Prayer Request

I have an extremely heavy heart today.

I have a very good girlfriend who's family is in the need of much prayer. She is also getting married this year, and we have bonded by helping each other plan our weddings...

Her future brother-in-law (whom she is extremely close to) is serving our country in the Navy, stationed in FL. This weekend, he was in a tragic boating accident and was hospitalized. He has been in Surgical Intensive Care Unit after 8+ hours of surgery on Friday night. The decision was made Saturday evening that the damage to his veins could not be repaired. Sunday morning they amputated his left leg, below the knee. This young man is in his twenties and is now being faced with one of the most difficult things in his life...

Please, please, please pray for him..for my friend, for her Fiance, and for their entire family. My heart is completely broken for them. Pray for TJ to have the strength to overcome this obstacle, for he is already a hero. Pray that everyone involved can feel God's love during this difficult time, and for them to realize that in the midst of something so horrible, God is still good. It is obvious that God is not finished with TJ yet..and has mighty plans for him in the future!

Isaiah 41:1010 "Don’t you be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you. Yes, I will help you. Yes, I will uphold you with the right hand of my righteousness."

Proverbs 3:5-6 "Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths."

love letter.

Ok, I've just discovered from the sweet lil comment my Fiance left on here over the weekend that he reads this stuff :) so be warned: the following post is a note to him. I thought it would be special if he "accidentially" got on here and saw my message to him. And don't worry Greg, you will still get your letters/cards in the mail...but we didn't get to talk long last night and I just wanted to try to make your day a little brighter...

Greg,

Hi baby! :) You have no clue how excited I was to get on this thing and see that I had a comment. Yes, I must admit, I love comments (does this mean I'm becoming addicted to this thing?)...but to see that it was from YOU was amazing!! It is Monday and guess what that means, I GET TO SEE YOU ON SATURDAY!! Yes, yes..I am one excited girl up here in NC! Your dad asked me last night at dinner how I was gonna be able to get up at 4am to drive down and my response was "are you kidding me?? I probably won't even sleep, I'll be so excited!" haha. You know how I get when something fun is gonna happen. I promised each of them I would give you enough hugs to come from everyone..soo, one from your Mom, your Dad, Mem, Pep, Mark, Shannon, Nick, Paul, Chase, and Bouser. (I don't think I'll have any problem doing that!!)

So how is school going? How was the big run today..I know you did GREAT! I hope that your classes got off to an excellent start and you sat in the front row ;) I'm gonna proofread your paper today and I will send it back to your email with any changes. I can't wait to read about the Constitution...you know me & history! haha! (insert sarcasim)

Dinner with your family last night was fun! It felt like it had been so long! I sure did miss our Sunday's together..church..my family lunch..your family dinner. And then whining about how tired and full we are after it all :) Yes, you know what I'm talking about! It was great to see your parents..and mem & pep..and of course, your crazy brothers & Shannon! :) I've missed them ALL! I actually didn't know where to sit at the table without you there..lol. But I sat at our typical place, beside your mom...and Nick sat in your seat. I even had a lemon slice for dessert!

Once I got home, I changed into my PJ's and then heard my mom come in from church..and I heard a very familiar voice downstairs. My mamaw! haha. I went downstairs and there was mamaw & papaw..they had came to go to church with mom & dad so they stopped by afterwards to eat dinner. I sat downstairs with them and showed my mamaw the pics of my DRESS!! :) hehe..don't you wish you knew...

Well, today is actually off to a fast start. Staying busy here at work...and tonight Mom is meeting me when I get off and we are having our 1st consulation with the florist! :) I'm excited about the flowers..although I have no clue what I'm looking for! I hope you don't mind what kind of flowers I use...I was thinking a mix of pink & green for the guy's bouts..and yours solid pink? I think that's what I'm gonna do for my flowers anyway..girls with pink & green mix and my flowers solid pink. I hope that's ok..but then again, I've never really known you to care about flower choices ;)

Words cannot adequately describe how much I miss you being a part of my daily life. I keep replaying all of the many things we used to do together. There's not a day that goes by where something I see or hear doesn't remind me of our memories. I thank God everyday for sending you my direction for me to share my life with. The letters you send encourage me to keep being strong and to continue trusting God's plan for our lives. You know that all I want is for His will to be done...no matter what the sacrifice.

I.LOVE.YOU...I hope you can feel "sparks" even across the miles...

I will leave you with a couple of pics of some of my fav. memories together..

4 days & counting...

Forever,

Shan

Genesis 31:49

This time last year we were soaking up the rays @ Daytona...wouldn't you agree this was one of our BEST trips?!?

2 week trip to Maine

and of course, the day you asked me to be your wife!

give me your eyes.

Rough day...It seems like I SO look forward to Friday and the weekend..then, when it gets here, I realize that the one person I always spent my entire weekend with is gone. Friday's were Greg and I's "Date Night". If you are married/engaged/in a relationship I HIGHLY recommend finding a day that you can call "Date Night". Why you might ask? Because it gives the TWO of you a chance to be together. I know most couples are in the same situation as we were. Greg and I had established such a routine and hectic lifestyle, that we forgot to take the "time-out" for each other. We came to a huge rut in our relationship and we had no clue how we had even arrived at that point. Greg and I love friends and fellowship, but we sat down together and couldn't remember the last time I was able to get all dolled up and him arrive to my house, knocked on the door, and took just me out for a nice dinner and a movie. That is when we vowed to each other to make a "Date Night". We adopted Friday because our Saturday's were usually spent with our friends or families which is perfect also, but we realized how important is is for us to have US time and grow together as a couple.

So now that's he gone (for almost a full MONTH), on Friday...I miss my "Date Nights"...but more importantly, I miss my Fiance. I miss his smile. I miss his encouragement. I miss his love. I miss his touch. I miss his hugs when he would pick me up off the ground. I miss his excitement for the weekend. I miss his black Army T-shirt (long story..maybe for another post).

Tonight I decided to go for a run outside to take full advantage of the beautiful weather. I love to run. It was the perfect "me" time when I was in college, but when Greg and I got together, we took the habit on as a couple. I miss my running partner. Tonight, I ran the trail that goes around the center of my hometown. The same trail that Greg and I ran on a daily basis last summer. It was difficult..I blasted my i-pod up full volume to try to drown on the longing I have for my fiance. It's silly really, but I miss seeing him run ahead of me (we have different paces so he would sprint ahead and then jog in place to wait for my short lil legs to follow). He gave me something to run to..

...but shouldn't that be the way it is with Jesus? Our God? Shouldn't we run to him?

I started listening to the words that were booming from my ipod..an artist named Brandon Heath. If you haven't heard of him, YOU'VE GOT TO! I'm a hugeeeee Brandon Heath fan. His songs are so REAL. His words make sense. Actually, Greg and I saw him in concert and adopted his song "Love Never Fails" as our song. My all-time favorite song of his is "Give Me Your Eyes"...it speaks to having eyes like Jesus..compassion..caring..humility..sacrifice. While listening to the song, I couldn't help but cry. Yes, while running down the side of the street, I cried. I AM BLESSED..and I want to help. When I say help, I mean reach out..to a world that is in need. In need for the love of Christ. I am so blessed to have an amazing God who loves me unconditionally..a family who taught me my Faith..the committed love of a godly, self-less man..and friends who will be there, no matter what. I am beyond blessed..and I can make a difference. I am selfish to whine about my fiance being gone for a few months..there are other people who are going through and have been through much WORSE situations. And I want to use this time that I have apart from my fiance to see that..to open my eyes to the world, and share the love of Christ. So tonight, I'm praying for strength, wisdom, and guidance as to what step to take next. So please pray with me, pray that your eyes will be opened to the world that needs Jesus Christ as their Savior and simply ask God, "Give Me Your Eyes"...

I'm such a blogger.

The primary purpose of this blog is to help me through the wedding planning process AND to help me through the time me and my fiance have to spend apart. So, I figured this post would be appropriate. I found some excellent stuff this morning as I was randomly searching the internet...

Here are a list of some great quotes for military wives/girlfriends!

"Distance IS NOT for the fearful, it’s for the BOLD, It’s for those who are willing to spend A LOT of time apart, In exchange for a little with the one they LOVE. It’s for those who KNOW it’s a GOOD thing when they see it. Even if they don’t see it nearly enough."

Top 10 reasons to love a soldier:

10.Camo goes with everything

9.gifts from exoctic places

8.they never get lost

7.a man who knows it's hot to iron

6.loves your cooking ( I guess b/c anything is better than the mess hall)

5.big boys with big guns never miss

4.love letters in the mail

3.hard bodies, soft kisses.

2.uniform, uniform, uniform

1.Proud and strong all night long

"STRENGTH is keeping it together when everyone expects you to fall apart."

And this one is my fav!
"God found some of the strongest women and made their match a soldier!"

Then I stumbled across this blog...I took a lil piece of it to post here. Describes everything I'm feeling right now, and I'm sure there's many more times like this in the years to come...

The Separation Barrier - taken from here
"While many civilian friends are sympathetic to your husband being gone, few are able to say things to make you feel better. My all-time favorite is “I don’t know how you do it. I wouldn’t be able to do it if my husband were gone all the time.” Knowing that my friend doesn't think they could handle it does nothing to help me handle it better.
It is hard but there’s just no way to adequately describe the feelings you have during a separation. You have days when you want to do nothing but cry, you have days when you feel lost, you have days where you feel anxious because you just heard a news story about KIAs. But you also have days that aren’t so bad. Once you establish a routine, you may find that you can “enjoy” the separation as a time for both of you to grow, learn new things and establish an even deeper commitment to your relationship. You may even find you have days when you don’t think about it until someone asks you how he’s doing. Then you feel guilty when you realize it’s the first time you thought about him today. Your emotions can be somewhat like a roller coaster ride and it’s just easier to be around someone who’s going through the same thing. "

*The author is speaking of other Army Wives at the end of her passage..and I truly cannot wait to be surrounded by other women who know what I'm experiencing.*

lunch break finds

Yes..the lunch break shopaholic strikes again. K-Mart is located right below my office..yes, I said K-Mart, so I figured it would be a cute idea to go pick up an "I miss you" card & mail to my fiance. Of course, I couldn't just go in there without browsing through every ailse! Let me just tell you..(for anyone planning their wedding or will one day get married) DO NOT! I repeat..DO NOT buy your flower girl stuff at a bridal salon! Seriously..those dresses are well above $100...and think how fast children grow?!? and those baskets are at least $20-30!

If you are planning on a Spring/Summer wedding..here's my tip..EASTER! Yes, you know..the time when your mom took you out shopping for a ridiculous puffy dress, the white tights, gloves, hat, sparkly shoes and pranced you in front of your entire church? Yes, well this stuff can finally become of some use in the world (besides dressing your daughter up to look like a barbie). K-Mart (and I'm SO NOT a K-Mart shopper) had the most adorable Easter dresses that could DEF. double as flower girl dresses! Best part? Price tag..$24.99. And shoes as well!! I don't have to worry with the dress thing, because my flower girls will be wearing tutus, but I did find these adorable sandles for them! Def. my style and will look great with the tutus...less than $10!

Ok..I'm reallyyy not a fan of the typical flower girl baskets either. You know, the white, pointless thing that you will have to sell after the big day. How bought this for a spin off?!? EASTER BASKETS! They make some adorable ones nowadays! I had originally bought the pails shown in the post below..but after finding these beauties I changed my mind. I'm going to trade out the polka dot ribbon for the zebra ribbon shown below. They are made out of wood and the ribbon is weaved through the wood. And after the wedding? Send the basket home with the girls...would it make a cute bin for all their hairbows, play makeup, etc?

Ok..I think that might be all for now. I have a special treat in store for everyone on Friday! :)

Introducing...

ME!!

So the more and more I get into this "blogging world" I really actually love it. It is so nice to be able to write about anything that is on my heart. My fiance is my best friend, and with him being gone and most communication cut off with him, I find myself with lots of things floating through my head..and no one to discuss them with. And then I discovered this blog...

Without further adue, I've decided I should introduce myself...yes, I have an "about me" section, but there is still so much left unsaid. I do have a wedding website that explains just about everything so I think I will just post that here. (check it out when you get time) I started out using that website for just family to become familiar with the wedding Greg and I were planning..then it turned into a wedding planning website. I don't get on there much anymore, but it does give some insight on who I am and where I came from.

Now, I think I will post a few of my favorite things. There are many, so beware, but at least you will "know" (is that possible in the blog world?) who you are reading about.
First things first:

I love my Savior! Jesus Christ!

My Fiance is a gift from God, my best friend, my hero, and my constant strength.

And girls, I can tell you..that's he is WELL worth the wait! And all the pain, tears, and heartbreak I had to go thru to find him...all part of God's perfect plan!

My family :)

I was raised by two of the greatest Godly people put on this earth. And I have 1 older brother. And I love my furture In-Laws. They are a blessing.

Me & Mom :)

This is a pic of me and my brother before his wedding in 2007

My future In-Laws who are fabulous & who raised an AMAZING man ;)

My nephew, Landon.
He is the love of my life and has brought out so many different parts of me I never knew were there...

Handbags

Here are some that are next on my "to buy" list for Spring/Summer...

I could go weeks without eating just save up enough $ to buy a beauty. They are my weakness.
Favs = Kathy Van Zeeland, Betsey Johnson, Jessica Simpson, Guess, Kate Spade, Coach, Longchamps...umm..just to name a few ;)

Dancing, Cheerleading, Performing...

I've been doing it since I was 4 years old. It's my passion...

Girlfriends.

They make life so much more fun...

Hiking

usually how Greg and I spend our weekends during the fall

Huge, ridiculous sunglasses.

and yes, I get called bug eyes and I STILL love them!

The North Face..in anything!

My Uggs & Rainbows
depending on the season, but I LIVE IN THEM! I basically don't leave home without them...

Tissues (ask anyone!)

they are my security blanket...

Chicken Wings

with extra ranch for dipping. k, thanks.

Shoes!

I have entirely too many, but the thought of giving up a pair makes me sick to my stomach.
You never know when you're gonna need those hot pink mettalic 5 inch heels, right girls?!?

Starbucks.

Vera Bradley

Ok, honestly..if I were to sell all of my vera bradley, I could put a down payment on a house. But then, what would I carry my gym clothes in? My checkbook? My wallet? My travel luggage? My makeup? My shower supplies? My eyeglasses? My SHOES?!?
You get the point...this was my very 1st pattern when I was a freshman in college. I have just about every piece in it. The madness hasn't slowed down since..

Dr. Pepper..all 23 flavors.

McDonalds

and yes, I know how UNHEALTHY it is..but it is seriously amazing!

checks.

a few wedding "checks" that I thought I should post on...

flower girl pails...LOVEEE the zebra ribbon.

bathroom baskets (womens=larger, mens=smaller) go figure?!? haha. And they aren't arranged yet..just thrown in there.

this pic is very dark, but I seriously love this. It's gonna be some decor for either my candy buffet or some other table that will have the "leaving" bubbles on it. Can't decide yet. But it's so fabulous...

And I FINALLY put the pics of Greg and I's last date before he left for the Army on my computer. We went to the Biltmore House for the day and had some pretty amazing pics come from it. I figured I would share...

That's all for now..I'm busy watching the Bachelor! Who's he gonna pick?!?!?!? My vote is for Melissa! I loooveeeee her!! I will write more tomorrow!