Garden Update

Not too long ago we pulled these two pretty looking squash off our plants in the garden:

I was excited about the possibilities of squash like this all summer long...I started looking at recipes and thinking about good seasonings, and then.... I went out to the garden one day to find not one but TWO of our squash plants like this:

I immediately began investigating the plant. I noticed the stems looked rotten and mushy, like this one:

And from there I learned that we had been hit by the infamous (but not to me since this is my very first garden and I don't know anything about pests) Squash Vine Borers. They are a nasty little bug and once they enter your plant, it's doomed. There was nothing we could do but pull up all of our squash plants. So I did. And now our garden looks quite empty.

But the good news is that we can replant at the beginning of July...after the borers are done laying eggs. And apparently butternut squash is somewhat resistant to them, maybe we'll try some of that.

A Day Late

Yesterday was this guy's birthday:

If only I could've gotten him his very own penguin....

I guess a new iPad will have to do.

I hope you had a wonderful birthday-Love you!

Celebration!

Matt snagged this one at the Rehearsal and I just love MB's face!

I can't believe it's already over. What a wonderful weekend of celebrating the love and marriage of Mary Beth and Caleb! The wedding could not have been any more "Mary Beth" if you will. From the beautiful gerber daises in rich, vibrant tones, to the black and white ribbons and gem stones,

to her beautiful dress and hair

(this is of us right after the ceremony)

to the red boots and beautiful smile!

(This is one of Ann Wade Parrish's photos...she did a fabulous job documenting the occasion)

I enjoyed every last minute of the celebration.

We love you both and can't wait to see what happens next!

This week

Is a big week in the life of our family......because it's Mary Beth's wedding week!!! She and her fiance Caleb have now been engaged for a year and a half. I know they are both very ready to take this next step in life. We can't wait to celebrate with ya'll this weekend! (and we are definitely looking forward to all of our friends and family that will gather in the Ham for the festivities)

All that is to say...things are a bit busy this week as we prepare for the wedding! (well that and it's also Arts Camp at First Church this week and somehow I got wrangled into chasing around 16 fifth graders every day). Pictures and more on the wedding fun soon to come...

My strawberries

Who stole them?

Last week we had three luscious strawberries waiting to be harvested. So when I headed out to pick them off of our new plant, I was surprised to find all of the ripened berries GONE.

Of course I then began to snoop....

Was it one of the many birds in our backyard?

Or maybe the squirrels?

Or perhaps it was one of these little guys...

Or worst of all, was it our neighbor's grey cat Nugget??

After some serious stealthiness on my part, I have decided that chipmunks are the likely culprit. You see, I discovered a little bit of leftover strawberry (Maggie ate it before I could snap a photo) near a hole in the ground right near our fence. And that is what led me to my conclusion. (and my guess is Nugget was in the yard to go after the chipmunks) So I covered up their sneaky little hole with rocks. That'll show 'em. Ha!

Matt went out after the incident and bought some chicken wire for the strawberry plant...there have been no new buds so I guess we'll just have to wait and hope it keeps the varmints outta our garden. (and hope that the other fruits and veggies are safe....)

New J-O-B

It's official. We are now a 2 church family. Last Monday I began as the Director of College and Young Adult Ministries at First United Methodist. It's a downtown church that is beginning this position from scratch (well only sort of, they already have several college and young adult types attending worship). I am finally getting settled in my office and putting some ideas down on paper. It's exciting to think of something completely new and use some creative energy.

While it was a bit weird to be away from Woodlawn UMC on Sunday morning, I think there are lots of exciting things in store for both of these historic Birmingham churches. If you live close, come check us out at First Church.

These are the flowers I received on my first day in the office from the staff here!