Birthday Magic

BirthdaytreatfromMattie

Well. Looks like I figured out how to use the photos, huh?  I am currently contentedly sitting at my friend Katie's house, drinking...an adult beverage we'll say...and watching the polls roll back and forth. Pretty intense.  I finished my homework for the night and have already made the decision to go to bed far too late (hey, elections only happen every four years and I actually care about this one) so I decided to fiddle with this a little more. 


So...birthday weekend. Friday (my actual birthday) a group of us were going to Chip's river house so we decided to celebrate my birthday on Thursday.  The plan had been to meet everyone at my house when I got home from Jax where we'd carpool to this corn maze in Palatka that I've been trying to go to for the last THREE  YEARS.  Turns out, it's not open on Thursdays so another effort bit the dust.  Instead, we all came back to our apartment, ate chili, drank fall beer, and played board games. There were too many of us so we had to get creative.
 

Lindy's birthday bags

The next morning, my actual birthday, I woke up to the most precious bags with instructions from when to open them throughout the day. That Lindy Smith. She's the sweetest.  Work went pretty smoothly, Tori took me out for an AMAZING lunch on the river, and my co-workers brought me the most beautiful flowers! Hydrangeas and snapdragons! Some of my favorites! And they signed a home made card. I couldn't believe it!

Birthday flowers from work

Through out Friday, it was touch and go whether or not we were going to go to the river because I think Sandy was trying to ruin our plans.  Ultimately, we decided to go and hole ourselves up in the house if the weather was bad and entertain each other on the Florida-Georgia border.  It was a great plan.
















We went first to the corn maze before we left and it was so SO fun! The weather was breezy and fallish and I love the way corn stalks sound when they sway in the wind.  We even did the massive jumping house and acted like children (and tried real hard not to knock down the actual children) and it was a night well spent.

Bouncy magic!

We then caravanned to Chip and Debrah's in Jax then all headed to the tiny house on the river.  It was late once we got there so after some story swapping we all grabbed a bed somewhere.  The boys were kind enough to take the couches and floor and left us with the one bed and some air mattresses.  We woke up to Chip and Jayce's kind surprise of Dunkin Donuts coffee and Chick-fil-A chicken biscuits!

Boy slumber party

Turns out the weather was beautiful and it was the most well-spent day I've lived in a while.  While the boys canoed and did boy things, the girls lounged about in our flannels on the floating dock reading devotionals together and talking about how we're encountering God at this season in our lives.  We played games, we read, we laughed, we talked, we were quiet, we snacked.  It was a beautiful day with amazing company and I felt so fantastically rested.

Tor and I

One of my favorite things about the trip was our friend's Zach's newest endeavor.  This band we all like, the Avett Brothers, posted a video on YouTube saying they'd give away one of their guitars to who ever posted the best cover of their song "Live and Die" by October 28.  It just so happens, they were giving away Zach's dream guitar.  He figured, with good reason, might as well give it a shot, right?

I'm not sure if it was because it was something fun to do...or because Chip had the equipment...or we just love and believe in Zach so much that we genuinely wanted to see him win...but it seems as though everyone really rallied.  I have a feeling it was all of the above...probably with the third one prevailing.  It was a hard song to learn, I must say.  The whole effort included Zach spending a few hours by himself, working out the lyrics...Mattie holding a reflecting mirror thing...Chip using his fancy camera...Debrah holding a mic just out of the frame, me writing the lyrics on a paper plate...and endless encouragements from the peanut gallery.  Zach was a trooper...never visibly frustrated and made the song worth listening to.  I have to say that I'm not particularly fond of the original, but I loved it paired with Zach's voice.  In fact, I'm going to share the finished product with you because I'm so proud he's my friend.  He's super talented yet super humble and I'm convinced no one deserves to win it more than he does.  Check it out:   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CRSPpxu2Y44   (For Real)
 

After the first and last perfect, recorded run through, all the boys celebrated with a jump in the freezing river (we cheered from the side).  

Splash zone

God gave us a final parting gift in the form of an awe-inspiring sunrise which we spent an ample amount of time taking in.  Group efforts to clean up and we were on our way to Cracker Barrel (an appropriate final meal).


I'm so thankful for such a beautiful weekend...visually beautiful, spiritually beautiful, beautiful company.

My cup runneth over.

I wish you all riverside sunsets and thoughtful friends,
Caitlin

Also...just as I finished this...
welcome to your second term, Obama.
Can't say I'm surprised.

Lindy doesn't like this picture so much. Look how pregnant Deb is!

Pretty sure they're making fun of my leg pop.