MZ, JA, and EA

You know how really famous people are known by their initials....Jennifer Lopez is J. Lo,  Kim Kardashian is Kim K, Justin Bieber is JB (Ok...really I don't know if these are true...but I googled them).  Well, I have some really famous people in my life, and they are so cool that they are known only by their initials...

Friend #1: MZ...also known as Michelle Zei.  MZ came to visit us this summer all the way from Philly.  It was great to see a familiar face from our life in Baltimore.  The boys really enjoyed her company, and Eli and I enjoyed her stories about college life and her family.  She continues to grow into an amazing young woman, and I feel so blessed to watch her from afar.

We ate at a local ice cream place, whose portion sizes and flavor profiles are ridiculous...you want to keep eating because it tastes so good but then you realize that maybe you should have parked further down to street so that you can say that you got some cardio in by walking a mile to your car...

On this day, E was a pirate!

And, we ate at the Pancake Pantry...now the Pancake Pantry has a ridiculous reputation...we waited in line for an hour on a Sunday after church...and the line was down the street when we left.   For those of you who are wondering if it is worth it...

you should believe the hype...this place has singlehandedly changed the way that I think about pancakes.  I have since experimented with more savory pancakes (with bacon and cheese and peppers), more seasonal stuff (like pumpkin) and cinnamon, banana...I will never eat plain ole' pancakes again.  (I will also try to get in some cardio before ever eating her again).

I know it seems like all we did was eat...and remember, I have an obsession with food, and MZ is a great little chef (she comes from an line of great Italian chefs)....so we did eat a lot...but we also spent some time with Elvis.

Now, I know it's not Memphis....but there's an Elvis in Nashville, so I couldn't resist a photo op...

She also hung out with me and the boys (and about 30 other moms/kiddos) at the Purity Dairy Plant where we got....free ice cream! 

I love, love, love me some MZ...and we were so thankful that she spent some time with us before heading back to college (where, btw, she's a rockstar!)

Friend #2:  JA...also known as "Baby" John Aubrey...with his mom KMBE (this is a long story....just trust me on this one)...Baby John Aubrey was born last August and without going into all the details, I will just say that he is quite the miracle.  It was a glorious site seeing my friend of almost 15 years in her role as mom.  She is an amazing mom and her little prince is exactly how I thought he would be.  God is so good.

JA! 

Fast friends.... 

Or partners in crime?  

Friend #3: Ahhhh, how I love thee, EA.  EA--stands for Erin-Ashley, but Emmanuel calls her Mrs. Erin AND Ashley.  EA was my roommate in college for a bit...she was my Spanish study buddy...she was my prayer warrior....I love this girl!  She loves Jesus with all of her heart....she is the mother that I aspire to be...she is intentional and thoughtful and super trendy and cute.  She reminds me that I am fearfully and wonderfully made...I am blessed by her friendship.  EA is scheduled to travel north to Tennessee in mid-November...and I'm sure there will be a blog to document this epic visit!