Dear Sweet Lilly-Bug,

I am baffled... how has it been six months already?  I am convinced that with every child that comes into a family, time speeds up exponentially... and if I could, I would keep you just as you are for awhile longer.

I never really had the fear that some moms get before their second child is born.  I have heard of mothers who worry that they will never be able to love a second child as much as they love the first.  I somehow knew all along how capable of loving you I would be, even if I had to "share" the love with your brother, but I am in awe of how much I can love you.  Boys and girls are different... I already knew that.  And I love your brother to bits, but with you it's just... well... different.  When you came along I just wanted to hang onto you and never let you go.  I want to protect you from the world by keeping you all to myself.  I want to cuddle you until you won't let me (which is what I fully intend to do) and squeeze those sweet cheeks until they turn red.  You are so incredibly cute that I could eat you up... and I can never get enough.  You're a borderline obsession for me, and I'm okay with that.

I think a big part of this has to do with your personality- talk about laid back!  I used to say that your brother was an easy baby, and I still think that he was in a lot of ways, but you redefined what an easy baby is for me.  Nothing ever ruffles your feathers and all you want in life is to be talked to and smiled at.  If you do get fussy, it's usually because those things aren't happening and even if I just pass by and talk to you for a minute, your whole face lights up.  And your smile is just about the prettiest thing I've ever seen... and we see a lot of it.  You are so very alert and watch everything that goes on around you.  I am always impressed that you can spot me from across the room and know who I am, even from far distances.  It melts my heart every time.  You also love to watch your brother, and he makes you laugh the most.  In the rare moments (that are becoming more frequent) that he comes over and talk to you or pats you on the belly, you giggle yourself into fits.  I'm still trying to catch it on video and will hopefully be successful eventually.  You are truly his biggest fan and nothing makes a mama happier.  We've already taken you on a long car trip and an airplane ride and you've proven to be a champ at world traveling.  Aside from pooping up your back (which is your favorite thing to do apparently), we hardly even knew you were with us!  You even fall asleep when you're being carried through the airport in the Moby wrap... now that's impressive!

Another "rumor" about the second child is that they get the short end of the stick a lot.  While it is probably true that I do not have fourteen thousand of the same picture of you sitting in your bouncy chair like I have of Jake, you are so much more spoiled in other ways.  Because I've done this before, I have parented you without fear that I would do something wrong.  I have gone with my own instincts, even when they aren't "by the book."  I also understand now how quickly you'll go from being my baby to a non-stop toddler, so I try and cherish the baby-moments before they're gone.  So with that, I rock you to sleep just about every night, and if it spoils you to the point that I'll be paying for it later I'm okay with that.  When you fuss in the middle of the night I pull you into bed with me, and you sleep soundly between me and your daddy until the morning.  On many occasions, you even start out there.  I know it might develop bad habits later, but we'll deal with that when the time comes.  Waking up right next to your smiling face is worth it... and you smile the biggest in the morning!  Someday you may not want to snuggle so I'm going to get it all in while I can.  You are a night owl and generally don't go down for the night until close to 10 (which would explain why I am always exhausted!), get up around 4 to eat, and then love to sleep in until 8 or 9.  You are definitely my kid in that way.

As for what you're up to these days, well, you're moving at your own pace.  Another benefit of being the second child is that we're not always "pushing" you to do the next thing.  Nope... there is no rush at all.  For the longest time you were just content laying in one spot.  There were days when I thought you would never roll over.  And then on your 4-month birthday, you did it!  Both ways!  And you've been rolling back and forth across the living room ever since.  You recently enjoy sitting up to play with your toys, but cannot get into the position on your own.  You'll topple over occasionally, so we usually put the Boppy pillow behind you for support.  And over this past week you've spent a lot of time on all fours rocking back and forth.  I'm not quite ready to have you crawling all over the place, but it will happen before I know it.

Let's see... what else?  Oh yes, those deliciously chubby thighs... we say that you have rolls on top of your rolls... and everyone loves them so much.  I'm curious to see what you weigh (we have our doctor appointment this Friday) and am impressed that you are so round on breast milk alone, with an occasional bottle of formula.  We've put off solid food only because you are so content with the milk, but we'll probably introduce it in the coming weeks.  The only other thing you have tried is some rice cereal and peas, and you liked both.  Your roundness has you wearing 9 month clothes already and I'm trying to use up the rest of the size 3 diapers so that we can move you up to 4's.  Your brother is in 5's, so the thought of this is killing me.  Your eyes are still a mystery color and I think they'll be gray-ish like your Aunt Mindy's.  Your hair is always in your eyes, but it is a beautiful auburn color that looks red in the sunlight.  As the only girl cousin on this side of the family, you're admired a lot.  I feel like this will always be the case and might cause some problems in your teenage years, but we'll cross that bridge when we get to it.  For now, I'm okay with everyone fawning all over you... you really are that cute.  You have your daddy wrapped around your finger and it doesn't help things that the only sounds you really make are "da-da."  Yep, he's smitten... and it's the cutest thing ever.  Speaking of smitten, both of your grandpa's and your uncles are, too... you are one lucky little girl.

Sweet angel, I could go on and on and on for days about you.  You have proven that second babies are just as special and loved as first ones are, in some ways even more so.  I cannot believe how in love with you I am, and that love just grows bigger everyday.  Thank you for being so sweet and loving all the time.  Thank you for making my day everyday.  And thank you for being mine.  I am one lucky mama.  Happy half-year birthday, baby girl.  Now do me a favor and make sure the next half goes by a little bit slower.

Forever and ever (which is how I sign letters to your daddy, and now to Jake and you!),

Mommy

6 months

4 months

1 month

The Ultimate Wedding Week: The Ceremony

There are three more topics left in the "Ultimate Wedding Week Link-Up Party" and today is all about the most important part: the ceremony.  Throughout our wedding planning process, Josh stayed very involved, but was most invested in the ceremony itself.  Seeing that he is a pastor and has been to his fair share of weddings, I loved planning this part with him as he had such a clear idea of what it should be.  And at the end of the day, we knew that if anything went wrong or a wedding detail did not happen the way we wanted it to, we would be husband and wife and that was the most important thing.  Focusing on that rather than all of the "what if's" really kept my stress levels down... knowing that I was going to be married to the most special person I have ever met was all that mattered.

So anyhoo... where was I?  Oh yes, the ceremony.  I've mentioned that we got married at the Doral Golf Resort & Spa in Miami, which has so many beautiful spots for a ceremony.  Being in Florida and having friends from all over visiting, we really wanted an outdoor ceremony, since God's church is everywhere anyway!  Why not get married in his biggest masterpiece?  I had to twist some arms to have my ceremony on the spa terrace, which was being taken over by new management that would be utilizing the area for other things and no longer available for brides.  It's such a shame, too, because this is what the gorgeous place looks like:

See what I mean?  The terrace itself is up top, the building behind it, overlooking the fountains and gardens.  And just so you know, I was the last bride to get married there.  We've come under new management yet again (Mr. Donald Trump's management in fact) and I hope this is one of the things he changes.  It would be a shame to not use this space for weddings!  This picture was taken in the early afternoon when my photographer arrived, and it rained shortly after.  All day.  It was cloudy and dreary, but the upside was that it was cool.  The event manager waited as long as he possibly could before pulling it inside, and about 2 hours before the ceremony, the rain stopped.  I wish I had a picture of the weather map that day because there was green covering all of south Florida, except for this little circle over Doral. God smiled on us that day for sure.  There was still a small part of us that was concerned it might rain down on us at any point (which happens out of nowhere all the time down there!) but we decided to go for it.  Besides, it would make a great wedding day story if all of our guests (and us) had to run inside and finish the ceremony there.  No big deal.  Because the venue was so gorgeous and green, we really did not need flowers or decoration.  We just kept it simple with a cross my mom bought for us and a garland that our florist made for the occasion.  I did not know what she had in mind (as we did not budget for it and so she said she'd make something inexpensive) but the final product was perfect.  Simple and elegant, which was pretty much my vision for everything.

For the processional, my lovely bridesmaids walked down the aisle to an acoustic guitar playing Canon in D.  Meanwhile, Josh waited at the bottom of the terrace steps and then made his way up to the top with our officiant and his groomsmen.

And then the moment was upon us... time to walk down the aisle!  I had not been nervous all day, but man did those butterflies amp up right then!  My dad asked me if I was ready and I could hardly speak, but then he said, "ok, let's go," and off we went.  I could see my guests long before I could see Josh as I had to round a corner to get to him.  I love the picture of me waving to him upon first sight.  This moment to me made it worth waiting until the ceremony to see each other.  I also love how incredibly big and cheesy my smile is in these pictures... clearly this was the happiest day of my life to that point!  I did not realize how choked up my dad got until I saw that last picture.  He really had to try hard not to lose it.

I really did not get too emotional until it my dad gave me away.  He told me he loved me and kissed me on the cheek... it was such a mixture of happy and sad, but I held it together.  Seeing Josh standing there brought that smile right back to my face.  One of my favorite pictures of the day is the one of my dad and I standing there waiting for that moment.  I love the contrast of our faces.  My dad has three daughters and I am the third, so even though it was difficult all three times, seeing his baby go was not easy.  That is why Miss Lilly is never allowed to get married.  Okay, okay, that's a tad unfair.  Maybe I'll change my mind when she's 35.

The ceremony itself was pretty much mapped out by Josh and myself.  Because we were not getting married in a church, we chose to be married by our friend, Blake, who is also in ministry and one of the godliest men that I know.  He had never performed a wedding and was so honored when we asked.  We gave him the specifics and told him that first and foremost, we did want a Gospel presentation to be a part of the ceremony, but we also wanted the ceremony to be twenty minutes tops... it would be too hot for anything longer!  When we met with him the day before, he nervously read us what he had prepared.  He talked about how God loved marriage so much that He started and ended the Bible with one... the first being between man and woman the second being between His son and the church.  It was beautifully thought out and eloquent and we were stunned at how well he took what we wanted and put it into words and Blake was stunned that we liked it so much!  Josh told him that he would be "borrowing" that opening message for the weddings he performs in the future and as promised, Josh's version of it has been put to use once or twice.  We are so thankful to have friends like Blake and his wife Julie.

As for the ceremony elements, we did not want to do a unity candle as we were outside and we did not want to do the sand because we did not want to have to keep a jar of sand in our house forever.  No offense to those of you who choose to do that, but it just wasn't "us."  Josh loved the concept of Ecclesiastes 4:12 that says "Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves.  A cord of three strands is not quickly broken."  This verse had been printed on our invitations, too.  He thought it would be awesome if we made something to braid and after a little Google research, I found that this already existed!  We purchased our rope from God's Knot, a website that I stumbled across on accident.  The braided cord now hangs over the cross from our wedding and both are displayed on our mantle.  If you choose to do this, I would suggest making sure your groom knows how to braid first!  He faked his way through it like a champ!

The other thing we really wanted was for our bridal party to come around us in prayer.  Thankfully we had a large enough area up front to make this happen and it actually resulted in another one of my favorite photos from the day.

Aside from the verse in Ecclesiastes, we also had two of our cousins come up and read from Ephesians 5:21-28 and 5:31.

This was the only point in the ceremony when the weather gave us a scare.  A huge gust of wind swept through and for a moment, everyone thought that a downpour would come with it.  Our photographer was ready and captured the moment perfectly with both Josh and I looking at the sky.  On our video you can hear Josh whisper, "just five more minutes, God."  He not only gave us five, but the rain stayed away for the rest of the night so we could get more outdoor photos, too.

Finally we said our vows and exchanged rings.  Josh and I decided to read and write our own vows, which was more difficult than I thought it would be.  How do you tell a man how much you love him in just a couple of minutes?  I thought a lot about it, wrote many version, and admittedly did not complete them until that morning.  And for some reason, on our wedding day, I just had such clarity on what I wanted to share at that special time... the words basically wrote themselves.  Many people told us that it was their favorite part of our wedding.  I'd have to agree.

Then finally I heard those words that every girl dreams about since childhood... "Without further ado, I know pronounce you husband and wife.  You may kiss the bride!"

To me, it was perfect and I would seriously not change a thing.  I cannot believe this post got so long, but I just didn't want to leave anything out.  My advice to any couple would be to make the ceremony your own, even if you're staying within a traditional framework like we did.  We found elements that were unique to us, but showed others how much we loved each other and more importantly, how God was at the center of it all.  A lot of couples get nervous about writing their own vows, but I would also encourage couples to consider this.  I do love the traditional ones, too, and the fact that couples for thousands of years have recited those same sacred words, but there was so much more that I wanted to share with Josh on that day.  We put some of the traditional vow elements into the "repeat after me" portion of the ring exchange so that they could be incorporated, too.

Once our ceremony was over the guests all went over to the cocktail reception and we took a few photos with family, our bridal party, and a few (far too few!) of just the two of us.

I have tons of advice when it comes to this because we did it all wrong!  I had read to make a list of the picture you want taken that day and even though I meant to do it, I never did.  Because we didn't have a plan I feel like we missed out on a lot of pictures that I would've loved to have had.  For example, we do not have one of our combined families together or even our extended families with us!  And we literally have only one photo of our entire bridal party together and somehow my flower girl isn't even in it!  There were such beautiful places on the grounds that I loved, such as stone staircases and iron gates, but I never shared that with my photographer.  He wanted to take photos out on the golf course, and since he's the expert, we did that.  I felt like we spent too much of our allotted photo time riding in the cart to get there and then I looked windblown in every one of them.  He did do a great job and again, I take responsibility for not getting the ones I wanted, but my point is to speak up.  It's YOUR day.  I agree that they are experts, but all of your vendors can and should be able to work within the parameters of your vision.  I do not Pinterest (as I have plenty of other things- mainly 2 small kiddos- that take up enough of my free time) but if you're planning a wedding, find the kinds of pictures you like from other wedding, pin them, and then show them to your photographer so that he or she can see what kind of style you like.  I had a "photography" file saved on my computer, but I never shared any of the sample pictures with him because I did not want to offend him.  Now I know that he would not have been offended in the least, and if your photographer does get offended, I would reconsider using him or her!  Your pictures are the one thing that lasts forever, so to me, spending the most of your budget there to get exactly what you want is super important.  On the upside, the photos he did take are amazing and our video is probably the best I have ever seen.  They have since relocated to Southern California, so if you're in that area, they are worth every penny.  You can check out their site here.

Okay, I think I've bored you all enough today... I never meant to get so long winded!  Make sure you go over to Shue Love today and link up with all of the other brides there.  And stay tuned for the reception on Wednesday and the details on Friday.  Thanks for letting me share!

The Ultimate Wedding Week: Before the Ceremony

It's time for another installment of the "Ultimate Wedding Party"!  Today's link up can be found over at Along the Way with V&J, so go join the fun if you want!  

I for one am having a blast looking through all of our old photos again.  We have a few in the house and the best ones are in an album, but seeing all of the candids and the various photos ones that are not displayed has been nice.  But enough about that... let's get on with today's topic.

Because our wedding was in Miami in June (yeah, call me crazy) our ceremony did not begin until 6:00 PM.  This was planned in an attempt to avoid the daily afternoon rain shower and horrendous summer heat and humidity.  Since the festivities started so late in the day it allowed us plenty of time that morning to relax and soak it in.  I stayed up at my parents' house the night before with a couple of out-of-town friends, and all of us headed down to Miami pretty early to meet for breakfast.  It wasn't like I could sleep the night before anyway!  The bridesmaids, moms, and grandmothers all met at the Original Pancake House for the most important meal of the day.  Josh's grandmother surprised me and paid the whole tab, which was so sweet!

After breakfast we headed over to the bridal suite and literally spent the day lounging in the robes I gave everyone the night before.  It rained off and on (which I was excited about as you can see above... for the luck aspect of course... plus it rains on every important day for Josh and me it seems) which was perfect "lazy day" weather.  We ordered some light appetizers from room service for lunch and then around one o'clock I had arranged for two ladies from the salon come to us!  One of my bridesmaids did all of the make-up (except for mine and my mom's) and we all took turns getting our hair done.  As a thank you to the girls, I paid for all of their appointments since they had already done so much for me.  If you talk to the salon in advance, many places are willing to set up group discounts, which I took full advantage of.

In all honesty, having the hair and make-up people beautify us in the suite was probably one of my best decisions of the day.  I was so excited that it was my wedding day and I really felt like staying in one place with no real agenda allowed for me to stay stress-free and enjoy every second.  It was just a full day of girlfriend time, which never gets old.  The only thing I would change would be to have the photographer come later, after I was ready.  I really really wanted the "getting ready" photos, but now they just don't seem as important.  I would have much rather had an extra hour on the back end of the night (since you pay the photographer by the hour) for more reception photos.  I also probably would have used more of his time between the ceremony and reception to get photos of just me and Josh, since we got very few.  And don't even get me started on pictures of me by myself before the ceremony... because there are none.  Nope, not a single picture of just me in my wedding dress.  Sad but true.  And I do not blame my photographer one bit as he was fabulous and only following the schedule that I set.  The good news is, in a lot of the pre-ceremony candids that he did take, I have several of my Nana whom we lost last year.  So in a way, I guess it was all worth it after all, but I just wanted to throw in a little bit of my advice just in case a future bride stumbles across this.  My two cents are done... moving on.

Meanwhile in the boys' camp, the day started early for them as well.  We got married at the Doral Golf Resort and Spa, which just so happens to be where I (still) work, where Josh and I met, and home to one of America's most famous courses.  What kind of future wife would I be if I did not get the boys out on the course?  My only rule was to make sure the groom didn't get sunburnt, and he didn't.  He did tell me, however, that it was pretty much the worst round of golf of his life since his mind was on other things.  Hmmm... wonder what that could've been.  All in all, a good time was had by all, except for maybe my father who hates to golf.  So my other advice?  Don't golf with my dad.  He would be okay with me saying that here.

A perk of me working at our wedding venue is that the staff did some extra favors for us, so the groomsmen all had a suite to get ready in, too.  I will say that I actually really like their getting ready pictures, maybe even better than the ones of the girls.  Then again, maybe I just like seeing the boys all decked out in suits... they all looked so handsome:

The suspenders and aviators were part of the grooms' gifts and were a big hit!  They also were given real Cuban cigars on the golf course... only the best for our big day!

Before I knew it, the afternoon was upon us and it was time to get in the dress... the moment I had been waiting for!  Here's the thing about my dress... it really did pick me rather than the other way around.  I knew exactly what I wanted when we went shopping, tried it on, and thought that it might be a winner.  Before making the purchase, however, my consultant wanted me to try on her favorite dress in the store.  I have to admit, I hated it on the hangar.  For one, it was not even white or ivory... it was champagne... which I had never really seen.  But when I walked out of the dressing room, everyone in the store turned to look and my sisters and mom literally gasped.  Yep, that was the moment every bride hopes to have... I felt like a million bucks when I had it on, so I couldn't wait to wear it on our big day!

Once I was dressed the girls all headed outside for a few pictures.  Again, here is where I should have had time to get some bridal shots done, but my lack of planning did not allow for it.  Never fear, however, because my good (and very talented) friend Cory and I have some plans for that in the near future.  Any excuse to put it back on works for me!  But anyway, quite possibly one of my favorite pictures of the day was taken on our way to do pictures- I love this shot of the girls traipsing across the courtyard for some reason:

Here are a few of the shots he took of me and my beautiful friends:

Josh and I planned all along to wait until the ceremony to see each other, so we made sure to be out of each other's way for photos.  I believe they took theirs right before we took ours.  One of my favorites is the close-up shot of the groomsmen in the reflection of Josh's sunglasses:

By the time we got through this, the guests were beginning to arrive.  In fact, my only "bridezilla" moment was when one of the guests spotted me before the ceremony and waved.  I'm not sure why, but it almost sent me over the edge and I rushed to get inside!  Looking back it seems so silly as she was going to see me fifteen minutes later anyway, but in that moment, it was a big deal.  And if that was my only stressful moment of the entire day, I'd call that a win.  With official pictures done, guests arriving, and a little bit of time to spare, the room pretty much cleared out except for the bridal party, my mom, and my Nana.  It gave us some time to take our own little last-minute family shots.

The upper left is me and my beautiful mom, who made me promise to wait until she had hair again before having a wedding.  She had lost it all when she went through chemotherapy for breast cancer treatment, and not only did she have hair, but probably my favorite hair cut and style of all time that day.  The upper right photo is me with my mom and her mom, my Nana.  Like I mentioned earlier, we lost Nana last year and I still have a hard time believing that she's gone.  She was so excited when we found out that I was pregnant with a girl last year (the first great grand-DAUGHTER after four great-grandsons) and think of her a lot when I look at my sweet Lilly.  And I'll always remember how excited she was about her dress that day... talk about looking like a million bucks!  She practically sashayed down the aisle.  The bottom photo is my mom and her three girls... the two best sisters a girl could possibly ask for.  The two of them did more to make my wedding experience more special than anyone should ever deserve.  They sure know how to make a gal feel loved and everything they did and planned was so perfect and thoughtful. 

Shortly after these were taken my dad arrived to escort me to the ceremony.  Unfortunately nobody had a camera to capture that moment, but it's one that I will never forget.  There is a photo from the ceremony that I will post on Monday (in the ceremony post) that says it all though, so that will be coming next week.  If you have read all the way to here then I must say that I'm a bit impressed!  I don't think I meant to make this so long, but re-living this day has been quite a joy to say the least.  So thanks for letting me share it with you and I look forward to reading about the others who participated, too!

Oh, and to give credit where credit it due, most of these photos were taken by my fabulous photographer Jason Jerusalem.  The top two collages, the golf photos, and the bottom collage were the only ones taken by us non-professionals, but you probably could have guessed that on your own!

Happy Friday, all!  I hope you have a fantastic weekend!

Reflections: Desert Song

This song has been on repeat in my brain for a few weeks now.  The funny thing is, I've heard it more times than I can count and for some reason, I always kind of took it literally.  Which doesn't make much sense really... because who would write a song that is about being in a desert (unless you're on a horse with no name)?  Then the other day I was running, and as a sidenote I have finally begun to enjoy running again (yay!), and I finally heard it the way I was supposed to hear it.  It was like God was trying to break through to me and I finally heard Him.  Loud and clear.

I am not going to go through the whole song (and if you want to see the full lyrics or listen to it you can check out this post), but rather this verse in particular:

"This is my prayer in the harvest

When favor and providence flow

I know I'm filled to be emptied again

The seed I've received I will sow"

You see, lately I've been feeling... well... drained.  And a little bit beat up.  And for some reason, this feeling has made me want to run from God rather than run TO Him like I probably should have been doing.  Part of me is maybe a little miffed with Him because we just had this incredible church launch and are seeing the fruit of our hard work every single day, so why would He let me feel empty?  And then I realized that of course I'm empty... my family just went through a harvest.  We planted our seeds, put in months and months and months of cultivation, poured our love into people, taught folks how to lead and find their purpose, and by the time we launched TurningPoint Church, we literally did not have much left to give.  That is, unless we fill ourselves up again. 

Before moving here, we lived in Small Town, Illinois (as many of my readers know) and corn fields were everywhere.  I loved seeing the tiny sproutlets in the spring, and my favorite time of year was when it was about knee-high, bright green, and waved like grain does in the wind.  Before I knew it, it would be taller than I was, and the green would turn to brown.  And then, almost overnight, it would all be cut down.  Gone.  And those fields would be bare, and sad-looking really.  It was just mud and dirt where all of that green life once was.  But guess what?  In the spring, it happened all over again, but it wasn't on its own.  Nope.  Those farmers were out in the bitter cold in their huge tractors tilling up the soil and planting again.  Those fields needed to be prepared to reap a harvest again.  So what I'm saying is, it's time for me to start preparing myself again, so that I can be of some use and pour out my love and gifts to better the Kingdom.  Once is not enough, and if I sit here in this post-harvest funk too long it won't do anybody any good.  If anything, I need to start getting back into my Bible on a daily basis, listening to sermons and podcasts online, and showing my love for God everyday.  He has more planned for me than just the launch of TurningPoint, and I want to be ready for whatever He has next for me whenever the time comes. 

I am always in awe of my husband for the diligent time he puts into the Word daily.  He gets up early or locks himself in his office for hours at a time, just to read, pray, and research.  But now I realize that if he did not do these things, he would be empty in no time, with nothing to give.  So many people rely on him to offer wisdom, advice, encouragement, and love.  He lives in a harvest everyday, so he knows that he has no choice but to make sure he refuels, prepares that soil again, and sow those seeds so that he can go at it the next day, too.  Now that I've actually experienced a true harvest in my life, I want another one.  And another.  And another.  It's been amazing to be a part of these past few months.  But next time... I will remember to immediately start preparing for the next one rather than finding myself here in this void.  Next time I'll remember to diligently seek Him in that season of giving.

I hope this song spoke to you in some way or opened your eyes to a new truth.  I love this song because we all have these seasons in our lives - the times we're in that dry desert, feeling like we never hear from God; the times we're walking through the fire, when we face trials and pain that we cannot fully understand; the times we walk through the battle, when everything that we think we know and stand firm on comes into question; and yes, those times of harvest when we realize that we were a part of something bigger than ourselves.  And wherever we may find ourselves, we do have to make a conscious effort to praise the God who made us.  It takes work, no matter what season we're in, but it is always oh so worth it. 

So tomorrow I am back at it, diligently filling myself up again with what He wants to say to me, because...

"All of my life

In every season

You are still God

I have a reason to sing

I have a reason to worship"

You can check out Brittany's reflection from The Desert Song here or add your own link below.  Next week's topic is below the link-up:

Brittany picked next week's "assignment" and we will be studying in James chapter 1.  She writes:

"I love the book of James because of its practical application and insight into how we can better bring glory and honor to God through our Faith and Love for HIM!  I'm excited to get back into it by starting in chapter 1. Can't wait to hear what God speaks to you through this study."

On that note, I can't either!  Thanks for sharing (if you chose to do so) or just for stopping by!

The Ultimate Wedding Week: Rehearsal Dinner

I mentioned last week that I was going to participate in the "Ultimate Wedding Week" link-up over at Fresh & Fancy so today is the first installment!  Feel free to join up and link your post over at A Charmed Life today! 

Technically I missed the first topic, which was engagement photos, but that's because we actually had informal ones taken and I don't actually have any digital copies.  It's a long story. 

But anyway... back to the subject at hand.... the rehearsal dinner!  Somehow along the way the cowboy boot theme came up in the events surrounding our wedding.  Granted, Josh wears them constantly (and did want to get married in them!) and if we could have found one in the area, we probably would have had our ceremony in an old barn.  But alas, we lived in South Florida where old barns with character are few and far between.  But this cowboy boot theme popped up for my bachelorette party (at which we went line dancing... for the first, and probably last time!) and then again for our rehearsal dinner.  We had decided that we did not want to spend a ton of money, wanted it to be casual and fun, and wanted to invite not only the wedding party, but our extended families that were in from out of town, too.  Knowing that a restaurant would not provide all of that, my parents were nice enough to open their home for the occasion.  Looking back now, it's a bit bittersweet as that lovely house was just sold a couple of weeks ago and is being packed up as I type this.  It has an amazing backyard / pool / patio area for entertaining and we took full advantage!  We decided to keep it very simple and ordered barbeque from a local place down the street and decorated the tables ourselves using checkered table cloths, cowboy boots, and daisies.  Simple and fun:

My mom ordered the cake from the Publix bakery (which makes the best cakes... I so miss shopping there!) and in true mom fashion, kept with the theme of the party:

We kept the food inside to keep the bugs and humidity away and the weather was perfect for us all to stay outdoors to eat and hang out.  There was really no agenda, but we did take a few moments to thank our families and recognize our wedding parties.  Josh gave his groomsmen suspenders to wear under their jackets the next day, which were all different and picked out to fit their individual personalities, and aviator sunglasses.  My ladies all got pink fuzzy robes and slippers to lounge in while we got ready the next morning:

The Boys - Merritt, the Groom, Bud, Josh V., Michael, Kevin & Kyle

The girls - Abby (technically a grooms-gal), Christie, Elizabeth, Angie, me, Mindy, and Carmen

The big surprise to us, however, were the gifts given to us!  We did not expect anything (nor need any more love showered on us at this point) but my mom surprised us with an "Illinois survival kit" since we were moving the following week, complete with mittens, scarves, hand warmers, and other cute little items she picked out for us.  Then my bridesmaids gave us a scrapbook they made, each doing particular pages about growing up and times that we spent together.  It's still one of my most favorite gifts ever!

The rest of the evening was all about spending time with the people we love the most and don't get to see enough of.  And that's truly all we wanted out of that night:

Our entire wedding experience already feels like ages ago, especially now that we have two little ones in the house, but it really was one of the best weeks of my life.  To any future brides, my advice for everything would be to make it fit your personality.  Josh and I are not fancy people, nor are most of our families or friends (no offense, guys!).  So we planned this night to just fit who we are and picked an environment that would be conducive to let everyone get reacquainted and spend time together.  Marriage is not only about two people, but two families, coming together and it was important for us to create an opportunity for them to get to know each other, too, and I think that's what made that night so special.  People may not remember the food that was served or the decorations that were so carefully planned, but they'll remember the good time they had and the people they spent their time with.  I think that's what life is all about anyway. 

Oh, and one last thing.  If you do happen to choose a venue with a pool, don't wear white.  Chances are, the bride will end up being thrown in.  I pretty much expected it anyway:

That's it for today's link-up... link up with me tomorrow for our weekly Reflections and check back on Friday for another wedding week post!

Jake's Birthday Express No. 2

"It's a train-a!" 

Jake loves trains.  Or "train-a's" as he calls them.  No, seriously... it's L-O-V-E.  Almost to an unhealthy level.  As in, his Thomas and Percy engines are in his hands 99% of the time.  They are on the table at meal time, in the tub at bath time, in the car when we're going places, and in his bed at night.  Obsessed?  Maybe.  So with this in mind, we made birthday party #2 all about trains!  For starters, my super-talented sister, Mindy, made the invitations once again this year.  I'm referring to the cute invitations that look like old-fashioned train tickets that she so lovingly designed for me.  What?  You didn't get yours?  Oh that's right... I literally forgot to mail them.  Or hand them out.  Yeah, having two children in two years has officially destroyed my brain cells, so here is what you missed:

Next up?  The cake of course!  My mom made all of our cakes growing up, so I was bound and determined to do the same as soon as Jake came along.  And apparently I can't just buy a pan and decorate a pre-made design.  Nope, that would be too easy.  I of course have to come up with my own original concept and design and make it far more complicated than it probably should be... but also so much more fun!  So using the same concept that my (same... again, very talented) sister and I used to make her son's firetruck cake (seen here), I set out to make my very own Thomas the Train cake.  Midway through construction, I admit I had my doubts:

But... I think in the end we pulled it off!  My other sister, Angie, was kind enough to help my tired hands out by adding icing about half of it.  And both of them helped me make all of the green-themed food since the party fell on St. Patty's Day this year.  Here's the final product and the spread... my favorite were the fruit skewers (behind the cake):

The party was originally supposed to be at the park, but with a forecast calling for rain, we decided the night before just to have it here at the house.  Knowing that there would be a lot of kids of all ages, Josh looked into the possibility of getting a bounce house.  I knew as soon as he picked up the phone that we would end up with one.  What I did not know is that it would be huge!  So yes, we are officially "that" family.  I think my favorite part of the day though was right after it was delivered.  We were all still in our pajamas and Mindy and Jake's cousin Adam had spent the night.  Our families got our own private bounce time... it was priceless:

I have to admit, that purchase was the best decision of the day.  Our living room is pretty small and this kept the chaos outdoors.  So while the kids did this:

(By the way... a bubble machine = the best present EVER for a 2-year-old!

 The rest of us hung out and, well, admired Lilly mostly.  That child never gets tired of an audience:

Oh yeah, somewhere in the mix we had cake, ice cream, and presents, too, of course!

All in all, I think that Jake's second birthday party was pretty much as good as it gets for a toddler!  And even better, the adults had fun, too!  Even though I still can't quite believe he's another year older, I love making birthdays special... it's how they should be.  And my little Jakie is about as special as they come!

Happy birthday, little man!  

We love you more and more with every passing day!

Oh, and in case you're wondering... Jake's (and Adam's) shirts were made once again by my friend Jenny.  You can check out her blog here!