God Answers Prayers

I find this so amazing and a little but funny. Yesterday, Holly (from work) and I were talking about wedding plans.  She told me she was going to make me a calendar of things I needed to do and when I needed to have it done. Then later on that afternoon, a parent asked me about my wedding plans!  Holly and I just both died out laughing because we had JUST talked about it not even an hour or so before!  I really started stressing about it because I knew I needed to get busy.  I started praying that God would give me the motivation to really get moving with the wedding stuff.  I was really just ready to say...lets just do the whole courthouse thing! (Deep down I really wouldn't want to do that) I wrote my blog this morning about the stressful wedding planning and all that stuff.  Little did I know that a few hours later I would get a phone call from Alexander's in Oxford with some MARVELOUS news.  I had won a prize package that included $1000.00 in free decorations (whatever I wanted), a free food item of my choice, and a free chocolate station (a $10.00 per person value!!).  All I had to do was book our reception with them!  So what do I do? Call them OF COURSE!  I set up an appointment for Tuesday at 2:30 and I am SOOOO looking forward to talking to Mike Alexander about our wedding!!! He is a one stop shop and we can get EVERYTHING from him if we want to-flowers, food, decorations, invitations, tuxedos, etc.  We don't have to use him for everything, but we will definitely talk to him about all that!  I called my mom to tell her and she said she had been praying about the wedding planning this morning, because she knew we needed to get busy!  All I can say is this was a GOD thing, a definite answer to our prayers!  Hopefully we will have a LOT of things checked off our list after next week!

If you are looking for someone for your wedding, check them out!

http://www.alexandersthegreatevents.com/

Alexander's The Great Events on Facebook

Thoughts for Today

I know I need to get busy on the whole wedding planning thing, but I have ABSOLUTELY no motivation for that.  I seriously just want to get married now.  This whole waiting bit is not cool at all.  After you have been together for 7+ years, you finally hit the point of just being ready.  I find it harder and harder each day to leave and go home at night.  I am exhausted during the day because I stay at his house until almost midnight every night.  I am just ready to not have to say "goodbye" anymore....just goodnight.  I know we shouldn't wish our life away or try to rush it, but I am just ready to be married to my best friend.

I have always envisioned my wedding and so excited to start planning it and everything....but now that it is here I am just kind of at a stand still.  I really don't want to even think about it. I think know its because I am going to have to  make a million decisions and that is the LAST thing I want to do.  And finding a wedding dress--OH MY GOSH.  I am NOT looking forward to that.  I know what style I want but I am so picky about clothes that I am so afraid I will never be able to pick one!

I have my bridesmaids gifts ordered, just got to put the finishing touches on them but I have plenty of time to do that!  We got our wedding bands too (had to use the Santa bucks from Kay before June 15th).  So 2 gorgeous rings are just chilling in the boxes right now.  I have a few more odds and ends bought, like the flower girl baskets, ring bearer pillow, guestbook and pen, unity candle, and a few other things.  I know what music I want and who I want to sing, but I need someone to sing "Marry Me" by Train.  2 of our sweet friends are going to sing and play guitar "God Gave Me You" during the ceremony.  I want the Prelude to be "Marry Me" by Train, but I really want someone to sing it and not just play a CD.  Gotta get all the sheet music for our pianist for the other songs.

Planning a wedding just seems so stressful!! I feel like I am never going to get everything done...mainly because I never work on anything!  Less than 8 months left!  I gotta get busy!  But honestly...I just want to be married like today.  Courthouse?? Mom would be so mad KILL me. Oh well...it will be here before you know it! I MUST GET BUSY!!!

ABC's of M.E.

I took this from a blog I have discovered and been reading: butlerpartyof2.com
It's just a fun little thing to do on this rainy day! 

A – Age: 25--Halfway to 50! 
B – Bed size: Double--working on that king though for when we get married!
C – Chore you hate: Vacuuming..booo!
D – Dog’s name: Bama
E – Essential start your day item: Potty! Gotta potty as soon as I wake up! haha!
F – Favorite color: Most definitely PINK!
G – Gold or Silver: Silver
H – Height: 5’3-1/2
I – Instruments you play: Don't play any!
J – Job title: Administrative Assistant at WEE Care Jacksonville (Soon to change hopefully....LOVE my job but I really need something that makes more money!)
K – Kid(s): No kids yet! Kip doesn't want to wait too long after we get married so maybe just a few more years.
L – Living arrangements: Still with the parents...in search of our future home though! 

M – Mom’s name: Lori

N – Nicknames: None really...Some friends used to call me McRae or LMac but not anymore. 

O – Overnight hospital stay other than birth: Never!

P – Pet Peeve: I hate being interrupted when I am talking...and when people complain all the time. 

Q – Quote from a movie: I don't have a favorite and cannot think of one off the top of my head!

R – Right or left handed: Righty
S – Siblings: Just a brother, Dylan. He is 10 1/2 years younger than I am. 
T – Time you wake up: About 7 am...sometimes its around 8 if I don't have to be at work until 9 or 9:30.
U- Unique fact: I hate these questions....I can't think of anything!
V – Vegetable you dislike: Broccoli
W – Ways/Reasons you run late: I am almost always running late! Reasons would be....sleeping late or taking too much time to get ready.
X – X-rays you’ve had: Knee, foot, mouth, chest
Y – Yummy food you make: Spaghetti...cause its easy! Haha!
Z – Zoo favorite: Elephant...ROLL TIDE!

Long OVERDUE Update!

Well...a lot has gone on in the past few months that I haven't written about. I finished college (WHOOP WHOOP!!), walked across the stage, and got my DIPLOMA!!

I am so beyond thankful for my sweet friends and family who came and sat through the EXTREMELY long ceremony for ME! 

My PRECIOUS fiance!

My LOVING family!

My sweet friend, Shelly!

My sweet friend, Haniah!

Precious Graison (who was also there to see his Uncle Ben and Cousin Katie! PS. I am SUPER sad I didn't get a picture with my BFF & his adorable Mom!)

My sweet Accounting friends!

This was definitely a MAJOR milestone in my life and I am so OVERJOYED that I finally made it through, even if it was 7 years later! :) I am so excited to move on to a new chapter in my life and get busy with wedding plans!

We have been slacking on this whole wedding thing, and we I know that we have got to get busy!  We did both purchase the wedding bands already though, and I am so ready to wear mine! It makes my already GORGEOUS ring look even more beautiful! I am ready for Kip to wear his ring too, so all the little waitresses at Applebee's will stop hitting on him when he goes to eat lunch on his lunch break! Haha...but seriously. 

I did get a few of my bridesmaids and flower girl gifts purchased but still have to put some finishing touches on those.  I really need to get on the ball with finding a WEDDING DRESS! 

We got our engagement pictures back! (Blog post to come with LOTS of pics!) 

My sweet baby brother finished middle school and is moving on to Southside High in the fall. Makes me feel SUPER old.  He also made the 9th grade basketball team at SHS! SOOOOO proud of his and all his hard work! Cannot wait to watch him play!!

Last weekend, we went to Riverfest on Saturday night with some friends on the boat.  We really wanted to hear Corey Smith, but they cancelled him due to rain.  We did get to see the fireworks and hear Kenny Rogers. 

This past week (June 4th) we went to the Braves game. Probably the most fun I have ever had at a MLB game!  Our seats were wonderful! 

The Braves ended up winning 5-4 in the bottom of the 10th! (Yes, it went into extra innings and it may or may not have been my fault! When the Braves were losing 3-0, I said that the Braves would probably come back and tie the game and go into a million extra innings.) It was a fun night, but made for an EXTRA long day at work the next day (we didn't get home until about 1 am.)

This past weekend, we went to the Regions Classic golf tournament at Shoal Creek in Birmingham.  Kip's cousin, Sabrina, works for Regions in Gadsden and has gotten us tickets and VIP passes for the Regions tent the past 2 years.  Last year we walked about 9 holes, but this year we only walked 3 and went back to the tent! Who can beat an air conditioned tent with all the free food and drinks you want? Especially when it is HOT and HUMID outside!  We stayed in the tent most of the day and met up with Kip's cousin, John and his wife Jac.  We watched Fred Couples play 18 then headed back to the house.  But we couldn't leave until the king of autographs got him a Fred Couples autograph. :)

Our view from the tent...not too bad!

We have some big plans coming up soon! We may spend the weekend at Lake Guntersville in the next few weeks for the wakeboard competition with some friends.  Then we have our annual beach trip with my family the week after the Fourth of July!

I also have a job opportunity that I am going to talk with someone about this week, so be praying about that! I really need a new job, not that I do not love my other job and will probably bawl my eyes out when I leave, but I have got to have a job that pays more money, especially since we are getting married soon! 

Engagement Pictures by lybphotos.com

A couple of weeks ago Kip and I got our engagement pictures made by our awesome photographer, Lexie Bush of lybhotos.com (check out her work, it is awesome!) We had never really gotten professional pictures made other than at church (haha!).  We are both picky about pictures of ourselves and we thought it would be pretty awkward, but it actually turned into a fun evening!! We started out at a field of pretty yellow flowers in Southside by the softball fields.  Not gonna lie, that was a little awkward.  It was the start of the pictures and we weren't very comfortable yet.  It got better as the afternoon went on though! We then went to Kip's family farm in Ohatchee.  That was a pretty special place since it was something personal to us (but more to Kip).  I think we opened up a little more since we were in a familiar place!  We spend the majority of our time at the farm! I cannot wait to see how all the pictures turned out!  After we spent probably about an hour at the farm, we went to the Big Oak Boys Ranch in Ohatchee to a little lake they have on the property.  We took a few pictures on the pier and then Lexie and Kip decided that we should take the canoe out.  I wasn't too thrilled about that...I was in a dress after-all.  I was so afraid I would fall in the water! Looking back on it now, I absolutely loved that we took pictures in the canoe...and I cannot wait to see those! We should be able to preview our pictures sometime this week and when I get them, I will definitely put a few of my favorites on here! Here is one that was taken at the farm:

PS. All credit goes to Lexie Bush (lybphotos.com)! If you are looking for a photographer in the Gadsden area, I definitely recommend her! She is GREAT!!

Prayers for Baby Wren

A Facebook friend of mine, whom I have never met, posted yesterday about her unborn child, Wren. Recently, it was discovered that Baby Wren has Trisomy 13.  This is her and her new husband's first baby. I just ask that you all please pray for this sweet family as they go through this very difficult time in their lives. Miracles happen every single day and with God, ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE!

In case you aren't sure what Trisomy 13 is, here is some information:

Trisomy 13, also called Patau syndrome, is a chromosomal condition associated with severe intellectual disability and physical abnormalities in many parts of the body. Individuals with trisomy 13 often have heart defects, brain or spinal cord abnormalities, very small or poorly developed eyes (microphthalmia), extra fingers and/or toes, an opening in the lip (a cleft lip) with or without an opening in the roof of the mouth (a cleft palate), and weak muscle tone (hypotonia). Due to the presence of several life-threatening medical problems, many infants with trisomy 13 die within their first days or weeks of life. Only five percent to 10 percent of children with this condition live past their first year. 

Most cases of trisomy 13 result from having three copies of chromosome 13 in each cell in the body instead of the usual two copies. The extra genetic material disrupts the normal course of development, causing the characteristic features of trisomy 13.

Trisomy 13 can also occur when part of chromosome 13 becomes attached (translocated) to another chromosome during the formation of reproductive cells (eggs and sperm) or very early in fetal development. Affected people have two normal copies of chromosome 13, plus an extra copy of chromosome 13 attached to another chromosome. In rare cases, only part of chromosome 13 is present in three copies. The physical signs and symptoms in these cases may be different than those found in full trisomy 13.

A small percentage of people with trisomy 13 have an extra copy of chromosome 13 in only some of the body's cells. In these people, the condition is called mosaic trisomy 13. The severity of mosaic trisomy 13 depends on the type and number of cells that have the extra chromosome. The physical features of mosaic trisomy 13 are often milder than those of full trisomy 13.

Most cases of trisomy 13 are not inherited and result from random events during the formation of eggs and sperm in healthy parents. An error in cell division called nondisjunction results in a reproductive cell with an abnormal number of chromosomes. For example, an egg or sperm cell may gain an extra copy of chromosome 13. If one of these atypical reproductive cells contributes to the genetic makeup of a child, the child will have an extra chromosome 13 in each cell of the body.

Translocation trisomy 13 can be inherited. An unaffected person can carry a rearrangement of genetic material between chromosome 13 and another chromosome. These rearrangements are called balanced translocations because there is no extra material from chromosome 13. A person with a balanced translocation involving chromosome 13 has an increased chance of passing extra material from chromosome 13 to their children. 

(This information was taken from: http://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/condition/trisomy-13)

Once again, I ask that you please be in prayer for the Harrington family during this very difficult time! 

If you would like to follow Ms. Wren's story, please go to: 

http://penelopewren.blogspot.com/

Divorce

It's been a while since I have posted anything on here.  I have been super busy with school and work that I haven't really had time to do too much wedding planning or anything else!  I have just been thinking about the divorce rate lately...and how much it has increased over the years.  I have come to the conclusion (and I may be late on this) but I believe the divorce rate is increasing at the use of technology increases.  Think about it, many years ago, before the age of cell phones and text messaging, social media, email, internet, etc. the only way we had to communicate with others was by a phone call or a hand written letter.  How hard would it have been to cheat on your husband or wife back then?  VERY HARD!  You would have to be super sneaky to communicate with your "lover" without the use of cell phones, texting, email, etc.  Now-a-days it is much easier to sneak around.  We all have our own personal cell phone that we can call or text whoever we want to without anybody else knowing (unless we look through their phones, but there is a button called DELETE that can be used to hide anything and everything).  It makes it so much easier to communicate with other men or women without our spouse knowing about it.  Another thing is this new invention called SnapChat....STUPID STUPID STUPID. What can you use that for...other than sexting.  Seriously?  Talk about sneaking around....that would be the best way to do it.  Not many people have the will power to say NO when another male/female (not your spouse) wants to give you attention.  If you think about it, it definitely makes sense.  Think about all the ways, with Facebook & Twitter & other social media sites you can sneak around with others much easier. It is very sad.  It makes me kind of nervous to start a marriage in this crazy messed up world.  I just have to have hope that Kip will be faithful for the rest of our lives...but it is still a scary situation.  I do not want to be one of those divorce numbers later in life.  I am just trusting that Kip will always be faithful.  But it is a scary world to start a new marriage & family!