Some wedding...

I know it is long overdue! So without further adue, here are some of my favorites from our wedding.

I think that this is one of my favorite pictures. Besides the fact that my hand looks so pretty and feminine (which they aren't!), I love the reminder of the rings. The forever symbol of a never-ending circle reminds me of the commitment that has been made between Brian and I. Not that it is always easy or that the fun never ends, but a commitment that no matter what comes our way we handle it together.

 Most of my family was able to come down and stay the weekend for the wedding. It was great to have all of them there.

This is one of my favorite pictures with me and my mom...showing our silly side, which is our best side!   

Brian's father died when Brian was 16. He was a major part of Brian's life and we wanted to honor him and his love for Brian. So here's how we did it...

My childhood friends and sisters!

 Life is amazing, and so unpredictable sometimes.

What God has in-store for His children, no one can imagine or fathom. He gives immense blessings, even though we don't deserve them. It has made me pause so many times. Brian and I both really, can't believe that we are here. We constantly say to ourselves, "Did you ever think three months ago that we would be here? Married?" LOL God has very strange ways of working in and through our lives.

Wedding Shower - Bethel Style

This is my closest family that isn't related to me at all. They are my church family. These ladies have watched me grow up from elementary school to now my wedding shower. They have been encouragers, prayer warriors, mothers, and friends to me throughout life's trials and blessings. I love them all dearly and was so blessed to be able to share a day with them.

This was my cake...so cute I thought!

We ate snacks, talked, played a few "shower" games...

...and I opened presents.

 Thank you to everyone who added to Brian and I's household! We are truely blessed to have so many that want to help us in our new lives together!

The shower was put together by two ladies that I look to for guidance and as examples of what Godly women should be, Dawn Kingston and Ellen Turner. Both have had a huge influence on my life, more than they will ever know. I love you both and hope that I will have the same impact on the next generation that you have had on me. Thank you! 



"my" ring

As I wrote to you when I first got engaged, Brian wanted to use the engagement ring that his father gave his mother. Momma Vickie was kind enough to allow us this pleasure. This week I was able to get it sized and it fits perfectly.

As I wear it on my finger, there is one thought that I continuously utter in prayers to my Heavenly Father...to add to my life the character traits of my mother-in-law. She is an amazing woman, who was continuously faithful to her wedding vows. Her patience and strength in the face of many great trials throughout life is an example that I want to learn from and follow. She would rather be behind the scene working than have even the smallest spot light on her. (She would hate me writing about her this way)
I pray that the Lord will use her in my life to mold me into the woman that her son needs and the person that the Lord wants me to be.

Wedding Cake

Yesterday, I went to Harps in Little Rock to order my wedding cake. I had expected to walk and look through some books and then tell them what I wanted. I was pleasantly surprised when the worker picked up the books and led me to a table. She sat me down and told me to begin looking while she got me some cake to taste. I was thinking...a small piece of cake or two...not even close.

Out she walks with this tray!










There were five kinds of cake and three kinds of icing to mix and match.

So I am sitting there looking through three-ring binders full of pictures of wedding cakes now eating this glorious cake and thoroghly enjoying myself, when I thought...poor Brian should be involved in the process of picking what will be his wedding cake too. (Yet another thing I love about him...he is actually interested in wedding plans and quite helpful with all the details!) So I text him a couple of pictures of different designs, so that he can help me with this decision. Of course, I can't help but torture him with a picture of all the cake that I am getting to try, not sure he appreciated that much (good thing he has a sense of humor!).

This is the one that we both liked. We changed up the details and colors a little, but you will have to wait until the wedding pictures are done to see all of those.

Drawn to love...

Over the last four days, so many people have offered congratulations and blessings on Brian and I getting engaged. People I haven't talked to in years have texted, called, or emailed to tell us how happy they are for us. They all want to hear our story...how we met, why we love each other, how Brian proposed, when is the wedding. Love is one of our greatest needs as a human being. We crave it to the point that even if it is someone else's love story we want to hear it. Movies, songs, bill boards, and just about any other media of today can make a buck "selling" love. We all want to be love. We feel the pull of our heart, yearning for someone to take all of us and love every part. Forgiving our faults and encouraging our passions, we want a person to see the real person we are and still choose to love us.
God is that love. He takes the broken pieces of our past and makes us whole in his Son, Jesus. We all look for love in so many places, when it is sitting at our hearts door knocking consistantly to come in. Jesus is waiting for us to surrender ourselves to Him and His will so that He can change our story into the greatest love story ever told. Will you open your heart to love?

Plans Plans Plans

I feel like over the last three days (I still can't believe it has only been three days...feels like three weeks) since we have gotten engaged. We have made some decisions and still have many more to go. For now though, here is the plan...

November 5th : We will have our wedding. It is going to be in Little Rock and be a very small family event.

Now nobody panic!!!!! We are having a reception in Missouri after we are married to celebrate with all of our friends and family up here. We have a date picked, but I have to check with the church. So more to come on that!

My love

So last night was not the night I thought would change my life forever...I was simply spending time with the man I love and the next thing I knew I was engaged.
I love the way that Brian knows me so well. His proposal was sweet and totally...me! He knows how much I value family and the memories that are held within them, so he gave me one of his Aunt Dawn's ring (who is really my second momma). He is using this ring to hold the place of another special ring, his mother's. My heart melts a little each time I think about how much it will mean to wear a ring worn by such an incredible woman. She is a lady that I greatly admire and would love to be like in so many ways.
Brian and I are in the early planning stages of this new chapter, but we know that our engagement will be a short one. Brian is very busy about the Lord's work in Conway, Arkansas and I can't wait to join him in it.
When we know more details, I will let you all know. Thanks for all the prayers and support.

My new stage....

Ok so I have blogged about a lot of things over the past few years....medical issues, family fun, crazy military happenings, and more. That I know of I have ever blogged about my love life, but that's about to change.

I have been talking with Brian Kingston for about two months and we have been a couple for around three weeks. He lives in Conway, AR, which is about seven hours from St. Clair. Needless to say we don't get to see each other often, but have both found ourselves on the road a little more these days. We are discovering how amazing God is when you wait on his plan for your life and let him write your love story. I couldn't have imagined a sweeter story or a better timed plan. He has truly blessed us in this relationship and we are trusting him to lead us as this relationship grows.

We are enjoying getting to know each other over the phone (good thing we both have nation wide!), but have recently been able to spend some time together with his family one weekend and then this past weekend on a church float trip.

I think the thing I find most fun is comparing Brian to my dad...shhh...don't tell him I do that! No really, they are so similiar it is funny. My sister, Meagan, took this picture of us standing down watching some kids play in the river. What the picture doesn't capture is Brian using the kids to illustrate a Biblical point to me...a quality I adore! Even when we are just relaxing and chilling, he is teaching and guiding me, helping me grow in my Christian walk.

Now we are not always being spiritual...don't get it wrong. Pretty sure that Brian is making fun of my fire building skills here. (LOL, just kidding...but I had to dig and twist somewhere or yall wouldn't know it was me.) We had a great weekend, but it ended way too soon.

Brian is pastoring a home church that meets at his house in Conway, so he had to make it back for service on Sunday. Though the weekend was short, the memories are priceless and we are just getting started.