Wedding Shower.......

.....Benner(and Schatte) Style....

Bekah and Steven were very sweet and organized the shower for us last Saturday!!!!!

We chose not to do a 'traditional' bridal shower, where just the girls in the family are invited, instead, we encouraged whole families to come and enjoy the fellowship! :)

Mr. and Mrs. Benner, our sweet Host and Hostess......

....and let's not forget the wee little Benner!!! ;)

ummm....us!!!! ;)

putting cookies on platters

Esther Rose, Liz, Esther Grace, Mom, Rachel and Bekah

As people got there, we visited, and people were asked to write advice for the Newlyweds using that had to start with the letters in 'NEWLYWEDS' can't wait to read all of them!!! :)

It was soooo good to see Catherine, my dear friend since we were both 6!!! 

visiting with Mrs. Wesson

Dad Schatte, Mr. Pinckle, Daddy and David visting

sweet fellowship

Darling Faith!!!

Us visiting with Cat and Andrew

People were sooo generous, and we are soooooo very grateful for you all!!!!!!

Caleb....

I have no idea why I gave Peter this look.....

Alden, Jonathan and Troy Hinds

Everyone in this picture, we are both so very blessed to have in our lives!!! 

Johanna enjoying Hannah's lemon bars....they were scrumptious!!!

Mingling and being the center of attention is defiantly out of both of our comfort zones....

Daddy and Mr. Pennington visiting

David and his camera

David and Samuel

girls chatting in the kitchen

Bobby, my darling little man....he wasn't quite so sure what to do with so many people, poor fellow!

Johnny and Andrew arm-wrestling

Steven called everyone to order, and said that the Dad's had some blessing for Us

Then they opened it up if anyone else wanted to give blessings/advice/encouragements for us...

About halfway through, I starting thinking, I'm not going to remember all this, but Steven read my mind, and wrote them all down for us!!! Thank you, Steven!!!!!

....Praying....

It was all very sweet and encouraging, but I was very thankful to sit down afterwards! :)

visiting afterwards...this isn't the best picture, but Sam and I had a really good chat with Jeremy and AnnMarie, and this is the only pic that got taken of us....

And yes, the football managed to make an appearance.... ;)

.....more visiting.....

Little David.... :)

and, another picture of my adorable nephew.... ;)

Dad talking to Bobby

Caleb and Elijah

the cute banner that the girls made! they let me keep it, and I think it will go nicely in our apartment somewhere!!! 

David always has some admirers hanging around....

Nathaniel, Andrew, Samuel and Samuel 

Adrienne, Mrs. Beeman and Mrs. McKee visiting with Kelli, who is back from Taiwan for a short visit back home!!!

Grandma finally got a chance to hold Bobby! :)

We took all the gifts back to the Hale's house, the Schattes and Benners came over, and we opened the gifts and had boatloads of fun!!! :)

Wow.

We are sooo blessed to have such generous friends!

Y'all are and have been a huge blessing to us!!!!!!! 

Sorting and packing up the gifts and goodies....I think we are stocked on coffee filters till our 25th anniversary!!! ;P A few months ago, I had the weirdest dream that Sam and I had just gotten back from our honeymoon, and had opened wedding gifts, and we had been given like 10 coffee makers!!! And for some crazy reason we like HAD to make coffee that night...only one problem, we didn't have any coffee filters!!! And, as it is in dreams, it was like the worst thing that could have ever happened, and we were freaking out!!!!!! So, my dear sister-in-laws-to-be gave me a package of coffee filters.....EACH!!!!!!!!!! ;) I love you girls!!!!! <3 <3 <3

(Some of these pictures were "stolen" from the Schatte's Blog)