Megan is married!

My beautiful cousin, Megan, got married this weekend. I couldn't help but flash back to some memories I have had with her. We were best friends since we were babies. We enjoyed singing together in front of our family. I think we were trying to outdo each other in the following video:


http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1753496642736&set=a.1375814360915.2050932.1398510094&type=1&theater


Even though our families were often together and we were expected to hang out together, we actually enjoyed being together. We shared secrets together, stayed up at all hours of the night together, got scared together, talked about boys together, and laughed (a lot) together. 


I have missed her so much over the past few years, being at different colleges and in different states. But her friendship is still as special as ever to me. I cherish the times that we do have together. One of those times was this past weekend.


It started off with her bachelorette/lingerie shower. I was in charge of games. We played "How Well do you Know the Bride?" The ladies were split up into four teams and had to answer 20 questions about Megan. It came down to a tie between two teams, so we had to have a bonus question. In the end, the following team won: Alex, Morgan, Connie, Blair, and Tammy. 


We kept the same teams for our next game. Each group had to select a model and design a wedding dress for their model to wear. However, their only supplies were a roll of toilet paper and some tape. I was very surprised at the quality of the dresses. I will be posting pictures in my next blog (when Chris gets home with his computer for me to load the pictures on). The winning team for this game was Sandra, Emily, Pam, Brooke, and Christie. 


We ended the night by enjoying some food, Megan opening her presents, and all the guests writing down some advice for Megan and Josh. It was such an enjoyable time! 


The next day was rehearsal day. Again, I wish I had my pictures to upload now. Megan was absolutely beautiful! We did the obvious rehearsing of the wedding. We enjoyed some chicken and barbecue from Smithfield's in the fellowship hall at Catawba Springs Christian Church. It was a great time of fellowship with family and celebrating Megan and Josh. Then, we went back to Megan's house. We painted nails, got our wonderful gifts from Megan, and watched most of Cinderella. 


The next morning, we arrived at Megan's house at 9:00 AM to get our makeup and hair ready. We then made our way (a little bit late) to the Rand Bryan House to get our dresses on and get pictures. It was such a special moment watching Aunt Christie and Morgan help Megan get into her dress. It is a wonder that I didn't cry; I was on the verge. 


Megan and Josh got pictures together before the wedding, so we got to see Josh get his first glimpse of Megan. As I watched beautiful Megan walk out to Josh, I shed my share of tears seeing my Uncle Johnny tear up. It was such an emotional and special moment. 


After pictures, we just waited until 2:00 for the ceremony to start. It brought back some memories of about a month ago, when I married my best friend. When the moment arrived, it seemed so surreal. The ceremony and the reception were both beautiful. (I know that I have overused the word "beautiful", but that word so accurately describes the whole day.) As Megan and Josh left the reception, I thought back to times when we talked about boys and getting married. We both always talked about the day, but we never thought it would arrive. Now that day has finally arrived for both of us, and so close together too! We are so blessed to have found men that want to serve the Lord and that we can spend the rest of our lives with. I am so happy for Megan and Josh, and I hope that we can find a time to go to the beach together and go on double dates. I will always be thankful for Megan's sweet spirit and her desire to be a God-honoring woman. 


Like I said, pictures will be in my next post (which will be either today or tomorrow, I hope). 

Wanting to Make a Difference

So often, I get comfortable with my daily routine and forget to look at the needs of those around me. However, this is exactly the opposite of what I should be doing as a follower of Christ. I should be actively seeking opportunities to show others the love of God. 

Our world is SOOOO corrupted with sin, and I should have a desire to reach out to the most sinful of them all! I cannot say that this is always true in my life, but I do want to make a better effort to make a difference in the lives of those I come across. 

There are the obvious people that I can reach out to- my students this coming year and my volleyball players. 

BUT...

I want to go out and make a difference. So, I am looking for suggestions from you. What are some things that I can do to reach out to people? I am brainstorming myself, and I already have a few ideas. But... I want input from others as well :) 

I'm Back :)

I have really been enjoying the blogs that I have been reading lately, so I thought that it might be a good idea to try and start blogging again. It has been a while for me! Even when I was "blogging", my posts were few and far between. I hope that I can be a more committed blogger this go around.


Things in my world have been crazy and busy the past few months. I finished my Elementary Education degree at Piedmont Baptist College. Two weeks after graduation, I got married to the love of my life and best friend. Our honeymoon to Jamaica was absolutely awesome and relaxing. When we got back home, we were welcomed back to busy, busy, busy lives. 


Chris is the manager for Yolo Dessert Cafe (www.yolodessertcafe.com). Since the store just opened up about a month ago, Chris has spent a lot of time there. It is delicious, and I highly recommend you stopping by there if you are ever in the area. 


As for me, I am tutoring, babysitting, camp counseloring, and volleyball coaching. I am also preparing for the upcoming school year, in which I will be teaching part-time at Wake Christian Academy. The Lord opened up this unique opportunity for me to be sharing the classroom with a teacher, who is having to miss part of the year for education purposes. I am so excited to be working with her, and I know that I will learn a lot from her. I will also be coaching JV volleyball at the school, and I know that I will be learning a lot from that too! 


I want the main purpose of my blog to bring honor and praise to the Lord. I look to share things that He is teaching me. I will also share updates on life and things that I am learning through coaching/teaching.