I've got to say, whoever decided that Mother's Day should be celebrated in May is a genius. There are so many cute things to get mom during springtime! Flowers are blooming, cute colors are in season, and all things girly are available. Does it get any better?

In honor of Mother's Day this Sunday, I've put together a gift guide to help you shower your mom in love! Hope this helps you find the perfect little something for your #1 lady.

I absolutely love when my friends come to visit! I've been lucky these past few months because my friends' jobs have brought them to Chicago, so I've been able to sneak in some nice visits. This weekend, my best friend of sixteen years, Keiko, came to visit with one of her best friends, Lindsay (whom I love to pieces). They came to tour Northwestern for grad school, but added in an extra two days for Chicago touring and visit time.

This past weekend, my sister's best friend and love her of life asked her to spend forever with him - and she said yes!

The Story:

When Bethany and Kenneth first started dating, Kenneth sent Bethany the song "Perfect" by Mitch Rossell. That song quickly became the first of many that would encompass their relationship. Back in January, the two of them attended the Garth Brooks concert in Cincinnati where Mitch happened to open the show. After the concert, they met him and told him all about the importance of that song. They joked around with him about playing at their wedding and took some photos. Fast forward to March when Garth Brooks announced he was adding Champaign (where we live) to his tour schedule. That's when Kenneth had the idea to propose to her there. Over the next few weeks, Kenneth got in contact with Mitch's touring manager and the two of them planned the whole thing. I loved getting screenshots from Kenneth throughout the planning process - he was so excited! Before heading to the concert, Kenneth surprised Bethany with fourth row seats to the concert (under the rouse of winning them from a local radio station). At the concert, during the third song of Mitch's set, Kenneth asked Bethany to dance in the aisle. Then, during the chorus, Kenneth got down on one knee and asked Bethany if she would marry him, and she said yes. The whole thing was shown on the jumbotron in front of 20,000 people. In the plans that were made, Kenneth was supposed to propose at the end of the song, but he just couldn't wait! There's something just so cute and wonderful about that.

As another surprise, my parents and I bought tickets to the show so that we could be there to watch the proposal. Being able to be there was everything. We all videotaped, took photos, and cheered them on. I definitely teared up when I saw him get down on one knee. After the show, we all went back to my parents' hotel room (including Kenneth's parents and Nana who were also at the show) and celebrated. There was champagne, cupcakes, and lots of hugs! I also surprised Bethany with a "Soon to be Mrs. Heasley" mug.

It is so crazy to me that we'll officially be adding Kenneth to the family. We've known for a long time that he would be Bethany's forever, but actually having the ring on her finger puts everything into perspective. And I couldn't be happier. Kenneth takes care of my sister in ways I don't even think she realized she needed. He keeps her safe, makes her laugh, wraps her in bear hugs, and loves her like crazy. This past year that they've been together, Bethany has truly been 100% happy in herself and I think Kenneth has a lot to do with that. It's amazing what unconditional love from someone can do. I'm so excited to begin planning our very own Southern Magnolias wedding and can't wait to see how their future unfolds.

Congrats you two!

This month was busy! Between our second wedding of the season, spending a weekend in San Diego for a bachelorette party, styling the biggest photoshoot of Southern Magnolias' career thus far, and watching my sister get engaged, it was a whirlwind! I definitely made progress on my April To Do List, but wasn't able to get everything done I wanted to (see below). Here's to (hopefully) having a productive May!

File taxes for the first time.

Does this make me an official adult?

Deep clean our apartment and donate unwanted items.

We did some serious cleaning, but definitely didn't go through anything to donate. I've decided to set smaller cleaning goals, rather than the whole house (see my May list), so hopefully it'll be more doable!

Create and organize binders to hold Southern Magnolias' event information.

Truly and utterly failing at this item. ;) I will do it eventually - I promise.

Update Southern Magnolias' website with event galleries.

We officially have all of the photos to do this, so the galleries will be going live soon!

Remember and rejoice over the true meaning of Easter.

You can read about the verses I focused on here.

Head to the hairdresser (finally).

It's so nice to have hair with layers and shape again! I only needed to cut off 1.5 inches (yay healthy hair), but it made a world of difference.

Head to San Diego to celebrate my best friend's bachelorette party.

Such a fun (and tiring) weekend! To see what we did, click here.

Alleviate bridal stress by successfully coordinating our second wedding of the season.

This was the first wedding we did separately, but it completely worked! It was the same weekend as my California trip, so I helped with the prep work and scheduling, while Bethany handled everything on the day-of. And she did great!

Organize Southern Magnolias' Instagram.

Yes! I have a calendar and everything to start posting this month.

Create and style an elegant boho photoshoot for Kristen Winkler Photography.

Despite a 90% chance of thunderstorms throughout the day, we killed it. I cannot wait to show you the photos!

This past weekend, I travelled to San Diego to celebrate one of my oldest friend's bachelorette party. I met Caitlin when I was eight years old in our grade 3 class. I had just moved from Toronto to Southern California and she quickly became my closest friend. We had sleepovers, our own fake family with intense storylines (we had a wild imagination), and danced in the same jazz class. Fast forward seventeen years and she's getting ready to marry the love of her life. 

This weekend, I spent time reflecting on Easter through three key verses: Isaiah 53:5, Matthew 28:6a, and Romans 8:11. One of the items on my April To Do List is to remember the true meaning of Easter. I wanted a tangible way to do this, so I chose to study and reflect on the Word. To me, these verses represent the power of Easter and what it symbolizes for us as believers.

Isaiah 53:5 "But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed."

My Reflection: This verse documents what Christ did for us and what it cost him. He was beaten and persecuted for the sins that we committed. He was utterly perfect, but in those moments before his death, he felt the complete imperfect reality of man. The last part of this verse is what really stands out to me - "By his wounds we are healed." I can't fathom that kind of love. He was willing to bleed, hurt, and ultimately die so that we could be healed. That's true, selfless, overwhelming love.

Matthew 28:6a "He is not here; he has risen, just as he said."

My Reflection: Matthew 28:6 celebrates the true reason for Easter - He has risen. This is what God-power is. Jesus was beaten and hung from a cross, yet He came back whole to fulfill his promise. By rising, God showed the power and healing of His Spirit. In Matthew 17:23 and Luke 9:22, Jesus predicts his resurrection. This was the final act in saving the world. By rising on the third day, He has saved us. How incredible is the Spirit!?

Romans 8:11 "And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you."

My Reflection: This verse explains what the resurrection means for us. The Spirit that was so strong it rose Jesus from the dead has been given to us. As believers, we are granted the Holy Spirit. It's a strong force that, through faith, lives in us. If the Spirit was so strong it resurrected Christ, imagine what it can do for us in this new life!

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By reflecting on these verses, I was able to remember why I celebrate Easter. Although the Easter egg hunt and visit from the "Easter Bunny" is something I love doing with my family, it's not why I celebrate. I celebrate because God sent his only Son to live out a perfect life here on Earth, only to die for the Earth that persecuted Him. The love that God and the Son has for you and me is seen on the cross. Through the resurrection, we are forever saved.

I hope that everyone had a wonderful Easter weekend, and that you, too, spent time thanking the Lord for His sacrifice.

Confession: the Easter Bunny still comes to my house. My parents go all out when it comes to Easter. They hide chocolate eggs all around a room in our house and send us on a scavenger hunt. The first thing we do is hunt for all of the eggs - there's always one that my mom finds a couple of days later that we missed. Next, the hunt begins. My parents wrap gifts for both my sister and I, but in different colors. If we find the other person's color, we just pretend we didn't. And of course, there's also a basket to find. I love that even thought I'm 25 and my sister's 23, we still do this. It's so fun and I look forward to it every year!