My Breaking News Report

Much has happened since I last expressed my sentiments for the world to see. I haven't been to the beach since my momentous day off, but I have had other fun things happen.

One fun thing happened a couple of weeks ago. I was at home on my off day...minding my own business...looking at possible wedding music. All of a sudden I have a message and friend request from someone I've never seen before. The message started out "Hey Lindsey, this is (insert name here)", and I proceeded carefully knowing the consequences of clicking on spam messages from Facebook. However the message was safe, and somewhat comical. She started by introducing herself and stated she was from WDHN (a local news station). She said she got my name from someone I went to high school with, and she was doing a story on weddings/doing it yourself/ways to save and heard I'd be a great interview...HA. This is one of those situations that you sit and literally "lol" (laugh out loud), wishing someone was there to share in the humor of the situation. Alas, no one was with me.

Anyway, I thought about it for a few minutes, texted my mom to share in this comical scene (since the week before we'd both been stressed to the max by all the do it yourself/do it ourselves projects we've accumulated...which is a different story for a different post on a different day...), and then I responded to the anchor with my phone number. I didn't expect to get a call quickly, but much to my surprise, by phone rang within a couple hours. I wasn't sure if she'd want to meet somewhere or do the interview over the phone. However, we talked over the possibilities and decided that she and the cameraman would come to my house two days later. Needless to say, I cleaned like a mad woman the next day...;)

Wednesday morning came, and at 9:56 a news reporter and cameraman came to my house. I showed them the wedding paraphernalia upstairs, and explained all of the different projects we'd completed, as well as those that we're planning to complete...eventually. She asked me questions about the food, how to save, where I looked for deals, when to start, how many people we were having, etc. I showed them my dress, my invitations, my flowers, my centerpieces, and of course my shoes. They stayed for about 45 minutes, and then went on their merry way.

Throughout the wedding planning process, I have tried to keep my focus on the purpose of a wedding. The purpose of a wedding is to...spend $500,000 and go into debt for 50 years, hire other people to do everything for you, and be mad because things didn't turn out your way on that day? Yes. Exactly. SIKE (Yes, I just pulled a phrase from the 90's.) The goal and purpose of a wedding is to get married. Whether I spend $500,000 or $5, the end result is the same...marriage. I'd rather spend less, save more, and plan/decorate myself/with mom (even if it does cause my grey hairs to quadruple). Now I am not judging those people that have very costly weddings, nor am I saying they're lazy for hiring people to do everything for them. I'm saying that  a Do-It-Yourself (Myself, Ourselves, Themselves...whatever) wedding with personal touches and sentimental details not only will be more meaningful for me on the day of our wedding, but will provide memories for years to come.

I'm not sure if you caught it, but I said earlier that the random facebook message from the news anchor came a few days after Mom and I were ready  to pull our hair out over wedding planning. I was ready to forfeit, she was ready to quit...it was not pretty. We both had massive wedding to do lists full of conditional tasks. For instance we couldn't get table runners until we got table cloths, but we couldn't get table cloths until we knew what size tables we'd need. BUT we couldn't figure out what size tables until we went to look at them and set them up....the conditions could go on and on. Needless to say, we were over the whole wedding planning thing. Once again though, I'm amazed by God's timing. The day after a wedding meltdown, I got the facebook message. I agreed to be interviewed, and thus had to organize all my completed projects and put them in one location. Mom and I realized through gathering the completed projects just how much we have accomplished.  It was like God was forcing us to look at what we'd already done, and "be anxious for nothing", as my dad so often reminds us throughout this journey called engagement.

I try to search for purpose in life's happenings. For instance, when I was called about the interview, I thought "Why do I have this opportunity? Is God wanting to use me in some way and use this story to do something other than just entertain the local news watcher?" My conclusion: I'll probably never know. Even if the only purpose that He had was to give me a chance to look back and reflect on the process thus far, then 1) I'm thankful for the opportunity and 2) I'm very impressed by His creativity! :)

If you haven't seen the segment, here's the link from WDHN. Enjoy!

Sincerely,

Bride on a Budget :)

A Most Momentous Day Off...

Aren't days off wonderful? Because I work in "Retail Land", my off days are not the rest of the world's off days. This week, my off days fell on Tuesday and Thursday. Tuesday, I was oh so productive. Today I was oh so not as productive. 

What'd I do?

I tested my skills as a beach bum. I'm thinking about going into it professionally, but I'm still seeking the Lord about that. Today wasn't just any beach day, though. It was quite the momentous beach day. My best friend Caitlin and I had a beach day. "Why is that so exciting?" you ask. Well, we've been able to drive without an adult in the car for almost 7 years. Today was the very first time we ever went to the beach ALONE. (GASP)

Each summer, we've talked about taking a road trip down to Panama City Beach and bumming it on the beach for a day. However, for whatever reason, we never have been able to do it. I've been to the beach with her family, and she's been to the beach with mine, but we've never gone just the two of us. Today, we overcame those obstacles. We dominated the beach. 

It was perfect weather, perfect water, perfect company. Overall a great day. We're both a little red. Well I'm red. She's brown with a touch of maroon. But our wait was well worth it. We may or may not be planning another trip next week...:) 

In other news, I read the daily devotion for Proverbs 31 Ministries when I got home tonight. A few weeks ago when I posted Fearlessly Fearing Less, my thoughts had been sparked by this daily devotion that I get. Today, I'm encouraged and once again amazed at God's timing. He always gives us the right things to hear at the right times. Why do I ever have doubt that he'll show us the right thing to do at the right time?

This was the opening paragraph

“Be at rest once more, O my soul, for the Lord has been good to you.” Psalm 116:7 (NIV)

We all have those times in life where we wish the voice of God would audibly speak so loudly there’s no way we could miss it, “THIS IS THE DIRECTION I WANT YOU TO GO.” Then we’d know whether to stay the course or quit and head off in a new direction.

Have you ever wished for this kind of certainty?

I have.

We want to know what to do.

As you can imagine, I was sucked in. As I was reading the opening sentences, I kept thinking "Yes. Yes. That's me. Yes I do wish for that." (Since I learned in high school that the introductory paragraph gets the attention of your audience, I'd say this author gets an A+ from me...for whatever that's worth.) 

I encourage you to read the rest of Lysa TerKeurst's devotion if you have a couple minutes. It was a great encouragement to me and a great reminder to cast my worries, anxieties, and burdens on the Lord so that I may be at rest. 

Praise God for beach days and the right words at the right time. 

I'm off to aloe up...until next time, my friends!

Planning, praying, and procrastinating...

Life.

It sure is going by quickly these days. Do I really have less than 4 months until I am Mrs. Wesley Wells? Yes. Do I really have less than 4 months until I have to be a hard core homemaker? Maybe...:) Did I really graduate for college a couple weeks ago? Yes. Am I really a certified teacher? Yes...well almost. (It's "pending".)

Where is the time going? More importantly, what am I doing with my time? Easy. 3 P's.

Planning. Praying. Procrastinating.

Planning what?
-The wedding. We are 16 days away from being in the double digits on the countdown!...meaning we're 116 days away...meaning 116 days ago was February 3...my brothers birthday...meaning life is flying by! The planning process is going fairly well, for those of you that care. I have my dress, flowers, cake, and most recently invitations...which I go into on the 3rd "p".
-The future. How can one really plan for the future? Your guess is as good as mine. We're just taking it one day at a time, make decisions when necessary, and trying to "lean not on our own understanding". It's not as easy as it sounds. Job searches are in full swing, as well as residency searches. What will we be doing? Don't know. Where will we be living? Don't know. Who will we be serving? the Lord. At least we know that much...which leads me to the 2nd "p".

Praying about what?
-a clear vision on the future. Right now we feel like there are more uncertainties than certainties, but the Lord is faithful and will show us what to do in his timing.
-contentment and peace. Our generation is one of instant gratification. Therefore, we expect dream jobs upon entering the work place. However, it doesn't usually turn out that way. David knew he was anointed to be king, yet had to serve Saul for years, knowing that the kingship was to be his one day. In the same way, the Lord gives us a calling, yet doesn't always allow us to pursue that calling immediately. It takes time. There is much to learn. There is much to experience.

Procrastinating? Who me?! Never!
Wrong.
-I had to make a resume by tomorrow and just finalized it today.
-My car has been a wreck for about 3 weeks, and I took 2 minutes today cleaning it out.
-I printed something today that's been on my to do list for 2 weeks.
-I emailed my bridesmaids to let them know about the wedding details today, and that's been on my to do list for almost 2 months.
Productive day right? Yes, except for...
-I should have changed 2 doctor appointments today, but I never called.

BUT...I did get a mega thing done...a "big frog" that I have procrastinated swallowing because I didn't want to make a decision. However, tonight, ladies and gentlemen, I finally....(drumroll, please)...decided on and ordered invitations!!! While that doesn't seem like a big deal, for me it was. I designed at least 5 different invitations, and then had to decide on one. Those that know me know decision making isn't exactly a strong trait of mine. So here were the contenders...

It came out yellow when printed...not my fav...

I liked this one, but the color was too muted.
Not to mention I noticed a typo after I saved it, and I couldn't edit it. 

 Last, but not least...

Ta-Da! Our invitation!

 

I uploaded it and ordered them tonight. Why is that under procrastinating, you ask? Well, order invitation/figure out invitation/design invitation has been on many pages of Vera in the past few months. 

However, since my productivity increased by 300% today because I marked so many things off my list, I think I'll be adding a "p" to my 3 "p"s making them 4 "p"s. The 4th? Productivity. 

 

Plan. Pray. 

Procrastinate. (Be) Productive. 

Well, after my epiphany of my last "p",  I'm off to bed...procrastinating on cleaning my room so I can be productive tomorrow night.

Dear UM , Thanks for the memories!

Well it's official. I am now an alumnus of the University of Mobile! It was 4 long, yet short years...however that works. In some ways it seems like I just went off to school, but at the same time high school seems like such a distant memory. Either way, I'm no longer in college! Done! Complete! Finished! Whoo!                                                                                                                                                  Yes, I did get a little sentimental the day of graduation. So many sentimental/interesting things happened in the span of 3 days that I could probably make 6 blog posts out of them.However, I'll just start with this one.

As I was sitting in my group of CPA (Center for Performing Arts) classmates near the end of the name calling process, I was able to watch Wesley Wells walk across the stage. Although I wanted to stand up and say "Yay! We're getting married!", I decided that I would try to maintain my reputation as a reserved person for the last University of Mobile function. However, as I saw Wesley move up to the X, waiting for his name to be called,  I said to myself "Wesley Wells, Wesley Wells, Wesley Wells"...I know that sounds dumb, but it was like me saying "Call his name already!"

Anyway, right after I said that, I immediately had a flashback...

Travel back with me to 2007...the year I became a high school graduate. In January, I knew that I was going to the University of Mobile, and I knew that I was going to major in music. I thought I had it figured out. No surprises. Just graduate in May, babysit over the summer, go to UM in the fall...easy. 

Now Wesley Wells. He was planning on going to Wallace Community College for his basic classes, and then transferring to Auburn later. His plan? Graduate, work over the summer, go to Wallace in the fall...easy. 

Senior Sunday 2007

In June of 2007, after almost 4 years of friendship, we admitted our affections for one another for the first time. It was a whirlwind (because we had gone 3 years avoiding the topic), and we began a journey of our relationship together. Did it cross my mind that I was leaving to go to Mobile for school, and he was staying at Wallace and then going to Auburn? Yeh, I guess a little. I chose the Scarlett O'Hara approach and said "I'll think about that tomorrow". Smart, I know. I was such a wise high school graduate...(ha...)

 

That summer, our youth choir was supposed to go to a choir camp with hundreds of other students to record a new book of songs, do bible studies, have break out sessions, and do some mission work. I remember Wesley being really excited because he wanted to go to the breakout session of incorporating drums in worship. However, when Dad went to make the reservations in February, our church was put on a waiting list. Apparently the other churches were so excited about it that they filled up the spots within hours of registration being open. It was kind of disappointing because we had been looking forward to going, but Dad and Bro. Joel began to explore other options. They decided on MFuge (a mission camp) at the University of Mobile. 

In July of 2007, our youth choir went to MFuge. (At that point, Wesley and I had been officially dating for about 3 weeks and were googly eyed and giddy.) They announced the first couple days that there would be a box in the dorms that we could put a reply card in, and that would put us in a drawing for a $20,000 scholarship to UM. Since I was already going to UM and we were looking for ways to make the summer last forever so we wouldn't have to do long distance, Wesley went around telling everybody that he really needed that scholarship so they "probably shouldn't fill out that card".

The last morning celebration came right before we were going our last mission sites for the week. The admissions counselors came out on stage throwing cups and t-shirts and pumping us up for the announcement of the scholarship winner. Of course when they said, "and the recipient is..." I said to myself "Wesley Wells, Wesley Wells, Wesley Wells"...but I didn't in the least expect them to call his name. THEN THEY DID.

He got up with a shocked look on his face, I turned around to look at him with a shocked look on my face, I turned around and saw both my parents with shocked looks on their faces...Was this real?!

Later that day, my dad went with him to talk to the admissions counselors about the requirements. If he wanted to be able to get the scholarship, he would have to come his freshmen year...which meant he had less than a month before he would start school. Not much time at all... When we came home, his parents talked about it, and they decided to visit the campus a couple weeks later.

As it turns out, I'm not a cheap date. Wesley had to pay for college to be near me! ;) But needless to say, Wesley enrolled at the University of Mobile. I know it was a step of faith for not only him, but his family as well. One day Wesley was planning on staying at home for 2 years, and then next he was moving off to school within weeks. It know it was a hard transition for them, but there is no doubt that the Lord's hand was on it.

My favorite part of the story is that Wesley was upset about not going to Son Power because he really wanted to take a class on incorporating drums in worship. His sophomore year he began playing on Wednesday nights at a church, and eventually auditioned for a worship band at school called Impact. He has been traveling and playing drums for Impact for 3 years now and is currently in Texas on his last trip with Impact. They've traveled all over the south east and went to Uruguay in 2009. The experiences he's had at UM have been more than he could have ever imagined for himself. To think he was upset about SonPower...I'm overwhelmed by how the Lord provides above and beyond anything we could ever imagine.

What next, you ask? Well, that is a very good question. I wish I had a detailed answer that included my future as a professional crafter, Wesley's awesome, fun job opportunities popping up everywhere, a free place to live, and somebody that really wants to give us a beach house for weekend getaways. Alas, I do not. What do I have?

The past. I can remember the provisions and faithfulness of the Lord and know that everything can change in one day. I will not live in the past; however, I will look back as God's faithfulness gives me a hope for the future. He has a plan for us, and we can only follow it one step at a time.

The Lord brought us here, but we also wouldn't have gotten where we are now without our parents'  love and support. Thank you, Mom, Dad, Mr. Larry and Mrs. Vickie.

Until next time...which may be tomorrow since I had so many blog-worthy moments this weekend ;)

fearlessly fearing less

Fear.

I've never thought of myself as a fearful person. I'm typically pretty calm, cool, and collected...that is until a friend tries to get me to do something illegal like swim in a condo swimming pool when we're not staying at said condo. The phrase "Violators will be prosecuted" seems to have no effect on some of my friends.

Back to fear. I'm fairly even keeled, you could say. I don't exude an excess of emotion most of the time. I try not to worry myself to death over things I can't fix, I deal with my own stress in my mind and think myself through it. I (try to) take things in stride and not worry about them. After all Matthew 6 says not to worry about tomorrow because tomorrow has enough worries of its own.

For instance, my fiance (bold so he will see I didn't put "my significant other") and I are both graduating in May. We're getting married in September. We do not have jobs. We have no prospects of where to live. We're not sure how we will pay for a place to live. We're not sure how we will pay for groceries. Right now, I'm not sure how he'll eat because the only thing I can make is blueberry muffins. Needless to say, from this vantage point there's a lot of uncertainty.

Of course, we're looking for jobs, we will find somewhere to live, we will pay for groceries, and I will (hopefully) learn to make a decent meal. But right now, the "how" of all that is hovering over me.

So I just forget about it. I busy myself with other things, and "don't worry about tomorrow" because the Bible tells me so.

So I'm on the right track, right? Not fearing what's in the future, just considering what could be every now and then.

Wrong.

Yesterday, Wesley called me to let me know a job he'd been waiting to hear from didn't work out. "Okay," I thought, "God will provide. He is faithful and he has a plan." But shortly after thinking that true thought, something crept into my mind. Doubt maybe. What if he doesn't find a job? What if I can't find a job? What if we can't afford a safe place to live? I began to feel a knot in my stomach.

Again, I pushed it away. I just forgot about it. I didn't know what to call that feeling anyway, so I just didn't want to think about it. It surely was not fear. I'm never afraid. I know God will provide. He always has. I'm not afraid that he won't. I would never think that God needs to work around my time schedule. Not me. No. Never.

Wrong again. This morning I woke up and got ready for student teaching. I thought "I really need to cling to Proverbs 3:5-6 in all of this (and the rest of my life) and trust in the Lord without trying to figure it all out on my own. " As I was about to dry my hair, I checked my email and saw the devotion I get from Proverbs 31  Ministries.  It was called "Fearing the Unknown". Ironic? 

It opened with...

Then you will know which way to go,
since you have never been this way before.”


Joshua 3:4a (NIV)
 
I realized was that strange knot in my stomach was indeed fear. I didn't want to admit it, but it was. I also realized by pushing it away, I was weakening my trust in God. Yes, the Bible does say "don't worry about tomorrow", but it also says "Cast all your cares upon Him because He cares for you". I wasn't casting my cares on Him. I was just pushing them away into the corners of my mind. The hymn "What a Friend We Have in Jesus" came to mind.
 
"Oh what peace we often forfeit
Oh what needless pain we bear,
All because we do not carry
everything to God in prayer."
 
I'm not going to explain the whole devotion, but if you get a chance check it out. There was also a link to Micca Campbell's blog (the author of this morning's devotion). She wrote a book entitled An Untroubled Heart: Finding Faith that is Stronger than All Your Fears. 
 
When I was growing up, I listened to an audio series called Adventures in Odyssey. On one episode, a child was walking in the woods and he was scared of the noises and darkness. Upon telling Mr. Whitaker (aka the coolest ice cream shop owner ever) the situation, Whit encouraged him to learn scripture to recite whenever he got scared. He chose Isaiah 41:10. I remember telling my grandma that was my favorite verse when I was about 8, mostly because I had listened to that episode countless times. I can still hear the little boy reciting it in my head as once again, in this very uncertain stage of life, I claim it as my favorite verse.
 
"So do not fear, for I am with you;
do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you;
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand."

Isaiah 41:10

I'm off to attempt to be fearless...

A lesson from Mr. Squirrel

So I wrote this blog on MLK day. I forgot to publish it, but better late than never!...oh and my "hair doctor" was sick herself today, so I didn't get a new do...but I will soon! Hope you're feeling better, Mrs. Patsy! :) 

Today started as any typical non-school day. Slept until I felt like getting up, ate breakfast, showered, and got ready for lunch with my significant other and his parents.

11AM: As I was getting ready for the day ahead, our power went out. Awesome. At least my hair was dry already! It was out for about 10 minutes before it came back on...for 30 seconds. Then off again. By that time, I was ready so I just left and headed to lunch.

2:30 PM.Both my parents sent me a text and asked if the power was out when I left. Obviously that meant it was still out at the house...that's no good.

5:15 PM. I go home to get something and the power is still out. I called mom, and she said she was on the case.

7:30 PM. Not only do we not have power, but we're the only ones on the street without power! How did this happen?!

One word.

SQUIRREL.

Apparently around 11 AM, Mr. Squirrel was shocked when ran into the transformer. (ha...thank you, WW, for that one :)) Talk about being scared to death! Poor squirrel.

I did get a life lesson out of all this. I've gotten so used to power in the house, I didn't know what to do without it. I couldn't get online, or even my computer because I didn't have a way to charge it. I couldn't play piano because I didn't have a lamp to see the keys. Without electricity, it was VERY dark in the house.

The verse "Be still and know that I am God" came to mind. Sometimes we need to be interupted and stripped of the normalcies of life so that we can just sit. No agenda, no ways to distract ourselves, nowhere to turn. It forced/allowed Mom, Dad, and I to sit in the living room with no computers, no TV, no distractions. Just a crackling fire, candles, and family.

The power came on after 15 minutes of sitting by the fire, and soon life was back to normal. However, it was a great reminder to take life slower and savor the moments that we so often forget about.

Dear Mr. Squirrel, I'm sorry it had to end this way...but thank you for sacrificing your life so that I might learn a life lesson. :)

Hair I go again....

I remember when I was in middle school, my brother and I would tease my mom that we could determine the what year pictures of her were taken by her hair. She changed her hair all the time. Perm and really short, straight and medium short, perm and medium short...you get the picture. Not to mention the color...it was typically the same but there was a short period when she added some highlights to it. Her hair always looked good! She just liked to change it up.

And I'm realizing something.

I'm just like her.

Since 9th grade about 8 years ago, my body has changed a little, my face has changed a little, my clothes/style have changed a little, but my hair? It's changed ALOT...and often. I haven't changed my color (yet...I am noticing a LOT of grey though), but I, just like my mom, have had several different cuts. 

6th grade-short
(reminder:looking at the hair...not the rest)



7th grade-longer



8th grade-shortish

9th grade-longish

10th grade-shorter

11th grade-shorter

still 11th grade-even shorter

12th grade-super short...

That was through middle and high school years. Let's take a gander at college years...

I need a haircut...(2007)

Same day...After a much needed haircut



summer 2008- short short but easy to do



Spring 2009

Summer 2009...I thought my hair was so long...I got my hair cut 5 times that summer

Fall 2009

 Several times I decided to "grow my hair out"...but I always cut it off again. However, this last time I said I would grow my hair out, I was more determined than ever. I want to prove to all those friends that say "I'll believe it when I see it" that I WILL grow out my hair! :) That is said with the most lighthearted determination by the way...


This is December 2010...and almost as long as I've ever had it...

Why am I telling you all this, you ask? Well...I haven't had a haircut in almost 4 months. Last week, I found a piece of my hair that had split ends with split ends. NOT GOOD. So I have an appointment tomorrow with my hair doctor. In the past, when I've said that I'm growing out my hair and I go for a trim, I end up saying "Just do whatever. You can chop it off. I need something different." This time, however, I will remember that I want to grow it out.

Tomorrow I will post a before and after picture to show that I haven't gone short again...mostly just to hold myself accountable :)

I will not get my hair chopped off, I will not get my hair chopped off, I will not get my hair chopped off...

To DIY or not to DIY

I have quite a dilemma these days. What is it, you ask?

To DIY or not to DIY...that is the question.

For those of you who may not know, DIY is Do It Yourself. In the realm of weddings, there are so many creative ideas, tutorials, articles, and magazines devoted to those who enjoy DIYing (or DIT...Doing It Themselves). Being the craft lover that I am, I get sucked in. I want to DIY (or DIM...Do It Myself). But the question is how much is too much? How many things should I decided to DIY (DIM)?

I love craft projects, but I'm guilty of over committing myself to projects and hobbies. I think that I can do it all myself. I have a hard time using that handy tactic that I learned in 5th grade-"Just Say No". In attempting to plan a budget friendly wedding, it's ESPECIALLY hard to say "no" to the money saving crafts. Can't you see my dilemma?

There are several things I'm contemplating DIY...DIMing...Doing myself...whatever. Right now, invitations are on the top of my "maybe I should DIY (DIM)" list. We shall see.

So do I DIM? or do I let someone else DIT and pay them for it? Such a predicament.

Here was my latest DIY (DIM) project! It comes with a tutorial as well.

HOW TO MAKE SUPER FUN WEDDING SHOES:


You will need:

• 1 plain, boring, simple pair of pumps

• 1 brooch that you've had for 2 years

• lots of prayer that someone is selling the exact same brooch on ebay

First buy the plain shoes.

Find a brooch that fits perfectly.

Pray for and buy the matching brooch on eBay.

Voila! Super fun wedding shoes! 

 

 

 

 

 

 Pardon me while I prop up my feet...:)

Like Manna from Heaven...

I am often amazed at God's provision in my life. I have never been without something I didn't need, and often times without something I didn't want. I am overwhelmingly blessed by the family I've been given, my significant other, my wonderful friends, the opportunity to go to college and study music, the opportunity to go to a CHRISTIAN college, the experiences I've been able to have, etc. Lately I've been overwhelmed at the Lord's provision for wedding plans. Things are falling into place quickly and pretty easily (or it seems that way).

A few weeks ago, I wrote a blog about decisions and shoes. Since then, I found a truly awesome pair of shoes! Then I returned them. I know, kind of an anti-climactic story. It gets better, I promise.

I returned those awesome shoes to Dillard's and decided to look for some different truly awesome shoes. Wesley was actually with me, so I asked his opinion. Of course, he picked out the simplest shoes. Plain Jane. Boring. Cute and comfortable, but still not very interesting. I actually went ahead and got them...he's quite the persuasive one. I got them home and finally admitted to myself that I actually liked the simple more than the elaborate ones that I had first gotten. I still wanted something to spruce them up...some bling, some flowers, some something! I looked on etsy.com for shoe clips and found some interesting ones, but nothing that "struck my fancy" as my mother would say. I thought I was going to have to walk down the aisle with boring, plain ole blush/champagne colored shoes. Yes, I realize no one will actually see my shoes, but knowing that they're there will make me stand up straighter, I promise. Just go with me on this one.

So I was in my room last week writing a lesson plan. I looked down at my plain wedding shoes and thought "I need to find something to do with those." I looked for some type of jewelry that I could put up to my shoe just for a visual example. I saw a brooch on my dresser that I had gotten a couple years ago to wear with a dress for a recital I played in. I thought, "Hmm....that's pretty. Maybe I can find something like that. I'll try it to see what it looks like." ( Yes, I always think in complete sentences...) So I put it on my shoe. Then, something AMAZING happened.

It fit PERFECTLY. The shoes are peep toe and the narrowest part is 2 inches...the back of the brooch is 2 inches. It was meant to be!!

"But wait..." you say (as I did). "You only have one brooch, and you have two shoes." You are correct. It made me sad to realize this. I racked my brain to remember the brand of the brooch so I could look it up online. I remembered it was Liz Claiborne, and typed "Liz Claiborne rhinestone brooch" into Google. Lots of brooches. None of them were the ones I needed. I went to eBay expecting the worst, but hoping for the best.

I typed it in the search and scrolled down, and I saw a blurry picture of a rhinestone brooch! Could it be?! I clicked on it to get a closer look...my computer was taking forever! I grabbed my brooch and ran into the living room and pulled it up on Mom's computer. I held my brooch up next to the picture and got a second opinion. After discussion, we decided that YES!! It was the exact same brooch!! I had to order it! I bid on it...but then I had to wait 4 days until the auction was over. It was nerve racking....but fear not! Today, I am the proud owner of 2 brooches for my 2 wedding shoes. It should be coming in the mail the day after tomorrow!

It turns out she bought the brooch 2 years ago and it fell behind her dresser. She recently found it and didn't need it anymore. Thank you, Lord for allowing her to misplace that brooch!

So while brooches on shoes may seem like just another fun detail to the wedding, they are much more than that for me. When I put on those shoes on September 24th (8 months from yesterday), those brooches will be reminder that my God is Jehovah Jirah. He will provide. He provided something as small and seemingly insignificant as the brooches on my shoes. I know I can trust in Him for my future.

Matthew 6:25-34

25“Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?^g 28And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, 29yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. 33But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

34“Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

I'll post a picture when I get the other :)

I'll leave you with a blast from the past. This was March 2006. Before we were dating...ahh the memories...

Confessions of the Complexity of a Twenty-something Year Old

Thursday night before I went to bed, I saw on Facebook that Old Navy was having 40% off on their already reduced clearance stuff. I, being the "bargainista" that I am, had to check it out just to make sure I didn't miss out on anything amazing.

After school, I headed on over to Old Navy. I walked straight to the clearance items, picked up anything cute I saw in my size, and went to the dressing room. I tried on 3 pairs of jeans because I've gotten clearance jeans at ON for 8 dollars or less in the past. However, they hugged all the wrong places and were about 6 inches too long. I was actually relieved...I didn't need to buy jeans anyways!

I tried on 3 shirts, all of which fit and were around $4 a piece. They went into my "yes pile." I also tried on a skirt that was a strange color of purplish grey. I had decided not to get it because I didn't know what I'd wear with it, but then I reminded myself it was "only $5" (as Emily Bass and I always say). Thus, I changed my mind, put it in my "yes pile", and took it home to see if I had anything to wear with it.

The last thing I saw when I was making my final sweep around was a pair of capris for $7. They were regular length so I figured they'd be just right as straight jeans on me...why not try them? They were only $7!

I checked out and headed home. On my way home I had an epiphany. As you can tell by my previous posts about decisions, I'm an indecisive person. I'm a very careful decision maker. I consider all the possible outcomes and over-analyze the situation to death before I make a decision. EXCEPT when it comes to clothing. I'm an impulse buyer. I get chastised at Christmas time because if I see something I like, I just buy it for myself instead of telling someone I want it.  When you put impulse buyer with bargain shopper, it can be a dangerous combination. ESPECIALLY if something is "only $5!"

I also realized that while I'm a planner and feel better when Vera (my Vera Bradley planner) is by my side, I'm an intense procrastinator. My motto is "why do it today if you can do it tomorrow?" I work better under pressure anyways. Maybe it's that I always procrastinate so I force myself to work well under pressure...I don't know. Another realization was that while I like to be organized and clean, my room and car are terribly unorganized and messy. I like to call it organized chaos. I know where things are, but no one else can find it. Why am I so complicated?! I confuse myself.

I don't have any explanations or solutions to my complexity. The only thing I have is thankfulness to the Lord that he takes my complex mess of a life and understands all the complexities that even I don't understand about myself.

Back to my shopping spree. I got home and showed my dad all my deals...since he was dying to see them all, I know. (That's another complexity...even when I know the males in my family don't care about the clothes I get or the cute things I make, I show them anyways...) As I was pulling out my super awesome deals I noticed a couple things. 1) I got a shirt in XL when I meant to get it in M. 2) The capris I got were ACTUALLY skinny jeans. I have never in my life worn skinny jeans. Not only were they skinny jeans, but they have dark blue sequins all the way down the side...I'm not one for sequins, especially on my jeans. Especially if they're skinny jeans...If I'm wearing skinny jeans I don't want anything else on them that might add extra attention. I immediately put it in my "take back pile", along with the XL shirt and purplish grey skirt that I couldn't find anything to go with.

However, I had to model my clothes for my parentals, so I put on the jeans. At first, I almost threw up in my mouth. "No way, Jose." I said to myself. Then I put on a shirt I got for 3 dollars. The jeans grew on me with the longer shirt. I put some flats on to complete the look. I actually liked it. WHAT?!!? Sequined, skinny jeans?!?! Yeh, I still can't believe it myself. They're now in my "keep pile".

My, oh my. How complex I am.

Preparing to teach and planning to wed...

I made it through my first two days of student teaching this week! Of course, I didn't actually teach anything this week, but just having two days under my proverbial belt makes me feel better about this spring. I'll start teaching Kindergarten and 1st grade music classes in a couple weeks, and then build from there. After watching my cooperating teacher teach every grade over 2 days, I realized something about Kindergarten kiddos. They think EVERYTHING is funny. They tell you random facts. They raise their hand to tell you that their birthday is in July. I already have 2 Kindergarten kiddo stories after 2 days.

1) Upon the music teacher introducing me to the class as "Miss Lindsey" a girl raised her hand and said, "I had a dog named Lindsey once! But she died." The teacher responded, "You had a DOG named Lindsey?? That's a girl name!" The little girl said matter-of-factly, "Yeh, it was a GIRL dog!"

2) The second isn't quite as interesting, but it made me laugh. After the teacher explained why an unfamiliar girl (me) was sitting at her desk, the whole class stood up to look at me. They all waved with blank stares like they weren't so sure about whether I was going to be nice or not. Then one little boy, who was staring the most intently out of the whole class said, "I like your necklace", and immediately sat back down. I'm so glad that my fashion sense was confirmed by a 5 year old boy! :)

Another funny thing happened after a 3rd grade class in which the teacher had introduced me and given a small tidbit of my life. She told them where I went to college, that I am engaged, and that I am getting married this year. After class, two 3rd grade girls asked to look at my ring. I don't think I even knew what an engagement ring was in 3rd grade. Just kidding, but seriously I wouldn't have thought to ask to look at a ring in 3rd grade. I'm used to college girls and women asking to see my ring, but 3rd graders was a new experience. It was an experience that made me laugh, nonetheless.

It should be fun, but I just have to work on my comedy act for the Kindergarten classes to get them laughing...which shouldn't be too hard. Yesterday they thought a song about hippos in the snow was the most hilarious song ever written! Yet another reminder that the next 2 months will be fun and filled with stories!

Well wedding planning is in full swing. I still don't have any super awesome shoes, but it will come. It's funny to look back each week and see how much has been decided or changed in the wedding plans...even in a week. This week we set the date.

We are planning to get married September 24th.

I didn't want the date to get lost in the rest of the words. Mark your calendar, save the date, circle the number, etc. I'll let the blog world know if it changes, but I don't think it will now. Having a date makes it so much more real, and it gives us a goal to work towards and a specific time to look forward to. We're excited! :) I feel like it's all going to come together, and hopefully for a reasonable price. My goal is to be practical and simple, but still classy.

I came up with some themes the other day while I was cleaning my room. Prepare yourself. The awesomeness of the alliterations may have the potential to blow your mind. Just kidding, but I really like alliterations so I'm proud of my themes.

Neutral and Natural. Linen and Lace. I like the neutral and natural colors, and I think linen and lace add a southern charm of sorts. We'll see if I stick with these themes. Hopefully I will because if I don't, I'm not sure if I can come up with anymore alliterations...

Be inspired by this inspiration board by  Every Last Detail blog

Decisions, Decisions....

As of yesterday, I have been engaged for 5 weeks. Although I haven't made a huge dent in the to do list of planning the wedding, I have made a dent in my research. I have come to a conclusion. There are about 1239874234 decisions that have to be made between now and the time I get married. Such as...

What color do I want the bridesmaids to wear?

What shade of that color would look good?

What material of that shade would be good?

What flowers should there be?

What shade of those flowers would look best?

How many of each shade would be good?

How many pew markers should there be?

Will we have a singer?

Who will sing?

What will they sing?

At what point will they sing?

Where should we register?

What should we register for?

When should we register?

How many towels should we register for?

What color towels do we want?

How many lamps do we need in our house?

What color furniture should we get?

Oh...and where will we be living?

Geez Louise. Yes, I'm getting a little carried away...mostly for dramatic effect. But as I participated in a best friend's wedding a couple weeks ago, I realized something. There are a bajillion decisions that go into one day...3 hours really. Of course some of the decisions on registry and where we will live are life decisions... (no pressure), but the others effect 3 hours of our life. At the end of our wedding day, we'll be married. Whether we have cake and punch or a sit down meal, we'll still be married. Whether we have roses and peonies or wildflowers, we'll still be married. Whether my bridesmaids wear gold or chartreuse, we'll still be married...but probably short a few girl friends :) Basically, I've come to the conclusion that I want to take it all in stride, enjoy the wedding planning process, and most importantly-take it ONE DAY at a time. ONE DECISION at a time. 

Today, I made a decision about my shoes. I decided I want fun shoes. I don't know if I'll have colored ones, but I do want interesting ones. After all, pretty shoes make you feel pretty! In less, of course, they're uncomfortable, then they just make you irritated. So I guess I just made another decision... I want fun, semi comfortable shoes. Another decision! I'm on a roll. 

I've already begun my quest to find said shoes. I started with Ivory just for my conservative side's sake. In my search, I found these super awesome shoes!

While they are, as previously stated, super awesome, I've decided not to get them. At least not right now. I came to this conclusion for 2 reasons. 1) They're in Europe and I don't know my size in UK shoe sizes, 2) They're $70 and I can't justify buying them impulsively without trying them on knowing that I'll probably only wear them on my wedding day.

Either way, they're still some of my favorite shoes to look at. Excuse me....at which to look. (Thanks to my 6th grade English teacher, every time I end a sentence with a preposition, I get onto myself. )

Yet another decision made today. Whew, I think I might turn my decision making off for now and enjoy this New Years Day.

Happy 2011!...a year of many decisions and exciting times :)

Oh, the Future...

I have officially been engaged for 2 weeks...actually 17 days...and 8 hours...but who's counting?

Last week was my very last week of class in my college career...ever...hopefully...;) This week I have 1 exam on Tuesday, and then I'm free! Where did 4 years of my life go? In some ways it flew by, it some ways it crept along. But it is so surreal to think that I'm almost finished with college, I'm engaged and planning a wedding, and this time next year I will be married and not a dependent of my parents.

Some years we write Christmas letters that go out with our Christmas card, and the letter just tells what's gone on in our family's life throughout the year. Some years there is a lot of major life changes, and some years it seems like nothing happened. When reflecting on the past year, however, it is clear to see that it has been a major year in our family.

My brother graduated college AND got a big boy job. I worked in Orlando with him as my boss for 7 weeks this summer (that's a major thing :)...he was a good boss though). He also changed jobs this fall, and moved to ATL...he will officially never live permanently at our house again...WEIRD. My parents finished off the upstairs of our house that they've been working on for a while (and it looks great). I passed the Praxis, observed an obnoxious amount of hours, finished my senior recital, got engaged, and finished my last semester of classes in college...and that's only been in the past 3 and a half months.

So much has happened. The Lord has provided strength when there was none, peace when we were uncertain, and grace when we didn't deserve it. One of my favorite things to do is reflect and see God's provision and faithfulness throughout life's happenings. I'm already humbled by his provisions for our wedding, and I've only been engaged for 17 days...and 8 and a half hours.

I'm excited to see what is in store for 2011. Although, I know the general plan for me to student teach, look for a job, and get married, I know God has so much more in store than just those things. I know that God will use this time of uncertainty to teach me more than I could imagine, and I pray that my eyes and ears are open to Him as he shows me. There are so many questions of "How?" running through my mind as I reach my first year of being a "grown up". How will I make money? How will I cook when I can barely boil water? How will we find somewhere to live?

As I was at the church that Wesley's music group, Impact, was playing yesterday, I was thinking about all those things. I had just prayed that the Lord would help me to know he is in control, and they sang this song.

If you have a minute...or 6 minutes and 21 seconds...listen to it. It is a wonderful reminder of God's sovereignty and perfect plan.

 "Where shall I go from your Spirit?
Or where shall I flee from your presence?
If I ascend to heaven, you are there!
If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!
If I take the wings of the morning
and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
even there your hand shall lead me,
and your right hand shall hold me.
If I say, "Surely the darkness shall cover me,
and the light about me be night,"

even the darkness is not dark to you;
the night is bright as the day
for darkness is as light with you."
Psalm 139:7-12

First Engagement Festivities

After Wesley and I got engaged on Friday, our sweet friends John and Emily asked if they could throw us a party. How can you turn down a party?! Of course, we said yes. They invited our close friends, and it wasn't a surprise, but nobody mentioned anything to me about coming, so I wasn't expecting about 90% of the people that came. It made the non-surprising party a pleasant surprise. :)  The following are pics documenting the fun night of engagement party-ing...

The cute set up

the engaged girls...

Very different rings for different personalities

Sweet home and school friends

We're actually engaged at the same time! (for a few weeks :))

Reenactment of the proposal

At TCBY with J and E after we got back into town...very sleepy, but happy to be engaged :)

Thank you again for everyone who has made this time special for us! We're excited about what is to come.