#timeslowdown

So my last post is dated in February and today is August 3.  Where does the time go?  I feel like it was only yesterday that we found out were expecting (in mid-November) and began preparations for our sweet babies!

It is high time for me to begin blogging again so that I can remember some of the sweetest moments of carrying Emmy and Harrison, their birth story, and now the first 2 months of their life (how are they 8 weeks old today!).  But for now, until I have time to write, a few pictures will suffice...

The morning after our sweet babies arrived.  The first picture of our family of 4!

The day we arrived home (June 21- Father's Day 2015!).

Photo by Uppercase Photography (taken on June 26)

Another sweet image captured by Uppercase Photography (June 26)

Our first sleepover at Big Mama's house (they let Mom come too)
August 2-5, 2015!

a time for renewal

It's been a while since I posted on here- I believe since I wrote 30 blogs for turning 30- it has taken me a while to return.  I guess I just needed a break.

We've had a 'snow week' here in North Carolina the past few days.  The snow came in late Monday afternoon and I've been homebound since then.  This morning I decided it was time for me to open my blog page again and post.

Today marks the beginning of the season of Lent, the 40 days prior to Easter during which people are devoted to fasting in commemoration of Christ's time of fasting in the wilderness.  To give something up is to abandon a pleasurable habit as an act of devotion and self-discipline.  Over the years, I've given up various things.  I've given up certain things I like to eat, diet coke, caffeine, etc.

One thing I've learned since college is that not only do I like to give something up, but I also like to give something back.  So for this season of Lent I am giving up fast food (gulp, hard for a pregnant lady) - I'm thankful for the mini Easters each Sunday.  But I am also going to write a letter each day to people who have meant something to me throughout my life- not an email, Facebook message or blog post, but I hand written letter.

Here's to a season of renewal- one I know I'm in desperate need of as I prepare for the celebration of Easter morning.

#30

I have been dreading turning 30 for the past few years- probably after I turned 25.  But for the past 6 months I've dreaded the day.  However, over the past 7 days I have come to terms with my new age.  My name is Mary Taylor Setliff and I am 30 years old!  

I am thankful for the 30 years I've been blessed with- for my family, friends, co-workers, schools, etc.  God has gifted me wonderful memories and I am excited for what will come in my 30's.  I've heard from many, many people that my 30's will be my favorite decade- my most defining decade.  And I look forward to that.

Thank you all for following me on this journey.  It has truly been a blessing to be able to blog about my life experience and people who have shaped me.  

I'm ready for this next leg of life- bring it on 30's!

birthday surprises continued (#29)

I remember late last year when I looked ahead to my birthday for this year and realized that it fell on a Sunday- I really wasn't that excited to spend this big birthday with the church.  Nothing against my church (because from my previous blogs, you know I love Maple Springs) but I wasn't sure I wanted to celebrate turning 30 with 400 friends:)  Boy was I wrong!

What a gift it was to get up this morning and go to one of my favorite places!  I enjoyed sitting through the 8:45 worship service and hearing from our lay leader, Dr. Michael Boyles.  He closed his sermon saying that when he filled out his spiritual gifts inventory he said he put down 0 for public speaking, but he nailed him.  I don't get to sit through a service often, but I sure did enjoy hearing what he had to share.

I headed into Sunday school excited to spend some time with the kids.  Some of my leaders had some tricks up their sleeves.  They had been collecting letters from kids and their families for a couple weeks.  All of my kids gathered together and presented me with the box of letters as well as sweet gifts to help me be creative.  They read some sweet notes to me and really loved on me.

So thankful for all of these sweet faces.

I am so thankful that this year's birthday was on a Sunday- what a blessing it was to be in the presence of our faith community at Maple Springs.  I'm blessed!

sweet surprises (#28)

My husband managed to surprise me Friday evening- like really surprise me.  He told me mid-week that we were going to have my birthday dinner with my family Friday evening because Fridays worked better (which is true- with my sister and I both being church workers).  Thursday evening Annie texted me and asked where we were eating and what time- I said I didn't know because Drew was in charge.  My Mom came Friday morning and we had lunch with Drew where I thought we decided we would eat at 7:45 at Filling Station.  And I was excited.

Mom and I shopped Friday afternoon and had a great time.  As we finished shopping, we both declared it nap time.  When we arrived home, she refused to nap and I did too, while I went on with my afternoon nap.  Drew arrived home early from work and said he wanted to leave early for dinner so we were not late- which if you eat with us (cough, cough Sam and Corey Jackson) you know we are often late.  What should have clued me in that he was up to something was when he asked me "are you going to wear that tonight"?  Drew never, ever cares what I have on.  I just took it all in stride and changed my outfit (like I had planned to).

We stopped to put gas in Mom's car (15 minutes from home) and Mom screamed (in her Linda fashion) because she had grabbed the wrong purse.  She demanded we go home to get her wallet because she was buying this birthday dinner.  Despite my arguing, Drew listened to my mother and drove home.  We pulled in the driveway and Mom said "would you go get my purse? It is next to the desk".  I came in the house to a room full of my friends and family- what a gift.

I am so thankful to each person who made the party happen- to Drew, Mom, Annie, Marci, and others.  What a gift it was to see so many sweet faces!

Here are a few pics from the sweet evening:

Captures our personalities perfectly....

DYW....enough said...

Thankful for sweet Marci and for all she does for the children of Maple Springs.
But even more I'm thankful for what a faithful friend she is.

Drew ordered a delicious cake!

My sister got me a walker- only my baby sister.  You just wait until you turn 30....

Sweet friends.  Thankful for each of you!

I love this man- to the moon and back.
He worked so hard to make this happen and put so much thought into it.
It is a night I will never forget.  I love you the most!

the Ya's (#27)

I am very thankful for 3 of my closest college friends.  Oh the memories- the laughter, the tears shared.  There are days when I drive to work (just 1/2 mile from Wake's campus) that I can remember our days there like it was just yesterday.  Hard to believe we've already been out for 7 years.  Where has the time gone….

Who are those kids?

Sarah, Meredith and Alexis were the very best friends I could have ever asked for during college.  We all pledged Kappa Delta sorority January of our freshman year.   Meredith and I lived on the same hall our sophomore year.  We bonded very quickly.  And lived side by side the following year.  Lex and Meredith had been good friends freshman year and I was brought into the fold our sophomore year.  I will never forget that Fall break sophomore year when we all rented a house in the mountains.  We thought we were so old….little did we know.  Sarah (or Kuhn as we called her) served as one of the vice-presidents when I was president of our sorority (our junior year).  She was my right hand.  She always had the right words and wasn't afraid to tackle what needed to be done.

We were so young-
M.Taylor and A.Taylor before Toga our senior year.

The night Wake beat FSU 30-30!  We didn't just roll the quad with TP….

Sarah and I after the big win- after lots of the campus played in the mud on the Quad.

I have not been the best at staying connected with these 3, I'm not that great at long distance.  But as I approach this milestone birthday, I make a promise to do better.  I will do better than that, I will not just be better (because that wouldn't take much) but I will be my old self:)

One of the greatest gifts is that Mere and I live in the same town!  What a blessing.

The Ya's on my bachelorette weekend in October of 2010.

Our 5 year reunion- 2 years since we've all been together.

I am thankful for each of you- for what you did for me in college, for what you've done after, and what you'll do in the years to come.  What a gift each of you are!

AOT,
Mary Taylor

the Cities (#26)

I would be remiss to reflect on my 29 years of life and not reflect on the blessing of two of my dearest friends- Hunter and Catherine.  Hunter and Catherine were on staff together at Carolina Cross Connection in 2005- the summer I took a year off.  I served as the camp cook at their camp for two weeks that summer (this was also the summer I first met Drew).

Hunter's wedding weekend!

We refer to ourselves as 'the Cities' because when we first became friends we lived in 3 cities (we do now as well).  Our friendship blossomed their senior year (Hunter was at State and Catherine was at UNC) and my junior year.  I burned interstate 40 up going to go visit them.  I think we saw each other at least twice a month.

I have had the blessing of living in the same city as them in various points of my life.  Catherine and I were roommates in Charlotte right after college.  And when I moved to Winston-Salem two years later, Hunter was here.  

Catherine and I anxiously awaiting the birth of baby Will-
we waited late into the night (well, morning).

I love the fact that we can go 6 months (or longer) without seeing each other but we pick up right where we dropped off.  I love celebrating life with them and I am so thankful that God brought them into my life almost 10 years ago.  I'm excited for the memories we will make during these next 30 years. 

This is probably my favorite picture of the 3 of us ever taken.
Love you both more than you'll ever know.

I love you Hunter and Catherine!