Month: July 2013
Tis the Season, FOR WEDDINGS!
What a crazy season the last nine months have been for Hubby and I! We have been in more weddings in the past 9 months, than I have any other time in my life COMBINED! I have been surprised at how beautiful and unique each of these weddings have been. When I think back to each of these weddings, I am amazed about how I can see elements of their personality shining through in each of their special days. I have been praying for these ladies and the lucky men that get to be called their husbands for a while now. I know that God has amazing things in store for their future.
Here are just a few pics of the amazing/crazy/joyous occasions:
Kristen and Trey (October 20, 2012)
Katie and Josh (November 17, 2012)
Meredith and Justin (May 18, 2013)
Laurelee and Paul (July 6, 2013)
Trish and Ryan (July 27, 2013)
After the many hours of planning, prepping, rehearsing, and partying, I can’t believe that all of these guys are married off and beginning their new lives as newlyweds. Each of them will face different challenges and trials over the next years and decades, however they will have each other to hold onto.
Waring and I have only been married for four very short years, but when I think about the meager advice I could offer these couples, Â a particular verse seems to come to mind. Â Christ doesn’t warn us that we will have trials he GUARANTEES Â it! Â However, he follows by promising: Â “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16: 33
In the years to come, I hope and pray that these couples grow stronger in Christ and as a family. I hope that they rely on Christ and their relationship with each other as they live each and every day. Waring and I feel so blessed to have been asked to be a part of each couple’s special day. My daddy once told me that weddings are special, and that I should always take it seriously and feel honored to be asked to be a part of such a special day in a person’s life. I am truly honored, and I can’t wait to share many more memories with these beautiful couples!
LOVE YOU GUYS!!!
Trish and Ryan’s Weddjng
Trish’s beautiful Savannah Yacht Club wedding! More pictures to follow! I can’t believe the season of weddings is almost over! It has been a fun 9 months for sure!!! I will have to post some pics from all of the adventures next week!
Guess What Day It Is?
Yes, I am still working on lesson plans for the new school year! I feel like I am cutting it close, but if I can knock them out this week then I will be able to breathe a little bit easier next week (last week before pre-planning) and I can focus on last minute things I want to clean around the house, the nursery, and setting up my classroom! I know that people think all teachers do during Summer Break is goof off and sleep in (and you can be sure that there has been some of that too…) but I can’t count how many hours I have been spent glued to this computer screen planning my little heart out! This will be the 5th new subject I have planned for and taught in the past 4 years, YEESH! But, planning on the front end makes teaching a lot easier during the year, and with BABY ADDIE coming soon I really need to push myself!
But at least I have some comic relief for today…because it is HUMMMMP DAAAAY! YEAAAH!
In case you were wondering….
Next Bucket List Adventure: Next Sunday and Monday Meteor Showers!
Gender Reveal Party Review
We had a great (I mean REALLY GREAT) Gender Reveal Party. I was a little skeptical about having a party like this, because I have never been to one myself, but I am so glad that we decided to go for it. We had so much fun hanging out with friends and family that we don’t always see. We couldn’t have pulled it off without the help of my Mom, Mother-in-Law, Aunts, Grandparents, and Besties Tori and Mariah! Mom and Hubby’s Mom were the only ones who knew the sex of the baby…and they had a BIG secret to keep!
Here are just a few quick pics from the day. Thanks Aunt Karen for being lead photographer! 🙂
Alaska…the Last Frontier
We had such a blast on our Seattle Adventure and Alaskan Cruise. It was one of the best trips we have taken since getting married. All the plans went smoothly, no one freaked out on the plane rides, Baby Addie played nice and didn’t make me sick, and Hubby and I really enjoyed spending time with each other and exploring new places and escaping for a little while. Isn’t that was travel is all about?
Here are just a few snapshots from the week. I miss it already!
1st Port of Call: Ketchican
Port of Call #2: Juneau
Port #3: Skagway and the Canadian Yukon
On a Roll!
A quick glance at the calendar, and I see that I only have two more weeks of Summer. Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely love my job, but it takes so much of me mentally, physically, and spiritually that I often have little time when I get home to do anything in the way of hobbies or crafts (and I am guessing that those moments are going to become even more scarce once Baby Addie arrives).
So, after a little reality check with the calendar, I got myself out of the bed and hit the ground running! I took Miss Lily to the vet (she wasn’t so thrilled about that) and went to Wally World for some supplies! The rest of the afternoon I spent making fridge bread and butter pickles, blueberry jam, and lemon cranberry scones!
It was a great day, and I topped it all off with a nice candlelit bath…it really doesn’t get much better than this!
What’s In a Name?
Hubby and I have been set on baby names for a while now. Baby Harvey will be named after two of the most influential women in my life, my two grandmothers. They have both (in very different ways) molded me into who I am today. I hope that my daughter takes after these ladies who are truly Proverbs 31 beautiful women inside and out.
But a few days ago I started wondering what Baby Harvey’s name would actually mean, and what that would say about her character. Here is what I found:
Adeline Faye
Adeline (German origin) means Noble
Faye (English origin) means Confidence, Trust, or Belief
What a beautiful thought!!
Here is a bit more that was said on the site just for fun (we will see how accurate it turns out to be!)
“People with this name are excited by change, adventure, and excitement. They are dynamic, visionary and versatile, able to make constructive use of freedom. They fight being restricted by rules and conventions. They tend to be optimistic, energetic, intelligent, and to make friends easily. They may be changeable, restless, untidy, and rebellious.” (sheknows.com)
In related news: My visit to the ultrasound yesterday showed the baby measuring consistently a 1.5 weeks bigger in all areas of her body and therefore they needed to move my due date up to the end of November. So, I went from being 20 weeks pregnant to 21 weeks pregnant right there in that doctor’s office. Wow! This pregnancy is flying by!
Lessons and Goals for This Week
This week’s life lesson: Life doesn’t happen in a vacuum.
This week’s goal: Philippians 1:21 To live is Christ, and to die is gain.
Since returning home from vacation life has been a whirlwind of emotions. The passing of a dearly loved man in our family has shaken our little corner of the world. I want to breathe a bit deeper tonight, and drink this life in a little bit bigger sips knowing how precious and finite this life truly is.
This week I started thinking about Philippians 1:21. I want to live my life in a manner that reflects the meaning of this verse. We each have a purpose and plan on this earth, and just as the pastor said today at the funeral service, what is important in life is that we “finish the race strong.” I want to see evidence of Christ’s work being done through my life today and everyday. I want to give Christ my life and be amazed by the work that HE can do for the kingdom.
Death and eternity are humbling thoughts to ponder on, but I am so glad that my God is greater. I pray that all of our faith increases….
We’re Back…
After one of hubby and I’s best vacations to date, we are back in the PEACH STATE in then sweltering heat! We really enjoyed the cool weather in Washington and Alaska, but our family, friends, and life back in Georgia was calling. (Pictures and more info on our vacation to come just as soon as I can unpack our luggage and clean the mound of laundry that is sky-high!)
But while I have a few minutes I figured I would share just a few things…
Lessons Learned From Vacation:
1. Flying West to East is NOT fun! (We are normally flying to Europe for vacation so we fly to our destination during the night, but we gain time on our return flight. This trip however we left at lunch, and didn’t get into Savannah until midnight. That wasn’t really fun when Hubby had to work the next morning at 5am! Yikes!!!)
2. A pregnant woman gets tired! (I am so used to having a jam packed vacation with sight-seeing and itineraries planned down to the minutes, however I found that on this trip I could not keep up at my normal pace. This really surprised me for some reason. I hadn’t gained much weight, I was barely showing, and I felt fine…but my body reminded me occasionally that I was indeed pregnant and I probably needed to take a rest. My feet hurt more frequently, and I simply felt more fatigued….)
3. Sometimes Cruises are FUN (Being so close to all the Caribbean I have often NOT wanted to cruise around the island on one of the “big ships” and would rather explore an city or region on my own for a more authentic experience. However, with baby on the way an Alaskan cruise was the perfect way to go. This vacation allowed us to see scenery and terrain unlike any that we had ever experienced, all while keeping to our budget and allowing us not to stress about driving or navigating a new location while pregnant.)
4. Fear of flying is all in your head! (Don’t get me wrong, I still don’t LOVE to fly, but when I kept telling myself that “I don’t mind flying” and “I like flying” over and over again…I actually believe it. I found that if I repeated those statements to myself instead of rehearsing my fears I felt much calmer. I know that ultimately GOD is in control, and I should focus less on my fears and more on aligning my desires to His perfect will. That is a work in progress…)
Daily Drops in the Bucket 