The Best Kind of Wedding

This past weekend, among running back and forth to the hospital to see my dad (he's doing good!), I went to my best friend's little sister's wedding. That's a mouthful, huh? 

It was a church ceremony and a backyard reception and it was absolutely precious. Totally Pinterest worthy, in other words. ; ) The couple both were at seminary together and it was just really clear how much they loved the Lord and loved each other. And those are the best kinds of weddings...where you can not only see, but FEEL the love in the air and you just know that it is a God-given match. 

Dress: TJ Maxx

That cake was fork-licking good. 

Stunning wedding, right?! They are just the cutest. 

Now I want to get married again...to the same guy, of course. 

Three Things

Three things I'm thankful for this Friday:

- That my dad's surgery went well. Praise Jesus. 

- That my job is flexible enough to allow me to be with him right now. 

- The support and love that all of y'all have given us in the last two days. 

It's so hard to see a parent sick, but I am so thankful that my dad is through surgery and on the way to a full recovery. God is good, all the time, all the time. 

Have a great weekend. I'll be back around soon. 

Scenes from Mother's Day

My dad is having open heart surgery today, so please say a prayer for him. We are spending today and tomorrow at the hospital, so I thought I'd go ahead and share a few scenes from our Mother's Day weekend. It was a difficult day for me personally, but still an absolutely beautiful day because I love to celebrate my mommy. There's just something so nice about making your mom feel special. 

This is my grandma's yard...amazing, right?!

BBQ for lunch. 

My sister and I. 

Red velvet cupcakes. 

Dress: Kohl's / Cardigan: TJ Maxx / Necklace: Kohl's

All in all it was a great day spent with family. That's what makes days really special.

For My Dad

My dad had a heart cath this morning and we found out that he has to have open heart surgery because he had a lot more blockages than they thought. It's pretty surprising for all of us because my dad is the picture of health. He's a vegetarian, eats totally healthy and exercises every single day. He's been like that for years. And even though I'm really familiar with all of the medical aspects of this, it doesn't make it any easier when it's your dad. 

picture via Brandon O'neal Photography

Please pray for my dad and his upcoming surgery tomorrow and his return to total health. Pray for the heart and hands of the surgeon and for all of the doctors/nurses that will be involved in his care. 

I love you, daddy. 

Sometimes and Always #26

Sometimes: I really can't believe that the guys are just as catty as the girls on The Bachelorette. 

Always: I watch anyway, especially this season because I love Emily!

Sometimes: I order a whole pizza when the husband is at work. 

Always: I end up eating the whole pizza through lunch and dinner. Fatty. 

Sometimes: Things break...like my car battery this weekend. 

Always: I'm so glad that men exist in the world to fix things. : )

Sometimes: I am absolutely miserable when I wake up in the morning. 

Always: I realize that it's because I stayed up way too late the night before!

Sometimes: I try to have unlimited patience at work. 

Always: There is always a patient that breaks me. 

Sometimes: I can walk outside and right back inside and the pups act like I've been gone for hours. 

Always: Their little nosy selves are cute, so I don't mind. 

"Where have you been, mom?"

Now welcome my amazing sponsor, Amanda, as she shares a few Sometimes/Always of her own. 

Sometimes: I. just. need. to. dance. 

Always: Music comes on and I can't help but shake my thang through the kitchen, house, car, restaurant. No matter how ridiculous I look!

Sometimes: I wish I could be sweet and unselfish 100% of the time. 

Always: I am definitely not. It's hilarious how much I am not! But by the grace of God, my husband loves me passionately despite all of my many, many, many imperfections. 

Isn't she just stunning?! Amanda and her hubby live in Japan and the pictures that she shares of their travels are literally breathtaking. I've never seen such beautiful places. Plus, I just adore her sea-inspired guest room. Go pay her a visit...y'all will not be disappointed. Promise. 

Now go ahead and link up with us for Sometimes/Always today! The button is on my sidebar. 

Changing Priorities

Lately I've been thinking about my priorities and it's become pretty clear that I have a problem. A social media problem. Almost every night before I go to bed and even some mornings before I get out of bed, I grab my phone and scroll through Facebook, Twitter, etc. I do it on break at work and when I'm sitting and waiting for anything. I'm not even sure why I do it, because honestly I probably am not concerned with what whoever ate for breakfast or the latest drama, but I do it anyway. 

Well not anymore. God has been working on my heart and on making HIM my life's priority. Sometimes I say things like "I really need to read the Bible more, I just feel like I never have time" or "I want to read the Bible at night/in the morning, but I'm so tired." News flash: if I wasn't playing around on social media apps, I'd have plenty of time to read the Bible. That's the honest truth for a lot of us.

So I did it. 

That's right. Facebook is gone. And Twitter. And a few other silly games. (I never had a Pinterest app!) Not completely, just as apps on my phone. I honestly do love Facebook for allowing such an easy way to keep in touch with people, but I don't want it to be a priority in my life. Now if I have a little bit of free time, I can use it to read the Bible, pray and sing worship songs.

I even downloaded a Bible app, so I really have no excuse to ever be "too busy" to delve into scripture. If I want my life to reflect the Lord, I need to be feeding it daily with the Lord's word. What I put into my mind, will come out through my words and actions. I need to treat my relationship with Christ like any other relationship...it needs my time and attention to flourish and grow. I can't expect to apply His word to my daily life if I never read it or study it. 

I'll still be on my computer at home checking in on Facebook and Twitter. And definitely still around on Blogger. But I really just needed to do a little "social media diet" to make sure that Christ was my priority. Christ, then family and friends. That's what matters. 

I challenge y'all to take a look at your own lives and see where social media stands on y'alls priority lists. I know it's hard to believe, but there really is more to life than status updates and tweets! : ) 

PS: I don't even miss the apps on my phone! It's actually pretty freeing. 

To My Mommy

Not only are you the World's Greatest Mother (I'm sure it's fact!), you are my best friend as well. I cannot thank you enough for raising me to know and love the Lord and for setting an example of that throughout my life. You have always been there for me, in the good and the bad, never judging, always just loving unconditionally. You were that perfect mom that all of my friends always wanted and I felt so blessed to have. We have been through so much together and it's so nice to now know you as more than just a mom, but as a woman and a friend. It's fun to go through life with you. I love you, mom. So much. Thank you for dedicating your life to me (and those other two children of yours, of course, even though we all know that I was the favorite). ; ) 

I love hearing people say that we look just alike because I think you are the most beautiful woman I've ever seen. And even though I got some of your bad qualities, too...like crying when I get mad and looking like Rudolph for the rest of the day...and even though you love sharing the story of how I dumped cereal on my head when I was little, I wouldn't have things any other way. 

via Brandon O'Neal Photography

Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there, including those who have angel babies. I'm thinking about our sweet angel baby a lot today and I'm thankful to know that he/she is being held in the Lord's arms today.  God is good. 

In Which I Obsess Over Food

Dear waffles, y'all were amazing the other night. The perfect "husband is at work tonight" dinner. Let's do it again soon. Dear Holy Spirit, You have been convicting me a lot lately and I love it. I want my actions to reflect the Lord all the time. Dear water, I have been trying to drink you more, but then you make me have to pee all the stinkin' time. Truce? Dear American Idol, you made me an emotional basket-case last night. There were lots of tears. Lots. It was bad. Dear Nutella, I know it's been a few days...and I do miss you. But yeah, my PANTS DIDN'T FIT ANYMORE so I had to call it off. Dear Grey's Anatomy, I can't wait for next week's episode. I'll bring tissues. Dear Mother's Day, you are going to be a little bit rough this year. I'm glad that my mommy will be here with me. Dear veggie omelet, you make breakfast something pretty amazing. I like to pretend that you are a little healthy since there are veggies inside. Let's just ignore the pile of cheese on top. 

Linking up with pretty Ashley for Friday's Letters!

 

From the Mouths of Patients #3

Sharing a few more little treasures from the Emergency Room today. Enjoy. 

Nurse: "So what brought you to the Emergency Room today?"

Patient: "Well last night I got into a fight at the club and I got stabbed with a knife."

Nurse: "Okay, where did this happen? We are required to call the police with all assaults."

Patient: "Oh. I didn't know that. I'll be right back."

(takes off running out of the ER, never comes back...too bad we already have your name, buddy)

Patient: "I got into a car accident four days ago and I want to get checked out."

Nurse: "Okay, where exactly are you hurting?"

Patient: "I'm not hurting right now. I just left my lawyer's office and he sent me here."

Patient: "I'm having pain down there."

Nurse: "Where exactly is down there?"

Patient: "You know, in my private areas."

Nurse: "Okay, when did that start?"

Patient: "I think it started about three weeks ago when I got a condom stuck in there."

Nurse: "Is it still stuck in there?"

Patient: "I don't know. I think so. I never saw it come back out."

Doctor: "We got the test results back and you aren't pregnant. You said you took a test at home and it was positive. When was that?

Patient: "Well, it wasn't really positive. I just wanted to see if my boyfriend would stay with me if I got pregnant, so I faked it. Can I go now?"

See part one here and part two here. 

Dirt and a Shovel

This past weekend we spent a lot of time fixing up our flowerbeds and planting a few new things. And by we, I mean mostly my husband. I did eventually go outside and help after I felt guilty he got started. We planted hibiscus and knock out roses. I've never enjoyed gardening or planting or anything of that sort, but I'll be honest...it was kind of "satisfying" to sit back and look at what we had done. Again, mostly what my hubby had done. Hey, I did water them! And pull out a few weeds. 

The beginning stages. 

Time to put out the mulch. 

I finally made my appearance. It was SO bright. 

After...so pretty. 

Hardworking hubby. 

Now we are absolutely addicted to going outside to look at everything and see if anything has bloomed. Literally every time we go outside we both hurry over to the plants first. We can't wait for everything to grow and start to look pretty. Is that an indicator of when you are old and uncool? Waiting on your plants to grow? Well, we are there. : )

Now I need some tips. How do we keep these pretty things alive??

Sometimes and Always #25

Sometimes: I am an emotional basket case. It's okay. I admit it. 

Always: I feel sorry for my poor hubby, but I remind him that there is MUCH crazier than me. : )

Sometimes: I attempt to stay on top of cleaning the house. 

Always: I end up giving up because with three dogs, it's just never gonna be clean. 

Hi mom, I got a little dirty.

Sometimes: I dread the task of moving this summer.

Always: I can't wait to have a bigger backyard for our puppies.

Sometimes: I don't get a lunch break at work.

Always: I end up pigging out when I do finally get to eat.

Dinner last night...I cleaned my plate. I love that you can see the grease on the cheese. Does that say delicious or what?!

Now say hello to one of my amazing sponsors as she shares her own Sometimes/Always with us.

Hi all! I'm Britt from Gettin' Fritzy With It!

That's me. That's the husband.

Sometimes: You don't hear alot about him on the blog because...

Always: Our two little girls, born 1 year and 11 days apart, steal the blog show.

(And, yes, people call us crazy!)

Sometimes: I go to the mall solely to spend money on myself instead of the babes, for once.

Always:  I never find anything, of course. You know what I'm talking about!

Speaking of... I recently became a ThirtyOne Consultant. Have you heard of the company? It's awesome! Right now we have a special going on that you do not want to miss! You will always find something you want here! Please contact me if you are interested in any products or hosting a party!

Isn't she (and her little girls) precious? Go pay her blog a visit.

Head on over to my sidebar, grab the button and link up with us today. 

Three Months

Three months ago today, we walked into the doctor's office for a routine appointment and walked out with our lives forever changed. We never asked for or expected this to be our path in life, but here we are regardless. And oh how God has used this to grow me. He is my strength when all I had was weakness, my hope when all I saw was despair, my triumph when all I felt was failure. 

And every single good thing that has come from this, has come from God. We did not overcome this, HE overcame this. We did not prevail, HE prevailed. We were not strong, HE was strong through us. He has taken a tragedy and used it for His good. He has strengthened our faith and our marriage. And that's not to say that it takes any of the pain or heartbreak away, because it doesn't. There are still days that I can't stop thinking about it and days where the tears win, but I don't think I could go through it if I didn't know that God could use it for His good. 

So please know that whatever you are going through, good can come from it. God can restore and revitalize, renew and redeem. There is nothing that He cannot work for His good. He will be there and walk with you through everything. He can heal the brokenhearted. 

c/o House of Shep

I seriously appreciate all of the love and support that y'all have offered up to us over the last three months. I never expected blogging to help me through this, but it has, and that's because of y'all. So thank y'all for everything. And we are doing good these days. We are trusting in the Lord's ultimate plan and we know that it is a perfect plan. He is so good, y'all. I hope y'all know that. He is good. 

Happy Birthday Husband

Today is my sweet husband's 25th birthday! Happy happy birthday to him!

Thank you, baby, for always being there for me and for putting up with my crazy female hormones time and time again. You are so hardworking, so dedicated and so honest. You always put everyone else first and are the first to lend a helping hand in any situation. This past year and a half of marriage has been the most fulfilling time of my life and I can't wait to be your wife for 50+ more years. You make me a better person. I love you SO much.

And thanks for putting up with my silliness and opening presents at midnight. : )

We ate lunch at THE most delicious cheeseburger place today. After burgers and fries (and onion rings), we are stuffed and happy, the perfect way to be. I'm sure we will be able to make room for his birthday cupcakes later, though. No worries there. 

Chi curled hair. The only curl that stays in my hair. 

Dress, cardigan: TJ Maxx / Necklace: gift from Michaela

Happy Sunday. Go enjoy it.