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!