Fun week!

So I know that I have a final and paper due soon, but the past few days have been packed full of fun time with family and friends. I did get some studying done today, but hopefully the next few days will allow more focused study time :-) So this past weekend my cousin/maid of honor Rara came to visit me. It was so refreshing to see her and just spend time catching up. I miss her when she is gone! We went to the beach, spent time with her good friend Mitchell, and went to Displace Me, an event put on by Invisible Children in order to raise awareness about the genocide going on in Africa. Then we both went to my kitchen shower put on by Wes' mom and sister and a good friend of ours. My mom and grandmother flew in Sunday as well for the shower. It was so fun. It was an interactive cooking lesson during which we prepared the dinner that we ended up eating. Wes was super happy to hear that Teri's good friends chipped in to buy us an awesome grill. It is surreal to be getting gifts that will adorn our new home in a week or two. It seems as though time is passing quicker than normal these days :-)

I have been staying with my mom and grandmother in their hotel for the past few days. Today my mom and I had hair appointments with the guy who will be doing my hair for the wedding, and tomorrow is my last dress fitting. My grandmother has never seen my dress (no one has except my mom and other grandparents by picture), and I am excited for her to be here to experience this time with us. Wes met us for breakfast this morning, and last night we all had dinner (Wes and my brother Mike included) with a second cousin Mimi who I haven't seen in a long time and her new husband, Nick. It has really been a fun week, but I am missing my love since I am not staying at school right now and only get to see him briefly. He was gone this past weekend as well with his fraternity brothers on a farm doing guy things like dirt bike racing, flying, and looking for boars to hunt. I have to say, I am glad that I was excluded from the guy trip this time. I am sometimes tempted to join in for things like the upcoming Olympics, or a competition including most every sport you can think of, but as for the farm, I am glad I was with Rara :-)

Anyway, I am busy as ever, and I can't wait as always for June 23rd which is going to be here before I know it!

Here is a picture from the shower:


me and mom

Update

Well... I thought I would have more time to write here after volleyball ended and as classes come to a close, but it turns out there is always something to keep me busy. We all have so much going on it seems, and sometimes I have to remind myself to take a minute or two and just sit and appreciate all that I have been blessed with and by. These past six months have been awesome in so many ways, and I never stop learning that is for sure. The Lord is teaching me more about what it means to be part of a team and to put Wes before myself while staying true to the thoughts and feelings that the Lord puts on my heart. I am so thankful for the way that Wes loves me so incredibly and selflessly.

Wes and I spent last Saturday with Dave and Jan, our extended family as well as our Christian marriage counselors. We were so encouraged by our time with them and were able to experience wonderful fellowship, food, and conversation. We so look forward to spending more time with them. They are such a fun couple! The whole weekend served to reinforce and affirm my confidence in my relationship with Wes. There is no doubt in my mind that the Lord has blessed us in a special way through each other.

I can't believe that graduation is aroud the corner and the wedding is less than two months away.... anyway, I gotta run, but I am so excited. Rara, my cousin/best friend/maid of honor is coming in town tomorrow. I can't wait!

"This is the day that the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it".

I can't believe next week is the last week of classes in my college career. Maybe someday it will hit me. Graduation has recently been overshadowed by this other big event in my life, my wedding, but it is a huge milestone as well. It seems like the last four years has flown by and yet it seems like it has been forever since I was in high school much less my freshman year of college. I have definately learned a lot since then, and I know there is a lot to learn as well in the coming months/years.

I miss my cousin Rara... she is far away, and I don't get to talk to her as often as I would like. I am jealous of my friend Linda who gets to see her everyday :-( I also miss my future brother Lucas who came to visit for a few days when I was away. I got to see him for an hour, but he too lives far away and won't be living close by soon if ever. What a blessing though to have such wonderful people in my life who I want to spend time with. They are the greatest!!

Not much of an update on the wedding, but Kacey and Wes' sister Heather, are hosting a kitchen shower for me in two weeks which should be really fun because we get a hands on cooking lesson during it. I love food, but I could definately improve my skills in the kitchen. I am looking forward to having more time now that volleyball is over to make some dinners for my love. Last night I got to cook for him, nothing fancy, but it was fun :-) Then again, any time I get to spend with Wesley is fun!! He is the most incredible fiance/love of my life/friend ever!!!

Been a while...

So Nationals for volleyball was such a good time. My team really played well together and we won our first five matches on Thursday and Friday, but then we lost first round on Saturday in the gold bracket, leaving us 9th out of 60 teams. It was kinda a bummer because we lost 27-25, 25-23 to Purdue. We were up 8 pts in the first game and then they came back and beat us. They made it to the semi-finals and just barely lost to University of Texas who beat Marquet but a lot! in the finals. We could have definately played with all the teams there so it was too bad to get knocked out so early on Saturday, but my team was so happy to have played well as a team that we were ok with the results. All the seniors started crying, myself included, and even our coach teared up a little saying how proud he was to have been our coach. It was a pretty special time with the team, and I am really going to miss the girls.

As for the wedding, the days are counting down. I think we are now at 9 weeks, around 68 days according to our website countdown! Hopefully we will get the invitations out soon. I guess they are still at the printer. We also have to start figuring out details like transportation and where everyone will stay, what the schedule will be when everyone is there, and other final details. My last dress fitting is in two weeks along with my second make-up and hair run throughs. Exciting stuff!

Now for the last few weeks of school... I have some catching up to do, but not much time left! I can't wait for the next phase of life. Who knows exactly what that will look like yet (in school, having a job?, etc.), but I am so excited!

No Time Right Now

Well, I just got back from home yesterday in time for a few classes and some much needed catch up time with the love of my life, and now I am packing and a little late to Bible study. I will leave the study early for the airport and am off to Nationals to wrap up my senior volleyball season. It should be a good time and hopefully we play well. Both of my parents are coming Thurs-Sun which is a real blessing. I am excited to have some good time with them. I was just home but there was a lot going on with the tennis tournament. I can't believe that I have only a few weeks left in the year before graduation, and of course... my wedding :-) I am so beyond blessed... wish me luck at Nationals!

Time is flying by

It seems like the past few months have gone by so quickly. I am now at home with my family for Easter and there is a tennis tournament going on at the club nearby. We are housing three players and their coaches, so we have a full house right now, but it is definately fun to have a lot of people around. It is cold and rainy today though so hopefully the sun comes out soon. I am having a good time so far, and it is fun to see the family. My mom and I also just recieved the final drawings from the florist and everything is looking great. I can't believe the wedding is right around the corner. People always ask me if I am excited... how could I not be!! I can't wait!

Great Weekend!

My volleyball team won our League Championship tournament on Sunday. We haven't performed well in tournaments so far, but we came to play and all had such a great time yesterday. I am not sure whether it was more fun to win or to have my loving fiance there supporting me all day long. He would leave during breaks between games to do things like surf, say hi to a buddy twenty minutes away, and go for a run... he said he might not be back in time, but he would for sure make a few games, but at the time that every game started, there he was :-) He is too sweet! We were in the gym from 9 am to 8:30 pm, but it was a great day. And the night before we got to stay with one of our best friend's families. Eric is Wes' roommate and couldn't come down with us, but we stayed at his house, and his dad took Wes and I out to dinner along with all four of Eric's siblings. It was so fun, and then we got to talk with Eric's dad for hours after dinner about our wedding, our relationship, and life in general. He is so supportive and is wonderful to talk to! Then Wes and I got to start going over a few more chapters in our marriage workbook on Saturday and Sunday. We are also working to finalize the guest list and date for a shower our friend wants to throw for us. What a great time! I love my fiance and am so blessed by him. I can't wait for another weekend where we get to spend good quality time together. It won't happen for another three weeks or so, but I just love that time so much.