05-26-10
The Nicest Thing I Have Ever Done///Pt 4
Last one!
I didn’t take many pictures of the wedding day brunch, but this is before:
And now, the ceremony!
The bride had a painter paint the wedding scene and gave it to her parents afterward:
The finished product:
Programs:
Probably my favorite detail:
Then we had a cocktail hour, and THEN we had dinner and dancing. However, I forgot to take pictures at this point. So, this is all I’ve got!
More things with my NAME on them:
It was such a fun weekend because we didn’t have to worry about anything. All details were taken care of for us, making the whole thing stress free and fun. I kept joking that the only problem I had was worrying if we were going too fast in the golf cart because I didn’t want my drink to spill 
(it didn’t).
By the way, they planned the wedding and they did the invitations/programs/anything printed. SO impressed!
05-25-10
The Nicest Thing I Have Ever Done///Pt 3
On the way to the rehearsal dinner:
With the beautiful bride:
I love things with my name on them…have I mentioned that?
Menu–best meal of the weekend:
After dinner, we went to the dancing part of the evening.
And look! MORE FOOD! Popcorn and chips!
Candy!
Cupcakes!
My two faves:
And tomorrow, finally! The ceremony! (And then I’ll go back to my regularly scheduled blogging. Which, let’s get serious, probably means not blogging so much)
05-19-10
The Nicest Thing I Have Ever Done///Part 2
My mom, my sister and I were invited to the Bridesmaids’ Brunch (even though we weren’t actually bridesmaids).
As a reminder, the invitation looked like this:
When we got there, our names were embroidered on a little napkin?coaster? to indicate where we sat. Please also note the embroidered napkins.
The menu:
The pretty, pretty food:
Flowers! Sweet Peas! And my sister!
And…after we had an amazing sorbet dessert, they brought out cotton candy! SO fun!
Tomorrow: Rehearsal Dinner and Wedding Day Brunch
05-18-10
The Nicest Thing I Have Ever Done///Pt. 1
This past weekend, my family and I were invited to what shall henceforth be known as The Nicest Thing I Have Ever Done, aka my [step] cousin’s wedding weekend at Gorham’s Bluff in Pisgah, AL.
Over the next few days I’m going to be sharing the details of this wedding, starting back in November when we got the Save the Dates (please note my mad photoshopping skillz).
The invites included the story of how the bride and groom met, an outline of the weekend’s events, and lodging information. Of course, since we’re family, we got to stay on the property all weekend. For relatively free, I might add…that might be rude to mention but I don’t care because it just made it THAT much more awesome for me.
Then in about February, we got the actual wedding invitation (these are the same, but I wanted to show the cool wrapper thing with my NAME ON IT. i love things with my name on them):
A few weeks later, the invitations for the various events of the weekend began to arrive: 
We left Friday morning (my sister and I sleeping in the back seat like we’re 7 and 10)
and met the Father of the Bride (aka the Brother of my Step-dad) and the rest of the family before caravaning (i think i made up that word) up to Gorham’s Bluff. On the way there we find out we not only have our our house for our rather small family of 4, but we have 2 golf carts (one for my parents, one for sister+me) for transportation purposes. Because, I mean, who wants to walk DOWN THE STREET in heels, right? I had never driven a golf cart before…and let me tell you, I’m not very good at it. Perhaps because I insist upon taking pictures/drinking/laughing my head off at the ridiculousity (i think i made up that word too) of it all while driving as fast as possible.
So, our house.
The one with the wrap around front porch and a balcony AND a screened in back porch? Yeah, it was beautiful. See for yourself:
When we went inside, we were greeted with these lovely picnic baskets:
Containing maps, an official schedule (complete with the wedding planner’s phone number), and SNACKS!
Love the details somuch.
For tomorrow: The Bridesmaid’s Brunch! Hint: cotton candy FTW!
09-01-09
and the water is rising quick (part III)
we’re not telling people. only family. when you tell people, they freak out.
when you tell people, it becomes real.
“God’s hand is all over this,” she says. It is. Of course it is.
*****************
we wait almost a week for the tests to come back. it was the longest few days of my life.
a phone call. she’s crying. “benign,” she says. my relief is almost as physical as the burden. i can’t talk much. don’t know what to say.
thank you thank you thank you thank you…..
*****************
it doesn’t even feel real, but something has permanently shifted—my faith, my trust. the airplane might fall out of the sky but His hand is over and under the plane.
08-31-09
and the water is rising quick (part II)
Edit: Please excuse the disjointed-ness (? is that a word?) of these posts….I needed to write about it, and this is what came out. But since a lot of people have asked, we have learned that my mom doesn’t have cancer, just a tumor that will have to be removed.
“What do you think heaven is like?” she asked one morning. We were standing at the sink, putting on our make-up.
“I’m not sure. Haven’t read much about it.”
“Do you think we’ll know who’s there?”
“I hope so,” I respond.
She adds, “I hope we don’t know who’s not.”
“Mom, stop being morbid!” I admonished.
“Well, when you get older you start thinking about these things!”
***************
Cancer.
That word is just scary. Along with biopsy, malignant, benign, needles, iv, pain medication, radiation….etc. I don’t like cancer vocabulary.
the scariest part is the unknown//the waiting for answers.
the airplane is falling out of the sky.
**************
i’m trying to keep it together but i can’t lose my mother.
Satan encourages my fear – exacerbates it, whispers lies.
the burden is physical. i wake up with my throat on fire. i miss work. it hurts to move.
the Enemy stands over me and tells me i have two options: either sink or detach. but my Father quiets me with singing and tells me there is a better way. i place my life in His capable hands and He leads me.
***************
i lie in her bed. we laugh a lot. it’s not strained, but there’s something unsettled about it. we both feel it.
i memorize her face, her words.
there’s not really much to say…no last minute i love you’s or life – altering confessions because we really have made the best of it. we have loved with abandon.
08-28-09
and the water is rising quick (part I)
it all started on an airplane.
we take necessary cautions/preventative measures to make sure we feel like we are in control – wear your seatbelt, air bags, brush your teeth twice a day+floss, vitamins, exercise, eating vegetables, sunscreen…the list goes on. and on.
hurling through the air (the air!) at neck-breaking speeds in a steel capsule where they calmly serve chips+beer+coke+etc. it almost seems absurd, right?
from where i was sitting, though, making sure i eat my vegetables seemed absurd too.
the fear began to grow from the tips of my toes until it was almost all-consuming. i thought about my family.
i was convinced the airplane was going to fall out of the sky any second.
but something clicked. i don’t have control of anything. only God decides if i live or die. it was an overwhelming peace in the midst of my fear that i can’t even begin to describe – supernatural, if you will. maybe the first time in my life that i’ve placed everything in His hands. it was brief. it was freeing.
************
at the hillsong conference last weekend, scott samways spoke on faith + the promises of God. He quoted psalm 112: “the righteous will not be moved…he is not afraid of bad news; his heart is firm, trusting in the LORD.”
************
i’m scared to trust God because i’m scared that something bad will happen. i’m scared to spend more time with God and get to know Him because i’m afraid He might teach me something. fear of being challenged. fear of needing someone other than myself.
************
i’m convinced the airplane will fall out of the sky any second.
05-18-09
family
“One minute you’re standing in a new city with nothing but a suitcase and the next you’re surrounded by family.”
- felicity
Family.
i’ve always defined it as the people i’m related to by blood or at least by marriage. i grew up in Tennessee and went to elementary, middle, high school, and college in the same town. family used to be something i took for granted. they were always there when i needed something. they took care of me. i never had to worry about my basic needs because they were already met.
I have learned so much from my family. the older i get, the more i understand myself by getting to know them. my father is the most loving and generous man i’ve ever met. my sister makes my day a million times better any time i get to be around her. my mother is my rock and the strongest person i know. my step-dad loves me like i am his own. and i have aunts, uncles, cousins, and step-familiy who are equally as amazing as my immediate family.
when i meet new people in New York they inevitably ask, “so, why did you move here?” i get a lot of weird looks when i tell them i moved up here to help plant a church. most new yorkers don’t even know what a church plant is, let alone why i would move all the way here just to help with one.
what i really want to tell them is that it’s because of my church that i have a family in new york. i have people to spend time with, people who will help me if my basic needs aren’t being met. they may not know everything about me because i have 28 years of junk stored up, but they sure do love me. they are the first people i think of to call when something happens, the people with whom i share triumphs and failures.
the last time i went to Tennessee one of my roommates came with me. we were on the plane headed back to the city after a great weekend. we were both sad to leave, and she turned to me and asked, “How can you do it? How can you get on a plane and leave your family behind?”
The truth is, I’m always leaving family behind.
03-26-09
your best year yet.
I have a eighty-something year old aunt who lives in Montgomery, Alabama. The last time I saw her – Thanksgiving 2008 – she mentioned her age so I asked her how old she was. “Hmmm, 75? 76? I’m not sure,” she responded. I exchanged glances with my sister, both of us silently wondering if she really thinks she’s ten or so years younger than she actually is. Or maybe it doesn’t matter how old she thinks she is…maybe it really only matters that she is happy with who she is no matter what age she happens to be. This makes her ageless. This makes her brave.
That snippet of conversation has been on my mind a lot lately. Does your numerical age really matter? My life gets better with every passing birthday, but truth be told it also gets harder. I can’t decide if this is because I feel like I’m “supposed” to be someone else by the time I’m [fill in the blank] or if it will always just get more difficult.
When I was 20, age 28 was the Land of Being Grown Up. I sort of assumed I would have it all together by now. I thought I’d at least be in a relationship if not engaged IF NOT MARRIED WITH A KID OR TWO at this point. But I’m not. Instead I currently live in a three bedroom apartment with 4 other girls and life is something I’m still trying to figure out. I’m learning who I am: what I like and don’t like, how to be a good friend, how to give more than I take.
So at age 28, I’ll just choose to be me. A good friend told me the other day that I am the best version of myself right now. I believe that becoming the best version of yourself makes you ageless. I’ll take “ageless” over “supposed to” any day.
Happy Birthday, el. I hope that you remain ageless instead of “supposed to.”
11-22-08
top ten reasons i love coming home:
1. spending a significant amt of time with my entire family.
2. i love to drive.
3. celebrating the life of my incredible grandfather!
4. rose (= my blackberry) and ruby (= el’s blackberry) got to meet for the first time
5. spending the day in nashville = sushi at pm and cupcakes at gigi’s!
6. seeing twilight twice for a fraction of the cost with some of my FAVORITE people
7. sleeping in my own bed
8. attending crosspoint
9. it doesn’t hurt wearing heels – the longest i have to walk is to the car
10. target and chick fil a!