The Chronicles of Narnia

I was immediately scarred by the BBC version of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe when I saw it for the first time. I was just a young girl, and I did not like anything I saw. The scary witch, the talking animals... none of it settled with me right, and I, unfortunately, declared myself not a fan of the Chronicles of Narnia.

Nothing much happened or mattered in this regard until Austin got a little older and had read the books. "They are SO good," he told me. "They are about JESUS," he tried to convince me. But still, I would not relent. I somehow just couldn't be convinced...

David entered the picture, and he too, tried to convice me to read them. I still wasn't ready, though I was finding myself willing to give the new movies a try. Maybe they wouldn't be so scary... On Christmas Day, David and I were on our honeymoon in NYC and we wanted to go see a movie at the AMC in Times Square. The Voyage of the Dawn Treader had just come out. I knew he wanted to see this so badly... and I was okay with it. I was just happy to be seeing a movie in Times Square... that was enough fun for me! But as I watched the movie, I became less hard-hearted... I really liked some of the movie I saw. I loved when Aslan talked to Lucy and told her that their knowing each other in Narnia was just a glimpse of knowing each other in real life, in a real way. Lucy asked Aslan if they will ever meet in her world. And he says yes. When she asks how, he says, "Because there I have another name. You must learn to know me by that name. This was the very reason why you were brought to Narnia, that knowing me here for a little, you may know me better there."
I don't know why, but it struck me. The idea of catching a glimpse of him, of knowing him 'a little' so that one day we may know him more fully...it's beautiful.

Okay, so by this time, I'm feeling a little silly...realizing maybe there is something to these stories, maybe they are worth reading. So when David asked me if I wanted to read through them together with him, I said 'yes.'
And let me tell you, it has been such a blessing. I've enjoyed reading in the evenings with David... that has been blessing enough, but the stories we are reading are so incredible. I love how Lewis sees things, how he has told this story. It really is beautiful. Clearly I'm not the first to notice this, in fact, I'm apparently very far behind the rest of the world, but I admit, I shouldn't have let the scary british witch scare me so much as a child.

So thank you Austin - for planting the seed in me to read them. And thank you David for helping to bring it about.

Summer GetAway 2011

My wonderful sweets surprised me last week with plans for a quick trip to San Antonio and SeaWorld! We're both working most everyday all day so getting away for a vacation just seemed like it wasn't going to happen... but D worked it out!

We left Sunday afternoon and arrived in San Antonio just in time for a sundown walk along the riverwalk. It was wonderful. The riverwalk has always been one of my favorite places :) And I've never been there with the mister, so it was wonderful to share in this with him!

Monday morning we headed out to seaworld! I was SO excited to see Shamu. I went to seaworld as a kid and have never forgotten it... I was so giddy - we sat in the splash zone, right in the middle and had a GREAT view of shamu and all his tricks. We rode the Journey to atlantis, saw the AZUL show (some of the most amazing diving I have ever seen!), petted dolphins, saw sharks and penguins, went to a 4D show, saw a sea lion play, and ate at rositas! And probably more, that I have already forgotten! As we were leaving, David bought me a baby shamu as a souvenir. I love my sweetie.

I was planning on taking pictures with my ipod, but unfortunately, I didnt plan well enough and it was out of battery, so I didn't get any pictures, which makes me really sad, but I still know I will remember this getaway. It was such a surprise, such a gift, and such a blessing.

Side note - as more and more time goes on, I am more and more amazed by David. He is such a gift to me. He is my friend and encourager. His love is so selfless and he is an example to me.

six months

so, granted its been a little more than six months, i wanted to write some about our first half year together. its been up and down and all around, but overall, we're so grateful to be walking in marriage together. im grateful for a man to live life with, to grow with, to worship with.

some highlights(and a few lowlights..)of our first six months:
- We celebrated our first christmas together in New York City! What a blessing and what a wonderful honeymoon! We got to celebrate the day out and about in NYC, seeing the Christmas tree at Rockefeller, a movie in Times Square, and a nice dinner in together at our hotel.
-Upon arriving home, we worked on getting our apartment settled. We were joining two lives, two sets of 'stuff' and setting up our home. David was great help and although there's still some picture frames and things to hang, it feels more like home everyday, because he's there.
- Job Hunting seems to have gotten the best of us. We waited so long for a job that we could have 'in the mean time' while we were looking a more substanital job. Money was tight, but D's a wonderful provider. I was never in need of anything. I'm grateful for a man who worked hard before we got married,saving money up, so that we could be prepared those first few months of marriage without a job. He was preparing provision for me, and I'm so grateful. Although we have jobs now, we both are still seeking direction from God about 'callings.' We desire to be doing more than going to a rote job everyday. We desire to be doing something that matters, something with kingdom value. We believe and have faith that He has a purpose for us. He has plans for us, and in His time, He will place us there.
-We've enjoyed being part of a church home at PGBC. We've been enormously blessed by the body of believers there, and we're grateful to love on the kiddoes on Sunday mornings.
- Grocery shopping: I love grocery shopping with this man. I have no idea why or how, but he makes it so much fun. I love that we can have so much fun doing something so simple together.
- One night, not long after we'd been married, David and I were up late watching TV... we were a little hungry, and we decided to go get chicken nuggets and shakes from McDonalds. I have no idea why this sticks with me, or why it was so fun. But it just felt like freedom. We were together, in our home, and we could go out anytime of the night we wanted! We could be crazy and get ice cream in the middle of the night! Again, I don't know why this was so much fun, but I just remember being in complete bliss that night. It was amazing.
- I changed my name! Though this process was a bit tedious, I'm so grateful for it. I love how in the bible a name change represents a change in who you are. When God changed your name, or had someone else change it, it meant the essence of who you are had changed. I have changed! I'm a different person. A huge change has occured in my life - I've made a lifelong covenant to be joined in marriage for the rest of my life, and my name change represents this! As a graduation gift, my mom got me a new bible with my new name on it. It's beautiful and I love it.
- I graduated! Though I was pretty discouraged somedays, D helped encourage me to keep at it, and after lots of long hours, papers and presentations, I finished my degree. Grateful to my love for all his encouragement along the way.
- We had a pipe explode under our sink, we had draino spill in our bathroom and stink up our whole apartment, we went to the aquarium, we had outings to katy mills, we played hide and go seek in the mall with austin, we had a spring break getaway to katy, we (okay me, it was me) locked our keys in our car twice!, David preached his first two sermons, we got new jobs at pappadeaux and quilter's emporium, we hosted our families and friends for dinner and celebrations in our apt, went to see summer blockbusters with austin, we spent our first night away from each other when i went on a girls trip to salado, we watched HEROES and FAMILY TIES, we (okay David) built us a new dresser, we played jeopardy (a lot!), we rented movies, we got hooked on america's got talent,we sang together at the top of our lungs in the car, we watched fireworks, we loved, we fought, we prayed, we wept, we learned, we laughed. We - me and him, the one I love.

so many things on my heart this morning...

YHWH, we ask for your presence and guidance in all these situations. We seek you and you alone!

thinking of austin and his team in joplin, missouri as they minister to people who have recently suffered much.
thinking of ms. liz and her team as they are loving on people and preaching the gospel in uganda.
thinking of amber as she is getting through her first week at sky ranch.
thinking of mom and dad as they travel home today and tomorrow.
thinking of a sweet friend who is in a not so great family situation.
thinking always of my beloved, praying God's guidance and presence in him.

stewards of grace

been reading through ephesians lately. trying to look at it with new eyes, reading slowly, asking the Spirit to guide me. several things have stuck out to me lately, but i have really been thinking of something i read in chapter 3.

paul just casually mentions at the beginning of chapter three about how the ephesians have probably heard of the stewardship of God's grace that was given to him ... and then he goes on to make his point. but this idea of 'stewardship of God's grace' really got me.

we are to be stewards of His grace. When he graces us with his presence, his provision and his guidance, it is a gift given to us from the living God. his grace is something that he gives us, something we should not take for granted.
He graces us with his presence in our lives, and we have a responsibility to respond. We have a responsibility to treasure and value his grace, not to waste it or use it cheaply.

what does this look like exactly? well for us, it may mean going to these jobs that we hate so much... we wake up each morning dreading going to our jobs - they are environments we aren't crazy about and often it seems like there isn't any kingdom value in what we're doing (making sure metal gets delivered and waiting tables...) but the truth is that these jobs are God's grace to us in this season. We hope and believe he will give us direction and this season will shift into more meaningful and purposeful work, but until then - we have meaning and purpose in this ... in being stewards of his grace. in working hard at our jobs, which are expressions of his grace.

show us your grace, all the more. may our eyes be always open to see the gifts you give us, and may we be good stewards of these gifts. may we value your presence in our lives. may we respond to your grace in a way that shows we are grateful and may you gain glory in this.

may we see your work in our lives in a way that cannot be explained away by things of this world. we want the world to see your work and to know that nothing natural can explain what is happening. we want to see hard hearts healed, we want to see reconciliation and restoration. we want to see you, we want to work for you and your glory. we want to respond to your grace. we want to be stewards of your grace.

church seasons

just recently became really interested in learning about the church seasons. after doing some reading, im realizing that the seasons of the church year really help one to intentionally celebrate a certain time of year - like advent, or easter. and in the in between time (what is called 'ordinary time') it helps and encourages the believer to stay committed in devotions and prayer with the Lord.

two books i've really enjoyed:

"seeking God's face: praying with the bible through the year" - found here(thank you momma, for picking this one up for me!)

this book is a daily devotion. each day consists of an invitation, a bible song (usually a psalm), a bible reading, a lectio-divina type of guided mediation, suggestions for prayer, and then a prayer/benediction in closing.

so far, i've really enjoyed the lection divina part. the writer constantly reminds you that you are in God's presence, and then tells you to read the bible passage again. i dont think im usually in a mindset of 'im in God's presence' as im reading scripture, and i should be! i've also enjoyed the suggestions for prayer. some of the suggestions are not things i might have been thinking of on my own, but might be things God wants me thinking about - and he's using this to encourage me in that direction.

second book i've enjoyed - (not all the way through it) thanks to amy, for the book suggestion, and mom, again, for letting me borrow her copy.

"circle of seasons: meeting God in the church year" - found here.

again, im not all the way through this one, but have read some in the advent section. she compares the season of advent to her pregancy with her first child. she talks about how during her pregancy she was preparing - her life, her heart, her home, every aspect of her life, for this little guy who was going to come and change everything. this is how it should be with advent. advent should be a season of preparation, anticipation as we wait for the celebration of the birth of Christ, who comes and changes our world!
this book is also filled with interesting facts i didnt know. did you know that each of the four sundays in advent is associated with a different prophet and different scripture? i didnt! when advent rolls around, i want to take part in remembering these things, in fully celebrating, and in celebrating in community - years and years of believers have celebrating and walked through these church seasons. what a beautiful way to walk with believers who have gone before us!

Blessings by Laura Story

"We pray for blessings
We pray for peace
Comfort for family, protection while we sleep
We pray for healing, for prosperity
We pray for Your mighty hand to ease our suffering
All the while, You hear each spoken need
Yet love us way too much to give us lesser things

Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You’re near
What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise

We pray for wisdom
Your voice to hear
And we cry in anger when we cannot feel You near
We doubt Your goodness, we doubt Your love
As if every promise from Your Word is not enough
All the while, You hear each desperate plea
And long that we'd have faith to believe

Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You’re near
And what if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise

When friends betray us
When darkness seems to win
We know the pain reminds this heart
That this is not, this is not our home

Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
And what if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You’re near
What if my greatest disappointments
Or the aching of this life
Is the revealing of a greater thirst this world can’t satisfy
And what if trials of this life
The rain, the storms, the hardest nights
Are Your mercies in disguise"

Moments Like These

I have been MIA for awhile, but its completely a result of crazy schoolness! Last night was such sweet relief... done with school, no worries, a very shortened to-do list, and my respiratory-infection-husband who was feeling much better!
We snuggled on the couch, eating ice cream, and watching a movie. It was just bliss. I am grateful for moments like that...

Food for Thought Wednesday

Busy with papers tonight, so just passing on a prayer from Tozer.

"O God, I have tasted Thy goodness, and it has both satisfied me and made me thirsty for more. I am painfully conscious of my need for further grace. I am ashamed of my lack of desire. O God, the Triune God, I want to want Thee; I long to be filled with longing. I thirst to be made more thirsty still. Show me Thy glory, I pray Thee, so that I may know Thee indeed. Begin in mercy a new work of love within me. Say to my soul, 'Rise up my love, my fair one, and come away.' Then give me the grace to rise and follow Thee up from the misty lowland where I have wandered so long."

Begin in mercy a new work of love within us, always, every day.

Rotary and Pizza Cutters

Today I used both a rotary cutter and and pizza cutter within the span of like an hour, and I realized they are a lot a like...except that the rotary cutter is much sharper. I realized that little fact when I cut my finger today with said rotary cutter! Those things can slice you! Wouldn't stop bleeding... but don't worry, my fabric's fine (and my finger too!)

Food for Thought Wednesday

Though this is in Crazy Love, it is a quote by Piper from his book God is the Gospel.

"The critical question for our generation - and for every generation- is this: If you could have heaven, with no sickness, and with all the friends you ever had on earth, and all the food you ever liked, and all the leisure activities you ever enjoyed, and all the natural beauties you ever saw, all the physical pleasure you ever tasted, and no human conflict or any natural disasters, could you be satisfied with heaven if Christ was not there?"

I think this quote speaks for itself - it requires more thinking than writing/talking. But it raises several weighty questions. How do we desire Christ? Is He our desire? Or do we simply desire the lack of conflict and the presence of pleasure?

God has been teaching me that he has instilled in us a longing for the eternal; it is inherent in us. Nothing (nothing!) can fill this longing except the One who is eternal. All other things pass away - and purposefully so... so that we might be directed once again to the Eternal One. The friends, the absence of sickness, pleasure, natural beauty... none of these will fill us, so if they are what we are looking for, they will fail us. If we are looking for anything other than the person Christ, we are misdirected.

Think of him as a person - he was a man. He had hair on his head, and fingers and toes, and a laugh and smile. Do you long for this Jesus? Do I long for this Jesus? How much more we should long for him than we do!

Twenty Five

So, I turned 25 on Friday. It feels a little old, but I think I'm okay with it :) And, it's been quite the year. Huge things have happened in my life this last year.

The year in review: got engaged, worked as a TA at southwestern, studied at cambridge, completed my middle semester in the MABL, took a sister trip to alabama (and pieced a quilt top in 24 hours!) planned a wedding, got married, went to New York... and now almost finished my MABL.

Grateful for: my husband - my best friend who became my covenant partner, my mom - for getting to plan my wedding with her, my family - always, a new church family in pecan grove - people who love so well, and YHWH's convictions and teaching in my life.

Thank you Lord for a year of loving and learning.

Food for Thought Wednesday

I wrote some notes last night on Humility, but honestly there are a few books that I have read so far this year that I would love to write my reactions to. But writing my reactions to an entire book is apparently a feat too extensive, because it's just been sitting on my to-do list for a couple months now. So, I've decided to examine them little by little... Ergo, I'm introducing... Food for Thought Wednesdays.

And our inaugural FFTW was incredibly timely this morning. I've read Crazy Love by Francis Chan, and decided to start with this book. During a break in between classes this morning, I opened it up, thumbing through to find my first major sticky note. (I have to read with sticky notes, or else I forget everything. blah.)

And the first hot pink sticky note that caught my eye immediately convicted me. It was on worry and stress, along with the command in Philippians to "Rejoice in the Lord always."

Now this morning, I had been throwing myself quite a pity party. My ride to school was filled with thoughts like: "D's got this new job, and I'm afraid I will never get to see him." "I have these stupid papers that won't stop nagging me." "I hate my job. I'm dreading going to work today." It was pretty pitiful. I'm embarrassed to even admit.

But God met me there, with this command, and these pages from Crazy Love. "Rejoice," he said to me. "Rejoice!"

Here's some thoughts from Chan: "You'll notice that it (Philippians 4.4 - 'Rejoice in the Lord always.') doesn't end with '...unless you're doing something extremely important.' No, it's a command for all of us, and it follows with the charge, 'Do not be anxious about anything.' (v 6)... When I am consumed by my problems, stressed out about my life, my family and my job, I actually convey the belief that I think the circumstances are more important than God's command to always rejoice. In other words, that I have a 'right' to disobey God because of the magnitude of my responsibilities... Both worry and stress reek of arrogance. "

Goodness, this got me. What is more important? My desire to throw a pity party? Or God's goodness leading to rejoicing?

Rejoice, Ashley, Rejoice!

What do you think? Are you humbled by these words? Does it cause your heart to rejoice? Honestly, it's probably not an automatic "Oh, I'm happy now." But I'm trying to make it my mindset - to rejoice - to think on and meditate on the God who calls me to rejoice.

Humility

I read this book earlier in the year, and was so grateful for the journey it took me on.

Humility: The Journey Towards Holiness, Andrew Murray

Murray encourages our prayer to be: "Oh for the humility of Jesus in myself and all around me."
He makes the point that our pride is not revealed in the midst of sin, but instead, it is grace that reveals our pride. This grace is His working on us, disciplining us, molding us to be more like His Son. It may not be too comfortable, but it is for our good, for our restoration.

My favorite chapter is the one on faith, and how pride impedes faith. “It is indeed pride that makes faith impossible.” “…pride and faith are irreconcilably at odds, we learn that faith and humility are at their root one, and that we can never have more of true faith than we have of true humility.”

Whoa. Read it again. How prideful am I? And what does this say about my faith?

He says of faith: "Is it not in itself the most humbling thing there can be – the acceptance of our place as dependents who can claim, or get, or do nothing but what grace bestows? Humility is simply the disposition that prepares the soul for living in trust.”

This is beautiful. My prayer is that I would have that disposition that prepares me for living in trust. I want to live in trust in My Savior. D and I are in such an 'in between' phase. Everything ahead seems uncertain, unplanned. May we live in trust ... may this trust be rooted in a faith&humility that is our breath of life.

Will leave you with this last quote from Murray:
"Let the glory of the all-glorious God be everything to you. You will be freed from the glory of men and of self and be content and glad to be nothing. Out of this nothingness, you will grow strong in faith, giving glory to God, and you will find that the deeper you sink in humility before Him, the nearer He is to fulfill every desire of your faith.”

May Your glory be everything to us.

Really excited to start working on this project!!



But first... My papers await me...the particle ki and adverbial participles are my projects for the next few weeks. Houndstooth will have to wait until then. So looking forward to being done, for a break from school. Just about a month away... then freedom!

My sweet husband is such an encourager. He reminds me that soon, very soon, these papers will be over, that I will get a break, and that I will have a Masters degree! That our God is provider, that He is our Stay.

Finally :)

I finally finished quilting my quilt! My free motion quilting leaves MUCH to be desired, but I'm not too upset, because it was my first shot at it, and I learned a lot. I attempted right off the bat to do swirls, but i wish i had started more simply, with either straight lines or curvy lines and then moved onto swirls. But it's all good. Like I said, a learning experience :)

Now onto binding (one of my favorite parts!)

I found all these very helpful!
http://www.camilleroskelley.typepad.com/ from Camille (on the very bottom on the left - stippling tutorial. its a pdf.)
http://anyonecanquilt.typepad.com/my_weblog/machine-quilting-tutorial/from Anyone Can Quilt
http://freemotionquilting.blogspot.com/from Free Motion Project

A Quilting Weekend

Enjoyed a WONDERFUL weekend with my sisters and momma in Salado - having fun, shopping, eating, and quilting.

Our journey began early Saturday morning as we drove to Salado and met up with Miss Amber. We had a wonderful drive up, dreaming up and scheming a someday quilting retreat center that we would love to open. It's a beautiful vision and I truly hope to see something come of it one day... to have a place of retreat where women can come and relax, slip away from work, get their craft on, enjoy the beauty of creating, and most of all, be in fellowship and community with other women. Someday, maybe : )

Once we met up with Amber, we had lunch at the famous Stagecoach Inn - a delightful Cesar salad, with ice cream with chocolate sherry wine sauce for dessert. Oh my goodness.

The bulk of our day was shopping, walking around the Salado which we love. Headed back to the hotel room, we began to get our quilt on. With two sewing machines, loads of fabric, pins, scissors, irons, and more, our little hotel room was soon transformed into our sewing center. we worked on piecing the quilt together (amy and mom had previously bought, washed, and cut the fabric).

Taking a break for dinner, we went to Lucie's Place, somewhat new to Salado (or at least new to us in Salado). It was in the old location of "the dusty rose" - an absolute favorite shop of mine, so it was neat to be able to go back in and see the old place. Hamburgers and ice cream & peach cobbler for dessert. Yum.

Back to the hotel - we went back into piecing the quilt. We took a break to make Heather Bailey's pincushions. Fun, a little difficult, but a great learning experience. Grateful for our teacher Amy. Someone has pictures. Maybe they will get on here someday :)

After some sewing Sunday morning, we said goodbye to Amber, and all the tired quilters went home.

Grateful for my sisters and mom.
Grateful for the joy of creating and crafting together.

Also grateful to get home to my husband. My first night ever away from my beloved. (Well, since we tied the knot!)

Bless Me...

I've been working on this book with Mr. G for two years, and this is the culmination of our efforts! It is SO exciting.

It has been my absolute JOY to work with Mr. G. I have fallen in love with the editing/publishing world. I'm so grateful for him and for this opportunity and ultimately, I am thankful to God for giving me the opportunity. It was seriously just laid in my lap one day. He knows the absolute best. He blessed me by letting me happen upon Mr. G.

It's a great book - if you like mysteries, you are in for a treat.

I get to pick up my copy tomorrow! I can't wait to have it in my hands :)

ASTH

My dad decided we were finished swimming for the night (I had fallen of the diving board and scraped my leg), so we loaded up and headed home. Before long, the three of us girls were home, dried off, and sitting on the couch, all in a row, with our wet chlorine hair. It seemed odd that they would set us down like this. I knew there must be something they were wanting to tell us girls. Before I could even finish my thought wouldnt it be funny if they were going to have a baby... that's exactly what my dad said: "We're going to have a baby."

This little nine year old girl couldn't imagine what life would be like...our circle of three already seemed so complete. Another sister? Or heaven forbid... a boy? What would we do with a boy?

Fast forward nine months... my grandma's in town because the baby will be born soon. She's staying in my room with me, which of course, I assume as quite the honor. I have a miniature love seat in my room across from my bed, and as grandma's unpacking, she lays out a pair of jeans and a Glorieta sweatshirt. "These are the clothes for when I go to the hospital," she says... "for when the baby's born." These clothes became my way to gauge the day as I woke up... if they were there, nothing new was happening ... if they were gone, the baby was coming. For the first few days, the clothes were there when I woke up. One day, though, they were gone. The baby was coming.

All day long, I wasn't sure how I felt about things. I wasn't a fan of change, and this baby being born today was going to do nothing but change our worlds.

I'm not sure when the shift happened from 'I'm not too sure about him' to 'Oh my goodness, he's adorable.' But rather quickly, I adjusted to this new little baby boy whom had been born to our family. I've been crazy about him ever since.

Once the little girl on the couch with wet chlorine hair who couldn't imagine what life would be like with a baby brother, I now find myself, sitting again here on the couch, trying to imagine what life would be like without this baby brother.

Austin will turn 16 tomorrow. And there is no doubt that those sixteen years have been some of the most joyous years of my life. Austin is funny - he never ceases to make me laugh. Austin is creative - from a little toddler dressed up pretending to be Captain Hook to the kid who is now writing amazing article for his school newspaper. Austin is sharp - the kid's smart. Austin is loving - he loves his sisters, his momma and daddy well. And no doubt he loves those around him. Austin is convicted - he thinks deeply, he is sincere in all he does. He studies hard and seeks what is right. I'm continually impressed with him. He is an example and inspiration to me.


Austin is sunshine.

Happy birthday, my sweet brother.
I love you more than I can say.

O Holy Spirit

O Holy Spirit....

Come as power,
to expel every rebel lust, to reign supreme and keep me thine.
Come as teacher,
leading me into all truth, filling me with all understanding.
Come as love,
that I may adore the Father, and love him as my all.
Come as joy,
to dwell in me, move in me, animate me.
Come as light,
illuminating the Scripture, molding me in its laws.
Come as sanctifier,
body, soul, spirit wholly thine.
Come as helper,
with strength to bless and keep, directing my every step.
Come as beautifier,
bringing order out of confusion, loveliness out of chaos....

- The Valley of Vision

Pretty!

http://howaboutorange.blogspot.com/2011/02/recycled-gift-bows-yellow-pages-version.html

Had a blast making one of these!

I opted for cute scrapbook paper instead of yellow pages, but whatever works :)

My Friend

My mother is my friend. I think most people wake up and find that this transition from 'mother' to 'friend' is new and sudden, even. It is this like "When did this happen" thing... For me, this is not the case. For as long as I can remember, she has been my friend.

We have always enjoyed things together - learning things, reading books, playing games, going to craft sales... she taught (and still does) me about the things I love. And I'm hugely grateful. Her love of books, her steadfastness to Christ, her sweet love for us kids, all of this is a blessing beyond compare.

Growing up, on any given day, I would rather be with my sisters and mom, and not out with school friends. Today, it is still true. These women know me, really know me, more than any of my friends ever could. They shaped me.

Met my mom this morning for some shopping - a few hours of shopping, talking, breakfast at chick fil a.... it was wonderful. I'm hugely grateful for a woman who is not only my mother, but my friend.

Thank you momma, for always being my friend. You are a wonderful friend. You have taught me what it means to be a friend, and for that, I am grateful. I love you.

Lessons Learned

So last Monday night, my car died and David and I were going to try to jump it to get it to the store.
But...I accidentally locked his keys in his car (our one working car). So now we had two immobile cars right next to each other. I was SO mad at myself.

We went and tried to get ahold of some locksmiths, but the cheapest we could find was $65. This made me even more mad. WHY had this happened to us? We were just trying to fix a problem, and then things had to get even worse? WHY?

David's reaction was totally different. He was calm, patient, reassuring me that everything would be okay.

Liz knew that Christi had triple A and they would unlock the car for us for free so long as she was there... but Christi lives at least thirty minutes away. I hated to ask her to come all the way out there. But she was so willing. When I talked to her on the phone, she was like 'of course! i will come rescue you!" - glad and willing to help.

I learned a lot through our car woes that evening.

Through Christi, YHWH showed me an example of such sweet friendship. Christi and Kenny were sitting down to a movie... would i have been as willing to help as she? if david and i were watching a movie and a friend called me to go 30 minutes across town, would i have jumped at the opportunity to be of service? I'm afraid of my answer. Thank you Christi.

Through David, YHWH taught me to be patient - to have more faith. to not ask 'why' when something goes wrong. but to have faith. to trust that YHWH has a plan, a reason a purpose. He will see us through.

And see us through He did! we had a wonderful friend come rescue us, we got our car unlocked for free! we got the other car jumped and started, and when we got to the store, we got a brand new battery for free! YHWH more than provided for us. And we would not have seen all of this unless we had these car issues in the first place. This is WHY it had to happen. So that I might learn about my Savior's provision. That I might see an example of true friendship in my sweet friend- a serving and willing heart. that i might see an example of faith in my sweet husband.

Oh may I never ask 'why.' May I always, in every situation, look to see what YHWH is doing, and join Him there.
Oh may I be an ever willing and serving friend.

Honeymoon

David and I had a WONDERFUL time in New York. We also absolutely froze :)

We loved going shopping- the American Girl store, Toys R Us, the Nintendo store, FAO Schwartz, Macys, the Hershey's store, the M&M store, and more.
We went to Times Square, the wax museum, tons of restaurants (Olive Garden on Christmas Eve) Rockefeller Center, and so much more!

We became big fans of this deli down the street from our hotel. A couple nights, after we had been out all night long, we would stop there, grab some food, and go snuggle up in our hotel room, with good food and Christmas movies. Such a wonderful time with my sweet man.

On Christmas, we stayed in late (David had surprised me with some goodies in my stockings from Santa!) then went to a movie in Times Square (We saw the new Narnia movie, and it was so good!) And then to Rockefeller Center, which was CRAZY crowded!!!! Its like everyone in New York was there on Christmas night.

It was a wonderful time - so grateful for a break from everything, for time with my sweet David, and a wonderful first Christmas together.

The Day :)

I'm not even sure how to begin journaling about this day. It was such a whirlwind!

Well, David was also graduating that morning, so I guess we will begin there :) My friend Liz and I snuck into graduation and watched him walk across the stage. Even though I couldn't be there WITH him, I was so grateful for the chance to see him walk across the stage. Liz and I headed back home where everyone was getting ready!!!

My mom, Amber, Liz and I headed out to the church where all my girls were meeting up in the bridesroom. Getting ready seemed to go by so fast. Melody was an AMAZING hair stylist and makeup artist. She took great care of me.

After I was ready and in my dress, it was time to meet David. Ashley and Meryl guarded the doors and I walked in, and there he was. My groom. David looked amazing in his white tuxedo. David and I sat down and prayed - thanking God for each other, for this day, for this covenant that we were about to make. It was such a sweet special time. But it was over too soon....and in came all the family and attendants and pictures began!!

After I was finished with pictures, I went back to the bridesroom with all the girls and my mom. We had a sweet sweet time of prayer (and later I found out David's guys prayed over him too). Then, before I knew it, it was time.
It was a LOT easier walking down the aisle because I had already seen David.

Everything went well in the service... the songs, the readings, Jerome and Dr. Marshall... everything was great. I was so grateful, and so excited!

After a few more pictures, we headed to the reception. When we came in, we were introduced. At first, we didn't know what to do or where to go. Everyone was looking at us, but finally one of my bridesmaids led us to our table. The evening was filled with eating, talking, cake cutting, toasts, dancing, and more dancing.


Some special moments to remember:
- I loved dancing with my dad to "I loved her first." it was such a special time. so grateful for my daddy.
- david and i LOVED that we had so much support from pecan grove there. and we loved that they joined in on all the dancing. we imagined that our college buds would be out there line dancing and such, but we loved having our church family join in on all the fun too!
-having laura there, like i said before, was so great. she means the world to me, and i was so grateful for her and rachel both to be there.
- it was also great to have family there. we see family sometimes but never all together and never both families together.
- grateful for my mom and all her help that went into helping me plan this. i couldnt have done it without her and i would not have wanted to! thank you mom!

Rehearsal Dinner

I was so grateful for the rehearsal dinner. Everything on the day of the wedding was SUCH a whirlwind, so I was grateful for some time that moved a little slower (although, honestly, that evening flew by too. just not as bad as THE day!)

We did the typically rehearsal thing, and then moved onto the dinner. David's Dad and Jennifer had planned the rehearsal - we had yummy barbecue and cheesecake for dessert. They decorated the table with adorable pics of us. The pictures were printed on vellum, and folded in a trifold. Then there were tea lights in the middle of them, so the image on the vellum showed up better. Might sound confusing, but super cute.

My dad led us in a song of prayer and David surprised me (finally) with our honeymoon location! I didn't know until just then! He told everybody not to bother us next week because we would be in New York City!!!







Just wanted to say that I LOVED having Laura here. It meant the WORLD to me that she was here. and I got to meet the lovely Rachel. Isn't she adorable?
So grateful for my friend.

Wedding Showers

I was SO blessed - like it knocked my socks off - with wedding showers. Although, I only remembered to take pictures at two (boo!), I thought I would write a bit about each one in hopes of remembering them some day down the road.

My first shower was thrown by some of my bridesmaids. It was at Lisa's apt, and the guests were college buddies. My sweet friends threw a wonderful party -from the beautiful decorations, to the sweet guests and great presents, we had a great time. We also played some really fun games :) The guests all took a trivia quiz on David and I and our relationship - where we met, details about us, about the wedding... But then the tables turned, and I had to take a trivia quiz about David. And everytime I got an answer wrong, I had to put a HUGE piece of bubble gum in my mouth. Luckily, I know my man well and only had to succumb to two pieces :) Great games, such a sweet celebration of mine and David's relationship. I am so grateful!






Next, I had a shower at Pecan Grove. I was so surprised by this shower. David and I had only been going to this church a little while, and we didn't know the people all that well, but I could not believe how many women showed up the shower. These people know how to love so well - they didn't even know us that well and they just jumped in and loved on us. I am hugely grateful for my church family.

I also had a shower at Tallowood, thrown by all the children's directors. This was so great -these women have known me practically my whole life and have watched me grow up. It was a special special time.

Here is a picture of the wonderful hostesses.



And a few others...

The Wedding Plans begin!

So much to tell!!!

First, I made these cute little boxes that contained a silly poem asking the girls to be my bridesmaids.



We met up at Panera (minus my two far-away bridesmaids) and I told the girls how much I loved and appreciated them and would be HONORED if they would join in my day :)

Great night!



Then there was the dress shopping!
We looked long and hard, but in the end, we ended up with this dress, which I absolutely LOVE. Everytime I put it on, I didn't want to take it off. I was so grateful for this dress. And grateful for my mom, Amber, and Meryl who were my shopping buddies!




Then there was the cake tasting. We ended up going with Julie's Cakes. We LOVED them and would definitely recommend them to anybody for any cake needs. They took great care of us, and the cakes tasted great :)

The Engagment

Well, I guess we should begin with the engagement.

David told me that he was working late, and so I decided to go out to dinner with my family before he got back. We went way out of our way for dinner. I wasn't sure why, but it seems like it was all part of the master plan ....so that on the way home we could stop by New Territory park.

My dad suggested we stop for a walk on the way home. I said I didn't really want to because David was at home waiting on us. But my family insisted on stopping for a walk, but I just couldn't understand this... why we would make David wait, while we stopped for a walk.

Well, little did I know Mr David was waiting for me at the park. There's a beautiful gazebo there, he had decorated it with candles, and was standing there holding roses. I was SO surprised!

David sang me a song, got down on one knee and delivered the most romantic speech known to man, and then asked me to be his wife. Then, he stood up and asked me for our first dance as an engaged couple.

We spend the rest of the evening calling friends, making plans and just being happy together :)

Long Time No See

So, I haven't written in I don't know how long, but I've decided to at least come back to write some about the life leading up to the wedding, and life since. Mainly just because I have a horrible memory, and if I don't write it down, I won't remember it :)

Stay tuned!