We began the evening with a sparkling pink lemonade toast. And though we had just planned on eating dessert, we had missed dinner in the hustle and bustle of the meeting everyone coming in from out of town, so we ended up ordering an entire meal. Tasty stuff!
We also celebrated our intimate evening with intimates. *blush* 
Then the best part... chocolate fondue. 
We all had a great time, and I think Samantha enjoyed her last night out as a single lady!
The weather was absolutely lovely for the first day of wedding festivities, and set the tone for a beautiful weekend. Here are the hostesses with the bride.
With such a small bridal party, the tea was really intimate and we were all able to share a table and good conversation, as both sides of the family got to know each other a little better.
Murphy, the homeowner who also served as our waiter, took this group shot. He was quite the talker, but had a great sense of humor and kept all of us thoroughly entertained.
His sweet wife made all of the incredible food! The scones were to die for, and the chocolate cake... a little slice of heaven.
Afterwards, we took some family pictures in the gardens. Here's the list... Mom (Aunt Joyce), Aunt Janie (Samantha's mom), Grandma, Samantha, Hannah (Jodie's daughter), Kate, Aunt Jodie (Janie's sister), and me.
And of course all of the various combination shots, including three generations and moms and daughters. These sorts of pictures are the hallmark of any big event in our family. I love it!
And of course, all of the girl cousins...
With a silly shot added in for good measure!
Welcome Isaac Patrick Butler! Born September 13th at 9:39am, he weighed in at 7lbs, 12.9 oz. We are thrilled for Dana and Stan and can't wait to hold this little guy at Thanksgiving! He looks so sweet!!! 
Proffit's offers the best in Creole cuisine, from red beans and rice to gumbo, and includes my personal favorite the seafood on french. Notice the hummingbirds on the menu? One side of the porch is surrounded by feeders that the hummingbirds usually swarm. They're really amazing to watch while you dine.
Will is always happy to be outside, and was such a big boy drinking from his cup with a straw. 
Mom and I enjoyed our fresh-squeezed lemonade. A beautiful, tasty Southern evening.
Fini-flight tradition includes getting sprayed with water and doused with champagne. I immensely enjoyed my wifely duty of hosing him down. And Will was pretty excited to see his Daddy in an airplane. Thankfully, my parents were also in town and could help with holding Will and taking pictures. 
One of Aaron's best friend's from the 50th, "Razor" flew the sortie with him in another jet. It was great to share his last flight with such a good buddy.
After Aaron got dried off, we headed inside to the squadron bar for a farewell ceremony. Will loved running around inside the building discovering all over again the sites the squadron has to offer... the ejection seat, live snake mascot, foosball table, etc.
The squadron commander, Lt. Col. Ankerstar offered some kind remarks and Aaron made his farewell speech. We served up sub sandwiches and enjoyed the company of some great folks that have helped make this assignment such a memorable and valuable experience for Aaron.
The festival starts early, but since it coincides with the first day of dove hunting season, we didn't show up until around noon (shortly before naptime). Will was tired, but remained super mellow just taking in all the sights. 
For us, the highlight was the little West Point train (little carts pulled by a tractor) that circles the festival. The weather was absolutely gorgeous and we enjoyed the time outside together as a family. We strolled around and met up with our new neighbors for lunch at the Old Towne Grill. All made for a very fun, relaxing day!
Our squadron commander's wife (and scrapbook paper phenom) hosted the event and went all out with fun little details, including the table setting. She even made LBD labels for the wine bottles which served as door prizes. Too cute!
It was fun to see everyone all dressed up and looking fabulous. I've really enjoyed getting to know all the wives of the 50th, and many have come and gone in the time since we've been here. We often come from different places and sometimes are at different stages of life, but we have a strong and common bond of being a military wife that draws us together. These ladies really do care for each other like family!
These are just a few of some of my favorite 50th ladies, or Strikin' Snake Sssisters (l-r, t-b... Cindy, Shannon, Nicole, Nikki, and Amy). It's been a great group to be a part of, and I will really miss them. It was the perfect last social though, with lots of smiles and laughs had by all!
And we finished the evening with LBD cupcakes! Aren't they cute?!!! Aaron cracked me up though, when he saw the picture and asked why they had black cats on them??? :) 
