November Gratitude: Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving really is my favorite holiday. It's kind of incredible that in a country so preoccupied with consumerism, we have a day devoted to gratitude.

This year, I'm especially grateful that I married John Concklin, truly the best gift I've ever been given. His support, in big and little things, is unwavering. He has shown me what it means to take care of another person. Also, he does the dishes. Our dish washing philosophies are different. I would rather relax for a while after dinner and force myself to clean up later, and he would rather do them immediately. This, as you can imagine, works out very well for me!

November Gratitude: The best thing my dad ever gave me

Sherrod Leonard Maxwell III, my dad, amazes me. He has gifts that are used to help people all over the world. He works for a DOE National Lab and develops methods that have helped prepare the CDC, EPA, and FDA for life-altering things like bombings, natural disasters, and nuclear emergencies.

Before he was saving lives, though, he very intentional about communicating this message to his little girl, who had his own brown eyes, good intentions, and a little too much self-doubt for her own good:

You can do anything you want to do. You're smart and talented, and if you put your mind to it, you're going to do great things.

I remember hearing those exact words over and over and over again. His unwavering support was obvious, from kindergarten to college to graduate school to the job search.

The result of Dad's prediction is yet to be determined, but I know one thing: when I consider a new goal or my biggest aspirations, his voice is always there, in the back of my mind, with his message ringing clearly.

I'll always be grateful.

Our Wedding {Final Farewell}

Dear Friends,

Here are the final photos from our wedding. Thank you for letting me share them with you. More importantly, thank you for sharing the best year of our lives with us.

xo!

Our Wedding {Reception 2}

Slifer's toast. You can tell how sweet it was by the looks on everyone's faces. 

Our Wedding {Reception 1}

Hello friends!

So many of you played a huge role in making this past year special for us, and these photos are a constant reminder of that. It's so nice to share them with you!

"For the first time as husband and wife..."

I love that my dad and I are making exactly the same face.

Our First Dance was "I Want You to Want Me," which was an early inside joke (pre-dating!) that later became our token song. 

Our Wedding {Ceremony I}

Hi friends,

Hooray, we have our wedding photos! Once Like a Spark did a beautiful job of capturing the day, and I'm so excited to share it with you!

One Big Circle

With Mom and Dad at the Peace Center for the 2003 Senior Showcase. 

Moving back to the South wasn't something I planned to do. When arrows started pointing in this direction, I was dubious at best. I thought I had too much to do and too much to see to come back so soon.

Luckily, I followed the signs and ended up with a job at a life-changing school that I love. SCGSAH is the place that really started shaping the person I would become, and there's something comforting about the cyclical nature of my return to Greenville. Now I have the opportunity to give others what I was given, and it's really an honor.

And no one believes me when I tell them about the good old days:

there were guys who spent the entire summer of 2002 rafting the Reedy in duct-taped blow-up chairs,

the Raid really happened,

and a trip to Cherrydale on an old yellow school bus was something to be excited about.

xo.

P.S. We were all thrilled to see Newsweek's list of the top high schools in the U.S. - SCGSAH was number 42!

Our Wedding {Kid Photos}

John made a slideshow for the Rehearsal Dinner using photos from our childhood. Here are some of my favorites!

Just driving my airplane.

Our Wedding {Rehearsal Dinner}

On Friday night, everyone headed to our Rehearsal Dinner at Rose Hill Estate. People tend to have tunnel vision looking towards a wedding reception as the big event, and it's true that the wedding requires tons more work. It was so special, though, to have everyone at the more intimate Rehearsal Dinner. To have best friends and family all together over cocktails and a nice meal is unforgettable.

{Leading up to} Our Wedding

After our friends arrived in Aiken, we wasted no time. We made pedicures our priority before having dinner Thursday at Tako Sushi. Next, we had a party at the bridesmaids' house - a huge cottage we rented at Rose Hill Estate. It was so much fun to stay together and share a house! Highly recommended. We used the cottage for a shower, sun bathing, and even the Farewell Brunch on Sunday morning after the wedding.

An April Hello

John and I spent this past weekend with my family in Aiken celebrating my little brother's birthday and doing last minute wedding planning. Josh and John rode go-karts while Mom and I checked out Halo Salon, where we'll be having hair and makeup done on the 28th.

I've got lots to say about the wedding planning process, but lately I've been realizing something for which I'm especially grateful: my family is amazing!

They have been such a pleasure to work with during this time. Supportive and fun, John and I couldn't have made a wedding happen without them. We are so grateful!

                                                 xo,

                                                    LM

p.s. Only 19 days!!!!

Sweet Letter

Those of you who know me well know that I'm a worrier. I worry about the people I love and worry about the food I eat and worry about the money I spend. Sometimes I even worry about things that are silly to worry about right now, like life without Herbie, which is many years away. John and I laugh about my concerns, and he reminds me to focus on the present.

This letter from F. Scott Fitzgerald to his 11-year-old daughter is particularly sweet, as everyone needs to be reminded from time to time to keep insects and boys in perspective.

xo

Lauren

via Lists of Note

The Name Change Question

I enjoyed this recent article from MSNBC. This one, from Jezebel, was pretty good, too. It is kind of alarming that 50% of Americans think changing a woman's name after marriage should be required; I mean, at least let us decide for ourselves. Is it some kind of grasp to save conventional marriage in the face of the gay rights movement?

What do you think about name changing? This is something I've obviously been thinking about lately, and I'd love to hear your take on it.

This is interesting: John's actually more resolute about me keeping "Maxwell" than I am. He doesn't think I should change my name at all.

Sometimes I lean towards taking "Concklin," but for me, it's not about observing an old tradition. It's about being so excited about forming our own family that I'm interested in a decision, on my part, to create a unified familial identity for us. It's about being ecstatic about that family's future. It's because I love John so much that this appeals to me. It's a way to symbolize my commitment to the success of our newly formed unit.

I do run into a few problems, though. First of all, I love the name Maxwell. I always have. In some ways, I consider it more essential to my identity than Lauren. I always loved that it set me apart from the millions of other Laurens that popped out in the '80s. Maxwell associates me with a dad and an aunt and a lovely set of grandparents whom I'm proud to call my own. Maxwell gives me the automatic slogan "good to the last drop." Maxwell is just...my name.

I'm considering taking Concklin legally but still being Lauren Maxwell, for the most part. We'll see.

What will you do when you marry?

xo,
Lauren

J-U-S-T-I-N

My family loves basketball.

My dad played forever; I started when I was six; and even my mom played when she was young. Both little brothers have played their whole lives, and Dad coached us all. So, Justin's first college basketball game is a milestone for us.  We're so proud!

Our height doesn't hurt us. My dad is 6'4" - I'm 5'10" - and Justin is a regular giant at 6'6". He shoots well from the outside, but what I really love about his game is the passing. It's fantastic. Beautiful passes go to places no one expects. In the past, they've been known to surprise even his teammates.

Basketball was always special to my dad and me. It was our thing. It was the one activity we could always do together, just us. For years.

For that reason, this cheeseball segment from Father of the Bride has brought me to tears more than once...and not just because I love Steve Martin. Dad and I started with Pistol Pete videos and had a state championship somewhere along the way, and to be honest, I doubt I'll ever stop missing those games of Horse in the driveway.

So for the next four years, I'll be cheering for the Lee University Flames. Go Justin. If you're lucky, I might even give you the orange and white basketball I got when the WNBA popped up in '97.