My Mother of the Bride

Unlike Father of the Bride, there is not a movie about the mother of the bride. However, there should be. I'm SURE it would be quite entertaining.

My mom has been there through every major and minor event of this wedding. She has given affirmation, taken care of what I don't want to deal with, and spent hours upon hours trying to make this wedding everything I want.

Some things I've heard her say through all of this...

"We really need to get together to discuss the reception."

"I think we need to cut the guest list"

"Why do we feel like we have to DIY everything?"

"We really need to get this done by Saturday."

"Let me look at my list."

While there have been some "intense fellowship" between my mother and I (in which my father served as the mediator) over the last few months over wedding festivities, the last few weeks have been very different. A married friend said to me the other day, "My mom drove me crazy during my wedding planning. Is your mom driving you crazy?" I thought for a second, and although a few months ago, I might have said yes, (no offense, Mom...I drove you crazy too :)) I said "not at all" honestly. How could she drive me crazy when she's washing my clothes, helping me set up and clean my classrooms, organizing my gifts, washing my new dishes, helping me organize my house, shopping with me for toilet brushes, giving me honest opinions, cleaning my house, helping paint, giving me advice about housekeeping, planning my wedding, dipping 1200 peanut butter balls, finishing the programs, scoping out furniture at antique stores while I'm at school so I can check them out after, coordinating everyone's schedules during the wedding weekend, and many many other things. She's not driving me crazy. She's driving me sane! If I didn't have her, I would be crazy right now. For instance, as I typed this blog, she verified our schedule for tomorrow, made sure I knew where Wesley's ring was, retrieved a lamp in the attic for my new home, and reminded me that I would eventually need to move my belongings out of her house. She is a remarkable woman with many talents, abilities, skills, and taste.

The relationship I have with my mom is unlike any other that I have. I have wonderful friends, but my mom is the person that I am the most honest with. She is the one that I can argue with one minute, and ooh and ahh over a pretty rug or lamp with the next minute. She is the one that I'm down right stubborn with, but yet highly value her opinion. She is one of my very best friends, and I'm so blessed to have her as my mom.

If you ask me, "like mother, like daughter" is the best compliment one can give.

Little Details - Part 2

Did you figure out what this is for?

Well if you did, great! If you didn't, I will tell you. A few months ago, Wesley and I were itching to go on a date. We went to eat, and then were going to go to a movie. However, we had a while before the movie started, so we went to Barnes and Noble. When we go to B&N, he reads music and drum magazines and I sit next to him and read wedding, home, or craft magazines. We're really exciting, I know. I was reading a wedding magazine, and I came across an article on saving money. Of course, I was interested. It mostly focused on cutting cost at the reception, like cocktail hour, open bars, etc. Since we're not having alcohol, I wasn't interested in that. I did, however, see a part about saving on favors. The magazine gave several suggestions for favors that would cost less, and they also had an idea about doing things in lieu of favors.

It suggested having a couple of fish bowls set up that represent different charities. Then, give each guest a token of some sort, and allow them to place their token in whatever charity bowl they wanted to contribute to. Each token represents a dollar, so after the reception the tokens will be tallied, and donations for those amounts will be made to the organizations. 

I decided that I liked that idea. In a world where everything is about self, it was refreshing to see an idea that helps other people. Favors can be so expensive and so pointless. Why would people want M&M's with mine and Wesley's face on them or magnets to remind them of the day that we were wed? 

So if you guessed that the picture was for a cause table you were correct. One reason I've tried so hard to save money during this whole process is because weddings cause unnecessary spending. The status quo of "what everybody does" gets out of hand. While looking at pictures and blogs of beautiful extravagant weddings that had a budget of $75,000, I can't help but think of all the people who have been suffering, even since I've been engaged. From the earthquake in Japan, the tornadoes in North Alabama, or even the drought in Ethiopia where my Compassion child is, or a sweet 6 year old on a list for a heart transplant...I can't spend an excessive amount of money, knowing that my wedding will only last 3 hours. The purpose of our wedding is not to keep up with the Jones and wow everybody with our extravagant decorations. It's to celebrate the love that Wesley and I have and to celebrate it with those that we know and love. 

You may be thinking, "Okay, I know the stones are for tokens. What is the candle for?" Well, that's a great question. 

We are called to be salt and light.

 Matthew 5:13-16:

¹³ “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. 

¹⁴ “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. ¹⁵ Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. ¹⁶ In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.

 The tokens are the salt. The candle is the light. Each guest will receive a stone upon entering the reception. Each stone represents a dollar. There will be 2 hurricane lamps set up on a table that represent 2 causes. One is the Sendai Tsunami Relief Fund and the other is the Mary Beth Miller Heart Fund. Each guest will have the opportunity to designate their "dollar" for one of the two causes upon entering the reception. At the end of the reception, we will add up the contributions and make a donation for that amount to the funds.

Why did we choose these, you ask? Well although Sendai, Japan, is far away, it is closer to my heart than one might think. When I was a senior in high school, I received a generous scholarship from Sony. At the time, there was a Sony plant in Dothan. I not only received money for school, but I also received the slick laptop computer that I used to type many-a-papers and that I am currently using to type this blog. Needless to say, that Sony scholarship was a blessing in more than one way. A couple years ago, the Sony plant in Dothan closed, and many Japanese Sony employees moved to Sendai, Japan. (You can see where this is going...) When the earthquake and the tsunami hit Japan, many former Sony employees experienced great devastation and the heartache of losing spouses, children, loved ones, and everything they had. The former president of Sony set up an account at a local bank in support of the Sendai Tsunami Relief. These people were some of the same ones that interviewed me for the scholarship, attended banquets and functions for the Sony Star Class program, and helped me get through school with generous funds and a computer.We want to use the blessing we've received and bless them some way in return. 

The other cause is also a special one. When I was in my awkward adolescent years, I had a loving, caring, wonderful Sunday School teacher/mentor. When you asked how she was, she responded with "just peachy!" When we would make dumb comments as middle schoolers, she would affectionately respond with "Have you done bumped your head?!" When she was cold she would say "It is chilly-whack in here!" She would have spend the night parties at her house and take us riding around town in her blue mustang convertible...yes, we thought we were awesome. We made fun of her for crying at everything, and we tried to set her up with the boys' Sunday School teacher. When they started dating, my friends and I ragged him about proposing. When he did propose, we felt like we were responsible for their marriage. 

They had a daughter 6 years ago, and from the beginning Mary Beth has had many heart and health problems. She has been such a strong little girl, and now she is on top priority for a heart transplant. The donations will go straight to the Mary Beth Miller Heart Fund. 

As we're on the countdown week, it's my hope and prayer that our wedding is more than just a union of two people. I pray that it is a testimony of God's faithfulness, love, goodness, and provisions.

Until next time, 

Miss Gay (for 7 more days)

Little Details

Today marks one month from the big day. In honor of the fact that we're almost less than a month away, I'd like to share some fun facts.

Part of being a "DIY" bride is feeling the need to DIY everything...or DEY...whatever. I enjoy crafts and making handmade things, so naturally I want to make our wedding personal with little details. 

Here is one detail that will be at the reception. Since I have no doubt that my brother and his friends (although grown) would throw full packets of birdseed or just throw the tube of bubbles when Wesley and I leave after the reception, we looked for alternatives. My mom stumbled across ribbon wands when she was looking at Joann's one day. They were on clearance for 2.99 for 25. They were originally 19.99. 

She bought a few boxes and brought them home to show them to me. I liked them, but the only problem was they were stark white and everything in our wedding is more ivory or off white. Yes, you're right. That is a big problem.

We looked for a solution, and my mother saved the day. She found ribbon that matched some of our colors and we re-strung the ribbon.

finished product

Yes, it does look like Cousin It. However, we will have them in several holders so people won't be so confused as to what that thing is.

Want to guess what this is for? 

Why I like being a teacher...

So while I am excited about teaching the leaders of tomorrow how to think critically, make good decisions, and have good character, right now there is a different reason why I like being a teacher...

Last week, I had my picture taken for my school ID.

This means I get discounts at NY and Company, Banana Republic, Ann Taylor Loft, and The Limited...

I LOVE BEING A TEACHER  :)

Needless to say, I just invested in my teaching wardrobe. Fear not, though. I am getting rid of some of my beloved faithful pieces in my closet for some new, more mature clothing choices. Out with the OLD (Navy) and in with the NEW (York and Company)...ha...I just cracked myself up.

I didn't let myself venture past the clearance rack, so not only did I get a discount. I got a discount on the 70% off items. Yes, I racked up.

Until next time,
Mrs. Wells...the teacher that enjoys using her discount :)

How I did our invitations...

In May, I rejoiced over finally deciding on our  invitations after several weeks of procrastinating. 

In July, I rejoiced over being able to mark "assemble and mail out invitation" off our wedding to-do list. 

Today, I will explain the process of designing, for those of you that may care. 

I started looking at invitation in early January, and shopped around for the best prices. I compared prices from different websites like 123print.com, vistaprint.com, and minted.com. I liked some of the invitations I saw, but none of them "struck my fancy". The ones that did strike my fancy were outrageously expensive for the amount that I was inviting. We needed 500 invitations, and they would have $927 on minted.com. Now, if I were having a smaller wedding with 100 invitations, I would have considered minted.com because they have  really cute invitations. However, that just wasn't going to work for this bargainista. 

We have a family friend that is a vistaprint.com queen. She knows how to get the best deals on the best things, and she shared her knowledge with us. I found an invitation that I liked on there, but I still didn't love it. I saw where you could upload your own design, so I decided to try my hand at some photoshop stuff. 

I found this cutesy invitation on minted.com...

I then used photoshop to make my own. I used brushes for the border, found on brusheezy.com, and I downloaded fun fonts from dafont.com

I ordered a few to see if I liked them in person, and waited for them to come in. They said they would ship in 21 days, and in 3 days they were on my door step. I liked them! However, there was a typo. Sad day. Yes, I could have just edited it, but I decided the color was a little dull, and I wanted to try something a little brighter. 

I then found this one on minted.com, and I used it for inspiration. It looked fresh and clean. Well, it looked as fresh and clean as any invitation could look. 

This was the finished product. As you can see, it's not identical to the $927 for 500 invitation, but it is similar. I actually like it better :). I uploaded it to vistaprint.com, and looked to see what specials were going on. Our vistaprint.com queen told us the specials could be different everytime you sign on. I looked after I uploaded and the invitations were 25% off. It was a decent deal, but I wanted it to be cheaper. I waited a few minutes, and reloaded...still 25% off. I wait a few more minutes and checked my email in the mean time. Lo and behold! There was an advertisement on my AOL screen for 50% off invitations! BINGO! I clicked and was able to order 550 invitations with a linen finish for $145. 

As I said before, Mom kept a meticulous Excel spreadsheet of the guest list. When it came time to address them, she printed them straight onto the envelopes in a pretty font. We knew we were having an invitation party, so she printed them several at the time for a couple weeks. 

Also, because I had the photoshop brushes (border), I used the same brush and idea to make thank you cards, an insert card, and a tag for hostess gifts. I printed the insert cards and tags on business cards, and I'm still in the process of tweaking the thank you note. 

Ironically enough, I don't want matchy matchy things in the wedding...with the exception of my stationary and invitations. My, my, I am so complex.

Bake til you break

Last night, every time I closed my eyes, I saw the same thing.

"What is it", you ask?

Mini pie crusts.

"Why", you ask?

Because Mom, Aunt Joyce, Caitlin, and I made 1206 of them yesterday.

Yes, you read correctly. Yesterday, we began baking pie crusts for chicken salad tarts for the reception. We started around 10:30. We finished around 5. Then we began to make peanut butter balls. We didn't finish that.

I've heard of "Shop til you drop", but yesterday I experienced "Bake til you break."

These are the instructions for this DIY reception food.

Materials:
Five 24 mini muffin pans
Two mixers
3-4 people
A crust recipe (including a gross amount of Crisco)
A peanut butter ball recipe




Instructions:
Clear 10 hours out of your schedule. Put on comfortable shoes. Bake until you reach 1200 pie crusts.Add a few extra for fun. Easy shmeasy!

Make peanut butter balls. Roll 1266 of them. No problem!






Mom and Aunt Joyce are wonderful kitchen masters. By 11:30, we had it down to a science. We rolled the dough, pressed it in the mini cup pans, put the pans in the oven for 12 minutes. We, then, prepared another 2 pans to go in the oven immediately after the other ones were cooked. We continued this rotation until we had successfully baked 1206 crusts.

We then began working on peanut butter balls. Caitlin and Courtney had joined the fun by this point, and they were great help! We rolled about 400 last night, but Mom and Aunt Joyce woke up this morning and finished rolling them. Grand total: 1266 peanut butter balls.

I realized at about 2:30 that I had not been mentally prepared for the day. I knew we were cooking all day. I don't think that I understood fully that we were cooking ALL day. It turned out to be a fun day though. Lots of girl bonding and sweet friends and family.

 

See, we did have time to smile in the midst of hours of cooking! :) I think the cute aprons contributed to some of the smiling. Cooking is so pleasant when you're wearing a cute apron!

Until next time, 

Lindsey, the master pastry presser

My Father of the Bride

One of my favorite movies of all time is "Father of the Bride". I can quote almost every line, and for some reason it never gets old. George and Nina Banks feel like family friends, and I still think that Brian Mackenzie is a little awkward. 

Anyway, this movie has taken on more meaning within the last 8 months. I see some similarities in my dad and George Banks. Like when we discovered how many people were on our initial list and we had to trim back, I flashed back to the scene where the Banks family is sitting around the table knocking people off the guest list and contemplating just telling them not to eat. 

Obviously, if you know my dad, you know he didn't say that. But here are some things that he has said over this whole wedding planning process...

"Why do I keep hearing "we can take that back if we don't use it"? Why did we buy it if we don't know that we'll need it?"

"If something is 80% off, but you buy 4 times as much as you need, what are you really doing?"

"Where you gonna put all that stuff?"

"Ladies, Ladies!" (When Mom and I have "discussions")

"Do I have to go to that party?"

"Now when is this wedding of yours? I'll have to check my calendar."

When re-checking invitations, he was on editing duty.

"Did we mean to put the wrong return address on the envelopes?" (luckily he was kidding...I got nervous.)

"You sure that's spelled right?

"Is that supposed to have 2 L's?

"Don't they live in Newville and not Headland?"

"Who is that?"

In conclusion, Daddy has been a trooper through all the wedding fun. He has listened to every decision dilemma I've had, affirmed my jewelry choices, seen me try on my dress numerous times and acted like it's the first time every time, acted interested when I've shown him DIY projects, and never once complained about any of it...including cost.

He's been there to remind Mom and I to "be anxious for nothing" several times, and prayed for us when I couldn't decide what invitation I wanted. 

Step back, George Stanley Banks. Tim Gay's the best Father of the Bride ever. 

The answer to the popular question...

As you may know, I recently graduated with a degree in Music Education. A question that I've heard over and over...

"What are you going to do with that degree?"

Some other things I've heard include:

"So, you want to be, like, a band director or something?"

"You know, music is the first thing to go in schools these days."

"Mmm...good luck finding a teaching job, much less a music teaching job, out there in this economy."

While all of the above are reasonable and somewhat truthful questions or statements, you can imagine my mood upon entering this job market. I was not terribly optimistic about finding a teaching job "out there in this economy" (thus, the wedding is planned 6 weeks into the academic school year). As I prepared for student teaching at the beginning of this year, I didn't know what the future held. I didn't know where Wesley and I would live, what kind of jobs we would have, or if we would be able to eat once we got married. 

However, I am pleased to announce that I now know all those answers! Yes, there are still uncertainties, but after seeing God's faithfulness again and again, I know that He has complete control and He will provide in his perfect timing. 

So without further adieu, I present to you my story of my journey to my first career...yes, everything has a story...

Once upon a time, I went to the University of Mobile to audition for a music scholarship. My plan upon entering college was to major in piano so I could eventually build up a studio and teach lessons. However, I was encouraged to major in Music Ed so that I would have a professional degree to fall back on. I did as I was encouraged to do, and I began my journey as a Music Education major with a concentration in piano. 

Over my 4 years of studying music education, my focus shifted from teaching in a private studio setting to teaching in a public school. We had to observe teachers, write extremely detailed lesson plans about quiet and loud animals to teach piano and forte, learn how to teach every instrument group (or enough to be dangerous), learn how to teach reading in music (even though it didn't apply at all...can I get a witness?), and visit school board meetings. The program ends with student teaching in both elementary and secondary. I wanted to teach at home so that I could save some moolah, so I began to search for teachers I could intern with. 

I found a wonderful elementary music teacher to be with at a great school, and then I began my search for secondary. I had to have a teacher with a Master's degree, and that proved to more difficult than I expected. I tried to avoid band, not because I don't enjoy band, but because it's just not my thing. I saw online that a school in Dothan had a music teacher that taught guitar and piano. "Piano?! That's my concentration!" I thought. I emailed her and got more information about her class, and found out she didn't have her Master's...bummer. However, the band director at that school did, so I got permission to intern with him, and observe her as well. 

Student teaching began, and I loved elementary school. It was fun, but exhausting because I basically danced around in front of kids all day. As my time at the elementary school came to an end, I began to get nervous about middle school. I knew that middle school would be MUCH different than elementary school, and I wasn't sure if I had it in me.

However, as I went through my middle school experience, I became more and more comfortable and actually LIKED it...weird, I know. I ended my time there on a happy note, finished all my requirements for school, and graduated on May 14th, not sure of what I would do in the fall. 

Since graduation, things have fallen into place. I interviewed for an elementary job, but didn't get it. However, only a couple days later I found out that the position for piano and guitar at the middle school where I did my internship had opened up. I applied, prayed, and waited. 

DRUM ROLL.....As of Monday, July 18th, I am officially a piano and guitar teacher at the middle school! Yes, you read correctly... I have a job! I will be teaching 6 periods of piano and guitar classes to 6th, 7th, and 8th graders. I am very excited to begin this new chapter in my life, and so humbled by the opportunities that God has given me. I can look back and clearly see His hand at work over the past 4 years to get me where I am now. 

As for the other uncertainties that I had previously concerning shelter and food, I now know what the future holds...at least the near future. Wesley and I will be staying in our hometown area and renting a house, and as for food, we will be able to eat! Not only will we be able to afford food, but we might be decent cooks after all...only time will tell.

So the next time someone asks what I majored in, proceeded by the "What are you going to do with that degree?" question, I have the answer. I will teach middle school guitar and piano. 

Until next time, 

the Music Teacher,
Mrs. Wells (Oh, did I mention they're going to start me as Mrs. Wells? because they are...:))

You're invited...

Tonight was the night. 

Tonight we made a huge mark.

Tonight we dominated our to do list. 

Tonight we stuffed. 

Tonight we stamped. 

Tonight we sealed. 

Tomorrow we mail. 

You guessed it. Tonight, we had an invitation party. Our sweet friends hosted it for us, and we were able to knock out the assembling process in, what I consider, record timing. 

There was much preparation that went into the invitations. While designing/choosing the invitations was stressful for me, the guest list was an even greater task. My mom compiled the list, along with Wesley's mom, and organized it meticulously in Excel.  She then mail merged them and printed the envelopes. Last night, the night before the invitation party, she and Dad proofed the envelopes carefully. The chose the Santa Claus approach of making a list and checking it twice. 

They so diligently double and triple checked addresses, names, and spellings. I must say, they make quite a team. Have I mentioned that I'm not sure how I'd get married if I had to do everything myself? 

Anyway, we carried our envelopes, invitations, stamps, and handy dandy envelope moisteners over to our friends' house. We ate a delicious meal, consisting of foods that I may have to try my hand at after Sept 24th, and then set up stations to assemble the invitations. 

We began around 6:50, and we finished around 7:25. Record timing? Yes. The time flew by and before we knew it, 460 invitations were ready to mail. 

The "Mommas"

Sweet friends that came to help

The wonderful hostesses

We had a great time, and we are so thankful for such sweet people to help with what could have been such a daunting task. Thank you so much!!

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...