once again, i have not updated in a while...

but! bethany and matt got married yesterday! bethany was beautiful as was their wedding! it was a wonderful day! so, as always, a photo recap of the grand event!



me and sarah posing before the wedding

bethany giving elizabeth a mint. yay for best friends!..

..and funny faces..

and the best husband a girl could ever have

cutting the big beautiful cake

no messes

happy birthday to the beautiful sarah moore

off and away



it was really a lot of fun. i am so excited for them! i cannot wait to see where God takes them!

so yeah... if you get a chance tell sarah happy birthday if you have not already and send a congrats to bethany and matt. i hope everyone has a great night!

my wonderful husband just surprised me with tickets to the goo goo dolls and counting crows concert tomorrow night! i am so excited! don't i have the best husband ever?!!

A wife of noble character who can find?
       She is worth far more than rubies.
 Her husband has full confidence in her
      and lacks nothing of value.

 She brings him good, not harm,
       all the days of her life.
 She selects wool and flax
       and works with eager hands.
She is like the merchant ships,
       bringing her food from afar.
 She gets up while it is still dark;
       she provides food for her family
       and portions for her servant girls.
She considers a field and buys it;
       out of her earnings she plants a vineyard.
She sets about her work vigorously;
       her arms are strong for her tasks.
She sees that her trading is profitable,
       and her lamp does not go out at night.
 In her hand she holds the distaff
       and grasps the spindle with her fingers.
She opens her arms to the poor
       and extends her hands to the needy.
When it snows, she has no fear for her household;
       for all of them are clothed in scarlet
 She makes coverings for her bed;
       she is clothed in fine linen and purple.
Her husband is respected at the city gate,
       where he takes his seat among the elders of the land.
She makes linen garments and sells them,
       and supplies the merchants with sashes.
She is clothed with strength and dignity;
       she can laugh at the days to come.
She speaks with wisdom,
       and faithful instruction is on her tongue.
 She watches over the affairs of her household
       and does not eat the bread of idleness.
Her children arise and call her blessed;
       her husband also, and he praises her
"Many women do noble things,
       but you surpass them all."
Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;
       but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.
 Give her the reward she has earned,
       and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.

So girls, have you ever thought about this passage? I mean really thought about that. Have you ever thought of that as an outline for your role as a woman or as a wife? I know that I have.... and I know that now as a married woman I notice myself thinking back to this passage as I go through me daily routine.

My days are long... I work 50 hours a week... and that is just what I get paid for. My "job" never really ends though... but that all comes with growing up and leaving childhood behind.

Lately I have been thinking to myself how in the world can I live up to that?! And I think about how tired I am when I get home and honestly how I don't want to do anything but lay down and rest. But as life may have it, I cannot do that. And then Satan plays the "You are FAILING" card.

And you know what... I have been taking that card and believing it. I bet I am not the only woman out there that is or has done this. I am sure there are plenty of women that are believing that they are required to be perfect and live up to that standard.

And honestly most of us probably will never do that with as much perfection as that woman so gracefully did. We will sweat, probably complain, maybe even become bitter...

But maybe we won't... maybe we can do it with out too much sweat and gripping and without a hint of bitterness....

and you know where that begins, Ladies? in our hearts.... we have to let our hearts be at rest.

As I was on my hands and knees cleaning our kitchen floor today (true, not for dramatic effect... we don't have a mop) I saw a little piece of paper sticking out from a crack. It was a fortune from a cookie. It said "Before the beginning of great brilliance, there must be chaos."

Because of the newly restored attitude the Lord so graciously bestowed upon me tonight, I am standing on the edge of great brilliance. Not because of me, but because of Him.

today on my nanny adventure we went to the zoo


it was fun





we saw lots of animals

and even managed to find one that would pose for a picture


so all in all it was a great day! i really enjoy being a nanny. i get to do fun things and say it is all for the kid, but secretly it is for me. we both benefit. good deal.

so yeah. i am exhausted though. 50 hours a week is difficult but i will get used to it. i do like it though. and i love the family i work for... they even took us out for dinner tonight. finally i have a job i really like!!! 3 jobs in like what? 3 months. it's about time.

i hope everyone has a good night and good weekend!

so this weekend i headed down to southern middle tennessee in the middle-of-no-where with the amish and red necks. me, amber, lauren, megan, and sarah stayed at sarah's uncle's cabin. it was fun.... so here is a photo recap for you...



us with the corn

we made the amish uncomfortable...

i considered the amish life...

and decided it is not the life for me...

after 6 l-o-n-g hours we arrived at the cabin

i took more pictures of stuff like this than the people that were there...

i had a marilyn monroe moment

we waded in the creek with the devil crawdads

had fun walking back


went to a cemetry

and tried to make a fire...
we were unsuccessful for the most part


it was fun. i don't like being out in the middle-of-no-where, but i had fun.

on another note, i got a new job as a nanny! yay! i am really excited about it!

and married life is great!

well, i need to go cook dinner! i hope everyone has a great night!

wow. it has been a while. but! i am finally updating!

so where should i start? i guess wedding stuff...

the days before were pretty busy and VERY stressful. but i really enjoyed the weddding day. i really enjoyed getting ready with my girls... which consisted of lots of dancing and singing... and funny pictures of many unbridal things. all of which helped relieve all the nervousness. my girls and my step-dad and i did the chicken dance before we walked down the aisle. it was great! the ceremony was beautiful (so i was told... and i loved who i was looking at!) the reception was fun! i was able to dance to my "fun girly dance songs" with amber and sarah... and my cousin's husband even joined in during "its all coming back to me now". it was classic, here's a little photo recap:











i know that we have not uploaded more pictures... and we are sorry about that... but we currently do not have internet access at our apartment, but we will hopefully upload some more soon!

our trip to san fran was awesome! i love it there. very hilly, but it is nice. i got to see sea lions, penguins, the tall redwood trees and other san fran tourist things. we ate at a cheesecake factory on to of macy's in union square and we froze out in cali. it was rather chilly by the bay. nathan bought me a lil stuffed sea lion that makes a sea lion sound. i loved to make it do that at the most random times... the plane ride was long... but it was great! i definitely want to go back again one day.

after all the cloud nine stuff i was forced back down to reality with a real job... yes a full time childcare job. three years olds can be vicious little wolves just waiting to devour you. seriously. horrilbe. if you know of any good full time job openings feel free to let me know...

married life however is great! i love spending time with my husband and being a little wife. i actually enjoy cooking and doing all that stuff. nathan is the best husband! i lovelovelove him!

my birthday was last week... and nathan had a surprise party for me. it was my first surprise party and it was fun! i had a pretty good birthday. and as most of you saw, nathan got me a little guinea pig. she is so cute... except for when she poops on me... and then i retract that statement.

my mom got me this great macbook... i know you can't see it and too bad for you because it is great. i loooooove it!

so that is my update. life has been crazy but very wonderful. i hope that everyone is doing very well! have a great night!

*drum roll please*

(boom boom boom...er or insert other drum noise here)

my new macbook! wooo hooo!

can we say exciting?!

My cousin got married today! It was a beautiful wedding and she was a beautiful bride. It was good to see everything... it helped me see what needs to get done for mine and it helped remind me what I am waiting for. So yay for that.

Here's some pictures:


Cindy

My sister, Cindy and I

My sister and I


So yay for that. I am tired. I am going to bed. Goodnight. I hope everyone has a great night!

So... it has been a while. I have been so busy. I started a new job and I have been planning like crazy! Wedding planning is so stressful... and now there are only 3 weeks remaining and it is really really really stressful! But very soon Nathan and I can finally relax and start our lives together.

So last weekend I had a Bridal Tea thrown by my lil maid of honor herself


the room looked beautiful

and I opened lots of gifts. It was actually exciting opening gifts that were for Nathan and I. Some of OUR first things! yay!


And as most of you know Nathan was in town for a couple weeks which was great! I miss seeing him. And thankfully he will be home again real soon! We had a lot of fun:



we went to the park and threw rocks

we went to the drive-in

we got an apartment

and we had a picnic in the park.


I really enjoyed spending time with him. It was fun! Now it is back to reality. Back to planning. Boo.

I hope everyone is having a wonderful day!

picnic in the park::walking on the greenway::sitting by the water and playing::holding hands::laughing::honeysuckles::nice weather::sun::the office::laughing::smiling::love::silliness::drive-in::talking::listening to fun old music::acting like we are in the forties::dancing in the street::laying the street::laughing::hugs::goodnight

I do NOT like people who talk to me like I am stupid. I do NOT like people being rude to me for no reason. Urg! Have you ever been so mad that you cried because there is nothing else you can do? Yep... I was totally just there. So if you guys are reading this please be praying for me. I have to get a certain form filled out in order to do something important. However, certain people are being rude, and then there are a few other issues. God has had His hand in the situation from the start. And I know He will continue to be faithful. I guess the best thing for me to do now is just take a deep breath and trust....

i really miss some things... and i am really disappointed about some other things...

maybe one day God will meet the desires of my heart...

i love when God brings past situations to my mind....

i sit here in complete awe of God's faithfulness to me. sometimes i cannot fathom it... how God got me here... and changed my path so drastically. it is amazing. to even begin to think where i might be... it is so far from where i am now and i couldn't be more thankful.

ahhhh praise God!!!

i'm thankful that i can put headphones in and turn my music up and drown it all out...
                        and for those moments....
                                                        
                                            I
                                                PRAISE
                                                           God for iPods



... that and chocolate milk

So... if you type in "worlds ugliest dog" into the google search bar you will not only get this, but you will also get this!

the end.

Oh no! Where did ET's head go?!


Buzz Light Year took it!!!

i got a flower today...

                                              from a three year old.

My cheese puffs are sad...

Wow. One Weekend was a lot of fun! My group was SO much fun! We had some great sessions and Aaron did a great job speaking! I met some amazing girls in my group this weekend! Saturday was so much fun! We dressed up 80's... so for your viewing pleasure:



gotta have the big hair





and crazy make up and clothing





Hitler Cari (hahaha!!!)

AND THEN!!!!




"AHHHHH" you should of hear of scream


back to the attacking

hiding from Michael

Poor Michael got hurt....


So this weekend was awesome! My best friend is home!!! yay! I hope everyone enjoyed One Weekend! Have a great night!

I am so excited about this weekend! I am really looking foward to tonight and One Weekend starting! Cindy and I are leading the sophomore girls. I lovelovelove those girls! I know that they are going to be so much fun and CRAZY! This is my first year leading a group for One Weekend so I am really excited!

AND!!!!!!!!!!!

*drum roll please*

AMBER IS COMING HOME TOMORRROW!!! EEEEEEEEK! I cannot even describe how excited I am about that! Sadly I cannot go to the airport to get her... or even go with her to get her dress for my wedding *tear*, but I will see her tomorrow night! So if you guys hear any screaming tomorrow you know it is us! I haven't seen her since September! I know I will be screaming and probably crying! I LOVE that girl so much and have missed her dearly! AHHHH! I am SO excited just thinking about it! I cannot wait to see my best friend!!!

So, I have a lot of things to look foward to this weekend! I know God is going to show up in huge ways this weekend! Remember to live for Him at all costs!

I hope everyone has a great weekend! I will be seeing some of you tonight!

Happy Birthday to this amazing guy!!! Everyone go leave Nathan a birthday message! He is 22 today!




Nathan, I love you so much! I am sorry that I cannot be with you today. But thankfully we have the rest of your birthdays together! I miss you so much! I hope you have a wondeful day! Happy Birthday! I love you!

Happy Birthday Amber!!! I love you and can't wait to see you very soon!!!

Everyone leave Amber a birthday message!

Have a great day!!!

So... this morning as I was getting ready for work, I heard a knock at my front door. And there on my doorstep sat flowers! Just so you guys know, I have never received flowers from a guy on Valentine's Day before. So this made me extremely happy!






So I went to work, came home and started baking cookies...






yummy!!! and got ready for an evening with the girls. Amy, Rachel, and I dressed up and went to Olive Garden. So everything was going fine... then we got on the interstate and we saw (dun dun dun)






oh yeah. traffic and lots of it. We were trying to get to Olive Garden by 5:30... in attempts to beat the crowd.... So we waited...

 


we took a picture....



didnt make it very far...



so we busted out the microphones and put on some Celine. After a VERY round about way... like 40 minutes out of our way... we made it to Olive Garden... and the wait... dun dun dun... 1 hour and 45 minutes. And you better believe after all that to get there we waited buddy! so...



we took a picture of course. Scoped out a bench and watched it like hawks. And we pounced at it when the people got up. And pretty sure we got A LOT of evil glares. But to them I say..." haha! We got to sit for an hour and a half and you had to stand!!!"







thankfully we got seated... and it was definitely worth the wait!



and we had to take one more photo!


It was a great night! So yay for great friends and of course, yay for love! haha! Hope everyone has a great night!