New Wedding Stuff

So I haven't posted anything in a while, but a lot has happened since my last wedding update. I found my dress!!!!!!! I'm so excited. It's more than I could ever imagine. I got it at David's Bridal in Amarillo. I want to give a shout out to my consultant Dianna and all the fabulous ladies in Amarillo. Thank you for making my experience so great. I'm not going to post any photos of the dress because my curious fiancé, Brandon, likes to check my blog every now and then and I don't want him to see it.

I will however post some photos of my bridesmaids dresses. I went back to DB last Saturday to have my dress pinned for alterations and just to look at bridesmaids dresses. I had no intention of buying them, but after trying on a few options, I ended up selecting a gorgeous yet simple long A-Line dress that totally compliments my dress. It has a sweetheart neckline (which mine has) and is in a beautiful jewel tone Aqua color called Oasis. I also selected a shorter length version of the dress for my Junior Bridesmaids. They are all going to look so beautiful :)





I have also been researching photographers for months now. Besides invitation design the number one most important thing for me is to have great photos. I wanted someone who could capture my vision and produce amazing photos for a price I could afford. I decided to go with the fabulous duo of Dominique Harmon and Barry Nelson of Captivated Images



They are just really amazing people and their work is phenomenal. I know all are photos are going to turn out great. We have our engagement photo shoot set for September 20th so I will post those hopefully sometime shortly after that. I can't wait.

I'm now working on my hair style, flowers, table center pieces and other fun stuff. Here are some photos of things I like.

August 8, 2006

Today is the two year anniversary on my dad's suicide attempt. I debated on whether or not to write anything about this. It was such a real and raw time in my life that I would like to bury forever, but every year on this day I'm reminded of where we were and how far we have come.

I don't know why it happened. I don't know why he lived. I don't know how you take a gun point it to your head and pull the trigger and not die. But he didn't die. He lived. God didn't want to take my dad's life that day.

Jeremiah 29:11 says “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." My hopes and dreams were shattered on that day August 8, 2006, but a new hope and future were brought to the surface. "Where there is death, there shall life be as well." I can't explain what it feels like to see a parent battle to live knowing that he had done this to himself. It's not like being in the hospital wanting your family member to get better so that everything can go back to "normal". I knew my life would never be "normal" again. I knew if he lived or if he died my life would never be the same. I was right. I was suffering for months after all this happened. It was a quiet suffer. My pain grew even more after my parents separation then divorce happened, but the one thing I gained from all of this is this:

"God offers pain relief if we ask for it. It is His GRACE that gives us the comfort of knowing He will never leave us to battle the pain alone. It is His GRACE that gives us peace during the storm. It is His GRACE that allows us to get through the pain, and then grow from it."

I grew from it. I could of easily crumbled, and I really wanted to at times, but I learned that through the tears laughter occurs. My relationships with people are better now. My mom and I are as close as we have ever been. My brother is like my right hand man. After all this God blessed me with a partner in life that could understand my pain and let me cry on his shoulder whenever I need to. My relationship with my dad has grown too. I admire him for the person he's become and how far he's come. I love him for the person he is and not for what he did. I'm healed knowing that God has forgiven him and I find peace within myself knowing that God's grace has been shed upon him. Therefore, I'm able to forgive him.

August 8, 2006 was the worst day of my life. I was so angry for what he had done but so grateful that God let him live. It’s a miracle he lived. He did live though. It was so hard going through all that but he lived. Through this I'm reminded daily of God's love for his children and His enabling power to heal the broken.

Brittany and Jonathan's Save the Date

I finally finished Jonathan and Brittany's Save the Date. These photos aren't very good, but I'm really pleased on how they turned out. Enjoy!!!

Hold The Phone...

So where do I begin. The past week has been a total stressful disaster. Well that's being a little dramatic but really my stomach has been in knots. It all started last Tuesday when my mom called the church to see if my wedding date, May 30, 2009, was booked. It was, ahhhhhhhh!!!!!!! So the next day we scheduled to come in and meet with the guy who is charge of booking the church. We were going to look at the sanctuary because Brandon had never been there before and we were planning on looking at what days were available. Well we all got there around 11am and the guy wasn't there. He had left early or something for some reason. What? Are you kidding me? Doesn't he realize that I'm trying to set my date. It's only the single most important day of my life, and he left early. Well we decided that Brandon could look at the church anyway and maybe we could catch the guy the next day. Brandon loved itand we both agreed that this is where we would be married. The next day my mom tried calling the guy back and he wouldn't answer his phone. I'm sure he is really busy but I couldn't believe this was happening. Well we then decided since May 30th wasn't going to work out then we were going to push up the wedding to April 25. "April 25, 2009" I liked how that sounded so that would be the date. We went to look at the Underwood Center that night (Wednesday). We both loved the facility and for sure wanted our reception there so i told my dad to go ahead and book it. Friday morning my mom got a hold of the guy at church and he said April 25th was available. I was so excited. We then scheduled an appointment for Monday to book the church. However, about twelve o'clock my dad called and said that date was already booked for the Underwood Center. I was devastated. I couldn't believe it. I went to Brandon's at lunch and he just told me to calm down that everything would be fine and work out. I felt better. My dad gave us a list that night of what all would be available from March through June. Only one day worked with both the church and the reception site. One day out of all those months? Crazy!!!! So this past weekend I didn't sleep very well, I prayed a lot that God would take over this for me and that I would be able to see clarity for what ever came out of this. By today I felt at peace. If that date was booked then we would keep April 25th and find another reception place. I know that God is always in control of my life. I was confident whatever the outcome, I was going to be happy. We went to our appointment at 1pm and... we got the date, yeah!!!! March 21, 2009 I will marry my best friend and partner and I couldn't be happier. I'm going to have my first pick of ceremony and reception places and it's going to be wonderful. I thank God for everything every day, but driving back to work I couldn't stop smiling and praising Him for this wonderful gift.