Looking Forward, Looking Back

We had an exciting weekend at the lake, as Adam and Courtney entertained and 'officially asked' their friends and family to be a part of their wedding party. Courtney's dad made special wooden boxes, which were then stained and hand painted with each bridesmaid's name. In the box was a monogrammed insulated cup, coral nail polish (named 'Sunday Funday'), a cookie that said, "Will you be my bridesmaid," and a special card from Courtney for each girl. So cute!!

Erin, Emily, Britney, Chellsey, Shylah, Jennifer, and Darci were all there to receive their special invitation. Only Megan was missing, and she said yes from afar. We are looking forward to sharing Adam and Courtney's big day in March.

Guys don't really go for all the cute little details, but Adam asked David, Andrew, Jonathan, Bryan, Nathan, Kyle, Alan, and Clark, and they all agreed to stand up with him when he says "I do."

There was golf at Whispering Pines...

and flippy cup on the dock...

and a boat ride or two, complete with Jon and his Haleigh eyes. :)

The girls are much more agreeable about posing for a group photo,

and they will make a fun and beautiful group of bridesmaids.

It is such an exciting time for a couple, and we wish God's blessing on the planning, and on their marriage. xoxo

The looking back part of the post came on Sunday afternoon when a woman and her teenage daughter came walking past the side of the house. Turns out, the woman's parents built the house around 1981, and they moved there permanently when she was a sophomore in high school.

I loved visiting with Ronda and her daughter (who only barely remembers being at the lake when she was about 4), and hearing a little about the history of the house. I learned that her dad had placed the concrete dalmatian, which still graces the landscaping below the deck, because they didn't own a real dog. I told her of the discussion we've had about painting him black and gold, which she thought was funny since her dad was a die-hard IU fan.

She told me that on the main floor, there was originally a sliding door on the left and a window on the right (kitchen side), and no window at all in the middle where our sliding door is now. Upstairs, she remembers coming up with the lined stucco design on the ceiling, and she helped her dad with the application. The red room was hers, and the pink room was her younger sister's. They were the 3rd and 4th of four girls in the family, and the older two were already gone from home by the time they moved there permanently. There was no dishwasher in the house, as her dad said they didn't need one since he had 4 daughters. :) They heated the house with the wood-burning furnace still located in the laundry room, which still has the original linoleum floor.

She remembers building the dock from property line to property line, which was unusual at that time. They built it using heavy pvc pipe filled with gravel and concrete, and it remains sturdy and solid today. They even had a phone jack down on the dock, and it was fun for them to be able to take a call lakeside.

Her dad built the benches on the dock, and the picnic tables near the fire ring. She spent a lot of time helping him, and learning lots of useful do-it-yourself skills. She told of special gatherings throughout the year celebrating Christmas, race weekend, 4th of July, and, of course, the leaf-raking parties. (We'd be happy for them to join us for that last one, just for old times' sake. Ha!)

We looked at the wooden 'S', still up in the pitch of the porch roof, which was for their name, Scott, and now works for Stewart. I'm so glad they came, and that I was there to show them around and hear her stories. I love the opportunity to learn and celebrate the history of a home or a place, and to know who came before us. Ronda will return to her home in Wisconsin, knowing that our family is continuing to share special times making memories on the shores of Sweetwater.