Wedding Recap, Part 2: The Rehearsal Dinner

I was quiet on the ride to the church. I managed some smiles and a couple of laughs and tried to feel as excited and happy as Becca looked, but inside I was experiencing butterflies. They were sure to turn into alligators before too long.

We arrived and talked to my parents for awhile. Then I saw Josh in the hallway. That was nice. He asked me how I was and I said, "Great!" He saw right through me (he's just like a big brother) and said, "Really?" in a very skeptical tone. =) But, I was determined to just be "cool" and said, "yeah, I'm fine." (Liar that I am!)

I really love this picture of Becca

Michael and Zeke

my 7 younger siblings!

We rehearsed and rehearsed again. I was told to walk slower, 'enjoy the moment', they kept telling me. I just wanted to sit down with Thomas and talk and not worry about weddings. But I kept a nice smile on my face. =) Thankfully people were constantly laughing and cracking jokes, so it wasn't too hard.

Becca and Thomas =)

Becca and her dad

After all the rehearsing was done, we headed to the fellowship hall to eat. Papa made frog-more stew or low-country boil or whatever you want to call it and it smelled really good. I took Zeke from whoever had him at the moment and just held him. He made me feel better. 

Starting at the head of the table: Jamie, me and Zeke, Mom, Thomas, Becca, Meagan and Josh. Jessie was on the other side of Josh, but you can't really see her! =)

Everyone!

After everyone had eaten and eaten and eaten, we got down to business. There was a slideshow that Thomas had masterfully created and it was amazing. It showed pictures of Thomas growing up, to "I Am Still Running" by Jon Foreman; then pictures of Becca growing up, to "The Past and Pending" by The Shins. Then there were pictures of them together, to "Part One" by Band of Horses. The slideshow was perfect. I loved it. 

After that, Michael stood up and said that Josh, me, Meagan and himself were going to give speeches and that after we were done, if anyone wanted to say anything about Thomas or Becca, they were welcome to. So Josh stood up and gave his amazing speech.

Josh

Becca's face during Josh's speech

His speech was really good and so nice. He and Thomas have been best friends for quite a while, and it made me happy that Thomas has such a good friend. =) 

Then...Josh was done and it was my turn. I was feeling nervous and when I get nervous, I usually do one of three things: say "um" a lot, use my hands excessively while talking, or cry. That night, I did all three. 

See the hand in action??

I started out by telling a story about the first time Becca ever came to our house. It was funny and got everyone laughing, which was kind of my point, and then I figured I had to get serious. So I did. Big mistake. 

I thanked Thomas and Becca for the great example they had set over their relationship. They really showed us what a relationship looks like when it's all played out. I said that when I get into a relationship I want my guy to love me as much as Thomas loves Becca. And I said that I wanted to respect and worship my guy just like Becca does Thomas. I thanked her for being that girl for him. 

I love this picture so much! =)

Then...I said that I felt like I should say some stuff to Thomas. I said that Josh may have said that Thomas was his best friend but that was not true, because Thomas is my best friend. 

I thanked Thomas for just a few things. For memories that we share. For the times we went squirrel hunting, for all the music he's given me...just for being my best friend. I cried, but it was okay. I really hate crying in front of people, but for that moment, I was talking to Thomas and it didn't matter what other people were thinking. 

I finally finished and then this happened. Possibly my favorite picture from the whole weekend:

me and my best friend =)

After giving Becca a hug, I sat down. Josh said I did a good job, and in the middle of wiping away the tears, I think I said thanks. Oh well. Meagan was up next!

Sweet Meagan

She cried too, which made me feel somewhat better about myself. Her speech was really sweet, and she said some really amazing things about Becca, all of which were true. I loved her speech and it made me cry!

After Meagan finished, Michael stood up. Now, Michael had just gotten back from Alabama, literally seconds before the rehearsal started, and had to have had at least 6 Mountain Dews that day. Basically bouncing off the walls. =) 

He said his goal had been to make Becca laugh and Thomas cry, since everyone else had done the opposite, but since he was so sleepy, he changed his mind. Instead he made us laugh. =)

3 of Thomas' former roommates: Grant in the green, Fred in the bright plaid, and Ricky in the Bob Dylan shirt =)

Michael

His speech was really good. He talked to both Thomas and Becca, and gave them both really good advice. I can't remember exactly what he said...but it was meaningful. =) He is a really good speaker and I love hearing him talk. 

After his speech he played a song that Thomas wrote and recorded. I was so glad he did, and yet, it made me cry. But everything was making me cry...so that isn't surprising. Everyone applauded Thomas' song, and then Michael said that he was done and that if anyone else wanted to speak, they were welcome to.Papa stood up and talked, and then Grant, who is in a picture up above. They both said nice things, and it was good. 

After that Grant closed up in prayer, and things got picked up and the groom was taken away with his friends to go bowling and do whatever guys do on the night before a wedding. =) I know they prayed for him before they let him go to bed.

We dropped Becca and Meagan off at Becca's house, and then headed home. 

When we got home, everyone pretty much went straight to bed. I wasn't sleepy though. So I sat up and read some and wrote in my journal. I picked up my cell phone at one point and it said: 12:36, September 15th. I momentarily freaked out. IT WAS THE WEDDING DAY!!!!!

more tomorrow...

Wedding Recap, Part 1: Thursday (ironing, Heather and Zeke) and Friday (day with the girls)

It's time to start our little wedding recap! Excited?? Okay, well let's get started!

Uncle Sam and Baby Zeke :)

Thursday, September 13th, was Sam's 11th birthday. Heather and Zeke came over and hung out with us for most of the day. Sweet mama and baby were so fun to be with as always.

Michael was in Alabama at a church conference, so I was planning to spend the night with Heather that night and then hang out with Becca and the other bridesmaids on Friday. 

But...on Thursday I had some stuff I had to do. So here's what Thursday looked like in pictures:

packing my bags

ironing. had to iron all the guy's shirts and ties

brownies. need I say anything else?

Sam's birthday cake :)

After we ate birthday cake and everyone was happy, Heather and I headed back to the apartment. Poor Zeke was not too happy about being in the car, and may or may not have cried the whole way home. But once we got to the apartment he was happy as a lark. Heather fed him and he got to "talk" to his daddy on the phone, and then went to sleep. 

Heather and I stayed up late talking, and laughing and just enjoying each other's company. It was so nice to be able to hangout with her for a while. Definitely doing that again soon!

Friday morning came! Hung out with this cute guy!

seriously? is he not adorable?? :)

After coffee and breakfast, Heather took me into Savannah and dropped me off at Becca's house. Thomas was there, along with Meagan (Becca's former roommate) and Lindsay (Becca's sister). Oh yeah, and Becca. =) They were all lounging, laughing at Thomas' jokes, and showering. In that order. After everyone had lounged, laughed and showered, Becca began preparing to ice her wedding cake. Thomas left to do his own thing and we moved to the dining room, where this happened:

yummy cake

the icing was amazingly good

Becca and Meagan ran to CVS really quickly, and Lindsay and I sat around and chatted.  After they got back, and everyone was ready, we headed to eat lunch. We went to the Green Truck Pub, and boy, was it ever delicious!! 

Lindsay, Meag and Becca walking towards Green Truck

Becca's dad, her brother, Scott, and Carson, Lindsay's husband were in Savannah doing some wedding deliveries, so they stopped by while we were enduring our 45 minute wait and talked to us for a while. Carson took this picture of us girls.

Becca, Lindsay, Meagan and me

After what seemed like an everlasting wait, we went inside and ordered. The food...yeah...it was amazing!! =) Their french fries were delicious. I'll definitely be visiting there again soon! 

We ate until we were stuffed, and then ate some more (cough, cough, Meagan and Jen). Then we loaded into the car and headed to paint pottery! It was so much fun! 

We walked in and stood around indecisively trying to pick out our pieces. Then we stood around some more. Finally, I picked a leaf dish, Becca picked a plate, Meag picked a little vase and Lindsay picked a cool (and practical) spoon rest! =) Then we picked out our colours. This is what I started out with:

Painting pottery was a good way to spend time together, because we didn't really feel pressured to talk, but when we did it wasn't awkward because we were working at the same time. It was fun and I enjoyed it a lot. Becca was a little out of it though; at one point, Lindsay and Meagan were discussing the time and Becca said, "oh yeah, we have some wedding thing to go to tonight, don't we?" Um, yeah, Becca, as in your rehearsal dinner!! =)

The girls hard at work

Becca and Meagan

Once all our pieces were finished,  we headed to the church to "help set  up tables" and get the fellowship hall ready for the rehearsal dinner. When we got there, Thomas was laying on the couch in the fellowship hall and everything was already set up and ready. He and Becca sat on the couch and talked while I took their picture. 

Since there wasn't much we could do there, we went back to Becca's house to prepare for the rehearsal dinner. 

That's when I started getting nervous, excited and a little sad. All day I had managed to not think about it, but then it all of a sudden hit me, "oh my gosh, we are getting ready for the rehearsal dinner. Thomas is getting married!!!" Yeah. But I got myself all ready and around 6ish, we headed back to the church. But you'll hear all about that tomorrow.

A Wedding

     On Saturday, September 15th, this happened.

My best friend, Thomas got married to my other best friend, Becca.

It was one of  the most beautiful weddings I have ever been to. It really captured Thomas and Becca and their love for each other.

                    There was a little bit of this:

A little bit of this:

And maybe a little bit of this:

I'm going to tell you about the whole thing, don't worry, but for now I'm trying to get back to reality (as I told Thomas) and do school and chores and all that life entails. So I'm taking the next few days off. 

I'll be back next week with the wedding recap! :) Until then, 
"as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, having been firmly rooted, and now being built up in Him and established in your faith, just as you were instructed, and overflowing with gratitude." (Colossians 2:6-7)

Preparing For Someday, Part 8: Proverbs 18:22

[Sorry this is SO late! I had to go to the doctor this morning, sinus infection, and then didn't get this finished til a little while ago. But here it is!]

Friends, we have reached the last post in our series on Preparing for Someday. (Sniff, sniff) I've thoroughly enjoyed writing it and hope you've been encouraged and challenged through something I've said. 

 Today we get to talk about being a good wife. Ready, set, go!

"He who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the Lord." (Proverbs 18:22)

I mentioned this verse at the end of yesterday's post. I like this verse a lot. There's another one a lot like it in Proverbs 19 that says this:

"House and wealth are an inheritance from fathers, but a prudent wife is from the Lord." (19:14)

Will you be a good thing for your future husband? 

I can hear you now saying that you can't really know if you will be until you are a wife, but trust me, you can know now. 

Let me ask you this, are you a good daughter? Are you a good sister? 

Being a daughter and sister is a training ground for marriage and wifehood. (Is wifehood a word??)The way you treat your dad and brothers is how you will eventually treat your husband.

If you don't have older brothers, you're missing out. Big brothers are, in my opinion, the best training ground for marriage. If you can live with your older brothers and you all come out of it alive, you're doing okay. And if you come out of it and you all love and worship each other then you're definitely on the right track.

You may be wondering exactly how my brothers have helped prepare me for marriage. Well here's a few examples.

I've learned that I have to be the one to serve. Even though I tend to want other people to serve me, Michael has taught me that I need to be the one volunteering to give something of myself to others. I'm the one who needs to stand up and clear the table, I'm the one who needs to take his glass and fill it with sweet tea, I'm the one who needs to serve.

But...Michael has also taught me that it's okay to let a guy serve me. I don't always have to be the one to serve. If a guy wants to do something for you, let him!

Thomas has taught me that I need to be the one to apologize first. Whenever Thomas and I ever got in a fight, he would always be the first to apologize. Always, every single time. Even if the fight was my fault, he would be the one to apologize. You know why? Because I was proud, and would never say I was sorry. Thomas wasn't. I'm working on that right now. Letting go of your pride isn't easy, that's for sure.

Dad has taught me that serving is great, but it's only great if you do it with a happy heart. And I'm given plenty of opportunities to serve! I tease Daddy and ask him what he's gonna do when I move out! :) But you don't just have to serve your dad and brothers, serve other guys, too.

"An excellent wife, who can find? For her worth is far above jewels.

The heart of her husband trusts in her, and he will have no lack of gain.

She does him good and not evil all the days of her life.

Her children rise up and bless her; her husband also, and he praises her, saying: Many daughters have done nobly, but you excel them all." (Proverbs 31: 10-12, 28-29)

When I get married, I want those verses to be true of me. I want my husband to trust me; I want to do him good and not evil, all the days of my life which means RIGHT NOW.

Girls, if you want to be a good wife to your husband when you get married, you have to start right now. In order to do that, work on the things that I talked about in this post.

  

You can do your man good right now!  Why wait until you're married?

Being a good wife is not easy. I'm not saying that it's all peaches and cream. But think about it, if you work hard on it now, won't it be easier when you really are one? Isn't it easier if you  study and prepare for a test? Aren't you more likely to pass if you do study and prepare??

So start preparing for the test. Work on your homemaking skills. Love God and desire Him more than anyone or anything else. Build relationships with your family and surround yourself with people that you love and trust to help you on your journey. "Get wisdom! Get understanding!" (Proverbs 4:5) Guard your heart. Keep your standards high.

If you do those things, then you'll be on the path to becoming an excellent wife. That is a high calling, and one that I hope to reach someday. Will you join me?

 

Preparing For Someday, Part 8: Postponed

Hello everyone!

Sorry to disappoint, but due to some circumstances here, I didn't get my post finished last night or this morning like I planned. 

Mom had to go visit one of our dear friends who had a baby last night, and has been gone all day, so I've been head kid-wrangler. Sounds like fun, right? :)

So...hopefully I'll be back tomorrow with Part 8:Proverbs 18:22. Until then, you go read that passage, and also Proverbs 19:14 and Proverbs 31:10-31.


Have a lovely Thursday, friends.

Preparing For Someday, Part 7:What Is He Looking For?

"I'm not thinking about marriage now, but if I were, the first thing would be, 'is she a genuine Christian?'

So, I would question her and ask her friends and family about her lifestyle. If she is a genuine Christian then it would be time to look for good personality traits. 

What I would look for would be mainly honesty. Not just in what she says, but in what she does. I also would look for self respect. I would also like it when a girl is not afraid to speak her mind about how she feels and what she wants. On the other hand, I like shy also, so it's a combination of being shy, but knowing when you need to say something. 

Also, I would see how submissive she is, and whether she would let me be a man and not try to wear the pants in the house. And how attractive she is lol. It doesn't matter how you look; it's the heart that matters. Bonuses would be that we have a lot in common; beauty on the outside and inside; we would like a lot of the same music; plays piano; sings; a technology freak; and likes to stay in shape."

A friend of mine wrote the list above about what he wants in the girl that he will eventually marry. Pretty interesting, huh? Not your typical, "I want to marry a pretty girl who's a good cook."

There's nothing wrong with being pretty or a good cook. Those things are important, too. God is more important, though. Your relationship with Him is more important than what you look like, what kind of meals you make and what kind of housekeeper you are.

Today we want to talk about how to be the kind of girl that a good guy would want to marry. First we'll talk about practical things, then spiritual ones.

1)Can you cook? I'm not talking about frozen pizza, or Ramen noodles, or things like that. I'm talkin' full meals. Steak, mashed potatoes, gravy, green beans?? Could you cook any of those things?

Who would want to marry a girl that can't cook? I've heard of that happening. Poor guys. That's all I can say. Poor, poor guys.

Girls, if you plan to get married, learn to cook. Please! You'll be glad you did. I'm learning right along with you. I know how to make a couple of meals right now, although I usually go back to the same two: tacos (or nachos) or fried chicken. :) But chicken is my favorite food ever, and tacos are super easy, so that's why.

2)Can you add, subtract, multiply and divide? (Negative,here). One time Mom set me loose in Wal-Mart and said, "Okay, go get these groceries, and I want you to keep a running total. When we get up to the front, I want you to know about how much we're going to be spending." I did, and my total was only 2 dollars over what we ended up paying. I rounded up to the 50th cent on every dollar we spent.

Simple math is important. As much as I hate math, I have to admit that I will always use it. Whether I'm paying bills, buying groceries, teaching my kids...I'll always use it.

3)Can you run a home? This encompasses more than you might think. Last month my younger brother was in the hospital for 5 days, and Mom was with him for the most part. I was in charge of the house. I had a little help from Daddy and my brothers who got the kitchen all cleaned while I was gone one morning.

I was in charge of the cooking, the cleaning, the laundry, the kids...whew...when Mom and Jamie got home, I was so relieved. :) The day after they got home, I slept until 10:30! I was worn out.

But when she got home, [most of] the laundry was clean, the refrigerator was cleaned out, the counters were clean, and the kids were clean. It wasn't easy, but it gave me a good look at what running a house looks like. And it honestly freaked me out a little. It was hard! There were moments when I just wanted to sit down and cry. But that's reality. So work on your housekeeping skills.

So those are some practical things that a guy should look for in a girl that he is thinking about marrying. 

Some spiritual things are:

1)What does her relationship with God look like? Is it evident that she loves Him? How far would she be willing to go to serve Him? 

I think about that one a lot. What if I marry someone who is called to the mission field? What if I end up marrying a pastor? My life could be radically changed. How would I react to that? 

For me, I'm working on not getting too attached to one thing. One house, one town, one city, one state, one boy, one car...that kind of thing. Attachment will only make things harder in the long run.

2)Can you forgive and forget? 

This is a pride issue for me. I don't forgive easily. And it's so hard for me to ask for forgiveness. But this is huge in a marriage.  

When Thomas and Becca got married on Saturday, I absolutely loved something she said in her vows to him. She said, quite simply, "Sometimes I'll be no good." Wow. It hit me right between the eyes. She totally understands that there are going to be times when she has to beg his forgiveness and will let him down. 

A friend of ours sent Becca a wedding card, and in it said that the best marriage advice she could give is to never go to bed angry. It's an interesting thing to think about. 

If you want to marry someone who will forgive you when you wrong them, then why wouldn't they want to marry someone who would do the same for them?

3)Can you be a helper? After all, that is why God originally created women, was to help men. That means you help him in every thing he does. You support him in his work, you support him when he is about to do something absolutely crazy and you think he's out of his mind, you support him when he decides to pack up your bags and move to North Africa...no matter what, you help him in any way you can and support him in every decision he makes.

Other:

What kind of mother will you make? This may seem like an odd question. But think about it...do you love kids? Okay, so you love kids. Would you want to be around several of them 24/7? A little hesitation there, maybe? 

Personally I cannot wait to have my own kids! I told Becca and Caroline one time that I thought I wanted to have kids even more than I wanted to get married. They both kind of laughed and said that I needed to get married first, haha. :) I think that raising kids is a woman's most rewarding task.

But...it is a task. It's hard work. Just as my mama. She has been pregnant with, in labor with, delivered, and has raised 10 kids. (Her youngest is 5). She'll tell you that it ain't easy. But is it worth it? Absolutely. "I have no greater joy than to hear of my children walking in the truth," said John. And they weren't even his real biological children! 

If you are easily irritated and impatient, then chances are your kids will rub you the wrong way. So work on that now. If you have younger siblings, its the perfect opportunity to perfect some mommy skills. Trust me, I know. :)


With Thomas and Becca just getting married, I have marriage, weddings and relationships on the brain I guess. But as I was thinking about it this morning, I was wondering: am I really the kind of girl that will attract the kind of guy I want to marry? 

Are you?
 
Are we worthy of the kinds of guys we want to marry? Will we do them good and not evil, all the days of our lives?

Girls, if you want to marry a superstar, someone who will be your hero and best friend, please be worthy of someone like that. Be worthy of his love and affection.

My brothers are well-know for their protectiveness. They swear they're gonna kill the guy that wants to marry me. But Mom said one time, "If the guy that wants to marry Jennifer can put up with everything her brothers are ready to dish out, he'll be worthy."

That sounds like I'm a perfect person and am worthy of a prince. But really that only makes me realize how unworthy I am of even my brothers' love. I don't deserve their love anymore than I will deserve the love of the guy who marries me. 

I'm working hard on becoming that girl though. I'm perfecting my homemaking skills (including overcoming my hatred for washing dishes and doing laundry), I'm working on loving my siblings no matter what we're going through, I'm working on forgiving, and asking for forgiveness. I'm learning to love unconditionally. I'm trying to learn what is pleasing to the Lord and asking Him to prepare me to follow my man around the world if necessary. 

When I get married, I want this verse to be true of me:

"He who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the Lord." 

But more on that verse tomorrow... :)