T minus 28 days!

I cannot believe my wedding is only 4 weeks from today. Panic is starting to set in! There is so much to do still, I just want to freeze time. When I said, "Yes!" in May, I had no idea how fast time would fly to October. I feel like I've blinked, and it's almost here. Pinterest isn't helping with the process, because I only keep seeing more ideas I love. Someone should really block Pinterest from my iPhone and laptop until October 21st. {No, but really, please don't...} Haha!

 

Today is bittersweet: it is the first day of fall. I LOVE FALL. I love layering clothes, I love not having a ton of humidity, I love a slight chill. I also love bonfire-season. The downside to this is that I no longer live in my sweet little house on Sugar Hill Road, where I could have bonfires in my huge backyard every weekend. I moved into the house Joe and I will live in together at the end of May, and Joe is at his parent's until the wedding. I realized this morning, when I let the dog out and felt the brisk morning air, that it is bonfire season...and for the first time in a couple years, I can not have a bonfire kickoff to fall. This is probably not a bad thing, as all my time and energy is invested in this wedding and settling into our home...but I sure do miss having all my friends over for fire, drinks, and music.

 

I told you I would keep you posted on this wedding process, so here's some of the "new" news:

 

1. We decided on a unity ceremony idea! I don't want to share it yet, as I'm so excited and want it to be revealed the day of the wedding. But what I can share is my thought process leading up to the choice! Our wedding is outside...meaning candles/open flame symbolizing an eternal commitment probably aren't a good idea. Nothing would be worse than lighting a beautiful candle to represent our marriage vows, and to have a fall breeze come in and blow it right out. Embarrassing!

The only other choice it looked we were left with was the obvious sand-pouring ceremony. {Insert gag here.} First of all, sand is beachy. I like the beach, but our wedding is not at a beach, nor beach-themed. Second, I am so "anti" doing what everyone else does or expects. Not that I'm a huge rebel, I just like to be different. Obviously with a wedding, there are certain traditions I am sticking to because I'm a southerner, and a Jesus-lover. But I want to do them {respectfully} different. My dear friend, Whitney, {an amazing wedding planner who loves Jesus with all her heart!} found a really beautiful idea, that fits the feel of the wedding perfectly, and I am so beyond excited to use it.

 

2. I am using tutorials from The Small Things Blog for my hair, my sister's hair, and Beth's hair. I have always had a love for Kate's blog {see here or here}, and I am so thrilled that most of her tutorials are for beautiful, classy, simple styles that will be stunning for our wedding vibe. A very close friend of Joe's, Autumn, will be doing our hair.

3. Some of the guys from church (particularly a group of senior high students whom we dearly love) are choreographing a dance for the reception. They are extremely excited and I am beyond curious and thrilled to see what these goobers come up with. I was totally rooting for having the bridal party and a few select friends do a flash mob during the reception, but after my sister giving me a strong "NO," I decided to let it go. {But I still think it'd be REALLY cool!}

I think that's all I am at liberty of sharing at this time. :) I can not WAIT until after the big day, when I can show you everything else! Secrets are SO hard to keep when I am this excited. :)

Bridal Shower!

I meant to post these a few weeks ago, but my sweet friend Betsy threw me a beautiful bridal shower a few days before my sister left for college. My matron of honor, Beth, threw me a shower last weekend at the church. Unfortunately, I have no evidence of the latter, as we were all having too much fun to remember to pick up a camera! But here are some goodies from the August shower:

 

 {My sweet friend Betsy. She did a wonderful job, I am so grateful to have beautiful people like her in my life! Our friendship has seen it all, and I am so thankful I'll have her by my side on the big day.}

 

{The lovely monogram Mrs. Carroll and Betsy ordered for me! I can not wait to hang it in our home.}

{Mama and her girls! Love them so much.}

 

{Bets is literally the cutest person I know...who else would have been this creative? So cute.} 

 

{My soon-to-be mother-in-law, Brenda...such a sweet lady, with an even sweeter Southern drawl!}

{Ash made me these, modeling something I repinned on Pinterest! These will definitely make an appearance at the wedding.}

 

The best part of the shower was definitely the "game" they played: but first, let me explain. A year and half ago, at Beth's bridal shower, one of her friends from college pulled me aside and handed me some paper and a pen. She instructed me, "Have someone help you, and write down everything Beth says as she's opening her presents, but don't make it obvious or let her know. When she's done, we'll read them aloud and say that they are phrases we hope that her and Nick don't say on the wedding night." SCORE. The perfect "that's-what-she-said" game. It was a blast, and so hilarious. Since then, I've done it to all my girlfriend's at their showers. I've bragged and joked with each of them: "You'll never get me with this game one day, because I'm the one who does it each time!" Obviously, I didn't realize when I would say that, that on the day of YOUR bridal shower, you are so happy and consumed with other things, you don't pay attention to things that aren't obvious. Imagine my shock when, after opening gifts, my own mother read back to me everything I'd said during the process. A few memorable quotes?

- "Are you one of those jerks who uses tape?"

- "That was a fun sound, did you hear that?"

- "Hope Mom cleaned out her van!"

- "Thank the Good Lord for Pinterest."

 

My second shower, in a nutshell, was lovely. Beth and Whitney hosted it at the church, and at one point they each, along with Stacey, another good friend, read verses that meant a lot in their own marriages, and shared some special prayers and wisdom. Homemade strawberry jam and biscuits were included, and a beautiful cake by Mandy, the wife of the pastor marrying us.

 

The summary of both showers? I am SO BEYOND BLESSED to know and be loved by each of my friends, and love you more than I can ever put into words.

 

Happy weekend y'all :)



Engagement Sesh!

Just because I love you...I will share with you the sneak peek photos from my engagement session. (Note: I spelled "peek" correctly. At 6am this morning when I tweeted the photos, I said "peak" and was attacked by an anonymous Twitter grammar officer and informed of my mistake. Never. Again.)

And here you are! I love love love the colors in this one...

And I love the big-wide-world-openness of this...

BETH IS AMAZING! :)

In Tribute

Words cannot express how my heart hurts for the families and friends of those lost in the Colorado tragedy. At work, I just kept getting a lump in my throat each time I thought about it -- so I swallowed the lump, blinked tears out of my eyes, and said a prayer.

Upon coming home, all of my emotions released, and I just could not stop crying. It shocked me that I was so invested in the lives of these families I'd never met, and these friends I'd never been acquainted with. I wasn't sure why I was so upset. And I felt anger - not at anyone particular, I don't think - and certainly not at God. But I was still, nonetheless, angry.

The events brought back emotions and pain from April 16, 2007, when a friend of mine lost her life at Virginia Tech. I think that for that reason, I feel so intensely for the persons who lost loved ones in Colorado.

In memory of all those who lost their lives, and all those who are left here to miss and love them...

{via @twloha, @davebarnesmusic on twitter}

I Said Yes!

While getting my hair done tonight, my stylist (the lovely Allison at Salon Amore!) told me that I should be blogging about this time in my life. "Think of it as your journal, a place to sort your ideas," she suggested. Why didn't I think of that?, I wondered. I have been absent from the blogging world for so long, I should be banned. In my defense, my life has been insanely busy...so without further ado...

JOE AND I ARE ENGAGED! He asked on May 19th and we have been super busy ever since. We are planning our wedding for October 20th of this year. (AHHH!)

Want a sneak peek at what I'm considering? Keep reading. I want to share this process with you and my planning ideas, because I know that not all of you will attend. I wish so badly that I could invite each and every person I know, but its just not financially possible. I have had to make all kinds of cuts to my guest list, and it hurts me each time I have to, because I care so much for the people invested in my life. I'm finally down to 220 people, and I'm having to leave it there. I can't make it shorter, and I can't add a single more. I figure this way I can at least share wedding details and excitement with everyone, regardless of invitation status. If you get one, know that you are loved and dear to me. If you do not get one, know that you are also loved and dear to me and that it was very emotional for me to not be able to offer the opportunity to attend.

* * *

I have always been very sure of the desired feel of my wedding: rustic southern. I'm not sure what triggered that desire years ago, but it seems a natural thing for me.

I've always wanted 3 components to make up my wedding: water, but not the beach...a barn...and a large open field. I figured I'd never find all 3, but that I would settle for as close to the perfect trio as possible. Then, I saw the photos from one of our youth girl's birthday parties: her parents live in a house with a barn and large field. It was beautiful. I fell in love with the scenes from the pictures. When I saw her dad, Tom, at church, I asked him if he'd consider allowing me to look at his property as a potential wedding site. He was thrilled I'd asked, and offered to let me come by sometime and look at the property. I went out, and lo and behold, there was the barn and field I'd become so fond of. But it wasn't at all what I'd expected: there was a long drive from the main road, with fields on either side. The barn was in front of the house, to the right. I'd imagined it in the back, but felt fine with it being in front. As he walked me around back, I was amazed to see that their backyard sits right on a riverbank. All 3 of my wants were right there in front of me!

Our plan is to have the ceremony in the back, and reception in the front. I have this beautiful vision of a ceremony with the river in the background, and a party of a reception in the front with the fields and barn, with lots of strung lights.

Here are some ideas I'm in love with:

{I love this color scheme: so much that I'm copying!}

{I love the idea of cotton in the centerpieces! That's truly a southern thing!}

{Everyone knows: it's not a party 'til you play some cornhole...}

{The dinner plates will have similiar foods!}

Once I have more ideas finalized, I will share more! I could not be enjoying this time anymore than I already am. :)

yes, i'm alive..

well hello there!

how are you? how is your life, what is God teaching you? what neat things have you found on pinterest this week?

i've decided to break my silence and finally catch you up on the last 2 months' happenings :) i can't really offer a good excuse as to why i haven't been blogging, except that i haven't really used my computer for much of anything lately. i've finally today sat down and sorted through facebook requests, twitter followers, and pinterest ideas.

major things that have happened since my last post:

1. i started a new job!

i accepted a position closer to home at southside eye care, and am really excited about it. i've been here almost 2 months and i have learned so much. i actually made a pair of prescription sunglasses a few weeks ago! cut the lenses, and everything :) i'm working with patients a lot more now, doing all of their exam work-up prior to them seeing the doctor. i love it! i get to chat with my patients more, and i love spending that time with them.

{note: i really, really miss my friends from the other job though. not a day goes by that i don't miss my scribe support system girls!}

2. after 3 long years, i have a boyfriend!

i am dating my best friend, and while i'm still working through what a dating relationship should look like (for me/us), it's going great. it's kind of a long story, and i will spare you the lengthy explanation/back-story. short version: we've been friends for years and i finally allowed myself to open my mind to the idea that we could be more. the biggest adjustment for me is trying not to be SO independent. it is strange for me to have someone else around. ha! for so long it's what i longed for, and now that i have it, i'm so lost on how to handle it! it's a learning process, and i love it.

3. my sister AND my brother are in relationships now, too!

i've known jill's boyfriend for years, and i love him to pieces. i've been rooting for this coupling for a while now. they have been best friends for a long time as well and it was only a matter of time. :) i'm meeting lee's girlfriend tomorrow, and i'm very excited. she seems beautiful in multiple ways. and whatdya know?! all 3 of us are dating our best friends.

4. um..i'm not sure if this is exciting, but i'm ending "the best year of my life" on tuesday!

my cousin, maggie, who is 4 years older than me, told me when she turned 24 that it would be "the best year of her life." i looked forward to 24 with such anticipation for the best year of my own life; and i must say, it didn't disappoint! i wouldn't say it was the BEST year, but i have grown in so many ways and learned so much. in 3 days, i hit the big 25. and to quote jessica simpson (which is something i don't make a habit of):

"..25..it's almost mid-twenties, which is almost 30."

whoa.

catch up with me on twitter or pinterest! hope to post again soon <3



sick day thoughts.

a little over 2 weeks ago, i started coughing a lot. a little over a week ago, i went to the doctor. two days later, i went back to the doctor. a few days after that, i called back to let them know i was having awful side effects to the medications. yesterday, i went back to the doctor. all the while, my symptoms haven't faded from 2 weeks ago, and more things keep adding on.

yesterday's final diagnoses? a sinus infection, bronchitis, 'reactive airway disease', a UTI, and clinical anxiety. oh, and medicine reactions that are causing insomnia and lucid dreams.

to say that i feel like death would be an understatement.

what is frustrating for me, more so than the rest, is the anxiety. because i know my God is bigger than it. i know in my head and my heart that these feelings are NOT of God. i feel guilty for feeling so anxious, because i know what God promises:

"come to Me, you who are weak and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest." (matthew 11:28, niv)

he says "I WILL GIVE."

not "i will try to," or "i will but it's conditional."

i like the way that the message version of the bible puts it:

"are you tired? worn out? burned out on religion? come to Me. get away with Me and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest. walk with Me and work with Me--watch how I do it. learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. keep company with Me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly." (matthew 11:28-30)

sorry to get a little preachy, i tend to get carried away. :) all of that to say: because i know His word to be true, i have a guilt that is associated with the anxiety. i am constantly reminding myself to give it to Him. thank goodness He is so much stronger than me!

totally unrelated, but i had CMT on last night while i was laying on the couch, and saw a music video for waylan jennings' son, shooter jennings. it was FULL of southern colloquialisms! as miserable as i felt, i couldn't help but smile and couldn't wait to mention it in a post. the song is called "the deed and the dollar." here are some of my favorite lyrics from it--

"she got a special way/it makes me happy everyday/what do the old folks say/she's finer than frog hair split both ways...she's such a good catch/she's got me grinning/like a goat in a briar patch...she never loses sight of the important things/but she's wilder than a junebug on a string."

i had never heard any of those phrases until last week; i read all 3 of those when i was looking up fun colloquialisms. just thought it was ironic :)

something else i've had time to do since getting sick: think. think about my life. about what i really want. about what my actions say; what the words that come from my mouth have the power to do. and thankfully Christ has been right here, pointing things out to me that my little brain isn't good enough to pick up on. i just love discovering little truth nuggets in the bible! i am coming to a place of surrender with my plans for my life. i have tried to surrender them in the past, but held tight to certain parts...but surrender doesn't mean,

'take this, but don't touch that..'

it means

'here is all of it, take it.

you can do this better than me.

i don't want to worry about it anymore.'

what has God been teaching you lately?



happy superbowl sunday!

well, today is here; the end of football season! i'm so sad.

are you going to watch the game? do you do it for the love of the game, commercials, or game snacks? i do it for a little of it all :)

i'm still a little bitter that tebow didn't make it to the superbowl.

and i'm extremely bitter that it was tom brady, my least favorite human, who took him out of the running.

i'm not a fan of either team today, but i view it like this: a manning brother vs. brady.

conclusion:

let's go, giants!

happy viewing, everyone :)



hootin'-ninny-hoots, and other things.

so my most recent favorite thing to do is learn southern colloquialisms.

whew, let's say that word again. it's fun.

colloquialisms.

i think it's sad that these amazing phrases aren't being carried on by the younger generations; you only ever hear them said by older people anymore!

i had a patient the other day that scheduled surgery; as she walked out of the room, i said, "i'll see you soon!" her response, without looking back, was "good Lord willin', and the creek don't rise!" it caught me off-guard, being something that you don't hear often. but i loved it. it was like hearing a beautiful foreign language; i grew up hearing phrases like that but they seem to be heard less and less frequently as i grow up.

another patient, a sweet little lady who sounds like she was raised in carolina, responded to a question with "oh honey, i don't give a hootin'-ninny-hoot." {translation: i don't give a care.}

it led me to look up more online, and here a few of my favorites i found:

"he swooped down on it like a duck on a June bug!"

{i think this would be fun describing guys hitting on ladies!}

"well don't you look prettier than a glob of butter meltin' on a stack of pancakes!"

{that sounds pretty appealing to me, i wouldn't be opposed to being told that! ha}

"he's as useful as a pogostick in quicksand."

"the engine's running, but nobody's driving!"

"that boy's two sandwiches shy of a picnic."

{i know some people these could be said about!}

"that dog just won't hunt!"

{it just won't work.}

"so good, it'll make you want to slap your mama!"

{this paints a funny picture for me.}

"well ding-dang!"

{i say this one all the time.}

"i'm fixin'ta ______"

{i'm about to _____}

and lastly, you can say anything you want about a person, as long as it's followed by a "bless his/her heart..."

okay, so some i might try to revive, and others i might not...do you have any favorites? let me hear them!

when Love sees you

i know i just posted about this cd..but i love the song about Jesus:

"i'll show you what Love sees when Love sees you: i see what i made in your mother's womb, and i see the day i fell in love with you. i see your tomorrows, with nothing left to chance. i see my Father's fingerprints. i see your story, i see my name written on every beautiful page. you see the struggle, you see the shame; but i see the reason i came.."

have a wonderful friday!

photography special if you are in VA

hats off to beth hamilton photography for offering this awesome special for couples!

contact information is listed in the flyer.

{cool fact: the couple in this promo is my roomie and her fiance! yay for living with a celebrity! haha}



oops, I've been MIA!

well hello there, love!

my apologies for it being SO long since i've blogged--this holiday season has been a busy one for sure! how was your christmas? did santa bring you anything good that i should know about? {leave a comment and let me know, i love seeing that i have comments!}

i came across a pretty cool photo while celebrating the holiday at my grandparents': some snapshots of my aunt peggi in 1958. they look EXACTLY like my baby pictures!

{i will have to scan some of my baby photos in a later post--this is seriously freaky how identical they are!}

let me think back to all of the happenings since my last post: i went to another amazing concert, got my hair done, did a lot of christmas shopping, welcomed home a friend from iraq..and man, has God showed me some awesome things in the last few weeks!

as for the amazing concert: i was blessed to be able to see the story tour. one word for the songs/performances: breathtaking. the idea for the music came from a book by max lucado that profiles major persons in the bible. the lyrics to the songs, made to be each historical person's "song", were written by nichole nordeman, and to say she was given a unique insight into their lives is an understatement.

growing up in church, i've heard most of these stories since i was a toddler in the nursery. adam & eve, abraham & sarah, joseph, moses, joseph, ruth & naomi, david, daniel, esther, and job make up the old testament line-up; mary, Jesus, the thief on the cross, mary magdalene, the disciples, paul, and the Lord's return make up the new testament. ever since i was 5, i could probably give you a detailed account of what each person experienced in their unique mentioning in the bible. yet this musical compilation helps you to really understand what they felt..how they thought.

my favorite songs on the cd are abraham & sarah's, and david's. david's song, "your heart," has the powerful lyrics: "i know that i've crashed and burned, and lives have been overturned, but You redeem everything; yeah, even me. at the end of the day, i want to hear people say that my heart looks like Your heart.." how challenging of a request is that? yet i've found that being my heart's cry; will i fail, yes. but will God love me through my attempts, absolutely.

(i saved the best for last!) :) gosh, i have learned SO MUCH from the song about abraham and sarah. i'm just going to post the entire song here for you to experience:

tell me that doesn't both break your heart and want to just praise God for who he is? the lyric, "you think somehow i'd let my heart believe it's time to let go of lullabies,"..for me that just paints a picture of how sarah felt, disappointed and heartbroken that she had not been given a child. but God promised -- and God stays true to his promises. it blows my mind when i remember that THAT God, who fulfilled promises to Abraham and Sarah, is the same God who promises me that he is here for ME.

my journal entry from 12/15/11:

my God is that God. amen.

to whom it may concern: the civil wars.

okay, how many of you have heard of this amazing new duo..

the civil wars?

i saw them last night live (front row..amazing). their music is beautiful..but them doing a live performance nearly makes you cry.

their website has a free download. and a free live album, i believe. get it..it'd be a good christmas present to yourself. :)

{joy williams and john paul white, the amazing duo.}

random fact: joy williams used to be a contemporary christian singer.

check out their facebook page. you will fall in love with their beautiful voices!

my current favorite song: "to whom it may concern"

why are you so far away

in my arms is where you ought to be

how long will you make me wait

i don't know how much more i can take

i miss you

but i haven't met you

oh but i want to

how i do

slowly counting down the days

til i finally know your name

oh, the way your hand feels round my waist

the way you laugh, the way your kisses taste

i've miss you

but i haven't met you

oh but i want to

how i do

dear whoever you may be

i'm still waiting patiently

<3

oh, and ps, the opener for them was a new band called milo greene. check out their facebook too!

{two of the members from milo greene!}

they are super talented too! they all are talented at multiple intruments and trade off every song. as joy from the civil wars described them: "they're like a musical chinese firedrill!"

my mini-vacation

hello lovelies!

its the end of another weekend, and i must say i am not wanting to greet monday in the morning. i had an ahhhh-mazing weekend and i'm sad its time for it to be over! sorry i've been quiet; i've been busy with work trainings, work christmas parties, and a much-needed mini-vacay!

my best friend/roomie {ashley} and i went to richmond for the weekend to spend some time with friends. we had so much fun!

{prior to dinner on saturday! ash let me borrow her new infinity scarf :)}

specifically, we were there to spend some time with our friend, rowan, before he went back home to australia. yes, we paraded around town with an aussie for 2 days..told you i had an ahhhhh-mazing time!

{rowan's so cute :) the guy in the background is ashley's fiance..thanks for photo-bombing, zabe..}

favorite moment of the weekend: sitting around the table listening to rowan and some of the guys argue when einstein's genius was realized..and discuss the theory of relativity breakthrough..and many other facts about einstein. as ashley and i sat in amazement, both thinking "i feel like i'm on that tv show, big bang theory," rowan looked over at us and said, "isn't this just like an episode of big bang theory?!"

oh, and hearing how the aussie says our names: "ahhhh-nuhr" and "ahhhhhhsh-uh-lee" :)

have a wonderful monday, y'all! 

a little something about football..and mr. tebow.

i love football season.

i love attempting to understand the game.

i love getting together with friends to watch fun matchups.

and i love the hype and excitement that surrounds both the big games and the players in the nfl.

as of lately, i've really enjoyed the controversy that a certain player in the nfl is stirring up: mr. tim tebow. for those of you who don't watch football, he is playing his first year in the nfl and is the quarterback for the denver broncos.

he's pretty darn good.

and on top of that, he's kinda my type of man: he loves him some Jesus..SUCH an attractive quality.

having grown up in the philippines with missionary-parents, he has a passion for making Christ known.

{dear mr. tebow: i would love to be the mrs. sincerely, anna}

i came across an interesting paper clipping on the internet earlier, and was inspired by it. if only we were faithful and courageous enough to speak up for Jesus the way we're called to..

LOVE IT. preach, timmy. and call me after football season. ;)