Wedding weekend recap!

A few weekends ago my best friend got hitched. It was SUCH an amazing weekend, from start to finish. Lucky for us, our moms are best friends too, so the 4 of us hung out at the beach all week and prepared for her wedding.

Time moves so fast that I frequently look back and wish I had "soaked up" some days more. This was one day that I made sure to soak up. There were a few times that day where I just sat and relished in the moment, knowing I would remember these memories for the rest of my life. One was getting ready in the bathroom with the bride. Of all the places, a bathroom floor. Mirrors were being used all over the church and I think Danielle wanted just a little peace and quiet, so we snuck away to the bathroom. She did her own make-up, because why would you pay someone to do it when you already look flawless? I watched her look in the mirror and I will never forget what she said to me... "Will asked if I even had to wear any make-up at all!" That is true love. It made my heart smile!

Another moment that I will never forget is sitting in the top of the church beside Danielle before the ceremony started. They said it was about to rain so we rushed Danielle to the top of the church balcony, which worked out perfectly because we were able to listen to the music and watch people file in the church. I fanned her with a program [bridesmaid duty] and we hummed along to the love songs. She was so peaceful and happy knowing she was about to marry the love of her life.

It was obvious that their day was all about the love Danielle and Will share and how God has blessed them. I am so happy for my best friend, and soon to be Davis sister ;)

If you know me at all, you know that I am an avid book-lover. When I get into a good book there is no pulling me away. I choose books over t.v. any day [nerd alert]. I am currently reading an amazing book called "Where the River Ends" by Charles Martin. I read a certain part today and instantly had goosebumps. That's what is so amazing about reading: you are challenged to use your imagination to create the image the author is trying to portray using only words. The words can be so vivid and can relate to you so much.

"I'm not marrying the idea of you. Or even the memory of you. I'm marrying you. So don't worry about what you might become. I'll love her, too. Even more. I'll take the bad because that means I will have lived to know the good."

The book goes on to tell the heart-breaking love story of how well the husband loves and takes care of his wife who is battling breast cancer. As I read, I can't help but hope and pray that I can love as deeply as this husband and wife. There is nothing like a good love story.

Danielle [almost] Davis

My best friend of 18+ years is getting married in SIX days!!! Danielle Griffin and I were instantly best friends when we were in the same pre-school class. A friendship this long and genuine is rare. She is thoughtful, sincere, hilarious, and selfless. We have been through so many season of life together and to be engaged at the same time has been so sweet. We have helped each other, vented to each other, and been able to share wedding planning stories when no one else could understand. OH, and we will soon share the same last name. Yes, we both found Davis boys. She has found her soulmate and I couldn't be happier for her. She is going to be the most gorgeous bride EVER, hands down.

And to bring back some memories, here are a few hilarious throwback pics:

Drop dead gorgeous bride with her soon-to-be hubs. Here's to an amazing weekend celebrating the love of these two! Love you both!

Food for thought

Warning: this post contains ranting and my personal beliefs and opinions. I am NOT judging you if you do not agree with me on this subject.

The other day my future MIL was having casual conversation with someone when they asked about Garrett and I. After telling them about our December wedding and our job/school plans, they proceeded to say, "Well aren't they living together in Greenville already?" And she told them that no, we won't be living together until we get married. AND THEY GAVE HER A WEIRD LOOK. They went on to say, "Really??? Why not?" 

Insert rant: Since when is it considered weird to NOT live together before marriage???  It used to be the other way around. My fiancé and I were both raised in Christian homes. Our parents did amazing jobs of instilling in us the desire to follow Christ and live according to His desires. Genesis 2:24 says, "A man shall leave his mother and father and become united to his WIFE and they shall become one flesh." Notice this passage says wife; not girlfriend or fiancé. Garrett and I fully believe that by following this scripture and similar ones in the Bible, our marriage will be made even more special, intimate, and holy. 

I am not saying you are a bad person or non-religious if you choose to do this. I am just saying my blood boiled when someone considered it "out of the ordinary" that we are choosing to wait until marriage to live together. It makes me wonder where we are losing sight of God.. is it because of our obsession with politics, material things, instant gratification? Moral of the story: I wish our country would turn back towards God. Religion is so important and I truly believe it is the answer for so many problems in our country.

Life update!

It has been forrrrever since I have posted on this poor blog. Life has been nothing short of hectic these last 8 months. I am an aunt to a perfect 8 month old baby girl, I got ENGAGED to the most amazing man in this world, I got accepted into PA school, and I am building a house. Yes I am crazy for taking on all these tasks at one time. I've always been good at multitasking ;)

Wedding planning is so much fun. The only thing that has made me even slightly stressed is that my dream make-up/hair girl had a conflict [tear], but I fixed this situation and I know these girls are going to do a great job! I have so much already done: dream dress found, church booked, reception booked, amazing florist, BM dresses found. I am much more laid-back than I thought I would be. After all, in 15 years when I look back I won't remember the small details or what went wrong. I will remember marrying my soul mate and spending the day with all our friends and family. So why stress?!

PA school starts in a short 1.5 months. I will be totally honest: I am nervous about being a full-time student and being a newlywed. I am nervous that I won't be able to give my future hubs all the time in the world. However, he is 100% supportive and so excited for this journey. He always says he will do the cooking and cleaning and take whatever stress away from me that he possibly can. He is the best. It won't be ideal to be stressed up to my eyeballs for the first 2 years of our marriage but this is my dream and he is behind me all the way. Bye bye social life (or what little social life I have) for the next 3 years.

Our house!! Back in December my sister and I were joking about how neat it would be to live beside each other. Well it just so happened that the lot beside their house is empty. After some talking, Garrett and I decided it would be perfect to build beside them. Garrett and Colt can have man time, Keehln and I can have sister time, and we can watch Ella James grow up. It has been a learning experience going through the process of signing all the documents and meeting with our realtor. We are hoping to start building any day now in hopes of moving in right before the wedding. We will move all our furniture in before we get married but our first night living in the house will be our wedding night. We are so excited!

I am off to the beach tomorrow for 14 days and couldn't be more excited to celebrate the 4th of July AND my best friend's wedding weekend!

Xoxo,
O