the best day of my life...

This weekend could not have been more perfect! Of course the crazy fun started Friday afternoon at rehearsal. The whole crew was together and the laughter and fun began. I think the best way to guarantee a good time for a wedding is to have Pete George as the best man. Words couldn't come close to explaining all his antics :)

Saturday morning I was wide awake at 6:30 and ready for the day to begin. The day started rather overcast but turned out to be the perfect weather day...sunny, not-to-hot with a slight breeze.
The girls and I enjoyed some bagels and fruit while taking turns getting our hair done. While sitting as Shannon put what felt like millions of curls in my hair I felt the first butterflies...not nerves...more excitement knowing that I was about to marry my best friend.

The ceremony was even more amazing than I could have hoped. I felt like everything...from the first song to the last prayer brought glory to God as we dedicated our lives to each other and Him. I even surprised myself with how little I cried. If first stepping out the door was any indication I thought I was going to be a blubbering fool...but I was able to gain composure better than most.

Every bit of the reception provided endless memories. Even now I can only count 1 thing that I feel didn't go as planned...the cake! I ordered a 3-tier round carrot cake with pink ribbon. What we got: 4-tier rectangle carrot, white & chocolate cake with red flowers. HA HA...not even close! Regardless, I was still able to get it on Matt's nose :).

I could go on and on with everything that made it such a great day! God was and is with us as we enter into this journey. We are grateful for the blessing of each other and for all our family and friends who were able to celebrate with us, in person and in thought. Here's 2 of the pictures I've seen so far...I'll post more as I get them.

more Home Sweet Home

The red bedroom! As you can see...no matching comforter yet :)

Master bathroom...complete with washer and dryer (possibly one of my favorite parts of the new place!) Those who have never had to spend hours at the laundry mat on Saturday mornings can never fully understand the pathetic excitement behind having laundry facilities.
The comfy, cozy living room:



There it is...our first home!

10 more days...and counting :)

Home Sweet Home

I can finally say I feel settled into the new apartment. Therefore, I was able to take some photos today! Here is the kitchen (complete with a dishwasher!!!):

saying YES to God's call

For those that don't know, I have spent many summers at Delta Lake Bible Camp. My duties have ranged from lifeguard to Haven Program Director. Well this year after I was turned down for 2 summer teaching jobs I felt God's call for me to work at camp...as a senior high counselor. Now...being a 3rd grade teacher I was nervous about my ability to relate well to 11th and 12th graders. I never could have imagined all the memories and lessons the week could hold.
Day one proved interesting...I don't think my campers were so sure about what kind of fun a 3rd grade teacher could have (they later admitted to me that they thought I was going to be boring! HA) By day two we were into the swing of camp and having a blast! Our cabin was on team Lemon, Ice, Ice Baby...the most spirited team at camp! We beat out all other teams and won the ice cream party at the end of the week (that ended up being a mozzarella stick party since they served ice cream at dinner :).

The best part of the whole week was the way in which God was clearly working. With each service it was more evident that God was working in the lives of these teens. It was encouraging to see a group of teens so genuinely on fire for God. The speaker for the week was a crazy, loud Canadian, Dave Overholt. His messages are so uplifting and inspire a spirit of love. Wow...I'm having trouble putting all that happened into words. God is amazing! (That works :)

One of the best memories of the week was the morning my campers and I were able to go tubing on the lake at 6am. We were able to watch the sunrise on a day that later ended up being rainy and cold.
Of course there was the oreo cookie challenge. My cabin challenged Bethany's cabin to the oreo contest (sticking half an oreo cookie to your forehead and getting it into your mouth without the use of your hands). My girls won 14 oreos to 6!

Friday's at camp are usually unpredictable and crazy fun...this week was no different! After an intense game of Ultimate Frisbee (which Lemon Ice won) it was time for the mashed potato war! What could be more fun than garbage cans filled with 80 boxes of instant mashed potatoes...all made for the purpose of throwing at one another! In an effort to get cleaned up from the mess I decided to participate in the sling shot slip and slide...BIG mistake! I sat on the disk, had the inner tube tire pulled behind me and within a matter of seconds I felt the inner tube slip across my face and I was flat on my back only about 10 feet from the start of the slide. With what felt like a slowly forming bruise on my cheek and a ringing ear I decided to give it another chance...BIG mistake! Round two proved worse than round one. I sat on the disk, had the inner tube tire pulled behind me and within a matter of seconds the inner tube came untied from the post and snapped straight back and got me in the shoulder! Needless to say...I didn't go for round three. The 3 inch in diameter bruise appeared just 3 days later. Fortunately it didn't last long.

Okay...I should probably stop there. As you can tell it was an amazing week. I am so thankful God made his plans clear and that I said YES to his call. I learned so much from God, my beautiful campers and other great counselors.

My soon to be sister and I...another great blessing of the week...being able to work alongside her :)