Can I Hit (the) Target?

We had a great time in Mississippi over Christmas with my mom's side of the family. It was honestly non-stop eating and gift opening, but no complaints here (well, until I stepped on the scale upon returning home...). We received quite a few wedding gifts from familywhile there and included was the infamous KitchenAid mixer I have denied myself until this blissful occasion. Wahoo!!

Fast forward to the day after Christmas.

We arrive home from Mississippi about 6:30pm, unload the car, and begin putting things away. You know I'm opening up that mixer! Barron cuts the tape for me and we carefully lift it out of the box. "Aahhhh."

But wait! What are those scratches? And is that icing on the side? Has it been USED?! I look in horror at Barron. This is not right! It must go back. So we carefully re-pack it and debate when the best time is for me to go exchange it...because it's getting done sooner than later! Being the wonderful man he is, he says "Let's go now! They're still open!"

"OK!!"

As we drive I have a suspicion that this exchange may not be as easy as swapping them out, but Barron is upbeat about it and we head to Target. Thankfully the line of the day had died down and we walked right up to the counter and told the gal that the mixer had been used and we'd like to exchange it.

And she gives us that look. You know - the look that says "I know you're not going to like what I'm about to say, but..."

They "couldn't" exchange it without a receipt or registry of some kind. Say what!? It's not like we got the wrong color. It's used! (And has a Target shipping label on the side, so it's obviously from Target.)

So I call my Aunt Sherri who proceeds to give me her number for them to look up. We finally find it (I had a digit wrong at first) and the gal puts the money on a gift card and we head back to pick out a new one. Hooray!

But wait.

We get to the mixer and it's almost $30 more than what the gift card she gave us is worth. Now how does that work? So we take the new mixer back to her and explain the problem. She seems confused and we have to call Aunt Sherri back again to get the number again so Target girl can look up the account once more. She then proceeds to tell us that she can fix the problem, but we'll have to pay around $17 because my Aunt had some rewards dollars on the ticket. Huh?

And then my knight stepped in. Barron kindly but firmly explains that we brought in a used item that had been sold as new and we want to exchange it for the exact same thing. It has been paid for in full, and thus we do not owe her any money. The light bulb went on, so she got the manager over there to help her figure out the computer and we walked out with our new mixer! Hooray! And you can bet I have already used it.

Thank you Barron for fighting for me and my mixer! I'll have to make you some cookies or something.

Moral of the story: Even if it's on the registry, please include a gift receipt. Target is a crazy place!

Doorstep Surprise!

A couple weeks ago (yes, I'm a little slow on the posting) we arrived at my house to discover a couple packages on the porch. One I was expecting - it was a last minute Christmas gift. But we were both confused as to what the other would be. (You can imagine the "Did you order something?" going around.) Then it hit me - it was our first wedding present!!!

(Ok, technically Granna gave us our first one, but she said we couldn't open it yet, thus it was disqualified.)

Anyway, I thought you'd like to see the joy that ensued when I discovered what it was! Nothing like a new saucepan to get me excited! Ha!

Thanks to the Mays in Mississippi!

Maid of Honor - Amy Schreiber

Oh Amy - while the other girls have been around longer, poor Amy had to put up with more Barron drama than any friend should. Amy and I met a her college roommate's wedding. I was helping the family with the reception and they introduced us and said she was moving to Springfield to do her student teaching. We immediately hit it off and were pretty inseparable once she moved to town. Amy is my kind of girl - she is HILARIOUS, loves football, is totally sarcastic, and gets things done. God could not have put her in my life at a better time. While there was much more to our friendship than Barron drama, she stood by me and encouraged me through all of it...she even volunteered to ignore him too...if I wanted her to. We watched football games, conquered Guitar Hero, and hosted American Idol and "Du ba du ba da dance dance dance..." (So You Think You Can Dance) parties.

In March 2008 she told me she was looking into moving back to her home state of Nebraska to teach. NOOOOOO!!!! I wasn't sure what I was going to do, but I knew God would provide. Boy was I surprised (as was she) when His provision was Barron! In God's perfect timing, Amy and I had a long weekend over Memorial Day to hang out in Branson before she left. I'll include a picture of what we did most of the weekend - NOTHING. It rained a lot that weekend, so we holed up in our room and just chilled. It also happened to be the weekend before Barron and I became "official." Crazy.

It was neat to watch both Amy and I grow in our faith over the first couple years of our friendship. Her move to Nebraska took a step of faith for her and I know it has been hard, but it was so encouraging to watch her be obedient to what the Lord called her to. Maybe He just had her here in Springfield to put up with me until Barron decided he could do the job. Ha! Whatever His purpose, I am so blessed to have her in my life and look forward to many more years of friendship.

Best Man - Justin Pedigo

Justin has been one of my best friends for over a decade. He has led me into trouble more times than I can remember. Most notable is probably the infamous canoe trip of '98 with our friend Jeremy that resulted in the loss of a canoe, some clothing, and a package of Double Stuf Oreo's :( I spent many Saturday nights at Justin's house and I think he is still the only person with whom I have shared a bed; I'm sure that only further strengthened our friendship. Justin has always been a close confidant and I'm sure it will continue as we go through new stages of life. I still can't believe that he's a father. Congratulations to both of you, Justin and Ashlynne.

Bridesmaid - Courtney Goings

Court and I began our friendship in an interesting way. I came to Springfield for college and was trying to find a church. Little did I know that Second was "expecting" me. The college minister basically told Courtney to welcome me, so she did all she could. I remember going home that day not sure if she was fake or not. She remembers my carabiner that I carried my keys on. I explained to her very matter-of-factly that the carabiner was how I kept up with my keys, yada yada. Yes, I'm a dork.

It turns out that Second was where God wanted me to be for my home church, so I quickly got involved there. [Side note: if I hadn't stayed at Second, would I have ever met Barron? Hmm...nice job Court!] That summer, JD asked me to be an intern the next year with the college ministry, along with Courtney. Honestly, I was less than thrilled and skeptical of how it would turn out. Little did I know that she would end up being one of my best friends. Maybe that's what happens when you're stuck in your recreation closet/soda storage "office" for hours at a time.

Here we are, seven years later, and Courtney is finally getting her prayers answered for me to get married to a godly man. Courtney now lives in Mexico where she and her husband Preston and missionaries. But she hasn't let the distance erode our friendship. It is hard on her being away for this special time, but she does everything she can to help. She is my go-to girl when I need help researching something on the web but can't seem to find the time to do it.

When I think of Courtney, I think of singing The Cranberries "Zombie" at the top of our lungs in her Couger. I think of Tom Petty. I think of her getting sick of shifting up and down the hills in Arkansas and coaxing her car to continue without doing so. And I think of all the times we shared a bed on retreats/sleepovers/mission trips, etc and somehow always ended up right in the middle of the bed. Must have been cold.

I am so thankful for Court's friendship throughout all that has come over the years. She is a most loyal friend and I am grateful that she is able to cross the border to be in our wedding. (And Preston, too.)

Groomsman - Chris Austin

My friendship with Chris started in high school. The first time we met was at homecoming when my "date" left in the first few minutes of the dance and never came back. Chris had sympathy with me and made it a point to talk to me so I did not feel completely alone. Just a few months later, Chris came to visit Sunday School at Second Baptist and we have been friends since. I spent many late nights with Chris in high school and college, whether it involved just hanging out in his basement until 3am or helping him to bring some grand idea to fruition. Though Chris was once almost considered a felon, I still consider him one of my best friends. Since Betsy and Chris' wife, Sarah, have been good friends for quite some time, I'm sure our friendships will continue to grow as we enter new stages of life.

Bridesmaid - Tammi Hamilton

Tammi (aka Bob) has been a friend of mine since college. I first remember her from attending a Bible study with Courtney that was mostly the "Marshfield girls." I don't really remember exactly when we began getting to know each other better, but sometime in the later years of college Tammi would come over right when she got out of class and we would take off for some sort of adventure (usually shopping). Often we didn't buy anything, but it sure was fun! (Ok, "often" might be a little too generous, but...)

Everyone needs a friend like Tammi. She's a blast to hang out with, and she is one of the most generous people I know (along with her husband, Gary -- he'll be the guy in the pink tie at the wedding). Tammi has been with me through some tough stuff in life, and even came with Courtney all the way to Mississippi for my mom's funeral. Being my only bridesmaid that is in town, she's been overworked and underpaid at this job, but I don't know what I'd do without her. Love you Bob!!

(We believe that "Bob" came from Courtney...no idea why Tammi and I use it now.)

Groomsman - Forrest Shock

Based on the name you can probably guess that this is my (Betsy) brother. Forrest is five years younger and attends the University of Missouri, where he plays football for the Tigers. It was rough on me when he chose to go to Mizzou (having grown up a Jayhawk fan) but I have sucked it up and chosen to support him (and the team...but only the football team). What can I say - I love him. I wish he was around more often, because he is one of the most fun people you'll ever meet. Speaking of meeting, I suppose those of you who have heard a lot about Forrest but never met him can do so at the wedding. He WILL be there (he'd better!!).

Other than that, you can catch him at the Alamo Bowl Dec 29th. He's #88.