Lauren Gray Griggs!

Our friends, Bryan and Susan Griggs, just had their sweet little baby girl, Lauren Gray Griggs, unexpectedly early last week! She wasn't getting enough nutrients from the umbilical cord, so they decided to deliver her early. She is doing great! Gray is breathing on her own and she has recently hit the 2 lb. mark. Mom and baby will be in Little Rock for about 8 more weeks. Susan sent Gray's picture with this email:

Bryan and I received our little present very early and unexpectedly on July 10th. Lauren Gray Griggs was born at 4:04 am at a whopping 1 lb., 10 ounces. We are calling her Gray. She will be here in the NICU in Little Rock for at least 8 weeks, so mom will be living with her in Little Rock until she can come back to Fayetteville. Gray has hit all of her milestones so far, and hasn't even needed breathing equipment. It's a day-by-day process, but she's looking good so far. Even though she's early, she's been the best gift Mom and Dad could ask for. Please keep us in your prayers.

4th of July in Hot Springs!

Lori, Lucy, Dawn, me, Stella, and "Baby" Taylor

Mimi and aunt Cameron surprising Stella with a 4th basket!

The Lion King is a lifesaver on a long car trip!

Lake Hamilton

me and Dawn

The OTHER Taylor and Taylor. Wierd, I know!

We went to Hot Springs for the 4th of July. It has become a bit of a tradition... and I think Taylor always gets a little nostalgic for the lake that he grew up on. So we stayed with Lee and Larry (Dawn's parents) at their amazing condo right on the lake. They left the next day and flew to Boston for the 4th, so we just relaxed and cooked and hung out with friends. We got to hang out with Taylor and Jerrick, some of our really good friends who moved to Maumelle a while ago :( So it was great to see them... they are pregnant, and just found out they are having a BOY! We are so excited for them! Their blog is www.the-claxtons.blogspot.com if you want to check it out! We also got some bad news while we were down there... Anya fell down and broke her LEG! We were devastated! Poor Addie and Anya :(( She will be up here for a few weeks while they try to get that little tiny healed. Say some prayers for them! We drove through Little Rock on the way home, which is way out of the way, but I have an extreme addiction to Garden Ridge! I got some great outdoor cushions and candles. I will post pics later! Hope you all had a great 4th!

I Heart John Ray fundraiser!

I have been working very hard lately on my new project... the I Heart John Ray fundraiser! I am sure most of you recognize John as the sweet guy who is always behind the counter at Cheap Thrills. He is a bit of a Fayetteville legend! I have been good friends with John for years, and he has been in pretty poor health. After surviving cancer, John's heart was weakened and now, after multiple stints, he had to have open heart surgery. To make matters worse, John has NO health insurance. They did the surgery last Wednesday, and they just released him to go home on Tuesday. He has had a pretty rough recovery, but he is so positive and upbeat! He is definitely doing better. So some friends and I are getting together and doing a fundraiser to help him pay his extensive medical bills.

I hope that you all will want to come to my fundraiser! It is going to be on Thursday, August 13th at 7 at Dickson St. Theater. We will have food from Boar's Nest BBQ, music from Lloyd Marley and A Good Fight, and an AMAZING silent auction with items from Mae's Emporium, Lola, Taken, Mason's, and more... not to mention some Naturals tickets! If you need tickets let me know and I will bring some to you. They are $25 apiece. Thank you all so much!! Hope to see you there!