Wedding, Vacation, and Swelling... (not necessarily in that order)

This past weekend, we were honored to be a part of an amazing event! Two Clemson Greek IV alum were married at Pawleys Island. Dusty was asked to read scripture in the wedding, so we got to see part of the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner. The couple (Robert and Adrienne) met and served on the Greek IV leadership team. So, it was cool to be there as they joined their lives together. But the love that they both share for the Lord and for each other spoke volumes to those in attendance.

The rehearsal was a normal rehearsal... complete with emotions and run throughs for the next days wedding. But the rehearsal dinner was a little different. Since the rehearsal ran over a little, and the rain maybe held a few people up, we started nearly an hour late. They also had an after rehearsal party planned (after the dinner). So, we started dinner and about half way in they started toasting. The cool thing was just about everyone who stood up to speak spoke of the witness that their relationship had been. People spoke of the amount of love they shared, but also the amount of love that they each shared for the Lord. It was really quite moving to be in a room where the Spirit was so clearly there. And it was amazing to see how two young people uniting their lives together had touched the lives of their family and friends so deeply! The wedding the next day was absolutely breath-taking. The service, the dresses, the decor, the reception, the couple... everything was simply stunning. And like I said before, it truly was an honor to have been a part of it.

Since we were traveling about 4 hours to get to Pawleys for the wedding, we decided we might as well make a vacation out of it! Our thoughts were that we haven't had a real vacation this summer (certainly not at the beach) and this will be the last opportunity to really vacation before the baby gets here! So, with that in mind... we headed to the wedding festivities with the "vacation" mindset. We were fortunate to stay at the home of a different Greek IV alum. The Poston family were extremely gracious and made sure we were well fed and provided for the entire time we stayed with them. They even offered to let us stay at their home for the few days we planned on staying after the wedding. But we had already made reservations and paid for a hotel, and we didn't want to impose on them, so we thanked them and spent the remainder of our time alone.

We really enjoyed our time at the beach (even if we did come back with some pretty bad sunburn). And before we left the Postons, we were given a gift certificate for 2 free boat tour passes. So, before we left on Tuesday... we enjoyed a boat tour of some plantations and were then dropped off on the lighthouse island to explore and collect shells. Dusty went out in hopes of finding TONS of sand dollars, but he came back with several big conch shells! I was impressed with his findings! And although it was pretty hot outside... it was a fun (free) way to wrap up our time at the beach.

Finally, as previewed in the title... swelling. I think I mentioned some swelling in the camp post. So, it's not something that is completely new to this pregnancy. However, the swelling that has started happening over the past week has been pretty miserable (to look at mainly). I have had some slight swelling in the afternoons, but usually by the next morning (after sleeping on my left side and propping my feet up) it's gone. Well, since this past wedding weekend... it hasn't really gone away. The swelling is primarily happening in my feet and ankles (and somewhat into my calves -- suddenly cankles comes to mind). And while it goes down some at night... it isn't going away! And it's getting worse as the days go by. I have read that I should drink lots of fluids to help flush out the water my body is retaining, but that hasn't helped. I have also read that propping up my feet when sitting and moving around some should help... but it doesn't. I even called the doctor today because I was worried about it... and the nurse said it's normal but there isn't much you can do. So, I guess I will ask the doctor when I see her on Wednesday. A little swelling is one thing... but I don't think this is normal!


Otherwise, the baby is still moving all the time and other than being tired... I feel fine. Let's just hope with a weekend ahead and rest (hopefully) in my future this too will pass! :)