All You Need is Love

Marriage is the best, hardest, most wonderful thing I have ever done.  

I wouldn't change this last year for the world.  Even though I've been stretched, changed, and grown more than I would have thought imaginable, I love it.

So far, the ten best things about being married:

1.   Someone is always there to hug me when I cry for no reason.

2.   I have learned how to pray for someone else more than I pray for myself.

3.   I live with Prince Charming, and he loves romance.

4.   He thinks I'm awesome even when I burn cookies (which I have definitely done).

5.   I am protected in all arenas.

6.   He pretends to be awake and talk to me when I need it (he does try really hard!).

7.   I get to watch him fast and pray for our family and future.

8.   He unplugs drains I consistently stop up (I lose a ton of hair.  And, one time, I put rose-stems down the drain in the kitchen... Oops.)

9.   I don't have to kill any bugs, ever.

10. I get to be around my best friend all of the time.  It's like a constant sleepover.

Don't get me wrong, there are really hard days.  The best thing about it all, though, is that it is forever.

Wordless Wednesday: Passed Out

When I was getting my bridal portraits done,

I almost passed out.

I don't know if it's because it was hot or because my knees were buckled or because I forgot to eat lunch.  It's very likely that my dress was just a little tight around my rib-cage.

I can't even imagine trying to fit into it now.  I'd probably swoon out as soon as it was zipped up.

I started to sway and pale and they ran me over to these steps.  My mom and grandma cooled me down while my dad ran to the CVS and got me water and a Peppermint Pattie (which you can see in my grandma's hand - she fed it to me because they were terrified of getting chocolate on my dress... evidently I'm a messy eater?!).

I'm just glad we got pictures of it.

It's almost my favorite one from that whole day.

I am glad, however, that I changed those brown shoes for the rest of the shoot.  

When they peeked out, it reminded us to change into my hot pink ones:

Wish I lived....

In Detroit!  It's Friday, and I'm in love with Epic Motion, a wedding videography company in Michigan (which is why I wish I lived there... Don't get me wrong, I adore SC).  I loved them before my wedding, and if there would have been a way to get them here, I would have tried.  They do an amazing job, and I have never seen wedding videos like this before!  I fell in love with their work a while ago, and can't believe I've never blogged about them.
I'm like a creepy stalker, because I follow them on twitter and watch all of their new videos on the Epic Motion Blog.

Here is my favorite video so far:

Kate + Mike: The Trailer {re-mix} from Ryan Koral on Vimeo.

Alright, so I'm already married, and shouldn't be looking into wedding stuff, but who doesn't love a good love story?  Or a good wedding video?  I'll always be a hopeless romantic... 

Happy Friday, friends!

Bliss and Busyness

Wow!  It's been a really long time since I've blogged.  However, I have been validly busy!  Since I last updated, I have gotten married (yay!), gone on a honeymoon, and been really busy with school.  I can't believe that over a month has passed, and it's almost Thanksgiving.  I guess I'll just give some updates that I can remember, and after this, start blogging regularly again!

• Being married is wonderful, and I love watching movies and eating dinner and shopping with Billy.  I keep getting asked what the best part about being married is, and I have a hard time putting my finger on anything specific.  I just love that we get to do everything together and just experience life.


• School is crazy and I just cannot wait to have this semester over with.  I have a huge paper to write for my American Writing class, and I am really dreading it, and I like to write.  I just think I've been so busy that I can't wait for a true break.


• Our friends, Paul and Amy, got married 4 weeks after us, and it was such a beautiful wedding.  We are glad to add the last wedding of the year, and I'm so glad that they're married now, too.


• The honeymoon was absolutely amazing.  We went to Riviera Maya, Mexico, and it was gorgeous.  Our resort was wonderful and we had so much fun relaxing.  One of the highlights was this contest that they had one night that was modeled after "American Idol."  It was a singing contest, and Billy entered, and he WON!  He won a bottle of Tequila, which we promptly gave away to one of Billy's newly-made fans (who ended up being a HUGE fan after the gift).


• Living in a small apartment is so fun.  I love being a wife, and I want to just clean all of the time (okay, well, that's dramatic, but still...)!  Really, though, I do love it, and I feel so blessed to be at this point in our lives.


• Couponing has gotten even better since we have been married.  I think I'm the only girl I've met so far who's husband helps her clip coupons!  Seriously, he's so awesome.  We actually go in two lines every Sunday night so that we can get two Mystery Penny items at Publix.  It's so fun!


• I am looking forward to Christmas break so that I can read cheesy Christian romance novels.  I can't wait to stop reading this literary fiction.  It's only qualified as "literary" if it has a bad ending.  I like happy, sloppy, romantic endings.

I think I should end this list, but thanks to anybody who stayed long enough to read this!  I'll update sooner, next time.

Oh, and here's a wedding picture.  I'll put more on later!

 

Goodness, Gracious!

I have heard that as women, we have a special talent for multi-tasking.  I'm not so sure that I do, personally, but I really hope so, considering all that I have to do in the next week-and- a-half!  Coming up, I have 2 midterms, one report, one huge paper, and all of the small wedding details to nail down.  I'm pretty swamped, and I shouldn't even be writing this blog, but I wanted to at least get this one in before the wedding (and hopefully one more)!

I don't really know what I am even blogging about, but I was excited to do it.

I guess I will just give an update by listing a couple of things on my mind...

• Holy cow, there are ONLY 15 days left until I'm married!


• Holy cow, there are STILL 15 days left until I'm married!


• I am an official coupon-er. I just made up that word, but I think that it suits it.  I think that Southern Savers is the best thing in the world, and this week I saved almost $60 by using coupons at Publix.  It's nowhere close to where I want to be, but I'm learning!


• Taking a senior level Bible class has kicked my behind, and it's not even my major.  Note to self:  The title "Book Study of John" does not mean "Let's get together for a Bible study and talk about how much Jesus loves us."  It really means that the professor will mention words you don't know like "Soteriology" and "Docetism" and expect you to know them already.


• Budgeting is becoming more and more important, and we are learning a lot.  Trial and error is not always the way to go with money, though.  I'm learning that it's just better to stay safe and not play around.  You could go in the negative, or end up with a small amount in checking... I'm just saying.

Ok, so there is a lot more than that going on.  But really, I just don't have time, and anyone reading this probably thanks me for not ranting and raving any longer.  Maybe I'll squeeze in one more post before the wedding.  If not, I'll see you on the other side!  Yipee!

One Month + One Week...

It's been a little while since I've really updated everything that's been happening, and I think it's because I've been so busy!

Well, today, the countdown on my dashboard (of my macbook) told me that I have one month and one week until our wedding!  I just can't believe it!  It is really coming so fast, and most of the time I feel like it.  We have been doing so much to prepare, but I'll get to that later.

School started, and I love it!  It's been somewhat stressful, but also it's been really fun!  Already, I feel like I've learned a lot, and I love my English classes.  Plus, it really has helped me to fill my time up... so much so, that I can get overwhelmed with this schedule I am keeping.  But I know it's worth it.

And, talking about a busy schedule, Billy and I have had a hard time getting away.  I mean, we do see each other all of the time, but our one-on-one time has been cut down pretty drastically.  Still, we try to make time to have fun.  Last Sunday, we had a picnic on the beach, and then we went to Marble Slab (my FAVORITE)!  It was so fun, and a good reminder of how much we love each other:

Anyway, about the wedding...  We have been making such great progress!  Things are falling into place, girls are getting their dresses ready, guys are getting their tuxes measured... really, it's coming together!  Next week, we are going to meet with Phillip, Anita, and the Fergusons (all who are so graciously helping at our reception... thanks again) to go hang out and look at the Embassy Suites (where the reception is) so that we can finalize some of our plans with that.  My bridal portraits are coming soon, as well... Gosh, I can't wait.

Oh!  We have had so many weddings, that I just wanted to comment on those as well!  They were all so beautiful and unique!  I was amazed at how quickly they passed, and I'm just so glad that everyone is married now (except us, of course, and Paul & Amy).  I'm pretty sure I cried at every one!

Ok, so that's it for now... hopefully I'll get one or two more updates in before the big day!  Then I really will be Sarah Ann Rogers.... yay!

Landmarks

So, for the 8 total months that we will have been engaged, I have had some landmarks that I have looked forward to that have had to happen before we get married in October! So far, there have been quite a few that we've hit!  I just realized it yesterday and wanted to make a list so that I could really see it.

Landmarks that have already passed:

1. School ending in May


2. Our birthdays in May and July


3. Chelsie's wedding in July


4. Baillie's wedding in August


5. 2 of my bridal showers


6. Leasing the apartment


7. Painting the apartment (very cute colors, may I add!)

Landmarks I'm still waiting on:

1. Billy moving into the apartment officially


2. School starting


3. Cami's wedding


4. Starting my job in the Writing Center at CSU


5. My last bridal shower


6. Billy's man-party (basically a hangout for the guys while they bring gift-cards for Billy)


7. Fall small groups for Genesis


8. Mid-terms


9. Rehearsal Dinner/Bachelorette Party

I can't believe there are only 2 months left!  Honestly, what I'm looking forward to most is being married!  I'm sure the wedding will be wonderful, but I can't wait to be Billy's wife!

The Wives of these Men

When I was younger, say, 14 or 15, I remember reading 1 Timothy 2 and writing it all down in my journal.  I read all about what God had required of an Elder and of a Deacon in the church, and I decided to make that my checklist of characteristics that I wanted to find in my husband.  I can honestly say that, although Billy isn't perfect, he definitely has the quality of character and the integrity that was required of these men.  I definitely am blessed to have such an amazing man to marry.

However, tonight, as I was re-reading the chapter, I noticed the one verse that talks about the wives of these men.  It has four qualities that it points out, so I take that those must be very important, considering they were the only ones mentioned.  Here is the verse (11):

Similarly, the wives must be of good character, not gossips, but temperate, faithful in everything.

I decided to look at all four things and dissect them a bit.

1. They must be of good character:  This might seem pretty straightforward, but I think it's really important.  We require and ask for integrity from our men, but we must have integrity in the same measure!  I want people to trust and know me to be a godly woman and wife, just as much as i expect that kind of a husband from Billy.


2. They must not be gossips:  This is such a struggle for women.  As a rule, we hold more words in our mouths, just waiting to come out, than men.  Also, we are often more detailed, perceptive, and analytical... not to mention emotional.  If we do not specifically watch our words and take special care not to gossip, it can come so easily.  In fact, it's our second nature to gossip... it doesn't make it right, but it does make it something to look out for.


3. They must be temperate:  I don't know about all of the other women out there, but I would not say that "temperate" is a word I would use to describe how I naturally am.  I am emotional, extreme, up-and-down, and I can change my mind or my feelings in 5 seconds.  However, this verse tells me that no longer is there the excuse that, "It's just that time of the month," or, "I just don't feel like it," going to cut it anymore.  Nope!  We are being called to consistency, which I know, for me, can only come through God.  I'm a pretty inconsistent lady sometimes.


4. They must be faithful in all things:  Faithful wives, faithful mothers, faithful followers, faithful Christians, faithful prayers, faithful friends, faithful forgivers... That's right, faithful in ALL things, even the hard stuff.  I know that sometimes, I just want to give up, but not only is it a command, but it's a fruit of the Spirit.  Faithfulness, something that comes out of God inside of us.

Now, I don't really mean to say that these things only apply to women, and I'm sure that Paul didn't mean that either.  It is only that these are things that we have to watch out for, especially.  And because I'm praying for Billy to be that kind of man, I want to be this kind of a wife!

'Tis the Season

"Love and marriage, Love and marriage... They go together like a horse and carriage..." -Frank Sinatra

That's right!  It's wedding season; just what everyone in my circle of life has been waiting for.  In just a few days, two wonderful people, Robbie and Chelsie, will be tying the knot!  And three weeks later, Baillie and Mike will follow!  I feel like I'm in a happy hurricane of ribbons, shoes, flowers, and showers!  Things have come so quickly, and I cannot wait for this Saturday to watch the first wedding come.  It will be beautiful, and not to give much away, but there will be blues and browns and a beautiful, curly haired bride (with her curly haired groom)!  I think I will cry, as I am in an emotional whirlwind right now.  And then, Baillie's wedding will be totally different, but just as beautiful!  It's going to be so fun to see, and I'm suspecting more zebra stripes than any of us have ever seen!

It's amazing that so many people have found such amazing love.  I read love stories all of the time, but I can assure you that it is so much more amazing to see and hear and feel them in real life!  So, congrats, Robbie, Chelsie, Mike, and Baillie, and I cannot wait to be involved in, and cry at, and be so happy for both weddings!  All of the weddings are such a wonderful, happy way to pass the time until my own wedding, and only make me more excited!

Three cheers for love!

Summer and Grandparents

So, even though I would say I definitely feel like our wedding is coming at an incredibly slow pace, I cannot believe it is already summer.  We only have a little over three months left, and I know that we will be busy enough to fill the time until October.  It will really help to pass the time with the two summer weddings I have coming up, and I am so excited for both of them!  It is so fun; I feel like we are just going to parties all year long (7 weddings total, I think, not including Bridal Showers)!

Anyway, I feel like I have definitely been a little late on posting this, but recently, Billy and I have gotten to spend time with all three sets of our Grandparents.  For me, it was the first time meeting his in May (they're from New Hampshire).  I loved them!  They were adorable, so in love, and just accepted me with open arms.  The last night of their visit, they sat across the table from us, drinking coffee, and giving us marriage advice.  It was the coolest thing in the world!  They even got teary, which made us both cry, and I had only known them for three days!  I just know that I am going to love getting to know them better.

Also, a couple of weekends ago, Billy and I went up to Columbia and stayed with my grandparents for a night.  Not only did I love having him there just because I love him, but he really did bring out a different side of my grandparents.  Billy is so calm and such a gentle listener, and he makes you feel like he really wants to hear everything you are saying.  Anyway, my grandma talked to us all about her job, and her life, and what she likes, and nutrition... it was so fun, and I felt so completed by Billy because of what he brings out in people.

Well, I know this was kind of sappy, but I really am discovering such cool things about getting closer to Billy and the awesome effects it is having in our lives and in the way I view family.  I love him, and I'm guessing it'll only get better on October 17!

Time is Moving so Fast... and Slow...

It seems like it has been forever since I have sat down to write a blog.  Even now, I feel like my words are all mixed up.  I want to say "since I have satten down" and my English mind reprimands itself for being so tired.  I have had so much going on lately, and so many exciting things happening that I feel like I have had no time to write.  I will try to update on life while waiting on Billy to call (it's so late!) and hopefully I'll fit in quite a bit.

Of course there is wedding stuff.  Today, Mom and I met with Alyona, who is doing the photography.  She is amazing and definitely who I wanted to take the pictures, so we are pretty excited about that.  Looking at my planner, wedding-related events pretty much take up my free time.  Even though school ends soon, weddings pick up, and the focus will just shift, not diminish.  Speaking of weddings, I know a couple of very awesome people who have gotten engaged (I know... more?!?) and I am so excited for them.  It is so funny how you'd think that my being engaged would make me frustrated that all of these other people are as well, but it only heightens my excitement.  I feel so blessed to have found "The One" and I love when others do too!  First, on Saturday, there was Amy T. and Paul G. who will probably get married in November.  She kept crying and it was absolutely adorable.  Their story involves cheering boyscouts, which I think they will remember forever.  Also, there is a couple that I don't know extremely well, but I have talked with her a little, and Billy just LOVES them, and they got engaged tonight, which is so awesome!  Josh D., who is going to be in our wedding, proposed to Saralynn F., and I cannot wait to meet them and hear their story.  Billy told me that it was supposed to be close to a lake (because it's in LAKEland, FL), but I don't really know any details.  I just hope to meet them sometime this summer!

Besides weddings, I have been focusing on school.  I have even taken off of work to study, which is very unlike me.  I'm almost tempted to do it again this week, but I don't know if I can handle losing that many hours.  Anyway, needless to say, I am ready for this semester to be over.  I will admit, though, that I have learned so much in at least one of my classes.  I have loved having Prof. Yarbrough.  He is also my advisor, and he is so smart.  That is such a general adjective, but it's really how I feel.  When I walk out of his class, I can't believe that it is already over, and I feel like I will never reach that level of intelligence.  When he reads things, he just gets symbolism and emotion out of them that I never ever saw.  He has actually inspired me to be reading more.  I know, I know, I read all of the time, but I have been heavily convicted about what I read.  Although it's great to read entertaining stories, I should be focusing some on literary pieces that make me think.  And that is my mission for the summer:  to read at least four, hopefully more, books of true literary merit.  I have started today with my purcase of So Big by Edna Ferber, which won a Pulitzer Prize in the 1920's.  I think it looks interesting and so far I am pretty enthralled by it.  I actually can't believe I put it down for this... but I knew it had just been so long.  The poetic wording is amazing!  I am so sad that nobody ever inspired me before this to read works of this calibur.  For example, in describing a mother and child:

"As the woman looked at the child there in the warm moist spring of the Illinois prairie land... there quivered and vibrated between them and all about them an aura, a glow, that imparted to them and their surroundings a mystery, a beauty, a radience."

How can you not be totally sucked into a story with that in its opening chapter?  I should read that to my Music Appreciation professor (who thinks he knows everything, and has snobbily critiqued my 5-page paper for him on analyzing MOVEMENTS of a peice - as if I, an English major, know anything about Musical analysis) and say, "See?!? The extra words and adjectives and descriptions really are necessary."  Not that I am bitter or anything...

Alright, I know that was long.  Last thing:  my new MacBook.  I have had to buy a new one because I somehow damaged my old one beyond repair (or practically paying to buy a new one) and so I have one that is almost exactly like the old.  I love Mac and Apple, and I would never go back now, so I had to do something.  Not to mention, it is exam week, and I desperately need to be able to study on this thing.

Ok!  Done!!  I'm off to read, and I'm still waiting on that gorgeous fiance of mine to give me a call!

PS - I have once again realized that I have the best parents in the world.

Double Booked?!

Today when Mom and Katie and I were at Busy B's Wholesale Flowers, we got a call from Jessica at Seacoast (she's the one helping with the ceremony).  She had bad news... For some reason, they double booked our wedding date and time!  She said that the other couple had had it booked for longer, so we were going to have to move ours.  At first, I was really worried and nervous because it was a change and frankly, I am a control freak.  But, after about 2.3 minutes of needless worry, I found something really positive about this!  Even though I am going to have to bump my wedding time up to 4 o'clock pm, I am going to get something I really wanted and thought wouldn't happen!  Because Billy and I will be leaving the reception later than planned (we were going to have the wedding at 1 pm), it will be dark outside.... which means... drumroll.............. SPARKLERS!  I so badly wanted sparklers when we left the reception, because I think that they look beautiful in pictures and plus they're so fun!  It might seem like something small, but it totally made me excited, and I had to find something good about switching the wedding time to 3 hours later!

Oh, and something really funny... we had to special-request to have our Rehearsal Dinner on Thursday, October 15... The Richards wouldn't dare do anything to interrupt Friday night High School Football, not even for a wedding.  I guess that's what we get for having a close-knit family that has its roots in Texas and South Carolina.  Football is our Trump Card!  But don't get me wrong... I love it!

Wedding... Updated!

Ok.  First off, thank you everyone for being excited that we were looking at the Extension... except that now we've changed!  We are going to be getting married at the Seacoast wedding chapel, because of where we chose the reception.  This part I'm super excited about!  We are having it at the Embassy Suites downtown in the "Atrium".  It's so beautiful and I'm so so happy with that choice.  We have chosen a date - October 17!!  I'm so glad that we have that nailed down.  Billy has gotten a job at a place called "EMA" which is connected to SPAWAR.  This really was an answer to prayer and is providing us with really good health insurance, which is definitely something we've been waiting on.

As far as more wedding related stuff goes, we've made some decisions, yet I feel like with some of the little things, I keep changing my mind.  I met with a florist, and chose the bridesmaid's bouquets.  They are going to have long-stemmed garden roses (which are HUGE).  They're really pretty and really pink.  Because the dresses are a pretty muted blue, I wanted a pop of color.  My bridal bouquet is getting there, but I haven't settled on anything yet.  I'm looking into different ways to do invitations, and haven't decided if we want to order them or print them ourselves.  Surprisingly, the prices are pretty close.

Oh!  We took engagement pictures with Alexa and are SO happy with all that we've seen so far.  She's amazing!  If you ever need pictures done, call her!  It was really fun, even though Billy was pretty sick when we took them (he had food poisoning a couple of days before...).

As far as music, Phillip McCart, whose wife is happily pregnant (yay!), has agreed to help us with music at the reception.  I didn't really want a dj, because we don't want a ton of different music, but I did want to be able to put together a playlist and have somebody be able to manage it and announce us and the different dances.  Phillip was definitely the one who came to mind, as he knows so much about technology and every thing I have ever seen him do is always so excellent.  I feel pretty blessed that he would do this for us, because I can't think of anyone that will do better!  Also, we are having Kelly Graham sing during the ceremony!  I'm really excited about this!  I'm not sharing the song, we'll try to keep that a secret (if we can!).

Anyway, I'll keep updating!  I'm so excited, and counting down the days... 210 from today!

Here's the Embassy Suites:

[gallery link="file" columns="2"]

P.S. - Just to give a huge thanks to Katie, my Matron of Honor, who has been wonderful! And all of my bridesmaids that have helped out lately and have tried on dresses for me and keep being excited.. thank you!  It's been so much fun talking with Baillie (my fellow bride-to-be and my bridesmaid) at work about all of our exciting and stressful times - I'm so thankful for her, excited for her wedding, and glad that we've only gotten closer through this!  And of course, going dress shopping with Anna, Jessie, Mallory, and Renee was awesome!  Thank you ladies for being excited.  And I'm excited to be in Chelsie's wedding... she's busy, of course, planning, and I know she'll be a beautiful bride!

Wedding - Just getting started!

I never knew how much planning went into a wedding.  I'm still not sure that I really know yet how involved it's going to be, but I'm so excited!

So far, I have bought my dress, and picked out a bridesmaids dress.  I also have concluded that I want sparklers when we leave the reception.  I have picked a cake, and found a cake-lady!  Today, we are going to the Redbank Club to look at a reception place.  I'll post pictures later and tell what I think about it.  We are probably going to have the ceremony at the Extension at Northwood Church.  I can't begin to express how weird it is not to have the old church building... It's just where I always wanted to get married, but now I can't.  I have considered other churches and places, but for emotional and for my family and church's sake, I'm going to get married as close to home as possible.  Many would say that it's not that pretty, but I think that it can be, and if we do it there, I'll get a lot more help decorating from the women in the church.  Plus, I just don't want to think of getting married not at Northwood.  At the end of it all, I'll be married, and I'm sure it will be worth it.

I feel like I have accomplished so much more than this... but I guess not!  I'll keep it updated, as I'm sure there is just so much more to do!