Something Very Old

Life has been SO crazy so sorry for the lack of updates! By request I'm throwing one in for today. I've been somewhat nostalgic recently so I am really excited about this. On a recent visit to my grandmother (Mimi) she shared this with me. It is my great-grandmother Bessie's pearl necklace. Not only did Mimi wear it in her wedding, but so did my mom & my aunt. With some minor repair to the clasp its ready to go for me to wear on my wedding day too :)

What's in Your Closet?

The last few weeks I have been cleaning out my old room at home, trying to figure out what has to go & what I can't live without. It is amazing how much stuff you can accumulate growing up. I'm pretty sure my 8th grade dance dress doesn't fit anymore. I'm also pretty sure that a perrywinkle, sparkly party dress & black chunk wedges are far beyond out of style. Seriously, what was I thinking? This picture is only a fraction of the damage...

Tonight Danny is going to be speaking at the VSU Campus Outreach meeting about adversity. The past year has been a trying one with so many changes. I often have a hard time keeping up with myself. Ever since graduation life has been one big transition & I'm wondering when that settling point comes. I'm excited because at the end of his talk Danny & I are both going to share from our own experiences of life post grad, its victories & failures. It has been rewarding to think about what I want to share because I am convinced, completely convinced I know Jesus better through the struggles since last May. It is a challenge to live the Christian life apart from a core group & apart from accountability (in studying your Bible, in prayer, in your personal life, in being diligent). I have been studying Job the past month & his attitude towards real loss is phenominal. In the midst of real pain & suffering he never curses God. Although he responds with emotion, he never reacts, or takes immediate action as a result of his emotion. That is so different than how I think of things. Adversity no doubt exposes your foundation or your foundational cracks. The beauty of it is seeing a true need & a true love for the body of Christ, for the Bible, & finally desiring to be in God's place at His pace.

Engagement Pics

The engagement pictures are finally up! You can check them out on facebook. Where is all the time going? Everything is going by so fast its hard to keep up. I can't believe the wedding is only 44 days away!!!

The trip to Valdosta was so great! I got to see the town & campus for the first time & loved it there. The students were so welcoming & excited that we are coming. I also got a special treat to see some old Southern friends for the Young's wedding! And...we found a house to rent! The Lord is really answering big prayers there. Its within walking distance of campus, affordable & we could move in this summer. I'll let you more when its offically offical :)

For the rest of the month I will be traveling like crazy. I'm headed to Augusta tomorrow, then Valdosta again, then down to Statesboro! What a whirlwind. I'll try to keep you updated. For this week, Laura has been home & it has been great to spend some much needed sister time.

Valdosta or Bust

I've realized I haven't posted much about where Danny & I are going & what we're doing post wedding day. Kind of important, & we do have a plan, a good one. We work for a college ministry called Campus Outreach & our mission statement is "Glorifying God by building laborers on the campus for the lost world." We were both involved with the ministry as college students & couldn't be more thrilled to give our lives away to a noble calling. We love college students - the way they think, the way they are searching & learning, their dreams & ambitions - & we want to offer the same kind of discipleship, or mentorship to them that so greatly impacted us as students. I can't wait to get to campus! The year long support raising process deserved a blog all its own. It has had its ups & way downs. Through it all the Lord has been crazy faithful to every detail we have needed when we needed it. I am thankful for the struggle it has been, but probably won't shed a tear over it when we make it to campus...
This week Danny & I are headed to Valdosta to meet & hang out with the students at VSU, take care of some of our future plans (ie: house! yay!), & attend the wedding of our co-workers & good friends, Jon & Laura! Its going to be an awesome week. Can't wait to update you on all the news...

In the Mail

Here's a sneak-peak of our invites. They are a little different from traditional initations. Which by the way, in case you didn't know, are the most awkward size...haha. The talented Emily Perry designed everything! It is good to have a bridesmaid & best friend who is a Graphic designer :) I love them. They are very simple. We ordered blue RSVP envelopes instead of white just to add some color. And I picked up some of this Raffia string last minute just to make it all a little more "put together". Get ready to see that monogram a lot. Its amazing how nice you can make things look if you just make them match! That being said, we'll be using the monogram on the programs & reception favors. Hope you can come join in the worship service & celebration of our wedding!

Prepare to be Entertained

Here are some pictures of one of the awesome buys Danny & I got at Big Shanty Antiques. It was pretty much a steal even though it needs a lot of work. We were looking for something to do with the tv because we know we want to be able to have friends and students over for movie nights etc. We were about to just settle for a table down in my parents basement when we found this really cool entertainment center. My favorite part is the stained glass doors. I'm going to have to clean it up a lot, paint it & put it back together, but with some work I think it will be pretty cool. So get ready to come over & be entertained at the Myers'!

Shower

I've been sick this week so I haven't been updating. But luckily I realized you can't tell what state I'm in when I'm typing. That being said, I'll try to catch up a little ; )

My mom & some of her friends threw me a wedding shower this past Sunday. It was a lot of fun and these ladies really put a lot in to it. It was so cool to have some of my old friends, new friends, currently family & future family all in one room. People were extremely generous with their gifts. I was so excited about the stash we got! This was one of my favorite gifts. The ladies who hosted the party gave it to me as a surprise. The real surprise was that I love this kind of thing and my good friend Anna made it knowing this. She was very sneaky as I was working on a project just like this and thinking "I'd love to have one of these..." The "M" is from Kennesaw Mountain - where Danny proposed.

More Decor

A little something floral. Tonight's blog is going to be totally random. I'm including a picture to at least give you something to look at.

My dad & I are watching olympic ice skating together right now. This is hilarious in & of itself. Even better is the commentary he gives. Seriously, he's a funny guy. I didn't know ice skating could be so entertaining. And I quote, "Man, if I were twirling around like that I'd be drunk as a kook! They'd have to add hurling to the event..." Ah, sometimes you just have to sit back & enjoy your life.

Today Danny & I went by this antique store by suggestion of my older sister. You would not belive the steal we got. We bought 6 chairs & an entertainment center for $135! It all needs work, definite fixer upper jobs - honestly more often its more fun that way unless you ust don't have the time. And I just realized we just bought our first pieces of furniture together...weird. haha I'm having fun, but I can't wait for a weekend in Statesboro with my girls!

Cut the Cake

Not that this comes at any surprise, but we are doing something a little different for our wedding cake. The most important thing to Danny & me was that as many of our friends & family are able, could join us in this celebration. That being said, along with this, I feel that if we get many of our friends & family all together in one place not only should we serve them food they might actually enjoy, but we should also share some family traditions with them.

Pound cake is a pretty classic dessert at the Lee house. When I was thinking of what kind of cake we should have at our reception I ran across this cool idea in a magazine (Real Simple: Weddings 2010). Holly from Massachusetts used pans she found in Paris to make her own 3 tiered wedding cake. It was fairly simple, decorated with powdered sugar & fresh fruit, but SO pretty & so vintage. AHa I thought, I love it! That being said, it took much covincing not only of my mother (even more for my aunt), but we will be using a Lee-family recipe for our wedding cake & I couldn't be more excited! To add some flare, we are serving all our guests mini "rosettes". Different - yes. Will you enjoy it - oh yes. Will you forget it - never!

68 days & you will get to enjoy this childhood favorite of mine!

Post-It

I'm trying to be creative with all this wedding stuff. I want to use all the old traditions, but I want to put a little of my own spin on them. Its really crazy when you talk to people about weddings. It seems like everyone has an idea in their head of what weddings are "supposed" to look like. But what I'm realizing is that everyone's idea is a little different. You got the Cinderella princess wedding, the "my grandmother grew up in this church & this is the way we do things" wedding, the Keeping-up-with-the-Jones' wedding, the backyard barbeque with Bob down at the Steak Pit...I could go on. I'd love to hear some comments on this.

That being said, I personally like having things I can either use again or in this case read again. We're not having a guest book in so many words, but one of those contemp frames that the guests will sign. So I thought of another way for any loving attendees to send us a note (also another way for those with two left feet or a lacking in distinguished dialoguing skills). I didn't know it, but apparently I have been an old post card collector for the past several years. As I was cleaning out some drawers I found 50 postcards! I'm looking for some more, any suggestions? We're going to set them out on a table at the reception & leave them for guests to write us notes on. We've got a glass jar to send them to us in & I'm hoping to have some laughs & good reading on our many roadtrips over the month of May. So, if you keep up with this blog, make sure you grab one at the reception & tell us how beautiful you thought the wedding was! (haha this is only funny if you read my last post...). They're all different (surprised?), so you can pick just the well wishing card you wish to get your message across.

Boot-scoot Boogy

We've finally found some table decorations for the reception. I just couldn't justify buying lots of things that could never be used again & I wanted to be creative. After thinking about it I started looking around the house for ideas. Amongst the many things I'm going to try to work with, these are my favorite! These boots were my mom's when she was a about 5. Everything is going to be earthy & somewhat rustic.

I've been some what surprised and disappointed at how many haters there are when it comes to wedding planning. Seriously. I thought people would just be excited for us. Who cares what the shoes look like or what color the napkins are? Note to self, whenever any of my future friends get married, I don't care if the bridesmaids dresses are neon green and they carry dandelions, & I don't even care if I have to be one of those bridesmaids, I'm going to tell the bride its beautiful. And it is, because the joy is not the one day event of a wedding, but in the lifelong adventure of a marriage! Its a really cool gift to be able to be linked with your best friend, fellow laborer, admired leader & handsome man of your dreams before God & before man, and that doesn't end when the wedding is over; in fact, it really just begins. I hope I still think that way in 5 years because I know marriage is going to be tough & revealing, but the way you get to bear the image of God & the church in that way is so much more beautiful & honorable, who cares if its tough. I'll let you know more after I become a pro... First marriage counseling session Wednesday! I don't know if Chris & Cary know what they got themselves in to ;)

Boutonnieres

Amber, Debbie & I made these last weekend. The musicians, greeters & ushers will wear these at the wedding. They are rather creative if I do say so myself. I wanted to do something that was different & inexpensive. Let me know what you think!

Mother Knows Best

I'm learning a lot about my mom through all this wedding planning & I'm pretty sure she's realizing a lot of things about me too. A lot has changed since 1977 when she got married & our styles are really different. There have not been any Bridezilla moments in the Lee house, but there have been a few points of apprehension. While every girl dreams about her wedding, I am fairly confident that every girl's mother dreams much more. Like I mentioned before, I am not a detailed girl. My artsy friends call me "earthy" & simple. I take this as a compliment ;) Needless to say, there are a few decisions in which one or both parties has to "choose their battles". My mom won this one.

I was talking with a friend of mine who's also getting married soon this weekend. We were laughing about all the silly things that we want in our weddings, & all the things our moms want. There was one detail that stood out. It appears that this tradition is a must have amongst our mothers...matchbooks. I'm not going to lie, Danny & I didn't even know what matchbooks were when my mom started talking them up & getting all excited. Here is a picture for those of you who may also be ill-advised. Ladies, remember when you wed a reception is not complete without your tiny names printed on a book of matches. I was surprised at how nice they actually looked. And I told my friend Laura I would definitely be picking up a "Laura & Jon" matchbook for my future kitchen ;)

Great Minds Look Alike...

I got to bring home my wedding dress today! That's right laides, I already have it. I actually bought it 3 days after we got engaged. It was a lot of fun thanks to my very dear sister, Laura. When we walked into to this small store in Cartersville we just looked at each other thinking, there's no way we'll find anything here. We were so wrong, it was so much fun thanks to the store owner, Beverly. She is a sweet, southern woman who really just wanted to help us. I only tried on three before I found my dress. Laura is my lifeline, sanity and true confidant. All this wedding stuff really drives me nuts sometimes. I'm not really into fluff or details, but a lot of people are. When Laura and I were left alone for barely 2 seconds she said "Psttt! Go all out - get the dress!" You need someone who really gets you in moments like these. If this were a Dave & Busters commerical Laura would probably be "my fun". Thanks to her I have a beautiful dress that I'm totally comfortable in. I just couldn't reconcile in my mind that it could be that easy. Well, when you have a friend and sister like her, maybe things like this just are.

One thing that a I totally confident of is that the Lord is really bringing all the details of this wedding together. Its insane how all the pieces are coming together so quickly and easily. I was so heart broken when I thought Danny & I wouldn't be able to find a date for the wedding until much later and I prayed before going to sleep "God, we believe this is what you want. We believe that only You have brought us together and want us to labor together. We don't need 5 days to choose from, we only need one. Provide the one you want..." And He did! And He's been doing that with EVERYTHING ever since. Wow, a God that not only ordains and creates, but also cares about the details!

Flower "Princess"

My niece is really in to the Princess thing right now. She's 3 so when I wanted to ask her to be a part of our wedding I thought it might make more sense to her if I asked her if she wanted to be a flower princess - you should have seen her face! Haha, hopefully you get the idea when you see this picture. Adelaide's understanding of a wedding was throughly explained to me this summer. While hanging out with her one afternoon we watched Cinderella. Everyone knows that every Princess movie ends with a wedding and happily ever after. What you may not know, however, is that the dancing at the end of the movie is the most crucial and binding part of the wedding. According to Adelaide dancing = married. Being able to be around my older sister & her family a lot more has made being at home for a little while worth it.

Trinity

Firstly, I'm realizing how hard it is to actually keep up with this. It has been a week since my last post. Hope you girls aren't just dying in expectation! ;) Here are the flowers that the honorary bridesmaides will carry. Simple, but bright.

Its hard to write when I feel like nothing profound is coming out of my words. So instead I'll just share some words that have really encouraged me. This is the song we are going to use in our wedding. I love it, not only because Jennifer Knapp has a beautiful voice, but also because the lyrics just span the complete Gospel.

"Trinity"

You in the mirror staring back at me

Oh conscience let me be

To the pure, all things are pure

To those who're defiled, unbeliving, nothing is pure

Their minds, their conscience defiled

The profess to know God

But deceive Him by deeds all the while

Where do I stand

On the rock or in the sand?

Oh, Holy Spirit won't you help me understand?

Holy Spirit, won't You say a prayer for me?

With your groanings,

My mind, my conscience defiled

Send the blood of the lamb don't leave me in exile

What was that promise on the cross of Calvary?

Confess the Lord & the truth shall set you free

Create in me a clean heart, Oh God

Renew a steadfast spirit within me

To my prayers you've always given heed

Blessed be thy God

Who never turned away from me

Hid his face from all my sin, forgot

Forgot my iniquity

(Go on and)

Raise your hands sing praises to the Lord

He is the King and He'll reign forevermore

He died on the cross at Calvary

He died to save a wretch like me...

Just Dance

We FINALLY booked a place for the reception. I know what you're thinking, "finally? It's only been 19 days" Even still, this was one of the biggest stressors because there are so many things you have to think for - space, food, budget, seating, music, dancing. Here it is. Its called the Lodge & we are so excited. Its pretty simple with lots of wood an stone details like something you'd find in the mountains, 2 floors with 2 porches, upstairs and down. Now comes all the detail work of decorating-not my forte, any suggestions? Note the large space to the right, that's right, room for dancing. Who cares if its 3 o'clock in the afternoon, just dance!

Too much hospitality?

There is a certain restuarant here that a friend and I are considering foregoing all together. No, its not the food or the prices that will be driving us away. Some may say that there is no such thing as too much hospitality, especially here in the South, I now beg to differ. Is it too much to ask not to be interupted at a fast food restaurant by an over-sized, over-friendly, t-shirt wearing farm animal? In attempt to avoid this awkward scene again we opted for the drive thru today when out of nowhere the back door opens up and I kid you not, our new friend was headed towards our car waving like an unwelcomed twice removed aunt at Christmas. Looks like we will be finding a new place to chat over lunch. I never want to shake another hoof again...

Something not blue?

A lot of people give you advice on weddings. The lady who sold me my wedding dress said to make sure that the colors I picked for the wedding were colors I really liked because you will quote "be surrounded by them!"[insert sweet, sassy, southern accent]. She knows her wedding stuff. So as it turns out EVERYTHING is in fact blue. Danny & I registered at Bed Bath & Beyond today & also went by Men's Wearhouse to pick out all the tux accessories. Blue. Blue plates, blue bowls, blue mixer, blue pillows, blue towels, blue blankets, blue shower curtian, blue bridesmaid dresses, blue vests, I just realized that some of the thank you gifts I bought are blue (oops)... I'm learning a lot of things about myself in this process. One, I don't like or pay much attention to many details. Two, apparently I really love blue.

Save the Date!

We printed our Save the Dates today! They look awesome. Emily came up with the design thanks to her mad Graphic Design skills. My mom picked out the colored evelopes, which was a nice touch. And she found the stamp at my request for something vintage looking. Can you believe it only cost $12 to get them printed?

I'm trying hard to trust that everything will fall into place at the right time. But it's like my dad has always said-the Lord is never early, but He's never late. That is so hard when we live in such a plan and control lifestyle. I know one day soon I will look back and say "Why didn't I just trust God, why didn't I just wait on Him to move?" Its a daily surrender even in the mundane or seemingly small things. I think I just need to start planning ahead that I'm not going to know when its all going to happen (or how), but to God's glory He will bring what we need to praise His name. Amen

Promise Figurine

I'm not feeling very literary tonight, but wanted to show you girls this. We just bought a figurine similar to this as our wedding cake topper. I tried to find one of those old school bride and grooms you see in movies like "Runaway Bride", but they don't make them like that anymore! You know I like the antique looking stuff so I thought this was a good second. Its a Willow Tree carving so it looks really earthy :) I'm really looking forward to our weekend of the staff training seminary class and the farm-a break from wedding and support details!

P.S. I think you'll laugh at our idea for a groom's cake...donuts

"The flower girls are drunk again!" Viola Fields

Did you know that the average cost of a wedding these days is $20,000? Are you kidding me! Its so insane. Everywhere you go someone is trying to convince you that you have to have this, or you just won't make it with out that. Whatever happened to a small party to celebrate the joining of two lives? Right now I totally understand why people elope. The wedding is really more about your friends and family than about you anway. That's why you stay up til 3am looking at venues, cakes and flowers, so that your friends (and even more importantly your family) will have a memorable day. Its honesly quite exhausting. If you think you know what you want or what you like, don't worry there will be 3 women at your side immediately to give you 5 reasons for why you in fact do NOT like this type of fabric or can NOT wear this type of shoe. I'm so glad I could be corrected before making the devastating mistake of wearing chiffon instead of taffeta...

Recalculating...

My friend Anna and I were talking this morning about God's big picture. We both have been living at home again for a little while (not necessarily as a first choice, even though we love our families). When I first got home in June I was counting and planning on only being here for a couple of months. I spent the first 3 months literally crying everyday because of disappointment, lack of control, and lack of trust. This was quite an accomplishment for me might I add.

We started taking Anna's dog, Rileigh, to the Mountain 2 or 3 days a week. Just for some sanity and some sort of rountine. We're girls so we usually spend the entire 1 1/2 up and back talking. Its been so cool this week to look back and think of all the things we were both anxious, fearful and complaining about even 4 months ago. God has been so faithful to us both. There are things I would never have learned if God had just give me what I wanted from the begining. Everyone always says that, but I'm really seeing how His plan is not only bigger, but truely better. It's easy to think "Oh, I can be joyful once I get my full support and get back to Southern" or "Everything would be a lot easier if Danny and I just got married". But, even when these things do happen we find there is always something else unatainable or just out of reach. That is when we forget to put our hope in God and put our hope in the things God can give. I'm learning and see how attentive God is to the details. Not only does He see them, He created, ordained and somehow works them all together for our good and His glory. This is truly amazing.

I never believed anyone when they said a wedding was hard to plan or that there were SO many details (if you are shaking your head you don't know what you're talking about either). Its so insane. Its fun, but so easy to get overwhelmed because you've got to micromanage and think for A TON of people. We've got a lot of the big things worked out already, but the last one is pretty huge-the reception. It may sound funny, but I'm really fighting and reminding myself to trust the Lord. He is the one who has brought me and Danny together, I fully believe that. And He is the one who has already made so many impossible things possible. As I remind myself that I don't have to have it all together, but just take one step in the direction of the Lord at the time, I want to say the Lord will bring just what we need and no less. Can't wait to see what He provides. A wedding is joyful and exciting and it is meant to mirror the church and Christ, why wouldn't He want it to be a glorious celebration?!

I Get By With a Little Help From My Friends

Well, after the third suggestion to do something like this, I finally thought I would give it a try. In less than four months a lot will be changing & there are a few girls I want to be a part of this with me. My life has been turned upside down ever since graduation. It has been a roller coaster with unexpected (often unwanted), and exciting twists & turns. A few close friends I thought I would be reunited with in only a matter of months have had to go on with out me. Life doesn't stop just because you think you've coming to a stopping point. The purpose of this blog is to fill them in on all the details of what is going on, from the day to day to the big stuff. From finishing up support raising, planning a wedding & moving again , I feel like there are things I want them to see & know. Its not going to be easy, and some of it will be sad, but that doesn't mean it isn't WORTH IT! I can't wait to see & show you what God is doing & is going to do!