The Perfect Southern Wedding

If they don't depress me too badly, I generally love weddings. This past weekend my good friend Katherine got married, and I had the privilege of being a bridesmaid. It was a weekend long event with a rehearsal dinner, bridal tea, and finally the wedding ceremony and reception. It was a happy time. If you could paint a picture of the perfect southern wedding, it would look like this one. From start to finish it was quintessentially southern, and I loved it.

The rehearsal dinner was held in a surprisingly elegant hunting lodge out in the middle of no where. The house had tall vaulted ceilings and stone walls lined with all kinds of wild game- from lions to bears to rams. It was perfect for Matt, the groom, who is really outdoors. He loves hunting and fishing so much that his wedding band is encircled by trout or bass or some kind of fish. There was plenty of wild game to eat as well as bottle of Barq's rootbeer. It was a good time.

The bridal tea was lovely. The bride lavished us with gifts, my favorite being flip flops matching our bridesmaids dresses that we got to wear to the receptions. I almost cried when Katherine gave her twin sister Elizabeth a stuffed dog named Faulkner who we had all kinds of adventures with in college. Kat's grandmother gave her a beautiful cake with the bridal charms. It's a Victorian tradition for the bride and her bridesmaids to pull charms out of the cake that wish them things like a stable life, a Christ-centered life, true love, an upcoming engagement, or a happy marriage. I pulled a church that opens up and a bride and groom pop out. That's supposed to mean you will have a happy marriage, and I must admit that was the one I was hoping for the most.

The wedding was truly precious. Kat was absolutely beautiful, and Matt made us all tear up when he started to cry as her Dad walked her down the aisle.

The reception was one of my favorite parts of the weekend. Kat's family lives in a charming antebellum home about a block away from the church where they got married. Two white tents were pitched the the front yard each aligned with white lights and Chinese lanterns. There was a banner hanging off the second story. Kat, who is an artist, made it herself and it bore the couple's new initials. The Pates, who were one of our favorite local bands from our college days played songs like "Walkin' in Memphis" and "Brown-Eyed Girl". The bride and groom arrived in a baby blue Volkswagen convertible. It matched our bridesmaids dresses. That always been my dream car. The very newlyweds were doused with lavender as they ran to their getaway car. In my circle of friend's, the bridesmaids handle the getaway car. An enormous bra was on the windshield wipers which we had all signed at the lingerie party. Elizabeth had printed off pictures of Kat modeling this monstrosity, and we taped them all over the car. I'm sure she hates us now, but it was quite funny.

In spite of all the wedding hoopla, Katherine and Matt's love is what shined so bright and pure. I know it was special to share that with so many people they love and so many people that dearly love them. So here's to you Mr. and Mrs. Matthew Carpenter. May the rest of your married life be as happy and as wonderful as its beginning.

The Lazy Blogger

I admit I've been the laziest of bloggers since camp. I've been working on stuff, but none of it seems good enough to publish yet. I can't seem to end two posts that I've been working on. Maybe it will happen soon.

I'm back in Mississippi this week where my blogging career began. Inspiration has not struck. I don't feel like I have much to share. My house is looking great though. Mom is having our sunroom remodeled and the outside of our house just got it's first fresh coat of paint in 32 years. Isn't that crazy? Due to the rough texture of the wood, the paint does not chip, it only fades. Yes, my life is boring because I'm telling you about paint. Maybe something exciting will happen at Katherine's wedding this weekend. I'll be sure to let you know if it does.

Things to Love in Life

Today is one of those days when you think to yourself, “Wow, life is so good.” It’s been a glorious Sabbath day full of worship in community, through personal reflection, and in relating to those I treasure. Here are a few of the reasons I love life so much today.

Today, for the first time, I thanked God for allowing me to be in Waco, TX for the next however many years. I think this is mainly because of the neighborhood of faith and friends I’m moving into at UBC. Future blogs will elaborate on this, but suffice it to say, I’ve never been so excited about becoming a part or a community of believers.

I love all the books I’ve been reading lately in which writers are so honest about their spirituality. Primarily, I’m speaking of Donald Miller (Blue Like Jazz) and Lauren F. Winner (Girl Meets God). They comfort and inspire me. The comfort comes from having someone to relate in situations in which I feel spiritually alone- like I’m the only crazy person that’s dealing with certain struggles. Sometimes they’ll say something, and I will swear they’ve sneaked a peak into my innermost thoughts. Inspiration comes from the desire in my heart to be open and honest about all that really matters in life. That’s why I’ve started writing, and I must admit it has been good for the soul. I’m scared to start reading Anne LeMott whom everyone just seems to adore. I feel that if I did I would never leave the computer.

I love that I can call my grandmother who will be 87 next week and laugh with her like we are silly schoolgirls. She waits in great anticipation for my visits, and she shows me how incredibly loved I am.

One of my new loves is folk music. It tells so many honest stories about life and love. It’s got heart, and the power to touch something on the inside. You don’t hear many songs like that on the radio these days.

My friends and I are returning from our summers with new perspectives and a greater desire to be real with one another. We are enjoying each other without the stresses of school.

God is teaching me to love myself, and it’s a lesson I’ve needed to learn for a long time now.

I see myself growing into adulthood, and apart from some financial struggles, it’s not as bad as I thought it would be.

This fall I get to take Scriptures III which will be an in-depth study of the gospels. Along side of this, I’ll be learning Greek. I’m excited about looking into the story of Christ from different perspectives, and learning the vivid language of the text.

I love cooking for my peeps and making and deepening friendships over good food.

I think I might actually like the person I’m becoming- more introspective, quicker to listen, slower to speak, more mindful of others and less absorbed in self.

These are things to rejoice over everyday, but today I’m more mindful of them. Today, I see life from the sunny side, and not the sucky one. Today, I’m listening to Jesus and not the voices of guilt or self hatred.

Back in Waco

Camp is finally over, and I'm home again in Waco. I've been excited about blogging for a while now, but now that I have an opportunity to, I'm not so sure what to say. Camp was a myriad of emotions and experiences both good and bad. It's just like normal life, but only more fast pace, repetitive, and pursposeful. Many elements of camp are the same week in and week out, but the people are always changing. Nearly every moment is about ministry. I saw God work in so many different ways, which was refreshing seeing as I've had my nose burried in books most of this past year. I was humbled but also edified. I made lots of mistakes, but I know God used me as well.

I was ready to see camp come to an end this time around. I always feel like I get less and less sleep as the summers progress and as my responsibilites increase. (The main activity of the past three day has been sleeping. This usually last a week.) It was also strange ending camp at home in Waco. I was estatic to see the place. (That must be good). There was a struggle between working camp and being back at home among friends. It's strange having two worlds collide like that. I'm not so sure I like it.

Even though I was glad to see camp come to a close, I'm going through the annual fuge withdrawals. It's like every moment of your camp experience is spent investing in the lives of students or preparing activities for them. Then you come back to real life, and you miss the purposefulness you feel during camp time. Today I sat at home and took care of some necessary buisness, but I hardly talked to a soul. Kelly came home, and I really didn't have much to contribute to our conversation. These things make me a little sad, but I am glad to have some much needed alone time.