A Lovely Afternoon

A couple weeks ago I was honored to be thrown a shower by my wonderful bridesmaids.

These guys were the hostesses with the mostest!

The shower was held at an awesome restaurant in their private room-the Tin Roof Bistro in Manhattan Beach. I had eaten there before but had no idea that this room existed until I showed up for the shower. It was large, but not too cavernous, had tons of unique details and best of all, it was air conditioned! :)

The guest list was a mixture of old and new friends and family. My future MIL works on Saturdays but took this one off to be at the shower. I'm so glad she did! Here I am with my Mom (on my left) and my soon-to-be Mom (on my right). I hope that I can be the kind of wife and mother that these two have been  and I am blessed to have their guidance as I move into married life.

Another guest who has been with me since birth is this dear lady. Kiku and her husband were power-houses at our church even before I was born and Kiku continues to serve and be involved to this day. Her husband passed away over a decade ago, but her love for him has never faded. Kiku is one person who has been praying for me since I was born and every year I know that I will get a birthday card and an advent calendar at Christmas from this special lady.

After a brief welcome and prayer by my Matron of Honor and dear sister, Bub, and best friend for life, Pap, we sat down to eat. Boy, was that food delish! (sorry, I don't have pics of the food!)

Then, the "Game Master" Quid lead us all in an "Aimee or Blane Bingo" game. She asked a question that corresponded to a number and everyone had to hold up who they thought was the right answer, either me or Blane. There were questions like, "Who is more stubborn?" and "Who says sorry first?" and others like that. It was hilarious and super fun. Apparently Quid has a hidden game talent that she likes to keep under the radar. 

Hmmm..... ;)

Pap also lead us in a game that elicited some...interesting...responses (!!!) but was also a great crowd-pleaser and it poked good fun at B and I. Note my future MIL's expression in this pic-haha!

Then it was on to the gift-opening portion of the afternoon. Here's my sister with the biggest present we've ever seen, courtesy of my crazy MIL. :)

 I got some practical stuff and some other gifts that were totally impractical, but I'll leave that up to your imagination since this is a PG-rated blog!

My dear Quid recorded everything for me and sat by me, which helped me not to feel so "in the spotlight" which I abhor ;) (look it up Quiddie!)

Afterwards we had a time of prayer which was really special despite what my sister may have written on her blog. 

-___-

Here's the whole gang! Each of these women have touched my life in some way. 

I am grateful for each one :).

Some other pics from the day that make me smile...

This is Michelle. She is the secretary at our church and a dear person to me. Every time she started crying throughout the shower she would put on her sunglasses to "hide" that she was having a moment. She cracks me up! *note that her glasses are on in the group pic above too!

This is Mads. She is my college roommate and the only person that I keep in touch with from that era of my life. We don't see eachother often, though we live just 2 miles apart! I was so happy that she was able to make it to the shower. And, even though she knows practically no one, she has the kind of personality that just fits right in, and that she did!

And my dear Auntie. She is my Dad's only sister and she has been with Bub and I from the beginning. I am so thankful for her faithfulness, her steadiness and her willingness to step outside of her comfort zone and come to things like my shower. I love her very much. 

*added bonus-she brought my Uncle's delicious homemade cookies with her!

And finally, this blog post wouldn't be complete without a mention of the incredible favors. I know it was a team effort, but special recognition must go to Pap who put her heart into making my favorite macarons (yes, that is really how you spell it-I looked it up!) just for the shower. They were amazing!

To my girls-Bub, Pap, Quid and DD-THANK YOU for making this shower so special for me. I couldn't have asked for a more perfect afternoon! I know you put many long hours (Pap+your macarons!, Bub+organizing everyone!, Quid+game!, DD+restaurant investigating!) into making it so wonderful and I was so overwhelmed (in a good way) by it all. I love each one of you very much <3

Mary-Kate+Ashley-out!

Aim

P.S. A special shout-out to Big Fun, who came early in the day to beautify my hair and face in preparation for the shower. She's a master of the cosmetological tools! 

I wouldn't have looked so nice without you Le! <3