engagement pictures

So.  Not gonna lie, it's odd doing an engagement post about myself.

Life is just weird.
There's so much change. So many emotions.  So much adjustment.  And so little time!
But soo thankful to serve an amazing God who gives the grace to deal with so much change at once.

Pictures.
It was a cloudy night.
The sky didn't look very promising as we started out.
A few times we had to rush under the street canopies,
then rush out in between showers to snap some photos.
Puddles covered the road.
And everything was dripping.
But even though it wasn't the ideal weather, God still gave us much beauty to enjoy.
A rainbow was painted in the sky...they never cease to amaze me.
And the sunset was amazing.


And we had fun. :)

Photo credits go to my dear mother :) Thanks mom!

mystery weekend

So I'm a little behind on my blog posts.  But this is definitely blog-worthy even though it's quite late!
Back a few weeks ago, I was blessed with the opportunity to spend the weekend with 14 other girls from 4 different states in St. Louis, MO.

T & K and I had planned this as a mystery weekend over the past several months.  (Most credit goes to K & T for all the planning cause for some reason I had other things keeping me busy.)  We set up a mystery email account, sent out invites and mailed them from OH so it wouldn't be so suspicious as to who it was, and didn't inform the invitees where the destination was or who the fellow travelers were until closer to departure, and even then, they only knew who they would be traveling with.  However...most of the girls had asked around and pretty much had it figured out who all was going to be there and I think most had an idea of the planners as well!  So even though the mystery was pretty much figured out, there were still a few surprises for some. :)  I think I can say that it was a wonderful weekend had by all.  So thankful for all the amazing opportunities I've had to travel and meet other sister's in Christ from all over the U.S.  We are soo blessed!

Our sweet house for the weekend!  It was way back in the woods, away from the city, yet close enough for activities, and it had 5 bedrooms with almost all king beds!  We coulda packed a bunch of other girls in!

Fri nite after supper, chilling on the screened in porch.  It wasn't until almost 9, that we had the spontaneous idea to go to the City museum that night!  It was a late one but we had a blast!

Sat morning breakfast cookers...thanks ladies, you did a wonderful job!

Special times singing together and taking in the suns warmth :)

U-turn #11 & 12 accomplished with only a few more dozen ahead of us! ;) 

Ready for the scavenger hunt we made...group #1...and the winners

Group #2

Group #3 :)

Lunch after the scavenger hunt.  Then we headed back to the house to get ready for a supper and singing at St. Louis church.  

Frozen yogurt stop after the singing...with another driving adventure to follow :)
Hmm...I wonder why these orange cones are here...I guess we just go through them!
What's that chirping sound?!

Sunday morning picture before church.  There were a bunch of other visitors there that weekend including us.  I think we tripled St. Louis church!  

The group

Going up the arch!

At the top!

Yellow light + wet roads + fender bender = smoking car left along the interstate in the middle of the slums.
Praise the Lord for His protection!  

Sending off a few of the ladies Sunday night...in gimp car #2

Thank you mom and dad for making the long trip to St. Louis to bring my car back.  Sorry for keeping you up all night :-/

It always amazes me how we can plan a weekend with a bunch of random girls who we don't know all that well, yet know that we all have something very special in common, and it almost always ends up with amazing results.  This was one of those weekends.

So many precious memories.  I'm very thankful I had a last little fling before I join the "lame married couples" group! ;) (just kidding...looking forward to many more precious memories as a married person!)

Thank you each one for coming along and making the trip extra special.  :)

May's Memories

A lot happened in the month of May.
For some reason I didn't do very well at documenting it all.
I guess you could say my mind was a bit distracted.

So I guess I'll give you a quick recap...
and even if you don't really care what I did in May,
I care.
And I don't want to forget.
And if you know me very well...you know I forget easily.
So it's best if I document :)

The first weekend started of with a trip to Taylor, MO with a bunch of wonderful ladies for a short weekend get-a-way.  K, T, and I had bought a "bed & breakfast" stay last year on the Fairview Haven benefit auction, so we were using up the certificate!  Despite the circumstances occurring in my life at that time, I still thoroughly enjoyed the weekend.

a cute little bridge we just had to photograph...

enjoyed singing around the piano

Spent the day Saturday touring Hannibal, a cave, and some old buildings.
Here is the whole crew :)

 The next weekend - Mother's Day weekend - was one that probably won't leave me memory anytime soon.  So thankful to have had these 3 wonderful girls to spend it with.

Saturday night

Sunday Morning...so many emotions...

 The following week was the beginning of an on-slot of decision making... we traveled to Chicago one day to fabric shop.  Thankfully it was a success!

Thanks, ladies, for helping my indecisive mind make decisions!

Special memories with mom & sis - love you both!

Of course ya can't pass up the cheesecake factory... :)

Then came a special evening with K & T...which included Kirk's interview/initiation into our friendship circle.  He passed and was accepted :) But he still had to endure the quaint picnic (which I think he secretly enjoyed) and a few of our other hair-brained ideas...

Somewhere in there we enjoyed a fun night out to eat at Kobe's Hibachi Grill with Kirk's sister and brother-in-law, Troy & Leann and nephew Carter...I do believe I fail at catching flying food with my mouth... oh well...such is life! ;)

Enjoyed a beautiful Sunday at my cousin Sydney's wedding.  Then went to a park in the evening with Brent & Darla and family.

attempted some engagement picts...I think they turned out perty decent! ;) 

Enjoyed a night out with 2 very special cousin's at 301 Mongolian Grill in Champaign...

Kurt was the only one who paid for unlimited bowls...but we still all got a second piece of bread! ;)

Enjoying our bread...

Walked around Champaign...and of course took some picts!
Credit goes to Kirk for the photo...he's learning!

And last but not least...celebrated a special someone's birthday.  Welcome to the 20 club, K!

And that was just a snippet of what May consisted of...add a few more random evenings out doing some things, a lot of decision making, numerous trips to bloomington, finals, and many walks, along with learning all about Mr. Intruder...and there you have a very full month of May!

So thankful for God's blessings and leading in this past month.  Expecting a few more months of craziness!

Recent G-sale buys

Garage saling has recently become my favorite past-time (not that I didn't enjoy it before).  I love the thrill behind the hunt...especially when the hunting goes well like it has the past couple of trips.  It's so different now that I have a whole plethora of items to hunt for.  If any of you out there reading this are in the process of furnishing a house, I have the perfect solution for you - go to garage sales!  You just never know what you  will find!

Just thought I would share a few of my recent bargains...

a pair of cute rain boots that I've always wanted...and red flats
(not really something to furnish a house, but fun none-the-less!) ;)

some fun old books for my library someday...

50 cent ties that match the color of my dress perfectly!!! Possible wedding ties?!? (like I said...you never know what you will find...who knows maybe I will find enough for all the groomsmen!)

Cake/cupcake/deviled egg carrier...

Cute little toy box to store toys for all our little nieces and nephews!

and of course some toys to fill it with...

a cheap upright dresser that I'm going to turn cute...someday...

A bread maker that had only been used a couple times...Guess I'll be learning how to make bread!

a cute lil night stand that I'm sure I'll find a place for

a table w/ 4 chairs for only $50
 (After some research, we found the exact table and chairs at a furniture store for $350 but only with 2 chairs....now don't tell me we didn't get a steal!) ;)

And my favorite find of all...a lazy-boy brand sofa that looks like new!
It was sitting by itself in someone's driveway as we were out g-saling, with a for sale sign on it...

Oh...and one tip to always remember....there is always enough room! :)

A view from the front...notice how the bucket seat is leaning forward...Kirk had to squeeze through there to get in and out the rest of the day...and he only had a small portion of the other seat to sit on...thanks for being a good sport, Kirk! ;)

And I have many other little items that I have found to fill my cupboards and walls...It's been a lot of fun and I can't wait to see what else I might discover :)  Next trip is already planned for this Friday!

In other news...life has been going pretty well.  Planning is coming along...fabric is bought for the dresses...showers are already starting this Saturday...and life is just plain busy! But I'm thankful for all that God has been providing for us. Blessings!

Seasons

To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven...

This verse seems to be the story of my life right now.
God gives us each different seasons in our lives.
Some good.  Some not so good.  Some expected.  Some very unexpected.
But I've begun to realize that no matter what the seasons are, or how long they last,
God deserves all the Glory and praise.
And even if God orchestrates a new season in our life at a time we didn't have planned,
I know and trust that His will is perfect and I praise Him for that.

So I'm praising God for the past seasons God has given me in my life.
Seasons of singleness, filled with so many wonderful memories that I can't even begin to describe.
And for the new season He has begun to so clearly show me over the past couple months.
Marriage.
A season that involves a lot of change and adjustments,
but I know will be filled with many blessings as past seasons have been.

So with that being said, I'd like to introduce a new member of my life to this blog.
His name is Kirk.

And one of these days...as soon as finals are over with (which I should be studying for right now) and things settle down a little (haha!), I'll do a more in depth post.  But until then, I'd just ask for prayers as we begin this new journey together in life; that no matter what comes our way, we will always put God first, because He is #1.