10 Days!!!

I can't believe that Nate and I will be married in 10 days and headed to Jamaica in 11 (please no hurricanes)! Now it is just surreal. We can't believe it is coming so quickly. Tomorrow we should be able to see if rain is predicted. Say a little prayer for sunshine, but if it rains, we will be some wet, but also extremely happy people :)!

I can't wait to see my family and friends in a matter of days! This week some of my coworkers (more like people who work towards the same mission as me) are having a luncheon for me and I am excited to celebrate with them! On Thursday we are having a dinner with our closest friends (minus my lovely friends from other states). On Saturday, my friends Katy and Melinda are throwing me a Tea at Emma's Tea Room and that night us ladies are going out (oh yes...I am sure it is going to be real "crazy"). On Monday Nicole (Nate's sister) is having a lingerie shower (yikes...bring on the embarrassing moments) for me at her home. It looks like I am going to be pretty busy until the wedding. This is such a wonderful and exciting time for us! These moments are truly priceless!



Best moments of last week:



*** Seeing so many people show extreme grace, love, and support to a dear friend. It is amazing be a part of a family of believers who truly show the love that Christ has for us to others. I am constantly blessed by them and on Sunday, one of my close friends experienced that love. Thank you Jesus!



* Finding out that Sy and Dasha, and April are pregnant! I LOVE children and I am so excited that we are going to have 3 (Melinda and Geoff's baby Arden makes 3...no one is having twins that we know of) little babies in our lives very soon!



* Pizza, a movie, laughing, and the comfort of being with my best friend Nate.



* Having 10 of the kids over to our house for a movie day! They are the best.

*Running hills in the morning.



I didn't have any pictures of these great moments, so I decided to give you all a sneak peak of my wedding hair. I assure you that the left side doesn't look like the right, but this gives you an idea. Oh...and you get to see an earring. They are vintage...Woot Woot :).

How Could I Ask for More...

This weekend we had a dinner party at our house in honor of Geoff and Melinda becoming parents in the NEAR future! It was such a great time with our closest friends! We are SO excited to meet Arden Leigh! She is going to be such a blessing to all of us. If you are reading this, please pray for Geoff, Melinda, and baby Arden. We know they are going to be awesome parents and we can't wait to support them through this major life stage! We love you all!I don't think Geoff knew I was taking this picture. Melinda looks so cute though and it was my only picture of both of them from that night, so I just had to post it.

The lovely Ms. Natalie enjoying her awesome chocolate ball!

Chatting at the dinner table.

Mrs. Dasha workin' hard in the kitchen!

Mr. Brent's newest "bachelor" picture. Ladies...if your out there and you need a good man (and you are an awesome woman) , he IS available!

Other breaking news: I am going to start working part-time after we return from our honeymoon. Nate and I have prayed about this for awhile now and we have decided that it is just too stressful for me to work full-time while also working at least 10 hours a week at the Linc and serving the children in my "spare" time. Doors appear to have been opened so that I can keep my same position, but simply cut back on hours. I am SO SO thankful that Nathan is such an awesome provider for me because his willingness to provide has truly allowed me to fully take advantage of this awesome opportunity to spend more time with the kids. Thank you Jesus!

Only 17 more days until we get married!!! Time is flying. I know that despite my extreme organization, these next couple of weeks are going to be a bit hectic. There are so many last minute details and then the completely unexpected (like ordering different flower girl dresses on ebay today...they are SO cute!). Still trying to stay away from stressful thoughts and simply enjoy each day!

I have been playing an old Cindy Morgan song at work for the past week titled How Could I Ask for More. It allows me to refocus and think of how truly blessed I am! "Thank You Lord, How Could I Ask For More" is the main line of this awesome oldie. Isn't that statement the truth! All of these last minute details and the stressful moments that occur from planning a wedding and life changes are not important in comparison to the vast blessings in my life at this very moment! How could I ask for more?

More Engagement Pics...YAY

Look what came in the mail today! Nate just emailed them to me and I just had to share them! Mad props to Tera for her awesome work (terakaylen.com)! We absolutely love them. Enjoy!

23 days and counting...

I just had to write a "short" post to say that the time is just flying by at this point. Nate and I keep looking at my little countdown clock and can't believe that we only have 23 days left! We are so incredibly excited!!!! I know that our wedding day is going to be here before we know it! I am so excited that in just a few short weeks, I will marry my best friend. Nathan is such an awesome man and I feel so blessed to know that he is my partner for life. I am constantly praising God for providing me with someone whom I love to willingly serve and who truly makes me a better person simply by being himself. I always tell people that Nathan is my steady man. He doesn't come with all of these bells and whistles that I can't seem to figure out, he is who he is. He has always put everything out on the table for me to see....weaknesses and all. He doesn't change from one person to the next or one situation to the next. He is steady and strong, which for those of you that know me, is exactly what I need. I am so thankful for him and as the clock continues to count down, I can't help but overflow with joy.

I spoke with my grandpa Bob and grandma Coetta (my sister's biological grandparents whom have always been very involved in my life) yesterday and my grandma informed me that she had purchased a special grandma's wedding dress for our wedding. Her voice was just filled with excitement for our special day...I was almost in tears thinking about how much they must truly love and care about me that in their old age they would make an 8 hour drive to be here with me and Nathan for our day. My aunt Deb and uncle Jim will also be traveling all the way from Nebraska just to be here for us and I am thrilled that they are so supportive of me that they are willing to fly all the way here for just a few days! We made the choice to get married in Mooresville because we wanted to be married in the area where we are going to reside most likely forever or at least a good part of our lives. I know this has not been easy for my family and friends and I am so thankful that some of them have chosen to make the long trip to be with us for such an important day of our lives.

23 days...HUH!

P.S. The man trip went great! They all said they had a blast! They returned on Sunday and we had a cookout on Monday with everyone, which was a lot of fun. As for my weekend, I had so much fun crafting with Dasha and I even got to have a sleep over with some of the kids. We watched movies, went swimming, and ate junk food, which was a lot of fun! I will have to post some pictures of our new creations in the near future! I am SO bad about taking pictures right now and I know I am going to wish I had some pictures from all of the fun times we've been having here lately. I have the pictures from my last shower, but I don't have them electronically, so I will have to scan them in order to post them. I will if time allows :)

Hope you all are having a great week!

Bachelor Party Weekend

This morning I woke up at 6:00am to make a large breakfast for 7 hungry men who are headed to Tunica, AL for a weekend of golfing and poker. This weekend Nathan and several of his closest friends are having a bachelor party weekend! I wish I had a picture of all of them sitting at the table this morning with huge smiles on their faces. They are all so excited to get away from the daily grind and have some "dude" time. It was a lot of fun cooking for all of them and I think they really enjoyed it (their plates were clean). I hope they have a super fun and safe trip. I know they don't all get together very often, so I am sure they will try to enjoy every moment of the increased testosterone. I always miss Nate when he is gone, but I am so happy he can have this time with his friends.

As for my weekend, I plan to spend it crafting with Dasha! Her husband Sy is on the man trip, so we decided we are going to have a sleep over this weekend. Our plans include sewing, decoupaging, thrift store shopping, distressing a few things, and painting canvas! A wonderful weekend of craftiness....fabulous!

Side notes:

I (with the help of Wanda...lifesaver) finished sewing six 11ft panels for our great room and kitchen nook. We finished them on Monday night at Wanda's. You should of seen me and Wanda trying to measure 11ft six times while Nate laid on the bed telling us stories about his childhood. We had a blast! I can't wait to post pictures for you all. Nate and I hung them yesterday (we are such a team) and they look awesome! Another huge project down, check!

My family and two close friends (Katy and Sarah) will be here in 3 weeks! I absolutely cannot wait!!!! Since some of you may not know them and I love to tell people about my awesome friends, I want to introduce you to them!

The picture below is of me and Katy on her wedding day! She was such a beautiful bride! She and her husband Brian have been married for a little over a year. She lives in Oklahoma and still serves in the Air National Guard Full Time! In fact, she will be going to Iraq in a few short months. I met Katy when I joined the USAF in 2003. We were stationed at Wichita Falls AFB and later at Lackland AFB for our technical training. Katy has such a tender heart, but at the same time she is extremely strong and determined! Katy has seen me through some very wonderful and also very difficult times. She has been there for me for the past five years and I am so thankful for her presence in my life. Despite our physical distance, we have always stayed in touch! Each time I talk with her I am reminded of the deep love and respect that I have for her. She is like a sister to me. I am so excited she is going to be coming to Huntsville for an entire week!

The picture above is of me and Sarah the night before I left Orlando to move to Huntsville. I met Sarah when I moved to Orlando in 2006. She lives in Orlando, FL and is now engaged to her boyfriend of 4 years! She actually leased me my apartment in Orlando! My only other friend in Orlando lived almost an hour away, so I was really praying that I would meet a good friend soon after I moved there. Well, Sarah was that friend. She stepped right into my life and became the type of friend that I could tell my life story to without hesitation. The thing I love most about Sarah is her open heart. I have never seen her judge anyone. I truly believe I could tell her anything and she would love me regardless. She is one of those people who can truly look past a persons actions or past to see who they really are. She has stuck by my side since the day I met her! I am so thankful that she was placed in my life at a time when I really needed a good friend. She is such a rock in my life. She will also be coming for the entire week (despite some scheduling conflicts, which she rearranged just to be with me)!

Ladies, if you are reading this post, I hope you know how much I love you both! Thank you for being such loyal and supportive friends. I am so excited you all are coming to be with me during this special time.

When I count my blessings, I count my friends and family twice! Okay...I know that is cheesy, but it is true!

Pray for The Linc!

The kids getting ready to go swimming. Me and Angel.

I know that I have shared with most of you about the awesome new program that our church is starting called The Linc. It is an after school tutoring program for children from the Lincoln Village projects and other surrounding areas. Every Monday through Thursday, the children will participate in after school playtime, eat an evening meal, receive individual tutoring, spiritual growth mentoring, group activities, and attend weekly activities such as swimming lessons, gymnastics classes, and art classes, etc. I cannot tell you all how much work has gone into starting this program. It feels like Natalie has pretty much lived there for the past 3 weeks ;). The old building where the program will be held has been completely remodeled almost entirely by volunteers! So many people have stepped up to contribute to this program. Natalie could tell you so many awesome stories about how this program (and truly the children) have been blessed. God has been taking care of all of the needs of the program. We've had so much fun working on the building, creating fun things for the walls, organizing information, and most importantly loving on the children.

Then, last week I was completely blown away when my practicum supervisor agreed to let me do my practicum hours (kind of like clinicals) at the Linc with Natalie and an individual therapist that works with these same children! A miracle considering I am in Clinical Psychology and Kelly (the individual therapist) and Natalie both have a master's in Social Work. We are SO SO thankful for this wonderful opportunity. Natalie and I are so excited that we are going to be able to work together with the children that we truly love and care about. It is such a blessing for me, Nat, and the kids. While it looks like I will still be working full-time and working 10 hours a week at the Linc (which is a lot), at least I will be working with awesome people and children that I already know and love. And who knows...maybe a peace will be given that will allow me to cut back on hours at my job to allow for me to work more at the Linc. You all should pray about that as well!

Specific things to pray for:

- Pray for Natalie and the volunteers that will be caring for the children. Pray that we stay passionate and whole-heartedly care for the children. Pray that we do not burn-out, but that we all support one another and remain strong in the battle!

- Pray that the program is financially blessed. Most of the items in the building are not actually paid for yet. So, we really need donations. We are having a golf tournament on Sept. 19th! Pray that the tournament is a success.

- PRAY FOR THE CHILDREN! You wouldn't believe the kind of adversity these children have to overcome every day. Please pray for them. Pray that they will know God in a very personal way and they will grow from this program. Pray that they will graduate from high school and go to college! Pray that they will find fulfilling jobs in their adult life and come back to the Lincoln Village community and make a difference! Pray that they will break the cycle!

Other news, this weekend our church had a bridal shower for me at Wanda Tucker's house (my pseudo-mom in Huntsville). Once I get the pictures from the Tucker's, I will post them along with more about the shower. It was such a special time and I am SO thankful for such an amazing church family.

***One month and one day until we get married! Time is flying! We are so excited! It is going to be here SO SOON! HUH! ***

They say it's my birthday...nananana

I haven't been able to post in awhile. Life has bee moving at a rapid pace...well at least more rapid than I normally like. This is a big time for us and our friends. Geoff and Melinda are expecting their first baby in just a couple months, Sy and Dasha are selling everything they own and moving to Iceland the week after we get married, Natalie is trying to start a learning center for the kids we help from the inner city, and we are preparing to get married in 1 month, 1 week, and 6 days! Talk about a lot going on in just a few short months! It is an exciting and special time for us all, but it is also a time filled with lots of celebrating, projects, and to-do lists. Thus, we are all a bit "busy". At the same time, we are also trying to take everything in, to truly appreciate this special time and gather in the memories. We want to be able to look back on this time and say that we truly enjoyed every minute of it! We don't want to think of this time as a stressful period of our lives, so we are doing everything we can to RUN away from the stress. We are still trying to make time for date nights, I am still trying to cook as normal, we are still trying to serve others, we are trying to simply look at the tasks at hand instead of everything that needs to be done, and most importantly we are trying to have fun! My beautifully pregnant friend Melinda.
Sy and Dasha!

The lovely Ms. Natalie and I.

Apparently Natalie and I think we are crafty because we took on the challenge of painting a bunch of canvases for The Linc this past week. The walls looked so bare in the awesome hang-out room so we wanted to put some color on them! Here is just one sample of our many creations!

This past weekend we had our first shower at Brandon and Missy Lusk's house. We called it our "EMUN" shower. It was mainly for Nathan's co-workers and their wives and our close friends. We had such a great night with everyone. Everyone that came is very special to us and it was so fun celebrating with them. I was a little nervous (okay I was visibly shaking) when it came time to open gifts, but I got more comfortable once people starting cracking jokes. It was a great night and we truly appreciate Brandon and Missy for hosting such a great party!

Thank you Lynn for the embarrassing gift. This is a major inside joke for the people that go to the light. I had to read this book for a class and accidentaly sent a reply-all email to almost our entire church asking Natalie if I could borrow the "Vagina Monologues". I don't know if I will ever live that one down. We laughed a lot!

This past weekend we had 2 other BIG-might I say HUGE events at our house (I hope this doesn't confuse people...I don't know how not to call it "our house"...I live there now, but it is our house). Nathan (with the help of Brent) finally put up the living room fan and our big dining room chandelier! With 12 FT ceilings this is no easy task and I was so proud of them for finishing them! I even had to take some pictures... They look great and now the dining room is ready for the table, which comes TODAY! Thanks guys for being right on time!

Oh and today is my birthday! I woke up today and Nathan had left a cute little outfit (he actually picked it out, which is SO not Nathan) on the counter for me and I got to eat lunch with Natalie and Nicole at a neat little place called Dallas Mills. It has been an interesting day to say the least...maybe I will tell you more about that in another post. Nate and I plan to eat dinner at this awesome restaurant downtown called The Chophouse. I am not one of those people who are big on birthdays. I actually enjoy celebrating other people's birthdays more than my own come to think of it. But never-the-less, I am truly thankful for yet another wonderful year of life! God has showered me with blessings this past year and today I am trying to focus on each and every one of them!