The Wedding: Getting Ready

We started getting ready for the wedding right after lunch on Saturday and ended up being right on time by the time of the ceremony.  Katie started on her hair first and got it out of the way and then she did mine while Cindy was working on last minute wedding details around the church.  We had laid out most everything earlier in the morning that day, so that it would be easier for the ladies to get dressed on time. We ironed the dresses and laid out the bouquets, etc.                      We were starting to get a little worried about finishing Cindy’s dress before Saturday, but thankfully, Katie and I were able to finish it late Wednesday night/ Thursday morning.  It was a huge undertaking, but it turned out so pretty and she loved it.  Katie did most of the work on the bodice, I just helped with sewing buttons on, trim, and helped a little with the lace.      Sweet Elisabeth Furlough was their flower girl. She was so excited! Katie fixing her hair right before the ceremony. My grandma (on the left) and Cindy’s mom (on the right) Two of Cindy’s co-workers/ bridesmaids.  They are so sweet.     Everyone loved Cindy’s hair!  Didn’t Katie do such a good job? Pretty bouquets {made by Cindy}.  Up Next:  The Ceremony

Sneak Peek of the Wedding...

Here is a little sneak peek from the wedding last night because I know you've all been waiting patiently over the weekend.

I'm about to head to bed now, but wanted you all to know that the wedding went very well yesterday and was absolutely beautiful!  Can't wait to share more details!  I hope to be able to post more pictures in the next day or so... ;)

And...the countdown begins!

I'm so sorry that I've been absent from the blogging world lately.  I really miss it, but life is just too busy right now for me to find time to sit down and blog.  It's sad, I know.  I hope to be back the first week in May after the wedding (next week), but I'm not making any promises.  I hope you all understand.  I will be back as soon as possible.  Believe me.Before I go, I do want to share a few little updates on my life.

  

{1} We've made lots of progress on the dresses this past week and Cindy's dress should be done by the end of tonight.  It's turned out really pretty and I'm excited for you all to see pictures of Katie's hard work.  Normally, this type of sewing project takes a few months to finish, but when it's all said and done, she will have done it in about two weeks.  She is so amazing and I'm blessed to have her as my sister.

{2} I’ve almost finished my senior year of high school!  So excited about graduation in May!  I’ve actually already started planning what I’m going to do to celebrate with friends and family.  It’s going to be a blast.

{3}We've been trying to clean up our yard the past few weeks and have planted lots of flowers for spring and summer.  I've been enjoying all the new color around the house.  

{4} Please be praying for us all this week as we wrap up the last minute details  for the wedding. Cindy's wedding dress still has to be completed, the flower girl dress, and everything else in between.  I'm already starting to feel a little stressed out and it's only Monday.  Also, please be praying for us during this transition time and that the wedding will go smoothly. 

Much love, 

Emily ;)

Hello Monday {25}

{Hello Monday}

{hello waking up to the smell of pancakes and bacon}

{hello breakfast and getting dressed for the day}

{hello Bible reading and schoolwork}

{hello leftover pasta for lunch}

{hello watering plants and flowers on the deck outside}

{hello cleaning the bathroom and mopping the kitchen floor}

{hello finding a package on the front porch addressed to me}


{hello sweet sounds of spring and beautiful weather}

{hello minor heart attack outside when a lizard decided he wanted to jump out in front of me}

{hello afternoon phone call from my aunt}

{hello wedding planning with the rest of the family and supper}

{hello sewing with Katie}

{hello bed and much needed sleep}

This post was inspired by Lisa Leonard. If you want to participate in {Hello Monday} too, then please give credit to Lisa in your post. She is the first one to start this weekly blog series.

Happy 17th Birthday Caroline!!!

Dear Caroline, 

First off, I love you bunches and bunches. (Which, you should already know by now, but...) :)  

Secondly, since you're turning 17 today, I'm going to name off 17 things that I love about you.  You ready for this?  Here goes!

1.  You're super sweet, extremely talented, and gorgeous. 

2. You have an amazing laugh and I love hearing it. 

3. You always have the most encouraging things to say to me or someone else. 

4. You are always a phone call or text away.  

5. You are more than just my cousin.  We're extremely close friends.  I absolutely love that.

Cousins are those childhood playmates who grow up to be forever friends.

Anonymous

6. I can act incredibly crazy around you and you never make me feel stupid.  (Ahem...cough cough.)

7. You're beautiful inside and out. (Did I already mention that?)

8.  You love the Lord with all of your heart and have grown so much this past year.  I know it's been a rough year in some areas, but I am so proud of the young woman you have become and love watching you grow more and more in love with Jesus.  It's amazing to watch.

9. You make people feel special and loved. 

10. You know how to have a good time and are never boring. (Unless, you are extremely tired...then, you can be boring. Hahaha..you're welcome.) :)

11.  You have an endless amount of patience.

12. You love spontaneous baking adventures. 

13. You love photography and love going on photo shoots with me.

14.  You love movies, the beach, Dairy Queen, and coffee. (Twins! We must be related or something) ;)

15.  You like to go shopping and try on endless amounts of shoes with me. (Remember when we tried on all the ugly shoes at that Belks at the beach and everyone kept giving us weird looks? Hahaha!)

16.  You don't know a stranger and make friends pretty easily. 

17.  You are my all-time favorite (girl) cousin.  Period.  Exclamation mark. :)

You mean so much to me, Caroline.  I honestly can't tell you how thankful I am for you... 

Sooo, yeah. 

Happy 17th Birthday!!!  I hope you have another amazing year serving Jesus! 

Summer is not forever away...

Today, I was reminded of a very beautiful thing...  

I realized this morning that summer really isn't that far away.  In fact, for me, I only have about 30 actual school days until break starts and then about a week later, I'll graduate.  Thank you, Jesus!! 

In other news, the weather is absolutely fantabulous outside today.  It is so beautiful!  The sun is shining bright in the sky, the temperature is about 74 degrees, the warm breeze is blowing, and the birds are singing in the trees....

The only problem is that this weather is making me want to drive down to the beach for the day and soak my toes in the sand again.  I am SO ready.

We're almost there...just a few more weeks.  

xoxo,

Emily

Wedding plans, wedding plans, and more wedding plans.

It's been a complete whirlwind around here since I published my last post!  I've been trying to post something new all week, but every time I think about blogging, there is either something that I need to work on for school, the wedding, or I'm just too tired to stay awake and write out my thoughts, so I end up going to bed instead. Thankfully, I have finally managed to find a few minutes to eat some lunch and write a quick post before getting back to my schoolwork this afternoon. 

The wedding plans are going very well and we've already accomplished so much on our to do list! Cindy made out a wedding plan checklist and we were able to check off several major things this past week and weekend.  

For a quick overview: 

The wedding invitations went out last Monday morning, we've found and purchased all the bridesmaid dresses and tuxs for the groomsmen, we ordered the programs and the cake, worked on the guest seating, the music, the favors, and we went shopping for wedding shoes over the weekend. 

 

{My new black heels for the wedding.  I found them on clearance for $15.00!}

Daddy and Cindy have planned the wedding service and met with the minister, and the pianist has been secured. The flowers are also being taken care of, and Cindy's bridal bouquet has been chosen, arrangements have been made with the photographer, and I'll (hopefully) be taking some bridal portraits of Cindy before the ceremony at the church on that Saturday.  

{Andrew getting "fitted" for his tux the other day.  He looks thrilled, doesn't he?  Haha.}

Also, the reception menu has been planned, and this week, we've started preparing some of the food.  We're planning on freezing all of it until the week of the wedding and then we hope to transport it to the church when we go decorate everything a few days before the big day. 

{We found some pretty white lace the other day at Joann's for a wedding project.  Super excited about it!}

Katie is also in the process of re-making the flower girl dress and Cindy's wedding dress.  Cindy's grandmother made her dress and the flower girl dress, but we're changing both of them to look the same.  It's a big undertaking, but I'm sure it will get done in time.  Please be praying for Katie's stress level and that she will be able to complete each dress in time.  

 We're so thankful that everything is going well and that we've already accomplished so much on our list.  There is so much more to get done, but I think we should be able to complete everything in time. :)

Please continue to pray for us during this transition time.  We're all excited, yet at the same time  realize it is going to be a huge adjustment with new challenges.  Thank you for your prayers and sweet encouraging words during this time!  You know how special you all are to me and I'm so glad that I get to share this exciting time with all of you.  I hope to be able to post more wedding details in the next few days.

The countdown has begun.  The wedding is in exactly 17 days.  April 28th, 2012.


"Breathe, Emily.  Just breathe..." :)

Wordless Wednesday: “What can I say? I have some very beautiful and awesome friends.”

        

Daddy is Getting Married!!!

*This is NOT an April Fools' Day joke.  It's completely true.  I promise. :)

"Whoa.  Hold the phone!  What did I just write up there?!"  I would have never dreamed that I would be writing those words today, but it's completely true.

I know that each of you probably had lots of different reactions to the title of this post.  Some of you probably didn’t even click on it.  Some of you might have just clicked on it out of curiosity, and then there are probably those of you who were completely and utterly in shock when you saw the title above.   

You are the readers who have been with me ever since my mom got diagnosed with lung cancer, the ones who prayed for my mom and our whole family during hard times, the ones who cried with me, and have tried your hardest to encourage me and help me through everything going on these past months.  I'm sure you heard the pain in my words and you felt the sadness in my heart...

Over time, you've also probably witnessed God heal my hurts through His love.  I still think of Mom everyday, but slowly and surely, God has begun to replace my sadness with hope, joy, and happiness.  He has filled my heart with so much love for my family and I think I'm finally ready to take that next step and try to move on with my life a little more.  That's all that Mom wanted us to do.  I'll never forget one of the last things she said to me in the hospital..."First things first, I want you all to keep growing closer to God and to have a strong relationship with Him.  Second, I don't want you to be sad and unhappy just because I'm not going to be here with you.  I want all of you to continue living your lives and enjoy the time you have on earth and take care of your Daddy for me."

That said.  We're about to enter a whole new chapter of our lives in a couple of weeks.  That doesn't mean that we will forget Mom... because we won't.  We never will... She was so special and we don't ever want to forget those sweet memories we made with her.  Although, I do think God is telling us that it's time to close another chapter of our lives and start a new one.  A fresh new one.  A happy and exciting one full of new memories to be made. 

"My Daddy is getting married." 

I'm still in awe of how awesome our LORD is... I always thought that my dad remarrying would kill me, but now that everything has happened, I really do trust him and I know that God has a plan for all of this.  He must have a really big plan for this family because we did not expect to be here a year ago.  I mean seriously?!  This is mind blowing. 

God has placed an amazing Godly woman in our life and she loves my Daddy so much.  How in the world can I be upset about that?  I don't want Daddy to be alone the rest of his life and I want him to be happy when we're all gone and have families of our own.  Mom did too.  She told him in the hospital the week she passed away, that she didn't want him to be alone for the rest of his life and if someone came into his life that he thought he could marry, then she wanted him to be happy.

-----------------

Okay, so let me tell you WHO he is marrying.  Cindy is a sweet Christian women that works at an assistant living as the administrator here in town.  They met at the end of October of last year at one of the places my dad services for work.  Cindy was new to the area and she didn't know anyone around here, so Daddy offered to help her with some little "handyman" projects around her apartment.  He told her that he had a son that would love to help as well, so for a few weeks in October, Andrew and my dad began going over to her house to help her.  They were using it as a way to minister.  As the weeks went on, Katie and I met her, and then we began to do more things with her, and helped her fix up her apartment and get settled in.  Several weeks later, Daddy and Cindy were talking and they started to realize that they were becoming more than "just friends"...and that's when they both decided (after talking with us kids) that maybe they should take their relationship to other level and get to know each other more.

Both of them were not looking for someone to marry at all when they met, so this is a total "God thing"..

Cindy is pretty much always smiling and she is really fun to be around.  She loves my dad and she loves the three of us!  She loves being around family and doing things together.  She also loves hearing stories and memories of my mom.  She still wants us to talk of her often and she told us a few days ago that she is not here to replace her at all.  That meant a lot to me.  She just wants to join our family.

Ever since my mom got diagnosed with cancer in January 2009, it was so hard on my dad.  He had so much time to grieve while she was still here (during those years that she was sick) and when she passed away, my dad was so lonely.  It was really hard for us to watch him be so sad because it's not like him at all.  Daddy has a very big heart, and he loves his family so very much.  Family is everything to him.  He has so much love to share, and now the Lord has placed someone else to share the rest of his life with.  

Daddy is extremely happy and it's so awesome to see him like this.  He is like a whole different person.  He smiles almost all the time, laughs, and I'm finally feeling like I have my dad back again.  I mean seriously?  How can I be sad about this?  Do I miss my mom?  Yes, indeed, but I just have to trust that God has a plan for all of this.  Things like this don't happen to everyone.  

So in a few weeks, my dad will be getting married, and we will have a "step-mom".  And there will still be hard times and sad moments to work through.  Lots of things to get used to and lots of wedding planning to get done, but we'll get through everything...together.  Day by day.  We'll talk about it and it will work out.  I'm just trying to stay positive about everything right now, but I do know that I will still have hard days.  Everyone does when they lose someone they love.  It wouldn't be normal if we didn't miss them.

Right now, I am praising God for the love He has shown my family through all of this.  Life goes by so quickly and I really don’t want to waste all my time questioning why things like this happen in our lives.  I'm trying to just embrace these moments and live life.  More than anything in this world, I just want my dad to be happy again.  I know it's not going to be easy all the time, and having him remarry may make me uncomfortable at times, but I would rather see him happy more than I want to be comfortable.  Above all of this, I trust God.  

I just had to share this news with all of YOU, my sweet readers.  Thank you so very much for walking this roller coaster journey with me.