My family gathered in Nashville this weekend to celebrate Mom and Dad's 30th anniversary. Their actual date was last Sunday, Feb. 11, but due to scheduling, it worked out better for us to get together this weekend. It was quite a treat for us to all be together again; I guess it hadn't been since Anna and Craig's wedding that the seven of us were all together. We enjoyed dinner at Maggiano's, an incredible Italian restaurant that stuffed us beyond question. Though we waited a little while (even with a reservation), it was well worth it, as we enjoyed old and new stories (not including my near-faceplant in the icy parking lot of their hotel), and an endless supply of food, around our table in the corner.

Luke flew in from Florida Friday afternoon, so Bethany and our cousin Krista picked him up from the airport. I met them at Cody's (Krista's brother) baseball game (he plays for Lipscomb, who by the way beat Auburn in Auburn this past week). I had driven in to Florence Thursday night from Tuscaloosa and went to Nashville Friday afternoon after lunch with Dad, Mom, and Grandma. After sitting through several innings of Cody's game, we needed to warm up quite a bit, so Luke, Bethany, Krista, and me went to dinner. We played cards afterwards and Cody met up with us. Anna and Craig drove in from Memphis that evening and Luke and I met them at Craig's parents' house, our hosts for the weekend. Saturday afternoon allowed a visit with more cousins, Paul and Aimee Spivey and their two girls (one of whom was a flower girl in the wedding). Mom and Dad drove up that afternoon after Dad had taken an exam in his Saturday law school class. Needless to say, our family covered plenty of miles in a few days, but they were quite worth it.

After all that Mom and Dad have given to and sacrificed for us, it was special to honor them this weekend with our humble generosity. It's a marvelous testament to the faithfulness of God that we celebrated with such joy their 30 years together. As he continues to write his story through them, I pray that he blesses them with continued years filled with love for him and each other, joy in family, and endless generosity and grace. (Raising a glass of sparkling cider) To my parents!