Wedding Recap Post #4: The First Look

After having been a bridesmaid in weddings where they had a first look and weddings where they waited to see each other at the end of the aisle, there was no question in my mind that I wanted to do one.  Lucky for me, The Boy from Texas did not object.  I know some people are against this....it bucks tradition and they say it takes away from the excitement of the wedding ceremony.  The flip side (and the main reason I wanted to do it) is that it gives the bride and groom a little bit of time together--just the two of us--before the chaos of the wedding hits.  It seems funny to me that we turn the sacrament of marriage, something so personal and so important and turn it into a public spectacle.  I felt like us having the time to see each other, to talk, to be together was just what we needed.

We ended up going to my parents' neighbors place that overlooks the Canadian River for the event and photos.  Since I was a kid, this was one of my favorite views in the world and I showed this to The Boy from Texas once when we were dating, and he loved it too.  Our sweet neighbors told us we were free to come take photos anywhere on their place at any time....that's how neighbors are in Eastern New Mexico.

Everyone got into place...

And I headed over to The Boy from Texas.

Then it was time for him to turn around.

Here is that part again from a different angle. :)

 

Then there was a little of this...

After that, we had a few minutes to just take it all in.

 

 

And lastly, we wrapped things up with a few more photos.

I am so, SO glad we ended up doing a first look.  Not only did we end up with some of my absolute favorite pictures, it gave us a few minutes of calm and alone (you know, as alone as you can be with two photographers and a videographer hanging out with you) before the big event.

Wedding Recap Post #3: The Dress

As you all now know, I selected Dress #1 from the two finalists.  Although it was not the favorite in the voting....it was the perfect dress for me and I could not have been happier with how it turned out!

This came from Etsy and it was so worth the $12 I paid!

 After all of the excitement over the dress selection process, I could not wait to reveal my dress to the girls.  This whole idea came courtesy of my Matron of Honor, College Roomie, who did the same thing and got an awesome photo at her wedding.  None of the girls knew which dress I chose.  Three of them thought I chose the other option....but Loud Oklahoma Girl picked the winner.  Here was the big reveal.

We also snapped a few shot of the ol' dress in my family's wheat field.  Although the green wheat ended up causing a few bugs in the outer layer of netting and there are some permanent green stains on the train, I'm in love with these pictures.  Even my dad, who hates pictures, said that when he was looking down in the field from the house--about 1/4 mile away, he couldn't believe how the white dress stood out on that green field.

 After the reveal with the girls, we headed out for the reveal with The Boy from Texas.  My chariot awaited....

Wedding Recap Post #2: Getting Ready

After the rehearsal dinner, the bridesmaids and I headed to the Hepburns' house to spend the night.  They were so sweet to offer us their house since my parents' were hosting other family at our house. 

We sat around in the kitchen for hours visiting with Mrs. Hepburn about all sorts of topics....marriage and faith and infertility and family planning.....girl talk at its finest.  It was the perfect night!

The next morning kicked off early with the Wedding Day 5K.  I had several sweet friends go running with me that morning.  The weather was perfect, we ran right down a country road, even saw some deer! We returned to the house at the end of the run to find homemade breakfast waiting on us courtesy of the Hepburns.  Best hosts ever.

I wanted to get the bridesmaids something cute to wear while we were getting ready and when I saw these robes, I knew I had found the perfect gift!  The girls robes came from Kohls and mine from Theknot.com.  

Then it was time to break out the hairspray, make up, and bobby pins.  I had two sweet friends come and do hair for us.  They were so much fun to have there with us and did a great job on the hair if you ask me!

 

 

 

 

 

 And then, because she had not done enough by snapping picture all dang day, Super Mom swooped in and did my make up.  Seriously, she's the most talented, sweetest person I know.

Then, as if they had not done enough, Mr. and Mrs. Hepburn whipped up some grilled chicken salads for lunch.  If you ever plan on getting married in the future....I'd recommend befriending these people.  Ha!

And then just before it was dress time, my sweet Teacher Friend shared a Bible verse with me that she read in her devotional that morning.  It was so sweet and so touching for us to have a minute to reflect on God's promises that day.

Half Marathon #3 Is In The Books!

A couple of weeks ago, I completed my 3rd half marathon.  Three times, I've run 13.1 miles and crossed the finish line with a smile (maybe more of a grimace) on my face.  And you know what?  As I have each race before....I loved it.  I'm already scouting out my next one.

ABJ's Mama and I signed up to run the Route 66 Half Marathon in Tulsa a couple of months ago.  My training plan was right on target--despite having to begin said plan in the heat and humidity of College Station and then trying to continue it in the frigid temperatures of the Texas Panhandle.  But then.....the wedding, the honeymoon, life as a newlywed....and well, I didn't stick to the plan.  She had similar struggles.  I think we both wanted to quit, but we kept each other going.  We headed into the race not really sure what to expect.  Our goal going in was to finish in less than 3 hours.

Starting line photo.

The weather was absolutely perfect on race day.  The atmosphere was great at the starting line--12,000 people all pumped up and ready to go.  When the race started, we settled into a pretty comfortable pace.  About 2 miles in, we both felt really good and, as has happened in both of my prior races as well, I realized that I really could do this.  So....we did.  We ran the first 10 miles with only stopping a couple of times for water and walking maybe 2 minutes total.  The last three miles were rough....we were tired, we hurt, we were hungry....that's probably where that extra training would have come in.  So we walked a bit more than we would have liked there, but all in all, we finished the race 18 minutes under our goal.  18 MINUTES.  We were so excited!

Finish line photo.

Every time I post pictures of a race, I always get the same question.  "Why would you ever run that far?"

It's something that you won't understand until you've done it.  When you cross that finish line, you feel like you can do anything.  Sure, it's hard.  Your whole body hurts, you are hot, you are hungry.....but you feel so empowered.  You realize that your mind imposed limits on you that just don't exist.  It's about so much more than running.

Scars

I have a scar on my left knee. It has been there for 20 years. The result of a County Fair water fight, wet shoes, slick gravel.   I was chasing two of my classmates around the corner when it happened. Funny how some insignificant memories remain etched in our brains.  In some ways that feels like a lifetime ago. In others, like yesterday.

One of the boys involved in that water fight died this week.  And although we lost touch after graduation, so many of my childhood memories involve him.  He was one of the first people I met from my new school.  We showed lambs together. He was kind and funny and was with us when we were all shipped to the principal's office for playing tackle football.

I do not know what demons he was facing or from what he felt he had to escape.  But I do know that any time someone takes their own life, they leave a scar on those that knew them. A permanent mark that, like the scar on my leg, will never go away. And our little community has more than its fair share of scars.

This is the fourth person from my elementary school that has ended their own life. Each time it shakes me to the core. It makes me wish so many things had been different. 

Please keep my friend's family in your prayers during this time of unimaginable grief. And pray for his soul to find rest.  Lord, hear our prayers.

Project 333: The List

Well, we're three days in.  Other than forgetting both of my jackets at work (who does that?) and almost freezing on my way to work yesterday morning, things are okay so far.  I will say that it makes things easier in the mornings when I only have a few things to look through to decide what to wear.  I've been snapping photos and might share my different combinations at some point.

Okay, for those of you who were waiting to see what 33 items I selected.....here we go.

I made one switcheroo after I took the pic---traded the black pumps for gray.

Pants:  7
Trouser jeans
Black skinny jeans
Comfy jeans
Regular blue jeans
Black yoga pants
Black dress pants
Brown dress pants

I'm worried I may wish I had picked another pair of work pants.  But it came down to that or the yoga pants and I've got several road trips and early morning flights in the next three months, so those yoga pants are a must.


Shirts/sweaters:  10
Short sleeved black work shirt
White work shirt - short sleeved
Blue sweater - short sleeved
Black sweater
Green sweater
Pink and gray striped sweater
Cardigan - white
Cardigan - blue
Black shirt - long sleeved
OSU t- shirt

I feel pretty good about this section.  I've got a good variety of warm/cooler, casual/dressy, and colors....I think we'll be okay.

Dresses/skirts:  3
Black dress 1
Black dress 2
Black and white skirt

I probably shouldn't have selected two black dresses.  But one I wear often for work and like and the other is just really cute and I can wear it for work if I need to.  Plus I've got three Christmas parties this month, so I needed more than one dress.  What's a girl gonna do?

Shoes:  5
Brown boots
Plaid flats
Grey pumps
Nude pumps
Shiny  Toms shoes

Hands down the hardest part for me was narrowing this down.  It was terrible.  The boots are a must this time of year.  I can wear them with a dress or skinny jeans.  Flats are go-to work shoes.  The two pairs of pumps allow me to wear brown or black and be good.  They're comfy and I can do them with jeans or work attire.  My shiny Toms are cute and comfy and good for jeans.  If I could have, I'd have put a pair of tennis shoes on here so I could wear them other than to the gym.  I'm hoping the Toms will suffice...

Accessories: 3
Turquoise scarf
Zebra scarf
Turquoise necklace

Narrowing it down to two scarfs was really hard.  I almost did a white  one, but I just love the turquoise color, it pops.  The zebra is fun.  Sigh.  I hope I chose right.

Outerwear:  5
Ski jacket
Brown pea coat
Denim jacket
OSU hoodie
Gray fleece

It's cold, man.  The first two on the list are just my attempt not to freeze.  The denim jacket works well for causal days at work and I can do that either with my dresses, skirt, or the work pants.  Plus, it will be cute at the Christmas Parties with one of the black dresses.  I love nothing more than a good hoodie and a fleece.  Those had to be on my list--in particular for those travel days I mentioned before.

Last, but not least, The Boy from Texas' thoughts on this little project.  He's completely befuddled.  More than once he's said, "Now, what is the point of this again?"  And then he just shakes his head and says, "Whatever you want to do, honey."  Bless his heart.

Advent 2014

"What has happened to the old-fashioned, spiritual Christmas? The cause is our disregard of Advent. The church set aside this four-week pre-Christmas season as a time of spiritual preparation for Christ’s coming. It is a time of quiet anticipation. If Christ is going to come again into our hearts, there must be repentance. Without repentance, our hearts will be so full of worldly things that there will be ‘no room in the inn’ for Christ to be born again.…We have the joy not of celebration. Which is the joy of Christmas, but the joy of anticipation." ~John R. Brokhoff

The season of Advent is upon us.  This is a time when Christians prepare their hearts to celebrate coming of Jesus.  I absolutely love this season and look forward to it each year.  I thought I'd share a few of the things I will be doing to prepare for Christmas this year.

Adoration once a week.  Much to my delight, Super Mom informed me about a parish here in my new town that offers perpetual adoration.  You may remember from this post, leaving the beautiful adoration chapel in College Station was one of the things I thought I'd miss most about the move.  Lucky for me, I can continue my practice of attending here.  Because I am a person who is always going, always doing, never quiet or still, adoration is the perfect way for me to really stop, reflect, and listen.

Blessed Is She Advent Journal.  This one, too, is thanks to Super Mom.  She is also doing this journal and recommended it on her blog.  I ordered mine and so far, two days in, I'm absolutely loving it.  It offers daily readings and reflection questions. 

Random acts of kindness.  For years now, I have made this part of my Advent celebration.  Each year, I select one person who I anonymously send a rather substantial (at least in my mind) monetary gift to brighten their Christmas.  Additionally, I make it a point to try and seek out folks to gift with smaller presents.  This includes giving money and/or food to the homeless anytime I can.

Bible.com studies.  My sweet friend, ABJ's Mama, suggested that I get the Bible.com app on my phone.  It offers different Bible Studies  that you can select from.  Most of the ones I've seen are about 7 days long.  So....I plan to complete three of them during this Advent season.  I'm starting off with "From This Day Forward" which is a study about marriage.  Good timing, huh?

Advent prayer as my lock screen.  Another friend---man, I've got good ones!--Meg, posted a beautiful advent prayer and suggested that people set that as their lock screen on their phone.  This way, every time you want to unlock your phone, you pray the prayer.  I absolutely loved this idea and the prayer....so of course, I joined in.

Living with grace.  More often than I'd like to admit, I'm impatient.  I snap at The Boy from Texas for no reason.  I am easily annoyed.  So I am trying consciously to focus on this and really focus on doing better.  When I feel annoyed or impatient or start to say something rude or to pick a fight, I'm telling myself, "Give grace."  Will it work perfectly?  Certainly not.  Will it at least be a start?  I hope so.

Weekly blog updates.  To keep me on track, I am going to share something that I learned or that really hit me each week.  Hopefully this will be inspirational to all of you during this season as well.

Do you celebrate Advent?  What are you doing this year?

Project 333: The Beginning.

Maybe it's because I'm struggling with having way too much stuff (much of which remains in boxes).  Maybe it's that I like a challenge.  Maybe it's the fact that I'm not so into fashion.  Maybe it's because I have kinda been doing this already due to not unpacking all my clothes after the big move. Or, maybe it's that I'm just plain ol' crazy.

Whatever it is, I'm doing Project 333 starting today.  This means that for the next three months, I will be wearing only 33 items of clothing.  The idea is to live with less.  I love the idea of less clutter, less materialism, less stuff....just less.  I also intend to donate at least one bag of clothing at the end of the three month period and to severely limit buying any clothes for myself (I was going to ban it all together, but I'm going to allow myself three new items in the next three months).

Here are the basic rules (to read the full rules, click here):

I selected 33 items including clothing, accessories, jewelry, outerwear, and shoes.  There are certain items NOT counted as part of my 33 items:  my wedding ring, underwear, sleep wear, in-home lounge wear, socks/hose, and workout clothing--which I can only wear when working out.

Oh, you want to know what I chose?  Stay tuned for that announcement later in the week.

Now, I am, up front,  making three minor exceptions to the rule (mostly so I don't freeze to death or get manure on my nice stuff).

Exception 1:  When I am at my parent house, I can wear "barn clothes" while at the barn.  This time of year we are lambing in the cold and I'm here to tell you, I will want some Carhart overalls, a warm shirt, and a big jacket.  I do not want to wear my nice clothes out there. 

Exception 2:  Family ski trip.  This one is pretty self explanatory--I've got to wear ski clothing when I ski and snow boots when we are walking around town.  But....when we go out to dinner at night, I'll stick to the rules.

Exception 3:  My nice suit.  I've got a couple of big work presentations that will fall during these three month.  For these, I may want to wear my nicest blue suit.  For all other regular work days or smaller work presentations, I'll wear the 33 items, but for the big conferences and such, the blue suit is coming out.

Holy cow.....let's do this!
 

Symbolic tanking a plunge....