I know. Brian was playing with the keys as we talked on the phone last night, and I could feel the excitement in his voice. We are going to start moving stuff in immediately. I'm making up some boxes to bring with me this weekend and we can put our stuff from our shower this Sunday in the house. We didn't really have any sort of storage space, so it's good that we've got the house already. Our House. That makes me smile too much, probably. One of those big, cheezy smiles. Yeah.

Posted by Lindsey at 08:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)