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!

A great weekend...

I had such a great weekend! We hoped that we would have a relaxing and yet productive weekend and that is exactly what we got. It was so fabulous that I just had to tell you all about it. I am so thankful for weekends like these!

Nate and I stayed in on Friday night for some quiet time alone. We ordered Terrinovas and sat and talked for hours. It was such a great night! I just love when we can put life on hold in order to really listen to one another. Nights like these are our favorite!

On Saturday, Nate and I ate lunch with his granny and then came home with plans to go swimming with Donald and Nicole and the kids, but it ended up raining so instead we took a nap!After my little nap (Nathan ended up sleeping for hours...he was so tired), I woke up with a lot of energy and ended up completing several DIY wedding projects! Plus, earlier this week I had purchased some canvas (for next to nothing) and decided that I was going to turn into Ms. Craft and create us some pictures for our home! Keep in mind that I am not naturally creative, but I am cheap and that spurs me to take on the challenge of pretty much any DIY project in order to save us some money! Might I also say that I am always very happy and excited when I can do these type of projects and Nathan always shares in my joy! He and Brent held the stencils while I painted and helped hang the finish product. Nathan was so proud of me!

Here is my final creation for our guest bedroom! Next up, pictures for above our kitchen cabinets. I can't wait!

After our afternoon of relaxation and fun projects, we picked up Ty and Tess (it was Nicole's birthday so we wanted to give them some time out with friends) and took them putt-putt golfing. Tess made it about 5 holes before Nathan was toting her club and ball around, but we had so much fun!

Nate and Ty at Putt-Putt! They are so much fun!

After golfing, Ty and Nathan watched Transformers while Tess and I baked cookies! It was quite a mess but we had so much fun! I love how willing kids are to learn! I think it is so important to allow children the opportunity to learn even if it slows down your process or they make mistakes! While our cookies tasted more like pancakes (according to Ty), I think Tess enjoyed making them and that is what matters!

Licking the beaters...yummy! "Clean up, Clean up, everybody everywhere..."

Our night ended with Cheaper by the Dozen and Ty and Tess taking Nathan and Brent to "jail". Laughter filled our house on Saturday night because of these kids. We love them so much! They add such joy to our lives!

On Sunday I sang on praise team and it was awesome! Our friend Alan conducted communion and told us of how thankful he is for our church family and the encouragement they provide not only to him but others. It reminded me of how thankful I personally am for such a great community of people who are so willing to serve not only one another, but also our community and anyone else who states a need. I have never belonged to a church like "The Light" and I am so thankful that I am a part of such a wonderful community! I am constantly challenged when I walk through the doors of our little warehouse or when I see someone from church so selflessly serving others because of the love they have for Christ. You all rock...thank you!

Nate, Brent, and I enjoyed a "good little" Sunday afternoon. We went to the pool for a bit and went out to dinner at Jason's Deli, which is delicious! Brent is one of our best friends. He is such a humble servant. We always enjoy his company!

Sunday evening I enjoyed a long phone conversation with my brother Trinity and his daughter Cadence (she is 4!). I miss them SO much! It is amazing how our siblings change...how we change! I am so proud of Trinity. He is such a wonderful husband, father of two (they just had their second child Colton), and business man. I know that he has been challenged a lot lately and I would ask that you all would lift him up in prayer. There comes a point in every ones life when they reflect on the past and he is at that point in his life. Please pray that he would have peace and forgiveness in this challenging time! Living in Alabama is a blessing, but at the same time it can be very difficult being away from the ones I love! I love him and his family SO SO very much and miss them dearly. I can't wait until they are here in less than 2 months!

Me, Trinity, and Cadence at my sister's wedding!

So that was my great weekend! I know this is a long post but I wanted to share my joy with you all! Have a great week!

More Engagement Pics

She just posted us as one of her featured sessions...

Check them out!

terakaylen.com

Go to galleries- We are the first couple!

I am so pleased with them! They are fabulous!!!

Second Anual Family Beach Trip

This past weekend, we took a sporadic trip to the beach with some of Nate's family (Donald, Nicole, Natalie, Dean, and the kids)! It was such a fun and relaxing trip! We spent all day at the beach (seriously like 10 hours a day) and ate great seafood at night. We played some serious corn hole tournaments, read, played paddle ball (Ty and Calvin are so good at this), and swam all day long. I even was able to finish my awesome book that I told you all about, "Created to be His Help Meet." This book has seriously changed how I view my role as a wife to Nathan. It has taught me SO much! I plan to write you all more of what I have learned from this great book in a later post! I am so thankful that Allison passed it on to me. It is a must read!!!!

It was so nice being able to spend time with everyone. We all have such a great time together! I am so thankful that we were able to join them again this year. It was truly refreshing.

[Sorry for the lack of pictures...I didn't even think about taking pictures until the last minute]

Engagement Pics- (Sneak- Peak)

This past weekend we had our engagement pics taken in Mooresville (where we are getting married)! We had such a great time with our photographers Tera and Wes Wages. (check them out at terakaylen.com)! We both left just bragging about how much fun we had taking pictures! Tera and her assistant Wes are newlyweds and very talented photographers! They work so well together and make taking pictures fun! Here is a sneak-peak from the shoot. I am sure there will be many more to come! We love the pictures so far...they are so us! We are so excited for the wedding! We can't wait to spend time with our closest family and friends while these two snap some shots of us!


Also, we are sending out invitations today!!! Sy and Daasha came over to help us stuff and seal them last night. We had a really good time. Thank God for great friends!

Our anticipation for our big day is building. We are truly enjoying every minute of our engagement, but we also just cannot wait to be joined in marriage! As we start to finish more and more projects, our excitement multiplies! What a blessing this time is for us!

Shower her with Prayer!

Will you all please pray for my student worker Kaasha and her family. Kaasha was due this week with her first baby, Kingston Parker, but she had some serious unexpected complications and he passed on Sunday night. It has been completely devastating for her. I went to the hospital and spent a few hours with her on Monday. She was in a horrible state of grief. I just wept and wept with her. I can't even come close to imagining the pain of losing a child that you have carried for 9 months. Please keep Kaasha and her family in your prayers.

It just so happens that I have been reading the journey of a woman who had something similar occur in her life. She is a very strong Christian woman and reading her blog has challenged me in many ways. I am so thankful that I had read her story because it is helping me to be able to empathize with Kaasha in a special way. Please take the time to visit her blog, I assure you it will challenge you. (Disclaimer: Have a box of tissues handy) http://www.audreycaroline.blogspot.com/

I would love to update you all on my exciting life but right now nothing that I am experiencing seems to be as important as asking you all to pray for a friend.

A new dining room table and the story of the cat

Nate and I had a great Fourth of July weekend! On Thursday we enjoyed the first annual EMUN cook off. There was so much food to choose from and it was all so good. It was so great seeing everyone because we don't all get together as often as we would like to. After dinner, the ladies of EMUN sat around talking about childbirth, marriage, and menopause (no joke)...it was hilarious. We had a great night with everyone.

On Friday, we grilled out at granny's. We all ate with her and then headed out to the pool for a relaxing afternoon with the family. I really enjoyed just sitting and reading by the pool for the afternoon. Especially because a friend of mine (one of the EMUN wives) gave me a great new book titled, "Created to Be His Help Meet." The woman that gave it to me said that it completely changed the way she viewed marriage and has helped her to grow so much as a wife and mother. After reading 5 chapters, I understood how reading a book based on the biblical commands for a wife could change how we view marriage. I will have to tell you all more about it as I continue to read, but I am really enjoying it thus far. It talks a lot about finding fulfillment in serving your husband and family...ultimately, being his helper for life and allowing him to lead you by taking the role of his helper. I think this is the greatest way to view marriage and it feels very natural for me. More to come on that...

Friday night we had friends over to play poker. The best part was that there was no money involved so we could just enjoy playing. We played for hours. No one wanted to stop playing, we were just having such a great time. It was a wonderful way to spend our 4th of July night!

On Saturday, we finished registering! One more thing off of our to-do list! Nate and I still can't get over how expensive everything is. We are hoping that our informed buyers will feel free to look at what we have registered for and find it at a better price! Plus, we went furniture shopping. Nate and I have been looking for a nice formal dining room table and we saw this one a couple weeks ago, but we needed more time to look around and decide if it was the one. So, we looked at several other stores and then decided to purchase this one. We are super excited to have a table that holds 10! While a lot of people do not use their formal dining rooms, we really enjoy having people over for dinner and it is not uncommon for us to have at least 8. So, we will actually have room for everyone now, which is fabulous.

As for the cat...oh my lands. This cat decided to make our covered porch it's home about 1 week after we closed on our house. We didn't feed it for one month because we thought that the cat would eventually go away, but it did not get discouraged and run to the neighbors. Instead, it started to stay for longer periods of time and meowed louder! So, about a month ago someone convinced us to feed the cat at least until we found a new home for it.

We have sent emails out to our church family asking for someone to take the cat in, but no one seems to want our persistent pet. So, to make a long story short, we continue to claim that Jinxsy (Brent just had to name her...ha ha ha) is not ours, but we are currently feeding and medicating her. I must commend Jinxsy for her persistence, but my allergies (and honestly our not wanting to have any pets) will not allow us to keep this friendly pet. If you know anyone who would like a good outdoor cat, please let me know. We would love to bring her to your porch :)!

Hope you all have a great week! I will be MIA for most of the week because I am trying to complete a large paper. The good news is that I only have 2 more weeks until summer classes are over and we go to the beach for our second annual family beach trip with the Walker clan. I can't wait!

I must end this post by saying that I can't stop thinking about how blessed I am. I have been truly blessed in the past couple of years and I am reminded of this so often. I am so thankful for everyone in my life and everything I have. Sometimes it is so easy for us to think about the things that we don't have, but it is so much better to focus on the things that we do have because when we do, it is truly amazing!