5 days

I'm so ready for this weekend to get here. So ready to celebrate with friends and family who love us. So ready to marry the man of my dreams. So ready to begin the great adventure of marriage. So ready to be a bride. :-) 5 more days....

5 Unexpected things I am thankful for

Of course more important than anything, I am most thankful for my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and for the salvation I have through Him. I am also thankful for my loving family, friends, and fiance. But I thought it would be fun to put together a list of some of those little unexpected things that I am thankful for. So, here goes!

1. Tiny Tuxedo

Yes, my two precious nephews will be making an appearance at Aunt Susu's wedding in these outfits. Zach will be wearing a full tuxedo complete with tiny bowtie! JB will be wearing this adorable knickers and suspenders combo with a newsboy cap!
Will they make it down the aisle? Who knows! But really....who cares?! All I want is to see these little boys in their outfits and get to take pictures with them and hug them! I think they will look like little tiny toy soldiers in these outfits!


2. Christian Radio

The secret is out. I am a total grandma and don't care who knows it. I only listen to Christian Radio now. And noooo.....I'm not talking about the cool contemporary Christian radio that plays trendy worship songs (although those are awesome too!) I'm talking about the stuff that 75-year-old women listen to. Yes, full on gospel choirs, sermons from preachers who have been dead for decades and Christian talk radio about current events and news. I love it! I even got star-struck and speechless when I met the morning show host. It's loosely related to my job, so I can use that as an excuse, right?

3. Stamps

The good old US Postal System has been my friend lately. With my never-ending sea of thank you notes, I've become intimately familiar with the postal service, and have decided I kind of like those folks. I know that the predictions are pretty grim for the future of the postal system, but in the mean time I'm thankful for stamps.


4. Modern Medicine

Don't know if anyone else is suffering from the sneezies this week, but really when was the last time you were thankful for medicine? This stuff rocks. I'm so glad I'm not a pioneer lady who had to go without!


5.This country & this economy

I think God is doing awesome things in America right now, but we just may not realize it. Maybe this economic downturn will bring a great awakening or revival? Would that make this all worth it? Totally! Maybe all of this political craziness has a great purpose or plan that we don't understand. Or maybe we just need to recognize that everything is amazing (like this awesome video says!)

~Share the LOVE and HOPE of Jesus Christ by spreading JOY everyday!

These pictures have nothing to do with the text

Sorry that I've been a little slacking lately with the blog. Hopefully this list of links and very random pictures will make up for my lack of updates. I promise I'll give a real update soon!

Heartbroken Bride gives back to the community!

A new blog by Focus on the Family for Newlyweds!

An interesting article about Guy-Girl friendships

Happy Birthday, Billy Graham!

My new favorite blog about simplifying your life! (yes that was three seperate links!)

A cool post about our "Martha Moments"

This next article makes me so sad. Without a doubt, Dan and I will raise our children in a God honoring environment, and not apologize for teaching them, leading them, and guiding them toward Christ in hopes that they will come to know Him. How sad that the world doesn't understand that.

Sesame Street on Marriage

If you follow religious trends, you might appreciate these posters. For the record, I don't agree with all of them, and promote unity more than divisiveness in the body of Christ, but some of these are hilarious!


Please follow me on TWITTER! We are desperately needing more followers! That's right folks...part of my job description now involved tweeting for my company. Like I've mentioned before, I love my job!

I'm so unexplainably disgusted by the behavior of many so-called Christians and their VERY innappropriate use of Scripture.

Loving Martha's Christmas Article- Tips for a stress free Holiday Season!

"Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul. " Psalm 143:8

~Share the LOVE and HOPE of Christ by spreading JOY everyday!

Moving Day and Wedding Accesories!

1. We're Moving this weekend!
Dan moves into our new apartment tomorrow and we're super excited to start transforming it into our home sweet home! Things are hectic and stressful right now, but also really sweet as we recognize the momentous occasion of moving into our first home together! I'll be staying at my apartment for another month or so before moving home to live with my parents for a few weeks before the big day! Can't wait!

2. I had my first fitting of my wedding dress and I love it! Although I won't be posting pics of it on my blog, if you want to see the pictures, just email me and I'm happy to share! I've decided to wear my hair half up with long loose curls and the veil high on my head kind of like the picture above but not so messy or lop sided!

Here's another picture I've found that I like for my wedding hair, but with bigger fluffier curls, more volume on top and with the veil higher on my head.

3. I'm on the hunt for chandelier earrings! Because of the style of my dress, I will not be wearing a necklace or bracelet on my wedding day, but I do need some gorgeous chandelier earrings, preferably silver with pretty sparkly things (crystals, rhinestones, pearls, beads, etc.)

Got any ideas of places to look? I'm searching high and low!

4. And last and most importantly, I am really loving this verse right now:

" In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name. May your unfailing love rest upon us, O LORD, even as we put our hope in you. " Psalm 33:21-22

~Share the LOVE and HOPE of Christ by spreading JOY everyday!

My sister's super cute engagement pictures!

My sister got her engagement pictures taken yesterday and I just had to share them (if you missed the boat....yes my sister and I are engaged at the same time! two weddings in my family all at one crazy time! yayyy!! Her wedding is 62 days after mine on March 20th!)

Don't you just love the pop of color with her yellow shirt! It makes her eyes look ice blue!
Super cute one!

Who said Alabama wasn't beautiful? This is a few blocks from their new home!

This is their lovable slobbery bulldog named Biscuit. Cute family pic!

There photos are totally different than Dan and my engagement photos, but both are so cute!

All photos by the ever-so-talented Ann Wade Parrish (also known as my sister's roomie!)

~Share the LOVE and HOPE of Christ by spreading JOY everyday!

Bridal Birthday!

My birthday was on Saturday, and I almost missed it! I was in Kentucky for a bridal shower with Dan's side of the family and nearly missed my own birthday! No birthday cake, no singing happy birthday, no birthday presents....we were in full-on wedding mode! :-)

But before you start feeling sorry for me, please keep in mind that I recieved three SUVs full of wedding presents, so there's no pouting around here!

When we got home, Dan gave me a birthday present-- a full day that is wedding free! We're going to run around town doing our favorite things, just having fun and enjoying the day with no to-do lists, no errands, and no wedding planning! And in it's place we'll go to the Opera at the brand new Dallas Performing Arts center, eat a home cooked meal by my favorite Chef Dan and watch a marathon of Alias DVDs (my latest addiction! so good!)

I'm so thankful for the outpouring of love and blessings from everyone during this very special time of my life! And even more thankful for my amazing fiance who knew more than I did how much I needed a break from the wedding craziness to just have a fun day to play! Can't wait!

~Share the LOVE and HOPE of Christ by spreading JOY everyday!

First Fitting and Fitness

My first fitting for my bridal gown is this Thursday which means I'm going completely no-carb for a couple days! Eeeeeek! It's going to be hard especially when my co-workers keep bringing in yummy baked goods everyday!

But I think this will be good to jump start my eating habits back to where they need to be. With all the traveling Dan and I have been doing lately, we've both gotten a little lazy with our eating habits. So I'm excited to start putting only healthy and nutritious food into my body!

Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20

~Share the LOVE and HOPE of Christ by spreading JOY everyday!

Engagement Photos

Over the past few months Dan and I have been trying to find a time to get engagement pictures. Unfortunately our photographer couldn't take engagement photos on the weekend (he's shooting weddings on saturday and sunday is reserved for family time) We tried to find a day that both of us could take off work for engagement photos, but with both of our busy work schedules and the Dallas weather not cooperating (who wants soggy photos taken in the rain?) it looked like it just wasn't going to work out. Then my sister Claire suggested that we look into getting engagement photos taken while we were in Hawaii. I had a work conference in Maui and Dan was coming along with me for fun. We had lots of free time and a beautiful backdrop for photos. So the night before we left for Hawaii, I frantically got on the phone and called every photographer in Maui until I found one available (thank goodness for time zones, it was the middle of the afternoon there even though I was calling late at night!) Less than 24 hours later, we were on the beach snapping these beautiful shots. I think they came out great!

To see more photos, click here.

~Share the LOVE and HOPE of Christ by spreading JOY everyday!

Aloha!

We're off to Hawaii for my work conference and are so pumped for some time to relax and escape from wedding planning for a couple days! Every good and perfect gift is from the Lord, and we are praising him for these few days of rest!

I will give you thanks in the great assembly;

among throngs of people I will praise you.

Psalm 35:18

~Share the LOVE and HOPE of Christ by spreading JOY everyday!

99 days!

In exactly 99 days, I will be marrying the man of my dreams!! So in honor of reaching double digits in the countdown (and for all the wedding mania going on in my family--- if you didnt hear the news, my sister is engaged too! read the previous post!) I thought it would be fun to post the answers to the most frequently asked questions about our wedding!


Wedding FAQs

So, when's the big day? are you excited?
January 16th and yes!

What about your sister?
March 20th! It's going to be a busy 6 months for our family!

What are your colors?
Champagne Gold and Pink (duh!)

Where is your wedding taking place?
The ceremony is at First Baptist Church Dallas. I grew up at First Baptist and have decades of amazing memories in that church. My grandparents got married there, and so did my parents. I cannot imagine getting married anywhere besides FBC in the Sanctuary! And I'm so blessed that it worked out! After the ceremony, we will go across the street to the Fairmont Hotel for a sit down dinner and dance with some close friends and family.

Who are some of your vendors?
We ordered a yummy cake through Dallas Affairs, beautiful invitations through DeLovely, and are working with the very talented photographer Luke Edmonson. A super fun Frank Sinatra style band, Ricki Derek Band, will be playing tunes at our reception. But our best of the best vendors are the oh-so-incredible, couldn't-do-it-without-her Holly Tripp of Holly Tripp Event Design, and the floral and design GENIUS of Fete de Fleurs (love Darren & Craig!!). And it cannot go without mention that my mom is ultimately the best vendor in the world. This wedding would not happen without her doing about 90% of the work (and now starting all over again with my sister!)


Where are you going on your honeymoon?
From the excellent recommendations of Katie & Ben, we are going to Secrets Resort in Mexico. Yayy!!

Are you going to see each other before the ceremony? Nope. We LOVE traditions and have really enjoyed incorporating traditions into our wedding including this one!

Do you have a "something old, something new, something borrow, something blue"? Yep! Like I said, we love traditions! My "something old" will be my paternal grandmother's white mink coat! I figure if you get married in the middle of winter, you can do fun things like wear mink! :-) My "something new" is my gorgeous wedding dress. My "something borrow"
is my sister Claire's bridal veil. And my "something blue" is Dan's great great great grandmother's light blue handkerchief. It's almost 200 years old and it's absolutely the most beautiful delicate thing you've ever seen!

What do the bridesmaid's dresses look like?
Pretty much I hate all bridesmaids dresses. They really are just awful (see previous post here) but I found some dresses that seem better than most.

Are you and Dan going to do a really crazy first dance? Not really. We love dancing! But we aren't planning a big choreographed dance for our first dance. We're just going to get out there and enjoy a special moment together. Now our last dance is another story..... :-)

Can we start calling you by your new nickname SuMo? (if you dont get this think about my new last name) Yes, but only if I can give you an equally awesome nickname.

~Share the LOVE and HOPE of Christ by spreading JOY everyday!

Two Brides + One Family = Nervous Dad

My sister is engaged!!! Michael proposed to my sister Alison last night (on HIS birthday!) She will hopefully be setting the date today, but it looks like the Skinner family will be having two weddings within the next 6 months! Hold onto your hats!


Her gorgeous ring!! (can you tell her roomate is a wedding photographer? great shots of the ring!)

Introducing the future Mr. and Mrs. Michael and Alison Wydner!

Let's the bride wars begin (haha, kidding kidding..... but seriously I still want her to consider a double wedding. what's not to love??)

~Share the LOVE and HOPE of Christ by spreading JOY everyday!

Fast times with Suz & Dan

Here are the latest in the life of Suz (and Dan!)

1. Shakespeare in the Park was one of the best dates Dan and I have been on in a long time. If you've never been, I highly recommend it. Everyone spreads out picnic blankets with food and wine and there were puppies and children galore. People are really communal which is fun too (like the very kind people who lent us a bottle opener when we forgot ours!) so it's a very friendly environment. Tickets are just 10 bucks, so if you are looking for a little off the beaten path date night, go check it out!

2. Have y'all been to Chili's lately? Ummmm, be prepared for a totally revamped menu! It was awesome!! I'm not kidding--- if you haven't been lately, go try it again. I think of Chili's being the same old place that we went to all through out high school after Sunday night church (shout out to FBC!) but seriously they have some awesome new menu items (and little notes to tell you how you can make it healthier! super fun!) Dan got baby back ribs in a fancy Shiner Bock sauce and I got a new Santa Fe Chicken wrap. Super Yum! I think they even changed the salsa recipe (maybe?)
[And Brinker if you are reading this (come on, we all know about Google alerts) please send mad props to your marketing team for the new menu look, too! although the new menu items tasted tons better, I have to admit the menu itself looked equally stellar. good job, Chili's team!]

3. While I'm randomly recommending things,have y'all seen State of Play? Dan and I were pleasantly surprised with our blockbuster rental this weekend. It's rated PG13, had no nudity, very little language, and an awesome plot! It's kind of a conspiracy theory political movie. If you liked Wag the Dog, you will love this one.

4. Our church quest this weekend brought us to Stonebrier Church (Chuck Swindoll's church) and while we're still not sure if it will be our church home, we did hear an awesome sermon on Psalm 13. "But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation. I will sing to the LORD, for he has been good to me." I wonder if I rejoice often enough in my salvation. Currently my biggest "enemy" is being too busy, and it was neat to see how God has had victory over my busy schedule and was able to carve out a weekend for Dan and me to just relax and rest in his lovingkindness. Like the psalmist says, I will sing to the LORD for he has been good to me!

5. We are gearing up for a busy busy October! Next weekend, we'll be in Chicago for Dan's 10 year college reunion at Wheaton. The next week we'll be in Maui for a work conference (tough gig, huh?), and the next weekend we'll be in Kentucky for a bridal shower, and the last weekend in October, we'll be moving Dan into our new apartment. I'm praying that even through these fun and exciting times that God will continue to receive the glory and honor and praise!!

~Share the LOVE and HOPE of Christ by spreading JOY everyday!

Picnic Dinner & Shakespeare in the Park

I'm so happy it's the weekend! Dan and I are going to celebrate the beautiful fall weather with a sunset picnic tonight followed by Shakespeare in the Park (Julius Caesar! yay!)

I cannot wait for a date night with my Love with no to-do lists, no errands, and nothing but relaxing and enjoying the evening! Here's to beautiful weather, yummy picnic dinner and Shakespeare!

~Share the LOVE and HOPE of Christ by spreading JOY everyday!

Interesting Articles & a T-Shirt

Hello friends! Here is another scatter brained post! enjoy!

First is a thought provoking article about a single woman who wants to adopt. My initial reaction? No way! Children needs a mommy and a daddy! After reading it.....I'm not as sure. Is a single mother home better than no home at all? especially if they are starving and living in poverty? I'd love to know your thoughts.

Next is an inspiring Photo Essay about a sweet wife and mother who has created a beautiful home for her husband and daughter. The catch? All three of them live in 382 square feet apartment. It goes to show that you can have joy and contentment in any situation! such an inspiration! Her home is wonderful!

Next is a great article from an awesome new website I found! Please check out Conversant Life and particularly this article about Questioning Evangelism.

Then, a list of Financial Lessons you can learn from Little House on the Prairie! A funny read with some great tips!

And last is this funny shirt that made me smile. Jesus is my bestie too!

This post is in honor of my sister Alison who I think will love every link I put on this list.

~Share the LOVE and HOPE of Christ by spreading JOY everyday!