Walking with the Cooks: Memphis wedding and MS visit

Whew! Things have been exciting around here lately and September is proving to be just as fun. The life update is going to begin with my long weekend in the South.

I (Emily) recently had the opportunity to take a quick trip south to celebrate my longtime friend, Greg
May, marrying his sweet Lori Brooks. The long weekend was fun packed, so I think I will give you a
numbered play-by-play of the awesomeness. This is also a good place acknowledge those who gave me birthday funds- thank you, they went to a great use!

1. We left home at 4am on Friday to head toward the airport. There apparently is a time of day
without traffic to Boston! Dave sent us away with well wishes and we made it to Jackson, MS in two flights. Our independent Sarah didn’t sleep a wink until her cat nap in the car
on the way to lunch.

2. Mom and JT picked up two very tired girls and we headed to lunch. Chick-Fil-A! Even better, we
were joined by Aunt Jane and Uncle Paul, Aunt Ann, Aunt Marthy, Lori (not for long) Knight, and
the Rob Robertson bunch, including the newest addition, little Beau. You might have guessed it,
but he was absolutely precious. From there we had a delightful visit with Grandma and Aunt Marthy. Sarah even got to try some of Grandma's Hawaiian themed ice cream, and was of course a huge fan!

3. Dad met us for lunch and we headed north toward Memphis, arriving just in time for dinner
at Central BBQ. My favorite BBQ nachos joint (which I also learned has great onion rings) has
made a few delightful improvements over the past year and a half. Now, you should know that
Memphis feels like home to me (as many familiar places now do) and my heart was refreshed to simply be in town.

4. After dinner we drove through Binghampton (where I lived) and then headed on to the hotel for
everyone to get a good night’s sleep.

5. The next morning Sarah got a good nap while Mom and I explored a nearby shopping plaza,
including a wonderful Target! I was super excited to share lunch with 3 of my former SOS
Academites/roomates: Ashley, Candace, and Melissa. They have each had so many exciting experiences in the last two year. It is wonderful to look back and see how the Lord has been
working. They are precious to me and I am so thankful for the work they are doing in Memphis.
Thanks for taking time to share a Huey’s meal with me! Sarah also got to meet Ashley and
Candace- they decided to be best friends.

6. I had the pleasure of spending the afternoon with friends from Hattiesburg: Lisa, Haley C, Grayson, and Rachel. Our time together is far and few between these days, but I love how we know each other well enough that it only feels like a few days apart.

7. Then Greg got married!!! At the wedding we met up with Haley F and Katye M and
during the reception enjoyed seeing friends from Memphis (shout out to Kim Perry!) and home.
I’ll tell you, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a reception with so much dancing. It was tons of fun; the
food was perfect, the band was great, and I got to spend such quality time with people I love.
Mom and Dad took Sarah back to the hotel to sleep before it got too late, but don’t worry, she didn’t
miss much of the fun!

8. Sunday morning we discovered I had been eaten by bed bugs, but thankfully Mom and Sarah were spared. This issue may or may not get a post of its own. (All is seemingly well now.) We headed south and got to stop by and see Cousins Donald and Wanda before stopping for lunch in Madison. Aunt Susan, Mary Helen, and Will joined us and we had great fun catching up.

9. We continued on to Berwick were we saw Ma, Cousins Jodie and Ronny, Uncle Eric, and Uncle
Robbie and Aunt Karen. It is always good to spend time with family. One of the most fascinating
parts of this trip was having Uncle Robbie and Aunt Karen take us over to and explain the new
oil drilling extravaganza. It. Was. Fascinating. Aunt Karen filled us up with warm food and lots of
love before we headed to Hattiesburg.

10. Monday was a pretty relaxed day. We had lunch at Raising Cane’s (I could drink that Cane’s
sauce…), had the VIP tour of the Lowery home (OK, I might be the only person who labeled it
a VIP tour), and had the Lowerys, Stewarts, Knights, Haley C, and Ms. Glenda over for dinner.
Thanks Mom and Dad for a great meal and thanks to friends for the great fellowship.

11. Tuesday morning Dad and I hit the road (at a much more reasonable hour) and Sarah and I made
it back to Providence without too many delays. Dave treated us to delicious Red Robin on the
way home. Sarah treated us to calm mornings by sleeping past 10am the next two days! After that we put her to bed earlier and started waking her up at 8am so that she could get two good naps.

Friends, family, know that you are loved, but nothing compares with being back home with the one I
love. See you soon!