This weekend we enjoyed attending, as guests, the wedding of a beautiful young couple Rebecca Stone and Ryan Hooker.  It is so hard to see another our friends daughters growing up and getting married.  It certainly reminds us of how fast time is passing.  The wedding ceremony could not have been more beautiful and the reception was magical.  We have known Rebecca most of her life.  Ryan is a new addition to us.  He is a very special young man who probably has no clue how lucky he is to snag Rebecca.  This is certainly a couple we will have our eyes on.  God has blessed them and will continue to bless them in remarkable ways!

Our history with Rebecca’s parents, Kenny and Julie Stone, stretches most of my adult life.  Kenny and Julie have built a very successful law practice in Statesboro.  They have both been very active civically in our community.  Most of the industrial growth in Bulloch County has Kenny’s thumb print all over it.  Kenny served as chair of the development authority during its most successful years.  Always ready to step up to the next challenge in our community - Kenny is currently serving as a member of the local Board of Education.  I am certain one day, when he and Julie finally have a completely empty nest Kenny will step up to a higher civic calling.  Maybe the Senate or Congress - who knows?  Whatever path he chooses - we will all be better because of it.

(Edie Grace had a blast keeping the dance floor warm!  At six - dad had a tuff time keeping up with her.)

Kenny and Julie have nominated, encouraged and supported DeWayne and I in many community and civic ventures.  In fact, they nominated us for Leadership Georgia year after year until we finally made the cut.  For this we will be forever grateful! 

One of our most unforgettable experiences with Kenny and Julie was the night that we were given the responsibility to take them to dinner.  Little did they know how special this dinner would be.  That night our community named Kenny our “Citizen of the year!”  It was a very special night that we will never forget.

Kenny and Julie were one of the first people we called the night I was diagnosed with cervical cancer.  Julie cleared his calendar the following day and they spent an entire day with us making sure all of our legal documents were in order.  I can remember how numbing that news of the diagnosis was and how comforted I was to hear their voices of support.  I knew when we left their office that day - no matter what happened to me physically - my business, along with DeWayne and Edie Grace, would be taken care of thanks to Kenny’s guidance and legal wisdom.

At 32, things like wills, trusts, estates, executors, etc. can be more overwhelming and chilling than being diagnosed with cancer.  They guided us through this with ease and compassion.  In times like these it is so wonderful to know folks like them.

Our prayer tonight is that Rebecca and Ryan are showered with blessing from the seeds sown by their parents - doubled by their enthusiasm and contagiously positive outlook on life!

A few years ago we created some of my favorite beach portraits of their family.  I am sharing a few of these here.